Cabbage
Patch
Cowboy
By
Waddie
Greywolf
Chapter
19
Everyone was up
at the crack of dawn. They had a wonderful breakfast and said
some tearful goodbyes. Bubba got Buck to one side and ask him to
say 'hello' to Mrs. Anderson for him and to tell her he would give her
a call to let her know the next time he was coming through. Buck
offered him his old room at his parent's home to stay in. It was
private and his mom and dad loved Bubba like a second son. They'd
treat him like royalty. They missed Buck and Waddie anyway. Bubba said
he just might take him up on it, and it was mighty kind of
Buck to offer. Sarah Crenshaw had an orange crate with jams,
jellys, pickles, three different kinds of relishes, some homemade
bread, and four large pieces of German chocolate cake. She broke
into tears when Gip and Waddie said goodbye. The boys were
shedding a few, too. Randy Crenshaw
was all choked up, he could barely speak. "Come home, boys, we
love you and cherish you. Thanks for sharing your lives, your gifts,
and your talents with us. I can't tell you what you done for our
family," he said softly, hugged, and kissed them both.
They were off
down the road with Billy Bob and Earl D. leading the way. They
stopped by the Franz and got another big box of goodies Dora and Brenda
Lou made for them. Brenda Lou included a card for each of the
boys to read when they got home. There were more tearful
goodbyes. Gus and Bubba didn't want to let go but knew they had
to. Then they were off for real. Buck told the Crenshaw
boys to go as fast as they wanted, except through small towns. Buck
asked that they slow down for the limit posted and then on the
other side open it up again. It was unlikely any local patrol
would stop a truck being followed by a sheriff's patrol car. Earl
D. took him at his word and they made the best time ever getting back
to Mrs. York's. Mrs. York recognized the sheriff's car
immediately as probably belonging to Waddie's Godfather, Buck
Claymore. She came out to the porch and down the steps with both
arms open for her boys. She hugged and kissed Waddie and Gip
telling them how much she missed them.
"This must be
your Uncle Buck. Darned, if he don't look a lot like you, Son,"
she allowed. She offered Buck her hand and Buck responded with
all his considerable charm. He introduced Gip and Waddie's other
dad who Waddie will be living with, Mr. Dan Justin. They told her
to call them Buck and Dan. She was all a’ twitter. "Well,
you're staying for lunch. It's almost ready and a couple of the
animals ain't back yet so there's plenty for all."
"Can we pay you
for our lunch, Mrs. York?" Buck asked.
"Lord, no,
Buck. Waddie ain't even been here that much, and he's done enough
work around here to help me, I owe him a months room and board. Mighty
fine young men these two. Hope they come back to see me,"
she replied.
"I'm sure they
will Mrs. York. We're grateful to you for taking Waddie in, being
so kind and good to him. We can't thank you enough," Buck said.
"Nonsense.
Waddie was a delight to have around. I only wish he could stay
longer; you, too, Gip. I can carry on an intelligent conversation
with them. These other boys, 'cept Earl D. and Billy Bob, think
of nothing but football and girls. I guess it's the age of
hormone heaven. Come in, Gentlemen. C'moan in. Make yourself
comfortable, wash up, and lunch will be ready in about thirty minutes,"
Mrs. York said.
"Thanks, Mrs.
York, we will," Dan said. They went in and followed Billy Bob,
Earl D., Waddie, and Gip upstairs. Buck and Dan were impressed
with Waddie's room. Waddie and Gip got busy packing his things
and put them in the patrol car. Buck and Dan sat around and
talked with the six athletes Earl D. and Billy Bob introduced them
to. They were deep into football when Mrs. York rang the lunch
bell. She didn't until she saw Enid Justin's truck park behind
Buck's patrol car. She called to leave a message for the boys and
Mrs. York invited her for lunch. The boys were thrilled she came
to say goodbye and were all over her. The other athletes were
very attentive to her as well. After lunch she gave each one her
personal card and signed her name on the back. She told them to
take the card to Gil Saunders the owner of the 'Hitch'n Post' and tell
him to let them pick out any pair of Justin/Nacona boots they wanted.
"Wear 'em in
good health, men, and you damn well better win again this year, or I'll
personally kick your butts," she said as she threw back her head and
roared with laughter. The athletes laughed with her but weren't
real sure she couldn't do it. She gave Earl D. two more cards for
the other two athletes who weren't there. They had a great visit
and Waddie and Gip helped Mrs. York clear the table. They were
going to help her clean up but she said 'no.' She knew their dads
were anxious to get going. They were going by 'The Hitch'n Post'
to thank Gil personally, but Buck asked Enid and the boys if they would
thank him for them. They agreed and the men once again said their
goodbyes.
Enid said her
goodbyes and left. She promised she'd be out for Thanksgiving and
Christmas. The boys shed more tears as Earl D. and Billy Bob were
difficult for Gip and Waddie to give up. Mrs. York was in tears
but wished them well. Even old Phil, Ben, and Stan were in
tears. They made Gip and Waddie promise to follow the
games. Buck and Dan had a long way to drive. They brought
the patrol car because they could make better time and never be
stopped. The unwritten code of the lawmen brotherhood: turn your
head the other way if it's a fellow lawman.
"Well, Son, you
ready to go home?" Buck asked Waddie.
Waddie looked at
Buck with love in his eyes that Buck knew was only for him. "I'm
ready. I ain't afraid none neither. Let's go home, Dad,"
Waddie replied.
Buck threw his
arms around Waddie, hugged and kissed him. "You know, cowboy, I
told you one time to only call me 'dad' before we went to sleep at
night, because I didn't wanna' infringe on my brother's love for
you. I didn't know at the time you weren't my brother's
boy. Your coach told me all about what Judy told him. I was
glad he did. Morgan didn't lie to me, he just didn't tell me the
truth. Since you ain't his son no more, and that's official, Son,
I don't think it would be wrong if'n you wanted to call me 'dad' from
now on. I know I'd be mighty proud and honored. It would
certainly be music to my old ears," Buck said with all the love in his
heart.
"From now on,
you ain't 'Uncle Buck' no more. You're as much my dad as Dad Dan,
and I'd be the one proud and honored to call you 'dad,' sir," Waddie
said.
"When we get
home, would you want me to start a search for your real parents,
Waddie?" Buck asked.
"Why would I
want that, Dad? With four wonderful men in my life who love me
enough to want to be my dads; their ladies feel as strongly as they do;
want me to call them mom; why would I wanna' take a chance on folks I
don't know? I been through enough, Dad, to gamble on any new
folks. Now, I'm away from Morgan, I'm looking forward to some
happiness with the folks I love and who love me. Dad, I made the
choice of returning from death's door for several reasons. Gip,
Dad Dan, and Momma Sue were important reasons, certainly enough for me
to come back for their love alone, but I came back for you and Aunt
Linda. You need me, old man, and I shore’ as hell need you.
I love you, Dad. I want to be you and Dad Dan's son if'n you'll
have me and I promise, Dad, I'll do everything in my power to make you
proud of me," Waddie replied.
"Oh, God,
Waddie, of course we want you. We both want to call you our
son. We're already s'damn proud of you we don't know what to
do. I didn't want to seem selfish and want you for my boy when
you were my brother's child, but I prayed to God, if he weren't happy
with the job yore’ dad was doing, to let you be my boy... let me or
Dan have a shot at being your dad. Ever since that first
afternoon I walked into your hospital room, I lived my life every day
with one prayer in my heart, for God to allow me to claim you as my
own. It's my greatest wish in life, Son. You have ta' know
that. I'm proud of you, boy. Don't never forget it.
You're our son now. I have faith God and Mr. Uriel will find a
way for us to be together," Buck said.
"I pray for it
to happen, Dad, every night. If'n we really want it and ask Him,
He'll give us what we ask for, you'll see," Waddie assured him.
Buck kissed
Waddie right on the mouth in front of everyone. Everyone
applauded and whistled. They knew it was a great emotional moment
between Waddie and Buck. Dan held Gip who was in tears and Dan
had a few rolling down his face. The men said their final
goodbyes promising to keep in touch as they drove away. They
headed out the freeway, out of town toward home. Waddie and Gip
sat in the back seat holding hands. They knew without saying they
were ready to go home. They missed the folks who loved them.
Morgan had no
idea Buck and Dan were even out of town. No one lied to him, they
just told him half truths. He had no idea anyone heard a word
from Waddie. He was about to grieve himself to death. He
was never a drinker, but lately he began blotting out the hurt and
disappointment of his actions by drinking himself into oblivion. It
finally dawned on him, what a fool he was. He lost the
greatest treasure of his life; a treasure, money couldn't buy.
* * * * * *
Waddie asked his
dad stop in each truck stop he and Bubba stopped in on the way to
Austin. He introduced Buck and Dad Dan to, Ben, the owner and
manager of the first one. He came out from behind the kitchen,
picked Waddie up in a big hug and kissed him. He was happy to see
Waddie looking so good. Waddie introduced him to his brother and
two dads. There was a handful of truckers he met with Bubba and
remember each one's name. Even good looking Darrell was there. Waddie stood and
made a speech about how grateful he was for their love and generosity
to him, and he talked personally with the sheriff of the county he
lives in, he motioned toward Buck and giggled, there would be no
illegal speed traps for them to worry about. They laughed,
cheered and told Buck how glad they were he won the election. That
other sheriff would take a bite out of their butts every time they
drove through. Didn't matter whether they were abiding by the
speed limit or not, the old sheriff's deputies would still write them
tickets. Buck personally promised it wouldn't happen during his
administration.
The heavy set
little waitress, Peggy Sue, saw Waddie when he walked through the door
and ran to hug him to say 'hello.' She led the men over to the
trucker's table immediately. The men who were there heard him
tell the story of Ms. Pearl and were glad to see him in better
shape. Better yet, he was going home with his people who loved
him and were good to him. They were genuinely glad to see their
little buddy happy. Waddie, Gip, Buck, and Dan thanked each man
and waitress personally before they left. Waddie left Peggy Sue a
twenty-five dollar tip.
At the second
restaurant Louise was on duty and yelled at the top of her voice.
"Waddie. Look, guys, it's Waddie. He's on his way
home. Glory be." She came to Waddie hugged, kissed him, and
cried. He cried with her he was so glad to see her under better
circumstances. Then Waddie spied Red Dog and went to him, threw
his arms around the big man's neck, hugged, kissed him on the cheek,
and the big, hard-ass looking trucker lost it in front of his
buddies. He stood there holding and hugging Waddie for several
minutes.
"It's so good to
see y'all again, sir. I had to bring my uncle," Waddie winked at
Red Dog, and he smiled knowingly, "my brother and his dad to say hello
and thank you again. You men were truly my guardian angels, and I
promise you, God won't forget you. I won't let him," Waddie
assured him. Red Dog stole another kiss and Waddie introduced Red
Dog and six of the truckers to Buck, Dan, and Gip. Lousie waited
on them and couldn't do enough for them. Waddie bought a card
especially for Louise if he could talk his dad into stopping. He
left it at the place he was sitting. The envelope had, 'Louise'
written on it. The message inside said, 'This ain't an
attempt to repay you for your kindness. There ain't enough money
in the world for that. It simply is a small ‘thank you,’ and a
tip for a job well done. Love, Waddie.' In the card he put
fifty dollars. Hell, he still had almost all the money Bubba gave
him and hadn't spent a dime other than his bus ticket to Dallas and
some phone calls. Lousie went out of her way for a stranger and
deserved it as far as he was concerned.
Buck saw what
Waddie did both times, put his arm around him, and hugged him
close. "That was not only a wonderful thing to do, Son, it was
the right thing to do. I love you so much for that action
alone. She did you a favor and you thanked her," Buck said
reinforcing Waddie's thoughtfulness.
Buck and Dan
couldn't thank the men and Louise enough for their kindness to their
boy and each hugged and bussed a kiss on Louise's cheek. She was
thrilled and cried as they left.
* * * * * *
The closer to
home they got the more relaxed Waddie became. He thought he might
be uptight or anxious, afraid to be anywhere near Morgan, but he
wasn't. Then he understood why God and Mr. Uriel wanted him to be
apart from his family for a period of time. He went out into the
world by himself a little over a month ago as a hurt,
frightened little boy, but he was returning a strong, resolved young
man. He never, for a minute, discounted the love and help from
Mr. Uriel. Good folks took him in, sheltered him, tended his
wounds, his hurts, and gave him their love unconditionally. It
was a lesson in truth and love God and Mr. Uriel wanted him to
learn. They wanted him to learn it on his own with no influence
from his family.
