Summary:  This story started out as what I thought would be a touching story between Adam and Ben but this is what it came out as. It has to do with blue ribbons and what they are awarded for and to who.

Rated:  T+ (for innuendo) WC  2800

 

                                                                                              Blue Ribbons

Adam quickly got up to answer the door. Maybe his father had changed his mind about spending this evening in town.

“Adam who is it? Is it pa?” Joe was on his way up the steps when the knock came.

“I won’t know Joe until I answer the door.”

“So answer it.”

Adam swung the door open. “Roy? Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine Adam. May I have a word with you?”

“Sure.”

Roy caught sight of Joe. “Outside.”

“Is it pa Roy? Cause if it is it concerns me and Hoss too.”

“I can hear Hoss is real concerned…” as Hoss’ snores drifted down the stairs. “…and if I thought it concerned you I’d let you know.”

“Joe just let me hear what Roy has to say.”

********

“What is it Roy?”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I need you to come and get your father.”

“Get pa?”

“Yes.”

“Why is he hurt?”

“No he’s drunk.”

“My pa?”

“Yes your pa.”

“Are you sure?”

“I know your pa and I know drunk and he’s both.”

“Okay Roy I’ll be right there.”
********

Joe saw his brother stumble in slightly stunned and strap on his gun. “Is it pa?”

“He’s okay Joe.”

“Then where are you going?”

“He’s fine Joe.”

“Then I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t think he’d want you to come.”

“Why?”

“He just wouldn’t.”

“Why? I’m not a kid Adam and if pa’s hurt I can help.”

“He’s not hurt Joe he’s drunk.”

“Drunk? My pa?”

“Yes your pa.”

A wicked grin lit Joe’s face. “I’m coming with you.”

“No you’re not. Pa wouldn’t want you to see him like this.”

“I know but why should you be the only one to get to see this.”

“It’s just one of the benefits to being the oldest.”

“Okay but you better give him a stern lecture on the evils of drinking.”

“I’ll leave that for you. Lord knows you’ve heard it enough to have it memorized.”

********

“There he is.” Roy pointed towards one of the cells.

Adam approached the cell his father was sitting in.

“ADAM! Son how you doin’?”

“Better then you pa.” Adam could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he saw his father like this and probably on both the number of times his father had been like this.

“I’m glad your here son. Maybe you can help me.”

“I’m going to help you pa.”

“Good then tell this old man I got me a date.”

“What?” Adam was sure he’d heard wrong.

“You see.” Roy gave Adam a look he’d often seen him give his father.

“Pa let’s go home.”

“Home? No I got me a date.”

“Okay pa. We’ll talk about it at home.”

“You know son you’re way too uptight. What you need is a woman to help you relax.”

“Pa let’s get you home.”

“No. A man’s got his needs Adam even a man my age. Don’t think I don’t hear all the talk…”

“Pa.”

“…those girls sayin’ how skilled my boys are.”

“PA.”

“I must admit I wasn’t too surprised you being my boys and all but some things I’ve heard I didn’t quite understand. Maybe you can explain them.”

“PA!”

“Look Roy it’s Adam! Ain’t he a handsome boy.” Ben reached over and pinched his son’s cheeks.

“Pa please let’s go home.”

“But I told you I got me a date.”

“A date with whom.”

“Clementine.”

“That explains the drinking.” Adam figured that if his father had gotten cornered into asking Clementine Hawkins on a date he would need a drink or two.

“Or maybe the drinking explains the date.” Roy thought the only way Ben would have asked the widow Hawkins on a date would have been drunk.

“Pa trust me you’d rather come home with me.”

“NO!”

“At least now we know where Joe gets that scowl from.” Roy had seen it on the youngest Cartwright a number of times.

“I got me a date.”

Adam was doing his best to keep from laughing. “Pa how about I get you a different date. One that won’t try to hog tie and brand you.”

“Another date?”

“Yes pa another date.”

“A real pretty one?”

“Yeah pa a real pretty one.”

“Adam what are you doing?”

“If my father wants a date I’m going to get him one but I won’t let it be Clementine Hawkins. I just can’t see me calling her ma.”

********

They were greeted in the parlor of the house by a group of very lovely women.

“Hello Adam.”

“Hello Betty.”

“You here with your father?” Lois had seen Adam and his brothers come together but never had she seen any of them come with their father.

“My pa says he has needs.”

“Well we know all about those needs. Why not let me satisfy them for you.” Lois took Ben’s hand and let him to the stairs.

“Why don’t the rest of you take care of my son, my treat.”

“Pa there’s five women here.”

“You heard your father Adam.”

“Pa.”

“Oh stop complaining son. From the things I’ve heard you’ve done it before.”
********

When Ben woke up the following morning it felt like the biggest battle of every war was being fought inside his head. He really didn’t feel like getting up but he had to know just what had happened and if his sons knew. He threw off the covers and saw something that really confused him.

********