There's good,
loving, caring folks out there in the world. When you least
expect it they'll pop up out of the woodwork to reach down and give you
a hand. What they do for you, you must always remember, and in
their honor, reach down and offer your hand to someone else in
need. It's only by putting others before ourselves, even for only
a small amount of time or sharing some of what we have in abundance,
can we raise ourselves to the status the good Lord assigned
mankind. At the point of becoming selfless in our actions we stop
being animals and become his children, a little lower in the scheme of
things than his angels.
It was a
wonderful trip home. Waddie never felt such love and joy from the
three main men in his family as they showed each other. They only
stopped once and stayed in a motel. That night Gip wanted to
sleep with Buck and Waddie wanted to feel his beloved Dad Dan close to
him all night. They stole kiss after kiss from each other and
stayed hard in each other's arms almost all night. They didn't
get a hell of a lot of sleep, but they didn't care. Neither did
Gip and Buck for that matter. They kissed, giggled, and played
with each other 'til the wee hours of the morning. It was
something they needed. They needed to
feel each other close at a joyful time rather than a time of hurt and
pain. It re-established their bonds and need for one
another. Waddie realized how much Dad Dan needed him as well as
Gip. The two young men brought separate but equal qualities to
him to lay at his feet. He couldn't give up either. Dan
Justin was so amused at his brother because of his
naïveté. Dan knew soon he would give Waddie up to
Buck, but until that time, Waddie would become Dan's fully invested
son. Dan would wallow in the thought and the love he and Waddie
shared. He especially wanted Buck to know he accepted Waddie as
his real, flesh and blood, son. He always did.
* * * * * *
Buck had to
drive about a mile into the city limits and take a right onto the farm
road out to the Justin's place. As they passed the city limit's
sign on the outskirts of town they saw a small piece of cardboard
nailed just below the name of the town. It had three words neatly
printed in approximately four inch high letters: Welcome Home,
Cowboy! Waddie had Buck stop, they got out and looked at
it. It was a labor of love and there was no doubt in any of their
mind's who put it there. Waddie cried in Buck's arms. He
was overwhelmed by the simple gesture of love. They could've had
a fifty piece brass band waiting to meet them, and it wouldn't have
made a bigger impact on Waddie, Gip or his two dads. Waddie carefully
took the sign down to keep in his room. Would you believe, almost
fifty years later, he still has that piece of weathered cardboard in a
suitable frame above his desk? It's probably his most treasured
possession; a worthless piece of old cardboard. No matter how
alone or bad he might feel from time to time, all he has to do is look
up at those three words and his heart is filled with the same
indescribable peace and love he felt that afternoon. It told him,
he belonged and had value. It still does.
Buck pulled down
the gavel road to the Justin’s and around in back. All the family
and half the damn town were there to welcome them home. Waddie
shed so many tears that afternoon he was exhausted by early
evening. It seemed like his loved ones couldn't get enough of
him. It was as if none of them wanted him to stray five to ten
feet away from them. Aunt Linda was so loving and protective of
him, Waddie was beginning to wonder. Momma Sue told Waddie she
would know if Linda Sue had a clue. She assured him Linda Sue
knew nothing, but Momma Sue watched her suffer and mourn over his
running away. It was a glorious afternoon.
No one bothered
to call Morgan to tell him Waddie was home. Morgan’s parents
didn't even tell him about spending the afternoon at the
Justin’s. A crowd at the Justin’s was not rare. They were
all the time having folks out. Morgan and his family were always
invited. They never came so folks stopped inviting them after a
while. They told him he was welcome anytime he wanted to come
over, but most of the town folks wouldn't give him the time of
day. When he came around they found someone else to talk
with. Waddie felt bad but he wasn't ready to see Morgan
yet. It would be on his time, turf, and terms. Waddie would
never again allow Morgan to dictate to him how he must live his
life. Why should he, Morgan couldn't cast the mote out of his own
eye?
* * * * * *
It was the year
to have the boys birthday on Waddie's day, the tenth of July. The
boys could've cared less which day they celebrated it. They had
come to dread their birthdays, not because they didn't have a good
time, but they wished so much 'to-do' wasn't made over them. Once
again the family gathered at the Justin’s. The usual kids were
there who were there every year since Waddie and Gip were six years
old. The boys loved them and looked forward to seeing them, but
they begged Momma Sue and Aunt Linda to ask the parents not to get
their kid’s a present to bring. If they thought they had to buy a
present, buy one and donate it to the Christmas toys for kids in
need. There were several poor homes in the community. Or
they could give to a 'Critter Food Fund' jar at several stores and
sheriff's station. Then give Waddie and Gip a card telling them a
toy had been donated in celebration of their birthday or a contribution
was given to the Critter Food Fund. Please don't state the
amount. Any and all donations will be gratefully accepted.
They would get
so embarrassed opening presents that it became too much. They
talked about it for several days and finally set down and talked to the
big folks. They thought the boy’s idea was wonderful and they
would pass the word. Their boys were growing up. The big
folks still insisted they wouldn't be stopped from giving them
presents. The boys assured them that would be quite
acceptable. Their birthday came and went smoothly. Waddie
and Gip got calls from the Crenshaws and the Franzs. Bubba was
still there and was staying another week with his family. He was
having such a good time he felt he needed to stay around, help his dad
and relax.
He sounded
better to Waddie than when he first met him. He made sure Waddie
and Gip said ‘hello’ to Jannie Anderson for him and give her a big
hug. Both boys did, and she was thrilled. Waddie was really
getting into living with Dad Dan, Momma Sue, and Gip. The boys had
separate rooms, and Waddie kept his clothes and what little he
accumulated in his room, but they spent every night in Gip's
room. No one said a word about it. Waddie told Dad Dan and
Momma Sue what happened the night in Austin he tried to stay by himself
and the story Earl D. told him. He wasn't making it up, he didn't
think he would be able to sleep by himself for some time. They
understood.
* * * * * * *
The lazy days of
summer were upon them and in a couple of weeks things were back to as
normal as they could be. Waddie was still seeing Ed and spending
some time with him. He explained to Ed his love for Gip, and he
asked Gip to be his mate. Ed knew Waddie so well by that time and
loved him so much he encouraged him. He knew it probably would
change the intimacy and frequency of their relationship, but he didn't
care. He truly loved and felt protective of Waddie. He
wanted to see Waddie get some happiness out of life, and just being his
close friend was a joy to Ed. Ed knew Waddie was growing up and
the change from living with the horrors of the Addams family to living
a considerably more comfortable and nourishing life with the Justin’s
was a wonderful thing for the boy. Ed knew it would have
consequences. If Ed hadn't sincerely wanted to bring about change
for Waddie he never would have confronted Morgan. Somehow,
though, Ed knew he and Waddie had something to offer each other they
couldn't find anywhere else. He was right. He bonded with
Waddie at a time of transition in his life and so did Waddie. They
unwittingly leaned on each other to get them through that three
years.
Ed finally
admitted to himself he had to have what he and Waddie were doing for a
part of his sexual release. He felt more at peace with himself
than he ever did. Waddie knew he could go to Ed for
anything. He considered Ed the big brother he never had. Ed
would do his damnedest to see a problem through Waddie's eyes and would
always come up with some option Waddie didn't think about. Waddie
felt he needed to share his secret with Ed. Not because Ed could
offer anymore than the other adults guiding him, but because Ed was a
big brother to him. One Thursday night in late July, Waddie asked
permission from Dad Dan to spend the night with Ed in his barn the
following night. He and Ed had been friends for sometime, and he
needed to talk with him about few things. At first Dan said 'no,'
he didn't think it would be a good idea. Waddie never questioned
Dan. Waddie told him thanks, he'd tell Ed he couldn't make it.
Dan felt
bad. If Waddie complained, whined, or tried to convince him
otherwise, Dan wouldn't have felt so bad. He knew Waddie wouldn't
tell Ed his dad said he couldn't. That's just the way Waddie
was. He loved Dan too much to play the blame game. Dan knew
what Ed did for Waddie with Morgan. It was Ed who went with Buck
to the judge and told him of the other times he witnessed Waddie's ass
in shreds. Dan called Buck and asked him what he thought. Buck laughed
and told Dan they'd been spending the night in that old
barn for three years or more, and they were very close. He would
trust Ed with Waddie without question. "If Waddie told you he has
something to talk with Ed about, it's something he wants to bounce off
Ed before he comes to you or me with it. I'm glad to hear Waddie
didn't give you any flack about it," Buck said.
"He
wouldn't, Buck. I know the kid. He may be disappointed, but he
won't take it out on the rest of the family. Not another word
will be said about it. Hell, I'm gonna' let him go. It'll
teach him a lesson us adults sometimes make a judgement when they ain't
weighed all the factors," Dan said.
"Glad Waddie has
you for a dad, Dan. He couldn't have a better one," Buck said.
"Yes, he could,
brother, and you know it. Be patient, you'll have the job soon
enough," Dad said with conviction.
Buck hung up the
phone wondering what Dan meant by that. He didn't pursue it.
Dan called to
Waddie to talk with him. They took a walk. "Son, sometimes
us adults make snap decisions without thinking about them first. When
you came to me about bunk'n it in with Ed for an evening, I reacted
in an overprotective manner. I was being a broody mother
hen. I should've told you to give me some time to think about it,
and I would've. I made a quick decision, and it weren't the right
one," Dan said.
"Gee, Dad, it's
all right. I'll still love you if'n you don't want me to meet
Ed. I done figured you got chore' reasons, and maybe there are
things I don't know about. I trust you," Waddie replied.
"I know you do,
Son, that's part of the reason I changed my mind, but I didn't think it
through. I called your other dad. He thinks Ed's a good
man, and after what he done for you, I can't say's I ain't pert-damned
fond of him myself. That's good enough for me. So you can
meet him at his barn as you planned Friday evening. How does your
brother feel about it?" Dan asked.
"He ain’t none
too happy about it, but I promised after the miracle, I'll be
his. He realizes I got several loose ends of relationships to
wrap up and Ed is a major one, Dad," Waddie said.
"Do you want me
to talk with Gip on your behalf, Son?" Dan asked.
"I won't say
'no,' Dad. I'll leave it up to you. I trust your
judgment. Hell, I trust you in all things, Dad. Thanks, I
appreciate you giving my request a second thought. I love you,
Dad," Waddie said.
Dan and Waddie
hugged. "Trust is a two way street, Son. Not only on your
part but your dad's as well. The older you two boys get the more I'm
gonna' have to trust you. I ain’t worried about it none. I've yet to
see or hear about you boys breaking anyone's trust. I
know I only have you for a short while, to feel the joy of having you
as my boy, but what we have between us will never die, Son. I
love you so much," Dan assured Waddie.
Waddie kept his
appointment with Ed. It was like a party. Ed always had
sodas in his cooler for Waddie and snacks of all kinds. However,
Waddie was hungry for something else, and it sure as hell wasn't a
snack. Ed didn't showered for two days. Waddie asked for
three, but Ed just didn't know about that. Nevertheless, the
Coach and his little buddy found sex that night as wonderful as it
always was between them. Waddie knew every button on Ed to push,
and Ed was pretty damn good at learning Waddie's. Ed was one hell
of a loving sex partner. After their third go round, Waddie was
lying in Ed's big furry arms. Waddie was lying back against him
with Ed’s arms around his front gently playing with Waddie's nipples,
every now and then grabbing him a big ole handful of Waddie's
dick. He was thrilled Waddie was ejaculating and took him all
three times. Waddie was sure he was gonna' have his coach be the
first to fuck him.
"Coach? Do
I really have to wait 'til I'm a junior in high school to feel that
handsome dick of yorn inside me?" Waddie asked with a grin.
"God, don't be
talking about it that way. It's hard enough not getting into that
little ass, now. Lord agumpshun, it's like, that's where the
candy's stored, and I got me a sweet tooth. No, no, it would take
an act of God or one of his angels to tell me different. I done made
up my mind. The summer of your junior year, after your birthday
I'll take yore’ cherry. I'll ring your Goddamn neck if'n you give
it to some other man. I'll know, too, 'cause you never lie, and
you'll have to tell me the truth," Ed said, smiled, and kissed Waddie
behind the ear.
"Well, what if
my angel tells you sooner is 'okay,' would that be enough for you,
Coach?" Waddie asked seriously.
"I'll say. Yes,
indeed, 'cause I don't have much worry about that happening. You know
me, Waddie, if’n I’s to walk into a church the damn thing
would fall down," Ed allowed.
"Oh, Ed, you're
a damn fine man, a good friend, and one hell-of-va' coach." Waddie
giggled. "I'll ask him if'n ya'ont me to. No, better yet, I'll
let you ask him. How 'bout that?" Waddie asked.
"Waddie, you
come up with the damnedest shit sometimes, but that's why I love
ya.' You always keep me on my toes, but I love being off my toes
with you like this. Beside, angels don't just come to folks when
they call them," Ed said.
"Wanna'
bet? I'll bet you a free blow job. If I can't, I get to
suck you off, but if I can, I get to suck you off twice," Waddie said
and grinned.
"Sounds like you
win either way, hot shot, if'n you's a real gambling man you'd go
fifty-fifty. If'n you do, I gotta' suck you off. If'n you
don't, you gotta' suck me off," Ed replied.
"Done," Waddie
said and took Ed's hand to shake.
The bet was
on. No sooner did they shake hands than a blueish light started
to form less that ten feet from them. Ed set more upright, and
his eyes were bulging out of his head. "Now, don't go
bonkers on me, Ed. It's just my friend, Mr. Uriel," Waddie said.
"Yore’ angel,
Waddie?" Ed asked.
"I done told
ju,’ I don't never lie. You done lost the bet, cowboy," Waddie
said and chuckled.
"Yes, but --
but, oh, sweet Jesus, fuck, we ain't got no clothes on, Waddie," Ed
lamented.
"Silly. God made
us. Don't you think him and his angels know what we look
like?" Waddie asked enjoying Ed's frustration.
"I'm gonna'
close my eyes. Now, darlin', you lemme' know when he's gone," Ed
said.
"Hi, Mr. Uriel,
it's damn good to see you again, sir. I wasn't really gonna' call
you for the bet we made. You know I got other things on my mind,
right, sir?" Waddie asked.
"That's right,
Son," Mr. Uriel replied.
"Oh, my,
God! He speaks?” Ed asked trembling, "Waddie, I'm sorry I'm such
a coward. I think my shit just turned to water," Ed said.
"Oh, for cries
sake. Look at me and talk to me, Ed. I ain't gonna' bite
you. I might smite you with my new model 2000 Terrible Swift
Sword, but I guarantee ya' I won't bite you," said Mr. Uriel.
"Oh, Jesus,
Waddie, you didn't tell me he did standup," Ed said. Waddie and
Mr. Uriel laughed. Finally, Ed got brave enough to open one eye
and then the other.
"Now say 'hello'
proper-like to Mr. Uriel," Waddie admonished him.
"I apologize,
sir. It's just, well, I ain’t never met me no angel face to
face. How do you do, sir?" Ed asked politely.
"I'm doing fine,
Ed. Thanks for asking. I've spoken to you before. Remember that big bet
you we're gonna' wager too much money on, and a
voice told you not to? It would fall apart?" Uriel asked.
"That was
you? Well, I really thank you for that one, sir. I'll try
to listen closer to you or any angel," Ed allowed.
"I'm sure you
will. There are certain little benefits after being visited by an
angel Waddie will tell you about," Uriel added.
"Now, I need to
talk to Waddie. I'll talk to you more when I'm through," Uriel
said.
"Mr. Uriel, I'm
so happy for you. So you got the new model Terrible Swift
Sword? Congratulations, sir, I'm proud of you," Waddie
complimented him.
"Well, thanks
for that, Son. It means a lot for you to say it. I sure did
get it, but not until this year. You played a major roll in me
getting it, cowboy. I'll tell you about it a little later when
you come visit me for a spell," Uriel said.
"I understand,
sir," Waddie replied.
"I talked to the
Old Man, and he said it would be more than all right for you to share
your secrets with your big brother, Ed. Ed loves you a lot and is
very protective of you, but not in a possessive way. He wants you
to be happy. You can trust him, Son. Now, as for you, Mr.
Bloomquist," Mr. Uriel said with a booming voice that echoed off the
walls of the barn and reverberated. "Think, that put the fear of
you-know-who in him, Waddie?" Mr. Uriel asked with smile and a giggle.
"I can't say for
shore, sir, but if shit'n in the hay is a way of telling, I'd say you
done a mighty fine job," Mr. Uriel and Waddie laughed, they were having
a good time at poor Ed's expense.
"Calm down,
Son. Stop shaking. You're a much braver and better man than
you give yourself credit. You're good to your wife, although you
don't particularly like sex with her, you take care of your
responsibilities quite well. She's satisfied. You take good
care of your two kids, but we will start taking them to church a little
more often, won't we, Ed?" Mr. Uriel asked.
"Absolutely,
sir, next Sunday. No, this Sunday, sir. We'll be there," Ed
replied.
"Good, I knew I
could count on you. By the way, it's all right to pop Waddie's
cherry his sophomore year. Now will you change your mind?" Uriel
asked.
"Damn sure will,
sir. Be downright proud and honored, too," Ed replied.
"This is
important. If Waddie should be forcibly taken, no matter what you
hear or see, he will come to you a virgin. I will make it
so. You've been good to Waddie, Ed, and because of your goodness
towards him, me and the Old Man's grateful. The good Lord loves
you, Ed. Talk to him more, tell him you love him. He's your
Father, Ed. Talk to him more than Easter and Christmas," Uriel urged.
Waddie
could feel Ed's chin resting on his shoulder and tears from Ed's eyes
were dropping on Waddie's front. Waddie turned, kissed him on the
cheek, and Ed hugged Waddie tighter.
"I will, sir, I
promise. I thought I was too bad for him to care about me. I done me
some awful bad things, sir," Ed sounded remorseful.
"Yes, and I know
them all. Want me to go down the list with you in case you forgot
one?" Uriel asked. Waddie started giggling. He knew Mr.
Uriel's sense of humor by this time.
"No, sir," Ed
said and smiled, "I own everyone of 'em, sir. How can I make 'um
good?" he asked.
"By doing what
you're doing right now, being a friend to a little man who needs your
counsel and guidance. Try to reach out to Morgan, your
neighbor. Don't talk to him about Waddie or his loss, but let him
know you're there if he needs you. That'll go a long way to
smoothing that one over. Do more things for others without
expecting anything in return. Waddie will show you the way. Trust him.
You couldn't have a better little man for a
friend. Furthermore, he has a great trial to go through
soon. When you hear of it, go to him, let him know you're there,
let him know you love him, and you're praying for him. Then I
expect you to keep your word, and actually pray for him, understand?"
Uriel asked.
"Yes, sir," Ed
replied.
"Good, 'cause I
ain't had a chance to really get the hang of my new sword. I need
more practice," Mr. Uriel said, smiled, and laughed. Waddie was
in hysterics. Even poor Ed giggled at that one. "Gotta' go,
men. Love each other, be good to one another, and know your
Father loves you," the big angel said.
"Thanks for
coming, sir. You never let me down. Love you, Mr. Uriel,"
Waddie replied.
"I love you,
too, cowboy. I even have a good deal of respect and love for
you, Ed," Uriel said as he was fading.
"Thank you,
sir," Ed said as he waved goodbye.
They sat in
silence for a minute. Ed wasn't about to let go of Waddie, and
hugged him closer. Ed broke their silence, "Holy
shit. Oh, damn, that was the wrong thing to say. Sorry,
sir," Ed said.
"Calm down,
Ed. He's gone now," Waddie said and laughed.
"No, he
ain’t. I can still feel him. I know he's here," Ed replied.
"We'll you're
right and wrong. How can I explain this? He's with you
always but not actually physically here. I know that sounds
crazy, but think of it like he's got T.V. cameras aimed at a lot of
folks, he's sitting in a room monitoring all of them, and if he see's
one needs help he tries to do what he can. However, a lot depends
on them listening to him. Doing what he suggests is always
best. From now on, when he's around, I mean really around, you'll
be the first to know. That's one of the benefits he told you
about," Waddie explained.
Waddie went on
to tell Ed his secret. Ed was agog. He was in tears to know
Waddie was really Buck's son. "How wonderful can that be? It's truly
amazing. No, it's a miracle," Ed said softly. Ed
was filled with the need to protect this boy, but knew Buck and Dan
were doing a damn good job. He would do what he could; oh, yes,
and pray. Waddie was tired and fell asleep in Ed's comfortable
arms. Ed looked down at Waddie sleeping and carefully moved them
to the blanket. Ed was awake all night thinking, planning,
stealing kisses from his little buddy; oh yes, and praying. Waddie got
his blow job the next morning. Ed was thrilled to discover his buddy
was well into the throws of puberty and shot a good healthy load.
* * * * * *
The Friday after
Waddie and Gip's eleventh birthday, Buck called Morgan and told him he
wanted to stop by, he had some news about Waddie. Morgan tried to
get the information from him over the phone, but Buck wouldn't tell him
much. He did tell him Waddie was all right, they knew where he
was, and he'd tell him about it when he got there. Buck made the
drive out to Morgan's, but he insisted on getting Morgan away from the
house to talk with him. The two men, who were so close all their
lives, were now divided. Buck felt like his right arm was
severed, but he could still feel it itching. He couldn't scratch
it, because he knew it was gone. The ghost limb of their love was
still there, and Buck couldn't deny he still loved his brother as much
as ever. He would do anything he could to help him, but being
nice to Morgan and empathizing with him didn't seemed to help. Buck
couldn't be both an impartial understanding friend and the
sheriff, too. Although he prayed their talk would go smoothly, he
hoped he wouldn't have to get tough with Morgan.
Maybe the last
month, stewing in his own juices and getting little sympathy from the
community softened Morgan to accept the consequences of his
actions. He couldn't imagine Morgan still harboring fantasies of
when this blew over Waddie would come back to live with him
again. Even after Buck served the papers officially removing
Waddie from Morgan's home, he still told everyone who might listen
Waddie would realize it was all a big mistake, he was sorry, and he'd
come back to him. Buck tried to tell him, but with this meeting
he was going to have to kill any thoughts his brother had of getting
Waddie back. Morgan obviously didn't even look at the papers Buck
served him. Not only did they remove Waddie from the home, the
judge found Morgan held absolutely no legal claim to the boy since he
was bought illegally.
The judge wanted
to slap charges of attempted murder, child endangerment, kidnaping, and
white slavery on his ass. Buck knew the judge all his life; the
man was related to Morgan. He went along with Buck's request to
hold off, and use the threat as a leverage if Morgan refused to be
reasonable. The judge was the one who insisted on officially
severing any ties Waddie had with Morgan and his crazy three. Buck saw
he was going to have to spell it out for his brother. He
couldn't play his game with Waddie anymore, because Waddie was no
longer a part of his world. There was nothing Morgan could do
about it. They walked down to the old barn together quietly
talking about the livestock. They came to the barn, Buck sat on a
bale of hay, pulled out his hip flask, and offered his brother a
pull. Morgan accepted, and took a good pull from the flask. He had a
feeling his was going to need it.
"Waddie's back,
brother," Buck said.
"Where is
he? I have to see him. I have to talk with him. Why
ain't you told me before now?" Morgan sputtered.
"Hold on! Hold
on! I'll tell you everything, but you can't see him for
sometime. Court's orders, Morgan. Did you even bother to
read the papers I served you?" Buck asked.
Morgan ignored
the question. "Is he all right? Buck, I don't give a good,
Goddamn what them fuckin' papers say, he's my son. I have a
right to see and talk with my boy," Morgan said.
"Morgan, he
ain't chore’ son no more. He ain't chore’ boy. Get that
through yore’ thick, stubborn head. I've gone along with you all
these years because I love you and looked up to you as my big
brother. You always was smarter than me. I was blinded by
my love for you. I saw what you were doing to the boy. God
help me, I should've stepped in earlier, but he wouldn't let me. I
watched it happen, but I didn't step in because I thought he was your
natural born son, and he begged me not to. He had faith you would
finally come around to love and trust him like he wanted and
needed. You never did. A whole community was wrong. E’aup, they’s all
wrong because my brother knew better. Well,
Morgan, you didn't know better. You were dead wrong. You
failed him as a dad, a parent, and a man. Because of your blind
stubborn stupidity you lost Waddie. He ain't a part of yore’
world no more. You have absolutely no Goddamn say about that boy
anymore and you never will have again.
"I accept that
I'm somewhat responsible for not living up to the trust Waddie had in
me to protect him from your short sighted view of the situation, but I
aim to set that straight by living up to his trust now, and I want you
to listen to me good, brother. If you should see Waddie at
church, out with family, and so much as try to speak to him, I'll throw
your ass in jail for a week with no bail. Try it again and you'll be in
for a month. I ain't speaking to you as your brother,
Morgan. I'm speaking as sheriff of this county. I'm doing
my job. Everyone and his mother tried like hell to warn
you. Your own parents tried to talk with you, and you told them
to mind their own business. You lost good friends in this town we
made together because of hurting Waddie. Everyone knew Willie was
lying. You were the only one what didn't know or didn't want to.
"Right now, I
don't give a big rat’s ass about yore' feelings, but I assure you, them
papers I served you are legal. You damn well better read them and
abide by them. While I'm sheriff of this county, no man is above
the law, and that includes me. If I have to live by rules and
laws, then so do you, brother, so do you. Waddie is no longer
your son, Morgan, nor is he your boy. He never will be
again. If you change your ways and befriend him, he may one day
consider forgiving you and be your friend. I'll tell ya' one damn
thing, that boy will never call you 'dad' again. If you push the
issue there are other charges that can be brought against you for
buying a baby on the black market. We ain't talking misdemeanor
charges, here, bro. We're talking hard time. I wouldn't
wanna' do that, but if push comes to shove, and there's enough concern
for Waddie's protection, don't gamble on the good heartedness of your
brother. Your brother will always be there for you, Morgan, but
from now on, when it comes to Waddie's happiness and protection, the
sheriff will put chore’ sorry ass away."
"You're just
doing this because I had a son and you didn't. Now you can't have
kids so you want to take mine away from me so's you can claim he's your
son," Morgan said meanly. Buck found his arm stiffen, and
he almost drew it back to deck Morgan. If he did, he knew he
wouldn't stop until Morgan couldn't get up. He couldn't drive
that wedge between him and his brother.
"You don't know
how close you jes’ come to being on the mean assed end of the strong
arm of the law, brother. That does it. No more Mr. nice
guy. You’re talking to the sheriff of the county now. I warn you,
Morgan, don't try my patience. Fuck you, and your
sour grapes theory. Ask anyone in this town if they give a good
Goddamn about chore’ theory. You just won't accept the fact you
fucked up. You better get over your personal denial of the
consequences pert-damn quick. I came out here to talk with you
and try to console you. I was gonna’ talk to you like a brother
and tell you what I know about Waddie, but I done made up my mind I
weren't gonna' let chu’ ham string me emotionally by insisting Waddie
is still yore’ kid, and I'm just trying to take him away from
you. He ain't your kid no more. That's all there is to
it. I don't have to justify my actions to you Morgan. Certainly not
after what you done to that innocent boy.
"Furthermore, I
have the power, the responsibility and determination to protect him
from you. As far as me claiming he's my son, who made me his
Godfather, brother? He wears my name as well as yours,
Morgan. In the eyes of God and this community, I have a greater
claim to that boy than you ever did. He ain’t even yore’ child,
Morgan. He never was. You bought him like you would a piece
of livestock. You bought him to assuage your ego for being
sterile. You bought him for a toy like a spoiled man with more
money than sense would buy a race horse. Hell, if you'd a'
treated Waddie half as good as you do your ponies, he'd still be with
you. I know'd you all my life, Morgan. How could you do
that to the kid? If you came upon a man beating a horse, even
though you didn't know why, you'd want to kill him for his cruelty, yet
you beat that child over and over again when he told you he never done
them things.
"He told you the
truth, but you never gave him the benefit of the doubt. You never
told me in all these years you couldn't have no kids. Waddie was
right, you were lying your ass off about being his dad and Judy being
his mother. He knew all along, and still, you insisted on lying
to him. You insisted he not lie to you, yet you were living the
bigger lie with him. There ain’t no excuse for that,
brother. I never know’d ju’ to be a two faced liar. Truth
is, I don't think I ever really knew you. The boy I loved growing
up would’ve never done them things. I don’t know the man you’ve
become, Morgan. You have no consideration for my feelings about
this. You never once asked me how I feel about it even though you
made me Waddie’s Godfather. Now, I have to relate to you as the
sheriff. It seems to be the only way our community can keep you
from killing the kid. Don't you realize he damn near died twice
because of you? If it hadn't a' been for a wonderful man, a good
Samaritan, you'd be in jail facing manslaughter charges.
"You ain't
interested in how Waddie is, you just wanna’ lay the law down to me how
you're once again going to control the situation; you're gonna' let me
know the way it's gonna' be. Well, hoss, you ain't a' telling the
sheriff of this, here, county how it's gonna' be. I'm telling YOU
how it's gonna' be, and you damn well better listen up. I'll do
what I have to do to keep Waddie away from you for the six months
stipulated in the court order. After that, it still won't be up
to you whether you get to see Waddie. You'll have no say in the
matter whatsoever. It'll be up to Waddie if he wants to talk with
you again. He legally ain't yore' child no more, Morgan. He
never was for that matter. If he does
choose to see you, you won't be allowed to be alone with him. There
will be a deputy, me, or Dan Justin present at all times, and if
you say anything to hurt or bully him, your visit will be terminated
immediately. You won't get a second chance. Have I made
myself clear, Morgan?" Buck said as meanly and forcefully as he
could.
Morgan shook his head he understood. Buck got up
from the bale of hay and started to walk away. Morgan knew he
wouldn't get another thing out of his brother unless he ate a major
portion of humble pie. "Please, Buck,
don't go. I understand. It's hard, brother. I've been
stripped of the one thing I held most dear in the world. I've
lost him and there ain’t nothing I can do about it," Morgan said with
remorse.
"That's exactly
why you lost him, brother. You never looked upon Waddie as a
person, a bright, loving, trusting little man, capable of great love,
you looked upon him as a 'thing.' A possession. You never
treated him as a son. I watched you year in and year out; you
never tried to get to know him; to know who he was; you never listened
to him; your own boy, Morgan. If you did you'd know in your heart
he wouldn't lie to you. For cries sake, Morgan, the boy never had
a Christmas or a birthday party for the first five years of his
life. He never got one Christmas present in your house from Santa
because he was told he was a bad little boy and Santa would never stop
by his house. You held him at arms length and became his judge
and yore’ houseful a’ them lowlife son’s a’ bitches was his kangaroo
court. You allowed that retarded trash what lived with you to do
that to him. You allowed them to be the jury, and you loved
playing executioner. Loved it so much, you shot yore’ load every
time you beat him. Excuse me if I don't have much sympathy for
you," Buck said.
"Okay. Okay. You
win. Just tell me about him. How is he?"
Morgan pleaded.
"I won? What
have I won? I ain’t won nothing, brother. If I'd been in competition
with you for Waddie I would have placed him under my protection a long
time ago. I tuned my head the other way because I thought he was your
natural son. Nobody won, Morgan! You
lost! You lost the greatest treasure a man could have. Fuck, Morgan, I
can’t even git chu’ to understand what chu’ done to the
boy. I'll come back Monday or Tuesday depending on my
schedule. You need to calm down and want to hear what I got to
say. I can deal with you being disrespectful to me, but you won't
be disrespectful to the office I represent, Morgan. You ever talk
to me again like that when I'm talking to you as sheriff, I won't
bother to explain it to you, you'll find yore' sorry ass in jail. You
better never tell me or I better never hear of you saying you're
gonna' do what chu’ want and fuck them papers I served you.
"I was gonna’
tell you everything today, but to be honest, I don't feel much like
talking no more. You ain’t never listened to Waddie, I don't know
what made me think you'd listen to me. Maybe h’it’s because I had
the silly notion you might still love me. I see now, I was
wrong. When you sit down and read them papers, you think you’re
ready to listen instead of beating your chest about yore' rights, you
let me know, then I'll come back out and we'll talk. 'Til then
you won't get any information from anyone in this town. No one
will tell you a Goddamn thing. We been in touch with Waddie since
the first night he ran away. We know’d where he was all
along. Did you know that, Morgan?" Buck asked.
Buck didn't wait
for an answer. He knew the answer. Buck turned back and
walked away. Morgan knew he fucked up big time with Buck. Now he didn't
have any information other than Waddie was back and
okay. He accepted he couldn't talk to him. He realized he
overstepped his bounds with Buck's patience. He'd have to wait
until Buck made time for him again. He had no choice. Buck
controlled everything in the town. Morgan saw Waddie come to
church with the Justins and tried to catch his eye. Waddie
refused to look at Morgan. He refused to acknowledge his
existence much the same way Morgan overlooked Waddie's. Morgan
watched Buck and Linda Sue, the Davenports, and the Claymores join the
Justins. They talked quietly among themselves.
Morgan wondered
if Waddie was staying with Buck or the Justins. He was eaten up
knowing just enough to know he knew nothing, and unless he played the
game the way Buck wanted, he had the power to see to it Morgan knew
nothing. He went by to see his parents, but they refused to talk
to him about Waddie. They were pleasant and cordial, but beyond
the weather and health, they didn't have a lot to say. If he
asked anything about Waddie, they told him to talk to Buck. He
asked them if they knew all along how Waddie was and when Buck heard
from him. Of course they knew. What did he expect, they
were Waddie's grandparents? They knew everything Buck knew. The whole
family did. They knew all along where Waddie was.
They talked with him on the phone twice a week while he was gone.
It was right
what Buck and the community did by taking Waddie away from him. They
loved Buck and his family and just because Waddie wasn't Morgan's
son anymore, the Lovejoys weren’t going to stop being his
grandparents. Buck would see to that. Neither were they
going to deny Waddie their love. The final straw which made
Morgan get up and walk out of church was when he saw his own mother and
father come to church, ignore him, and be genuinely welcomed into the
sheriff and his family's pews. Waddie, Gip, Oatie, and Clyde
stood, hugged and kissed both the senior Lovejoys. Waddie wasn't
about to give up his grandparent’s love either. The whole damn
town was loyal to Buck. Morgan couldn't get a word out of
anyone. Buck didn't return for three weeks. That time he
found a more contrite brother who read every word of the papers served
him.
* * * * * *
Buck still left
his ponies at Morgans and would drive out to take care of them the
three days Morgan was gone. Morgan took care of them the rest of
the time. Buck took care of Morgan's livestock when he went out
to care for the ponies. Buck always took someone with him. He wanted a
witness he never so much as knocked on the front door of
Morgan's house. He didn't want Judy fabricating a big lie he
tried to talk her into having sex with him. Buck learned a lot
since he became sheriff. He learned you always cover your ass and
being sheriff was half politics and other half, trying to do a good job.
He also learned
to never allow yourself to be set up for anything. Sometimes he'd
get Quinton to drive out with him, and throw a quick fuck in him in the
old barn. Judy never came out of the house while he was
there. Buck was glad, he never wanted to talk to her
anyway. Once in a while he'd pick up Dan and Gip to accompany
him. If he and Linda Sue were going to have dinner that night at
the Justin's, he'd take her with him. She usually sat in the
truck and sewed. Occasionally, she'd go with him to see the
ponies. She loved animals. After all, she reminded her
husband, she married him.
Shortly before
Waddie's last beating at the hands of Morgan and he ran away, he told
his brothers about Willie and his buddies breaking into the boxcar
parked on a siding not far from town. He told Oatie and Clyde
about finding the guns in the back of Willie's closet but never said
anything about it to the adults. He was going to wait for the
right time. Gip shared with Waddie a strange story when they met
at Aunt Agatha's.
"About a week
and a half after you ran away, me, Oatie, and Clyde were feeling bad,
'cause we missed you so much. We decided to have a picnic.
Nothing big. Momma Sue let us make sandwiches, gave us some
potato chips, a cooler of kool-aid and three jars. We decided
we'd walk down to that old abandoned house with the rock fireplace
where we used to play and hide out. We ate our sandwiches, and
drank the kool-aid when Oatie did something unusual. He shut up
for a minute. He was quite like he was a' thinkin' 'bout some’um
really deep. I asked him what was the matter? You know
Oatie, when his gums ain't a' flappin' it means one of three things, he
ain't feeling none too good, h’it just come to him why Einstein was
wrong, or he's about ta' shuck his clothes," Gip said and grinned.
Waddie laughed and shook
his head in agreement. “He looked at Clyde and me and asked if we
noticed anything unusual about the room. Clyde and I looked around. We
couldn't see
nothing unusual,” Gip said.
“Look at the way
the planks are nailed to the floor beams,” he said, “Every nail you see
everywhere is old and rusty but in the small area where we're sitting,
the nails are new. Why would anyone come to this old house to
repair only this area of the floor?” Oatie asked.
“Then it dawned
on us. Someone ripped up the floor and put it back with new
nails. There was something hidden under the floor. Well,
that ended the picnic pert-damn quick. We walked back to the
house, dropped off Momma Sue's thermos, headed out to dad's workshop,
got us a couple of hammers, a couple of the largest wrecking bars we
could find, a cat's paw, and headed back to the old house. It
didn't take us no time with dad's cat's paw to get them nails out far
enough to use the wrecking bar to pull 'em the rest of the way
out. You know how meticulous Oatie can be, he took a pencil and
made tiny numbers on the bottom of the planks so's we could put 'em
back in the exact place they came out. Turned out to be good
thinking on our little brother's part. There was something hidden under
there all right. Can you guess?" Gip smiled real big at Waddie.
"No. You
didn't?" Waddie asked, his eyes getting real big.
"Yes, brother,
we found Willie and his gang's stash of stolen ammunition. Waddie, you
wouldn't believe what we found. That boxcar must have
been loaded. We counted fifty cases of each kind of shell.
Ever’ kind of shell for every kind of gun you can imagine. They
mostly took shells they thought they was gonna' use. I don't
think they had any intentions of selling them. It would've raised
too many questions. Oatie and Clyde were about to go nuts. I calmed 'em
down. There were things we had to discuss. What were we gonna' do? We
didn't wanna' tell nobody because you
swore us to secrecy. If'n we told Buck we'd have to tell him the
rest,” Gip allowed.
"Yeah, Willie's
stupid but he ain't dumb," Waddie declared. They both giggled over the
way Waddie
reversed the words. "Damnation, cowboy. I's proud of me
brothers. Go on, I know you handled it perfectly," Waddie assured
Gip.
"Well, we ain't
fully decided what to do with it yet. We needed your final
vote. I won't lie to you, since we didn't steal it and the war's
been over for sometime, we thought about trying to keep some for
ourselves. If Willie and his crew come back and find it gone --
losers, weepers. Who, the fuck, are they gonna' complain to
someone stole their stolen stash? Buck? Morgan? Don't
think so. Oatie and Clyde thought about hiding it in our old
barn. You remember that strange little room or basement
underneath that storage shed built onto the old barn, the room where we
found all those pipe fittings and plumbing tools. We found that
trap door and a ladder that went down in there. Wasn't nothing
down there we could find. Nobody but the four of us know about
that room, not even dad or Buck. We've kept the trap door covered
with that big metal cabinet that has all them heavy plumbing
parts. We left all that heavy stuff in there so's no one could
move the cabinet and find our secret room.
"I got to
thinking, I didn't know whether I wanted stolen goods stored on our
property, especially as hot a property as that shit is. The more
I thought about it, my vote was to let it stay on Morgan's
property. But the question was, what were we gonna' do with
it? Clyde came up with a good idea. Leave it under the
house, just move it to a different area. Oatie nixed that idea
thinking if Willie and his gang came looking for it, didn't find it
they might tear up every board in the place to find it. Maybe
they wouldn't, but he had a point. Then I remembered the old back
porch on the place what uses part of the roof of the house for
protection against the weather. What if we were to take up the
boards, dig a big enough hole we could bury it, tamp it down real good
and put leaves and other debris on top so’s it wouldn't look like
someone dug a fresh hole, then put the boards back with the same nails
we took out? No one would notice.
We measured the
stuff stacked as compactly as we could get it. It measured six
feet long by three feet high. We stacked it longer, 'cause we
figured it would be easier to dig longer than deeper. So our hole
would have to be at least four foot deep by six feet long. It
sounded like no problem. We'd just remove the boards and
dig. Luckily that old house is down near the creek and the soil
was kind of a sandy silt. We didn't wanna’ be detected so we
decided to work at night. Fortunately we had a full moon to light
our work. We took picks and shovels and dad's big
wheelbarrow. We already removed the nails in the boards we needed
to take up.
The three of us
were staying in the barn for the last week so after we went out to go
to bed we waited for dad and mom to go to bed then we snuck down to the
old house. It must've taken us four hours to dig that damn hole
but we got it done. We lined the bottom with some oil cloth
sheets we found in that old barn of Ed Bloomquist. We asked him
for them, and he gave 'em to us. We fit all the stuff in there,
and put another couple of oil cloths over the top. We put some
old boards over all of it and filled it in. Believe me, it was a
lot easier filling it in. We didn't have to put much back 'cause
we had it packed full of guns and ammunition. We tamped it down
until we were satisfied it was level. Hell, we must have raked
and tamped that damn thing down a dozen times.
"We found a pile
of old leaves and dead grass and put it on top of it. It looked
pretty damn convincing. If somebody tore up a board they wouldn't
see nothing. Willie and his gang have always underestimated
us. We didn't wanna’ make a lot of noise so we placed the boards
back and decided to return and nail them down after breakfast. We
did and then swept the porch to re-arrange the dust and dirt already
there. It looked undisturbed. We put the same shining nails
back in the boards Willie and his gang used, but we were careful to use
the old nails on the boards on the porch we took up. We were
through before noon.
"So, it's still
there?" Waddie asked amazed.
"It's still
there undisturbed. We checked on it a couple of times. I
don't think Willie or his crew's been there in a long while," Gip
confirmed.
"Well, my vote
is to make sure they get everything back. I don't want any chance
of you or our brothers being brought up on any kind of charge. What you
guys did was excellent. That was really smart. If
they do try to find it they're really going to go nuts, 'cause they'll
know someone's on to them. I knew you'd come up with an excellent
plan, Gip. That must've taken a hell of a lot of work to bury
that shit. I hope you used gloves to keep your finger prints off
the stolen stuff," Waddie said.
"We had our
rope'n gloves. We used them while we was digging and we used them
to lift the stuff out and put it in the ground," Gip confirmed.
"I'm wondering
if we should let at least one adult know the complete story if Willie
claims we were in on it? Hell, we were five years old at the
time, who'd believe him? Nevertheless, re-hiding it might look
like we were trying to keep it for ourselves. Anyway, I know two
folks we could tell who won't say nothing unless we needed them to.
"Aunt Agatha and
who else, brother?" Gip smiled.
"Bubba or Mrs.
Jessup... or even Gus Franz, just in case. We could even tell
Ed. He wouldn't tell a soul," Waddie said.
"I ain’t
thought of that but you're right. It would cover our asses.
Let's do it," Gip agreed.
Gip and Waddie
told everything they had on Willie to Aunt Agatha. The boys wrote
a long letter to Gus and Bubba outlining their whole plan and what they
were doing to protect themselves. They asked them to keep their
letter as proof the boys had no intention of keeping the stolen goods
for themselves. They told them their fears for not telling
sooner, but they didn’t tell anyone because Mr. Uriel told them he
would let them know when to use the information. Bubba and Gus
thought it was clever of them to re-hide the stolen goods, but it was
also good to cover their butts. No one was to say anything no
matter what happened to Waddie. If for some reason Waddie didn't
make it through his last ordeal, Gip would tell Buck and his dad.
Bubba told him not to worry. Nothing bad was going to happen to
him. Waddie wasn't so sure.
July was a
wonderful month. There wasn't a lot of work to get done. Buck, Dan, and
the boys were so glad to have Waddie back it became one
long holiday. Buck had to do his job, but every chance they got,
Buck, Dan, Lyle, Don, and Quinton, and the boys were at the creek
swimming or at Dan's new arena they helped him build the summer before.
* * * * * *
The boys saw a
lot of Bubba that summer. He started dating Carol Anderson and
would come and stay a couple of days in town. He bought an older
jalopy from some guy in town that wasn't too bad for an old car. It was
an old Desoto and ran like a top, but it looked clunky. The boys named
it 'Gooney Bird' because it looked like a Dodo bird and
the engine sounded like a B-29. It went by several names; Mz.
Dodo Desoto; the Gray Goose; Gallop'n Gertie; and Oatie's personal
favorite, Ms. Eleanore. Bubba stayed several times with Buck and
Linda Sue and once with the Justins, but he found a home at the senior
Claymore's. They welcomed him with open arms. He began to
call them Ma and Pa Claymore. Bubba was a joy to have around.
* * * * * *
Waddie started
taking care of Morgan's stock and Buck's ponies again. He would
only take care of them when Morgan was away on his runs. He
didn't run into Morgan except in church, and he ignored him. He
learned how to do that real well from Willie. Waddie knew there
was a six month moratorium imposed by the court on Morgan to keep him
from communicating with him. If he tried, Morgan could wind up in
jail, and he was convinced, his brother the sheriff, would uphold the
law. Waddie didn't see any sense in Buck driving all the way out
to Morgan's to take care of the stock when he could do it for
him. Sometimes Gip, Oatie, and Clyde would join him, but most
times he went by himself. He'd hurry through, get the chores
done, feed the stock, pet the ponies a bit, and go back home to the
Justin’s. He liked to think his home was with Dad Dan, Momma Sue,
and Gip. He couldn't have been more right.
Willie bought a
used pickup truck and drove it home to visit his ma. Waddie would
sometimes see his truck parked to the side of the house and knew Willie
was home visiting Judy. Waddie would get his job done quickly and
never hang around. Sometimes, if he saw Willie's truck he'd wait
'til after dark so he was less likely to be spotted by anyone. Willie
always seemed to visit when Morgan was on his train runs. Willie hadn't
been home for a while but the second week in August the
minor league teams closed down their summer training camps. Willie came
home on a Wednesday and was there when Morgan left that
Thursday to be gone until Sunday afternoon. This was one of his
longer runs. Waddie kept pretty close watch on Morgan's schedule
so he wouldn't run into him. He left as usual that Thursday.
It was a Friday
evening about sundown. Buck and Linda Sue were due out to the
Justin's for dinner. Dan wanted to take his truck down to the old
barn and load some hay to bring back to the other barn for the
stock. He told Waddie to jump in, ride down with them, go take
care of Buck's ponies and come on back to the old barn and ride back
with him and Gip, maybe give them a hand. Dan pulled the truck to
the far side of the barn away from Morgan's property. Waddie said
goodbye, and said he'd be back in a few minutes. It shouldn't
take him more than thirty minutes to finish feeding and watering all
the stock. He slowly walked down to the other barn and admired
the sun as it was going down and the beautiful sunset. He thought
how lucky he was to escape the terrors of Morgan and the creeps living
with him.
Waddie got to
the barn, began feeding the stock and providing them with fresh
hay. He got about halfway through watering when he walked back
into the barn and there stood Willie with his three hoodlum
buddies. Waddie knew Willie well enough to know when he was
angry. Willie had fire in his eyes. Waddie stopped in his
tracks and started to run, but knew he couldn't outrun the four of
them. He had the idea he could bluff his way through anything
Willie had in mind. He started walking toward the water trough
with his bucket. He nodded to Willie and his crew. "What do
you want, Willie? You know this area's off limits to you. 'Sides you
wouldn't know a cow from a horse if'n your life depended on
it," Waddie said and sneered at Willie. One of his buddies
giggled and Willie glared at him to shut up.
"What'd ju' do
with it ?" Willie almost yelled at Waddie.
"Do with what,
Willie?" Waddie acted genuinely ignorant of what Willie was talking
about.
"You know
Goddamn well what I'm talking about, you little faggot. You'd
better tell me if you know what's good for you. I wanna’ know
what you done with our stuff," Willie demanded.
"What
stuff? Damn, Willie, you've really gone over the edge this
time. I always knew you were stupid, but I never suspected you
was crazy. What in the hell are you talking about? Yore’
stuff? I ain't even been in that damn house all fucking
summer. How could I have any of yore’ shit? I don't know
what burr you got under your saddle, but it don't have nothing to do
with me. I don't need this shit. I'm gettin' out of
here. If the damn stock dies I'll tell the sheriff you wouldn't
let me take care of 'em," Waddie barked back at Willie. He wasn't
the least afraid of Willie, but one of Willie’s buddies, Chester
Latham, was a certifiable psycho. A sociopath of the first order,
and he was training Wille to be his protégé.
"Grab him, Jim,"
Willie ordered his friend Jim Davis to grab Waddie. He was fast
and Waddie couldn't get away. You hold him Jim while I take his
pants off. By the time the four of us gets through cornhole'n him
he'll tell me what I wanna’ know," Willie said.
"I don't think
the kid knows what your talking about, Willie. Maybe somebody
else found the shit and took it for their own. We can git in a
lot of trouble if'n you do this," Jim said.
"Naw, it has
these four little cocksucker's signature all over it. If anyone
else took it they wouldn't bother to put the boards back like they
ain't been disturbed. It was them, I just know it. Who
wants to go first?" Willie smiled as he rubbed his hands
together. Chester and Jim were holding Waddie bent over a bale of
hay that put his ass right at fucking height for the men. Chester
said to the fourth man, Taggart Stevens, "Hold him Tag, I want me a
piece of this little queer's asshole." Tag Stevens held Waddie.
Waddie began to
mouth off to Willie. "You guys are in a hell of a lot of
trouble. You let me go, and we'll forget this ever
happened. If you do this I can guarantee you'll all do hard time
for raping a minor. Willie, I know’d we ain't never liked each
other, we ain't brothers, and we never were, but this is going too
far. I ain't got none a' yore' shit. I don't want nothing
you got. If you do this Willie, I'm gonna' tell your buddies who
really got chore’ momma pregnant this time," Waddie said.
"Yeah, Willie
tell us who got chore’ momma pregnant? We thought it was Ed
Bloomquist? She been fucking other guys, too?" Chester Latham
asked as he spit on his dick and got it ready to shove into Waddie's
virgin hole.
"Shut up. The
little faggot's lying. He don't know half the shit he claims
to know," Wille yelled. With that Willie picked up a two by
three and applied it to the base of Waddie's skull. He hit him so
hard it broke the board in half.
"What the fuck
you go and do that for, Willie? You might've killed the
kid," Tag Stevens said.
"If you ain't
man enough to fuck the fairy, Chester, get out of the way, and I'll
shore’ as hell pop his damn cherry," Willie barked at Chester.
Chester wasn't
about to have his masculinity challenged. He had an enormous
cock, the biggest one among the four men. He positioned it at
Waddie's rosebud and slammed it all the way home. Even though
Waddie was out, he yelled at the top of his lungs involuntarily.
"Shut up and
enjoy it you little bastard. You made a damn fool out of me when
you come back home. Took my bathroom away from me. I made a
promise to myself, one day, I'd make you pay for that, you filthy
little piece of shit. I'll teach you a lesson you'll never
forget. Put that ass up there for my real brother, Chester. You make
damn sure you give him a good fuck. Go on, Chester, fuck
him, make him feel it. Make him bleed. We might as well, I
don't plan on lettin' him live."
Chester was fucking Waddie so
hard with deep strokes, blood began to ooze out of Waddie's ass. He
continued to fuck Waddie until he began to reach a climax.
Waddie became conscious while Chester was fucking him, and knew he was
hurt internally. He didn't yell out. He pretended to still
be out. He was playing possum.
Dan and Gip were
just about done loading the hay and Waddie had been gone almost an
hour. Gip asked his dad if he heard somebody let out a
yell. "Gip, run down and check on your brother. See if you
can give 'em a hand, and ya'll get on back up here. Buck and
Linda Sue are due any minute, and we need to get cleaned up for
supper," Dan said.
"Sure, pa. We'll
be back in a few minutes," Gip said as he ran toward the Lovejoy
barn. Just as he was about to get to the door on this side, he
heard talking and silently looked through a knothole in one of the
boards. He saw Chester Latham fucking the holy hell out of Waddie
and heard Willie say he was going to kill Waddie after they all four
fucked him. Gip silently left and high-tailed it back to the
Justin's old barn. He was breathless when he got there. Dan knew
something was wrong. Gip was pale as a ghost.
"What's
wrong, Son?" Dan asked.
"Willie and his
gang, Dad -- they's raping Waddie in the barn. Willie said he's
gonna' kill him after they finish fuck'n him," Gip said breathlessly.
Dan gritted his
teeth together so loud, Gip was afraid he broke one. He headed
for the gun rack in his truck. He grabbed both shotguns. He
threw the sixteen gage to Gip and the kept the twelve gage for
himself. "Cock it here, Son, so's they don't hear us. Don't
shoot no one less’n I tell you to, then aim below the waist. We
wanna' surprise them and scare the hell out of them," Dan said as the
two men ran out of the barn. They ran down the well worn
path. Dan cocked his gun before they left the barn. They
got to the barn, and Willie was fucking Waddie really hard. It
was hurting him so bad he screamed, and Willie hit him across base of
his head again with another piece of two by three. Dan and Gip
ran into the barn. Dan told Gip to unload one barrel into the
roof right over their heads to scare the crap out of them.
It damn sure got
their attention. Dan yelled at the top of his voice. "First
one a' you bastards moves gets his legs shot out from under him. My
boy, here, is a better shot than his old man so don't make the
mistake of underestimating him. Willie, you get chore’ Goddamned
faggot dick out of my boy," Dan lowered his gun and took a bead
right on Willie's head. Dan and Gip watched as Willie pulled his
penis out of Waddie's ass. It was covered with blood. Blood
was gushing out of Waddie's butt.
"Willie, you
worthless son’s of bitches get out of here, now!" Dan yelled, "I'm
gonna' count to five, if you ain’t halfway to the house, I'm gonna'
unload my gun in your butts. OUT!" Dan ordered. Willie and his gang ran
like crazy. Willie didn't even bother to
put his bloody cock and balls back in his pants. He was running holding
his pants up. Dan aimed his gun right between the center two boys. He
figured it would produce the best spray for the rock salt his
cartridges were filled with. They were no more than fifty feet
from Dan when he unloaded both barrels into their butts. It
worked. The four of them were yelling and screaming, holding
their butts, running for the house. They wouldn't be going
anywhere.
Dan ran to
Waddie. He was unconscious. Dan handed Gip his gun, picked
up Waddie in his arms and headed out the barn door up the trail to his
truck. He told Gip to put the guns in the rack and come around to the
back of
the truck. He quickly removed Waddie's boots and Wranglers and
threw them in the truck. Dan took his bandanna from his rear
pocket and asked Gip for his. He stuffed them tight into Waddie's
ass, told Gip to hold Waddie and hold the two bandannas tight in his
butt to slow the bleeding. It was gonna' be a hell of a ride back
to the house. Dan cranked the engine, hit the accelerator, and it was a
bumpy ride
back. Gip held on to Waddie trying to be strong for his brother
and telling him to hold on. When they got back to the house, Buck
and Linda Sue just arrived. They saw Dan jump out of the truck
covered in blood. They heard the gun shots while pulling up the
driveway. Dan started barking orders. Buck could see the
blood in Gip's hands holding Waddie's ass.
"Oh my
God! Willie?" Buck asked
Linda Sue got
closer, took one look, saw the red portwine stain cowboy boot inguinal
birthmark on
Waddie's inner thigh and screamed at the top of her voice. "My
baby, Waddie. Oh, God, my baby! Oh, no, dear God help my
baby! I lost you once. I cain't lose you again. Waddie! Waddie!
Oh, God, Waddie's my
baby." Linda Sue broke into uncontrollable sobs. Buck never
saw her so broken emotionally. He was moved she thought that much
of Waddie, she seemed so upset by Waddie being hurt. Buck took
Linda Sue in his arms to console her, but before she could get a word
out, Jimmy Sue jumped in and took her away from her husband.
"Sorry, we don't
have time for this. We can save him. Every minute
counts. Buck you got to go with Dan and Gip. You two can
talk later. Get to the hospital as fast as you can, and I'll try
to have Dr. Dyer waiting for you. Be strong Linda Sue. Come, you have
to help me call Dr. Dyer and the sheriff's
station. Buck wants Willie and his three cronies locked up. Linda Sue I
know what you've discovered," Jimmy Sue whispered
dramatically, "now is not the time. You have to speak to yore’
aunt in Dallas. You have to call her immediately after you help
me," Jimmy Sue said firmly. Linda Sue nodded.
Dan was yelling
to Buck and Gip. "Buck you guys ride back there. You hold
him, Buck, and let Gip hold those bandannas to his ass. You
ready? Hang on," Dan shouted, started the truck, and they were off as
fast
as he could safely go.
Waddie didn't regain consciousness. He was lying in Buck's big arms. Buck was kissing
Waddie and talking to him. "Hang on, cowboy. We'll get
through this together. You ain’t alone no more. You got Dad
Dan, Gip, and me to love you. You got three brothers who would
kill for you. Stay with me Waddie. You're my dreams and
hope for the future. God, Son, I love you so much," Buck wailed. Gip
was
crying, but he held the bandannas tight against Waddie's ass. He
wasn't hysterical, but big tears were running down his face.
Buck
began to cry, and Gip tried to console him. "He'll be all right, Uncle
Buck. Doctor Dyer will fix him. You'll see," Gip said knowing his words
were hollow. He was as frightened and upset as Buck.
"God, this poor kid,
he's been through enough. I should a’ never let him take care of
Morgan's stock. What was I thinking? Oh, God and Waddie
please forgive me," Buck wailed.
"Uncle Buck,
h'it ain't chore' fault. There was nothing you could do about
it. It had to happen for your miracle to occur. Think about
it. We didn't know what Waddie's final trial would be, but this
is it, we're right in the middle of it. We knew it was gonna'
happen. We just didn't know when, where, or how bad. He needs you to be
strong for him right now. I need you to be strong for us. You can't
collapse and blame yourself,
or you won't be available to help him when he needs you the most.
Don't give in to self-doubts, Uncle Buck. Waddie wanted to take
care of the stock for you and secretly for Morgan. You had no
idea this would happen. You don't realize it, but your miracle
just occurred. Thank God, it's over, and it's finally here," Gip
said like a wise old cowpoke.
"What's over,
Gip? What miracle? Tell me, Son, everybody keeps telling me
about this damn miracle, and this shore' as hell, ain't no
miracle. This is the product of pure evil," Buck lamented.
“Trust me, Uncle
Buck, it may seem like pure evil, I agree, but a huge miracle just
occurred as a result of it. God didn't cause the evil
doing. It was evil men. You'll find out this evening. It's the final
step in you and Waddie's journey. I can't tell
you, Uncle Buck, it’s your miracle, you have to live it. It will
hit you like a ton of bricks when you witness it. You must have
faith, Uncle Buck. I promise as Waddie's brother, it'll be the
most wonderful thing what could ever happen to you. It's God's
answer to your prayers," Gip finished and looked directly into
Buck's eyes and Buck could swear he saw a halo of light surround Gip
and then Waddie's head. Buck knew he wouldn't get anymore out of
Gip. He knew the boy too well. They pulled up to the
emergency entrance to the small hospital and Dr. Dyer was waiting with
two nurses and a gurney. The doctor saw Dan, Buck, and Gip
covered with blood. He started barking orders to the nurses, Buck
gently lifted Waddie onto the gurney and he was wheeled into the
operating room immediately.
"Francis, start
cutting his clothes away. Get a blanket over him so he doesn't go
into shock. Elevate his legs. Lay down on that table, Buck,
Waddie needs a transfusion immediately. We can't wait to send for
blood, he needs it now. He'll be dead soon if we don't,"
commanded Doc Dyer.
"I may not be
the right blood type, Doctor," Buck said.
"Trust me, you
are," he replied and smiled at Buck, "You're his dad ain't cha'?" the
doctor asked. The
nurse already had Buck's arm prepped and the needle inserted. She
put the other into Waddie. Dr. Dyer got the high sign from his
buddy Gip that Linda Sue saw Waddie's birthmark and would be telling
Buck later that evening. He decided to have some fun and maybe
re-enforce Linda Sue's revelation to her husband.
'He ain't gonna'
believe it,' the doctor thought to himself.
"But, Doc he
ain't my real boy," Buck said to Dr. Dyer.
"Same thing
Pinnochio's dad Geppeto said, but it turned out, he was. His blue
angel made it so," Dr. Dyer said and grinned at the sheriff.
Doc Dyer could
be weird sometimes. Buck accepted the doctor's word about blood
types and lay back to pump his fist.
"Agnes, call C.
D. Rawlings and the sheriff's dad, Mr. Claymore. Tell them we
need their blood immediately. Dan do you know your blood type?" he
asked Dan Justin.
"O negative,"
Dan replied.
"Positive?" the
doctor asked to confirm.
"No, negative,"
Dan responded and the doctor chuckled.
"No, no, are you
sure?" he asked with a grin.
"Yes, sir. Gip
and mine are the same. I had to give him blood when he cut
himself real bad. It was here. You should have records,"
Dad said.
"Look it up,
Agnes. We may need yours and possibly Gip's if the other men
don't get here soon enough," Dr. Dyer said, "Agnes, after that,
get Dr. Baker over in Grayson on the phone for me. Thanks," he
added.
* * * * * *
Jimmy Sue
managed to drag Linda Sue into the house as the men rode off to the
hospital. They went into the house, and Linda Sue's eyes were
wide from shock and fright. "Waddie's my baby, Jimmy Sue. Do you
understand? Waddie has the birthmark, the cowboy boot, on
his leg. I saw it clear as day," Linda Sue said more calmly.
"I know,
sweetheart, we've known for sometime. We couldn't tell you. Waddie's
known since he was carried to the hospital the first time you
met him. His angel told him you and Buck were the people he had
to live for, but he couldn't tell you until you discovered it for
yourself. It’s happened, so now you can know everything, but you
have to tell Buck. You have to tell your husband the truth.
Waddie is the miracle your aunt told you he would bring to you and
Buck. She figured it out at your wedding and has been a constant
source of help, advice, and companionship to the boys. Gip's
known all along, too. In fact that's the secret the angel told
Waddie he could share with his brother. We have some calling to
do, then you have to call Agatha. She knew it would happen
soon. She's waiting for your call," Jimmy Sue said.
Jimmy Sue called
Dr. Dyer at home and told him what happened. He told her he was
on his way. He'd meet Buck and Dan at emergency at the hospital.
Next Jimmy Sue called Lyle Rawlings at home. He was already off
for the evening. Jimmy Sue gave him a brief run down and told him
Buck wanted all four thrown in jail, round 'em up. They couldn't
get far with their butts full of rock salt. Lyle jumped in his
patrol car and headed back to the station. He called every man
back on duty to pick up Willie and his gang. It didn't take them
long, and they had the four in jail. Their story was Waddie
taunted and begged them to fuck him. The deputies laughed at
them, booked them under the charges of raping a minor and attempted
murder.
Lyle Rawlings
spoke to them in a low voice. "If Waddie dies, you low life son’s
of bitches, I can guarantee you won't even have a trial. The four
of you will be taken to the badlands and a bullet put in each of yore’
skulls. Everyone will be told you tried a jail break and were
shot trying to escape. If you know what's good for you, the four
of you better hit chore’ knees and pray to whatever demons you pray to,
Waddie don't die or you're dead men," Lyle threatedned. Lyle
probably wouldn't but they didn't know that. It put the fear of
God in them.
Lyle, Quinton,
and Don Rayborn headed for the hospital. Buck, Dan, and Gip were
waiting in the reception room. No one knew anything yet. They had to
stop the bleeding and do some x-rays. Dr. Dyer sent
the nurse out for Lyle Rawlings, he returned with her. "Lyle, I
need your blood. I know your blood-type, we checked it
before. I can't wait for blood to get it here from outside. It has to
be now," Doc Dyer explained. Lyle didn't say a word
nodded his consent to the doctor. Dr. Dyer told him to lie down
on the table next to Waddie. Fortunately, Waddie was O negative.
“Lay still, C. D. and we'll get you hooked up here. I won't take
too much, don't worry," Dr. Dyer said with a grin.
"Take as much as
you need, Doc. That's my kid's brother lying there," Lyle said
with tears running down his face, and he openly wept.
"He certainly is
your kid's brother, Lyle. In the truest sense of the word. He and Gip
earned the right to call Oatie their brother. There's
no denying that. Dr. Dyer's heart was breaking to see Waddie once
again in a horrible condition. He knew it was going to be bad but
nothing like this. Why should a creature so full of love and
understanding for others have to suffer this? If he hadn't come
to develop a strong unshakable faith due in a large part to Waddie and
Gip, he questioned whether he could get through this. God chose
him like he did Agatha, Bubba, and the Crenshaws to help this
boy. He promised God at that very moment he would apply all his
arts and skills as a physician to save this important young man.
Doctor Dyer
talked with a young surgeon, an internist, from the next large town who
was a close personal friend, and asked him to come immediately, he
needed his help to save a fine young man's life. The doctor was
the best internist in the state and pioneered in the field of
microsurgery. The doctor was there and scrubbed within two
hours. Doctor Dyer had Waddie stabilized. He managed to
stop the external bleeding, but was afraid he was bleeding
internally. He had every man and woman in town with O-negative
blood on standby call. Word got around quickly. Dr. Dyer
had fifty people on call who would be there in fifteen minutes to give
Waddie blood. All he had to do was call. Agnes, the nurse
on duty, dutifully wrote down every name. Ma and Pa Claymore
arrived and Dad Claymore was ready to give his blood to save his
grandson.
Doctor Dyer
determined the last blow to Waddie's head was meant to kill him. It was
such a strong blow he suffered concussion and as a result
slipped into a coma. He was so savagely fucked without
lubrication of any kind, almost two thirds of his colon was torn away
from his sphincter. It had to be surgically reattached. At
first the surgeon thought he'd have to perform a colostomy so the
rectum wouldn't have a flow of fecal matter to possibly infect the
wound. It
was decided
they would feed Waddie intravenously for the seven days it took to heal
properly. If he had further material his body would expel it and
the wound was close enough to the opening of the rectum it could be
cleaned by lavage.
However, to
their dismay the lower intestinal track was contaminated with blood,
semen, and fecal matter. The doctors opened Waddie's abdomen,
laid his intestines on the operating table, wash them, and return them
to their cavity. If they didn't he would die of
peritonitis. The plus side, if any, was it was easier for the
surgeon to repair the tear in the lower colon and reattach it to the
rectum. When he was done he felt Waddie could have solid food
after a week on soft foods. He would have to keep the IV for a
while. Waddie lost a lot of blood, but as soon as one man left
another was brought in and his blood was taken. He required a
total of eight transfusions before and during the operation.
* * * * * *
After Jimmy Sue
got in touch with Dr. Dyer she insisted Linda Sue call her Aunt
Agatha. She was so distraught Jimmy Sue dialed the number for
her. Agatha answered and heard her niece's quivering voice on the other
end. "You found out today. God be praised. We've been
praying it would be soon, but how is Waddie?" Her Auntie Boo asked.
"Oh, Auntie Boo,
he's in bad shape. Willie and his gang raped him and tried to
murder him. Dan, Buck, and Gip are on their way to the hospital
and Dr. Dyer is meeting them there. We haven't received any
word. It’s been too soon. I'm calling because Jimmy Sue
said for me to call when I found out. Oh, Auntie Boo, this was
the miracle you told us about at our wedding. You've known all
along. Why didn't someone tell me?" Linda Sue moaned.
"Everything will
be explained in due time, my dear. Mainly, it was because God and
Mr. Uriel told Waddie he couldn't tell, and later I talked to Mr. Uriel
myself. I was sent to Waddie to guide and counsel him through his
trials. We, of course, have had help. Dr. Dyer has known
ever since he examined you, and you told him about the unusual
birthmark on your baby. He didn't say anything because he
believed in Waddie's angel, and wouldn't tell you a thing before he
first checked with Waddie. He's been a great help and comfort
during the last several years. We owe the man a lot. I will
sit down with you and tell you more when I get there. I'm
coming. I know you're too upset to meet me at the bus station,
but I'll make arrangements with your mother and father. I have
all the necessary documents that proves beyond a doubt Waddie is your
son.
"Now, my child,
you must do what you've been putting off for so long. You must
tell you husband about the miracle Waddie has brought you. Don't
be afraid, darling, I have it on good authority, the very highest, Buck
will be so overcome with joy he'll have no disappointment for
you. That's your next step. You must tell him alone.
Please make sure you do, it's important. I know it's rather out
of character for me to invite myself to come, but I'm dealing with
forces here which are bigger, stronger, and considerably more powerful
than convention dictates. I was told my nephew will need me, and
by all that's holy, his Auntie Boo will be there for him. I love
you with all my heart, my sweet child, and above all else, don't beat
yourself up. After today the universe will continue unfolding as
it should.
"Raise your head
up, and walk tall. You did what you thought right at the
time. Now, if Waddie lives, you have a chance to make right those
things which, unknown to you, went wrong. It wasn't your
fault. Accept only so much of the blame, but don't try to carry
it all. That boy needs his parents to pull him through this, and
that means a mother as well as a father. You can't be worried
about your feelings right now. You have to be there for him this
time no matter the consequences. You must know in your heart,
that boy holds no hatred or malice toward you. It's grieved him
when you talked about a little boy you gave up years ago when he was
sitting by your side. How many times have you told me about the
uncanny resemblance between Waddie and Buck and wondered why?
Well, now you know," Agatha explained.
"Auntie Boo,
you've always been there when I needed you most, and you still
are. Now, it seems you've been there for my baby. I love
you so much, Auntie Boo," Linda Sue said and shed a few tears.
"I love you,
too, darling. I'll see you late tomorrow. Kiss my beloved
nephews for me, dear," Agatha said.
"I promise, I
will. Goodnight, Auntie Boo," Linda Sue replied.
"Goodnight,
darling," Agatha signed off.
* * * * * *
Waddie drifted
for a while after the second hit behind his head. It sort of
turned the pain off from his ass. Damn, it was hurting bad, but
the minute he thought about it, the pain went away. He even found
a bit of humor in his condition. 'Chester and Willie were lousy
fucks,' he thought to himself. He just knew Ed Bloomquist would
be wonderful. Ed would've taken his time and fucked him
good. Waddie laughed at his almost triple meaning of the previous
sentence as it ran through his head. Where was he? He knew
he only had to call out his friend's name. He didn't have to, he
knew he was there. When the pain went away, he felt him. He
knew it was his touch. Waddie smiled to himself. "Howdy,
Mr. Uriel. Sorry I keep getting into messes like this, sir. I know
you're awful busy, but I really appreciate you taking your time
to come and be with me."
"I was proud of
you, Son. Laughed my ass off at what you told Willie. I
didn't put those words in your mouth, you thought them up
yourself. You didn't show him the least bit of fear. He
hated that. A coward always wants to see someone else
crawl. It makes them feel braver than they are." Waddie heard Mr.
Uriel's voice surrounding him as a big hand appear out of nowhere and
took his. He watched as the rest of Mr. Uriel materialized to
him. “You still hurt anywhere, Son?” Mr. Uriel asked.
"Naw, sir, I’m
fine. You told me it was gonna' be bad, but you also said you'd
be there with me and here you are. If anything, I'm kind a'
embarrassed you had to see me get fucked in the butt. That should
only be done by two people who share love or have a need to feel closer
to each other for whatever reason. I shore’ hope my ass won't be
permanently damaged. There's a number of men I love, whose dicks
I'd like to feel up there inside me. I ain't worried, I don't
think you'd let nothing like that happen to me."
"You're right on
all accounts. I was there with you, and you won't be permanently
damaged. It'll take a while for you to fully recover, but I have
a feeling you'll make up for lost time. 'Sides that, you and Buck
made an unspoken promise to each other not too long ago. When the
time comes he'll let you know and give you the choice." Mr. Uriel
chuckled and mused to himself, "Humm, I wonder which you'll
choose? In the meantime, you're to spend some time with me, and
I'll show you around the place. You realize there's a chance you
might not pull through this? You may have to go with me. Once the
universe caught up to the predictions there's no guarantees as
to outcome of any situation unless my Boss tells me how it'll work
out. I do know it's gonna' take some mighty strong prayers to
pull you through. Not to worry, I've seen you in action. I
know what you do to folk's hearts. I have a feeling my Boss is
going to be deluged with messages."
"Gee, I'm
sorry. Tell Him for me, I don't mean to be a bother. I
would like to go back, because He let me see up 'til now what will
happen. I'd hate to think He let me go through all them beatings
from Morgan not to keep His promise to me," Waddie said.
"I'll speak to
Him, Son. I know He's fallen in love with you. That can be
good and bad. Good to have His Almightiness love you, but then
when He does He has a tendency not to want to let go. I've seen
Him keep those He loves most close to Him, but I think you have
better'n eighty percent chance of staying here or a twenty percent
chance of going back with me."
"We ain't got to
percents in school, yet, Mr. Uriel," Waddie said and smiled at him.
"Well... if
you had a dollar and you bet eighty cents on staying and twenty cents
on going with me would that mean anything to you?" he asked.
"Yes, sir, my
odds of staying are greater that going with you. I'd really like
to stay, Mr. Uriel, I've been through the hard part, and I kept our
secret. I didn't tell nobody you didn't give me permission
to. I love all the other folks in my life so much, but most of
all, I love my parents and Dad Dan, Momma Sue, Gip, my brothers, the
Crenshaws, and the Franzs. Of course I love all the rest of my
family. I wouldn't wanna’ leave none of ‘em, sir. I need
them, Mr. Uriel and I'd like to think they need me."
"That's a strong
argument, young man, and I'll present it to Him just that way. I
have a few choice words for His Almightiness as well. Last time I
came for you, I'll be honest, I wanted you to come back with me. I
didn't want you to suffer anymore of the abuse from Morgan or the
'meat machines.' I'd like to see you return to your
family. The storm is over, for now, and there's smooth sailing
until you and Gip graduate college. After that I can only tell
you your life gets pretty dark for a while, but you'll pull through
with the help of thousands of souls whose lives you try to save but
can't. He will send you someone quite unusual that will take you
by the hand and slowly lead you back into the light. For right
now, I feel you deserve that joy and will do my damnedest to see you
get it. In the meantime be my guest here, relax and I'll
introduce you to some folks you'll like.
Can you see the
doctors working on you? Doctor Dyer is one of your greatest
champions. He's really taking this hard. The other doctor
is his buddy. They went through medical school together. He's a top
notch surgeon and will go on to do surgeries never before
thought possible. His name is Doctor Baker. You're in good
hands with him. C'moan, I'll take you to your great-granddad,
Buck's grandfather. He's piss'n in his boots to meet and hold
you in his arms. You won't believe it, he looks just like you and Buck.
Has the same damn personality the two of you have, painfully funny and
irreverent as a fart in church. But first... there's someone
else who's anxious to meet and talk with you. C'mere, Thane,"
Uriel called.
Out of nowhere
appeared a young cowboy a couple of years older than Waddie, but boy
was he hot. He had on the neatest pair of cowboy boots, a big
wide brimmed hat and looked like he'd been rounding up dogies all day. "Waddie, my
brother!" Thane exclaimed, held out his arms to Waddie and Waddie ran
to
him. He cried in Thane's arms, told him how wonderful it was to
see him again and what a treat to get to hold him. They hugged
and kissed each other. "It's good to see you again, little
brother, and it's the least I can do for what you done for me and my
parents. Come, Mr. Uriel's given me the honor of showing you
around for a while. Take my hand, and I'll take you to meet your
great-granddad. He can't wait. My parents, the Dobbs, are
anxious to see you again," Thane said.
Waddie took
Thane's hand and instantly they were in a beautiful garden where folks
were talking, laughing, and enjoying each other. A big cowboy
stood up and waved his hat to Thane and Waddie. He looked like
his dad Buck. Then he realized it was his great-granddad. Waddie ran to
him and the big man easily picked him up and gave him a
big kiss. "S'damn good to meet you, young'un. I'm your
great-granddaddy Claymore, but you can call me Clay. S’what
everybody round these here parts calls me."
"Good to meet
you, sir. I guess you know, I'm Waddie. Wait'll I tell dad
I met you. He's told me so much about you I feel like I already
know you. He sure loved you, sir. Still does."
"He was a good
boy. I love him, too. Pissed my boy off, I did. Spoiled yore’ dad good.
He was his granddad's cowboy. I'll
bet you a buffalo nickle my boy spoils the shit out a' you," Clay said.
"He don't even
know I'm his grandson, and he spoils me. He's all the time
puttin' money in my pocket when I ain't looking. Later, I'll go
to put my hand in my pocket and pull out a five dollar bill. I
love him, Granddad Clay, he's s'damn good to me," Waddie said. His
great-granddad roared with laughter.
Waddie took a
walk through the garden with Thane and his great-granddad. They
talked about all sorts of things. They laughed and had a good
time. Waddie was enjoying his visit but knew he needed to check back
into his body every now and then. When he did, all he could feel
was darkness and pain. The darkness would clear and he found
himself floating near the ceiling above his body watching what the
doctor’s were doing. He could hear their voices. Something
about hosing down his guts and a lot of small jokes to keep spirits up
in the operating room. Dr. Baker asked
Dr. Dyer, "Ja' hear 'bout the woman who backed into an airplane
propeller?"
"My God. No.
What happened?" Dr. Dyer bit.
"Disaster," Dr.
Baker replied and grinned. Waddie was gonna' remember that one to tell
Dr.
Dyer when he woke up. It had to be worse than one of Buck's silly
jokes.
Waddie didn't
stay long watching the doctors. It looked lake a mechanics garage
working on a transmission with the parts spread all over the
place. All the blood and his guts out on the table looked
awful. He hoped they could get all that stuff back inside
him. Dr. Baker was hosing them down with water to wash
them. Thane would hold one hand and his great-granddad would hold
the other. They sensed when he was getting confused and would
pull him back to their arms. Waddie equated himself to a tea bag. They dropped him
into his body for a few minutes to check things out, then pull him
out.
They walked some more in the garden and sat on a nice
bench. The cutest little girl saw him from afar. She made
the man who was holding her put her down and ran to Waddie as fast as
her
little legs would carry her yelling his name with her arms reaching out
to him. He was puzzled. He had no idea who she was, but she
was so damn cute he grabbed her as she practically leaped the last few
feet into his arms. He couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm.
"Waddie. Oh,
Waddie, I heard you were here for a visit, and I made granddaddy
promise he'd let me come say 'hello' and tell you I love you. I
told him I wouldn't give him another kiss if he didn't promise," she
said.
"Now, let me
see, you wouldn't happen to be Linda Gayle by any chance?" Waddie
smiled.
She looked over
her shoulder at the fine looking man and woman who were walking up to
them. "See, Granddad, I told you, Waddie would know who I am,"
she said, giggled, and teased the good looking man.
"I'm Dr. Dyer
senior, Waddie. Good to meet you, Son," The older man spoke as he held
out
his hand. Waddie took his hand and shook as best he could while holding
on to Linda Gayle.
"My daddy's
gonna' take good care of you, Waddie. I told him to. I
whisper to him and mom every now and then. They don't know it
yet, but their gonna' have another little girl to raise. I'm so
glad to see you. I waved to you that time in the hospital. Did you see
me?" she asked.
"I did, indeed,
sweet baby, standing next to Mr. Uriel, and I described you to your
dad. He knew I was telling him the truth. He believed
me. He was the second man in my life ever to believe in me. I love your
dad dearly, little one. He's such a good man. They were torn up to have
lost you without ever getting to know
you. You can bet, I'm gonna' tell them all about meeting and
holding you. You got the sweetest damn smile and the cutest
dimples," Waddie said and stole a kiss from Linda Gayle and she
returned
to her Granddad. They sat and talked with him awhile and Dr.
Dyer's dad told him a couple of stories about Dr. Dyer when he was a
boy.
* * * * * * *
The family
gathered in the waiting room of the hospital. Dan and Jimmy Sue,
Lyle, Mavis, Mavis Lyle, and Oatie. Don and Clyde Rayborn, Mrs.
Anderson and Jannie, the elder Claymores, the Davenports, the elder
Lovejoys, Mrs. Dyer, the Tates and Quinton, practically every kid in
their school and their parents were there. Of course Buck and
Linda Sue were there. The other deputies had to start turning
folks away. There was no parking and the congestion was too
much. Suddenly, there were flowers everywhere. All over the
damn hospital. They put them in every room because they didn't
have anywhere else to put them. They just kept all the cards for
Dan, Jimmy Sue, Buck, and Linda Sue.
The Davenports
made arrangements to pick up Aunt Agatha at the bus station the
following afternoon. Enid was on her way. Buck called the
Crenshaws. The boys were finished with summer school and were
home with their family. Dad Crenshaw broke down on the phone when
he talked to Buck. He could barely talk when he called Gus, his
best friend, to tell him Waddie was near death, in a coma. Gus
couldn't talk he had to hand the phone to Dora. She had to hang
up and told Randy they'd be over in a few minutes. Randy Crenshaw
called Johnnie Mack Tamplin and told him to pray for Waddie.
He called the
pastor and asked him to request the congregation pray for Waddie. Gus
called Bubba's contact number and left a message for him to call
him or Buck Claymore and left both numbers. He left word it was
an emergency. Bubba arrived that afternoon at the other end of
his run. He called Buck and spoke with him a while and told him
he was going to high-ball it to the town to spend some time with the
family and lend his support. He told all the truckers and
waitresses in every truck stop to remember Bubba's little buddy in
their prayers.
Linda Sue was
beside herself to tell Buck what she discovered about Waddie. She
knew she had to be alone with him. She would know the right
moment. Buck asked her why she became hysterical? It wasn't
like her. She was usually calm even in moments of panic. He
was impressed she thought of Waddie as her baby. "For a minute
there, if I didn't know you and Waddie, I would've been convinced he
was your baby, your child. I was glad to see you thought of
Waddie that way because I've felt that way for some time now. If
he makes it through this, I ain't waiting any longer. I want us
to adopt him, darlin,'" Buck said. Linda Sue smiled sweetly and
agreed with him without commenting. The doctors came out to speak
to the gathered family.
"Waddie's doing
as well as can be expected. We're fortunate to have Doctor Baker
with us, and he expertly repaired the major internal damage. All
internal and external bleeding is stopped. Waddie's vital signs
are week, but he's increasing in strength by the hour. He's
healthy, he's young, and strong. He has that in his favor.
He lost a lot of blood, but bleeding was the least of our
worries. He's still critical. He has about a fifty-fifty
chance of making it. A better chance if you pray for him and tell
everyone you know to pray for him. He's in a coma, and we can't
predict whether he'll wake up or not. We just don't know that
much about brain injuries yet. It's the brain's way of healing
itself and his body by keeping the rest of him still.
"I know this
young man well. He has a strong faith. He and his brother
Gip have given me faith. You must now have faith. Have
faith that your prayers for Waddie will be heard and answered. He
can't have visitors, only his immediate family, Mr. and Mrs. Justin,
Gip and the sheriff and his wife. Someone will be with him around
the clock. The two families can alternate if they wish. I
assure you we've done everything we can. I love that boy like he
was my own, and I worked on him the same way," Doctor Dyer said. The
family came around and thanked Dr. Dyer and Dr. Baker personally
for going out of his way for their loved one. The doctor's
kindness and skills were greatly appreciated.
Dan decided Buck
should take the first night, and he and Jimmy Sue would take the
next. Gip would stay with Buck and Linda Sue the next night while
Waddie's other mom and dad kept watch. Waddie was moved to a
private intensive care room with only two chairs for folks to
sit. Nurses were in and out every fifteen minutes, checking this,
adjusting that, giving him a shot, or bathing him. He looked
horrible. Around his eyes was a yellowish color like he was
jaundiced. His head was wrapped and bandaged.
There were tubes
coming out of him everywhere. Buck was not prepared for what he
saw. He was glad Waddie wasn't conscious to see the look of
horror and pain on his own face. He could only think what a
perverted, mean, sick bastard Willie was. He had visions of tying
Willie over a saw horse, greasing him up and leaving him in a cell with
his ass in the air for all comers. Buck sat with Linda Sue with
his head on the bed next to Waddie. He had tears coming down his
cheeks, but he wasn't physically crying. They were welling up
inside him, and he couldn't control the flow. He didn't try.
He made a
promise over five years ago to protect and set this boy's life
right. He tried, but it seemed he was stopped on every
front. He couldn't walk into his brother's life and take over,
but even Waddie insisted he do nothing. He had to trust
Waddie. He trusted Waddie from the first time he met him in this
hospital. He knew he had to live his life for the boy. Maybe that's why
God didn't see fit to let him have a son. Fine,
he accepted it. He was over it, but when would he get the chance
to say what went on in this boy life?
Buck wanted more
than anything to become Waddie's dad. His brother had his chance and
failed miserably. Buck knew he could be a good father for
Waddie. He wanted the chance. He looked into the handsome
face of the young man he was beginning to think of as his cowboy.
He wanted to tell him of his love and remind him of the afternoon they
played by the creek the first part of the summer; how much he needed
Waddie and wanted Waddie to need him. He knew Waddie wanted him
for his dad. 'Oh God,' he thought, 'we've been through too much
together to let him die now. Save him, Father, please, I need my
boy.' This time there were no inner voices of conscience to
question Buck referring to Waddie as his boy.
Buck lay his
forehead on the edge of the bed, held Waddie's hand in both his big
hands and sobbed uncontrollably like his heart would break. Wait. Was
it his imagination? No, by God, there it was
again. He felt a slight, almost imperceptible, squeeze from
Waddie's hand.
End Of Chapter
19 ~ Cabbage Patch Cowboy
Copyright ©
2004/2013 ~ Waddie Greywolf
All rights
reserved ~
Mail to:
waddiebear@yahoo.com
Proofed:
01/01/2013
WC 20916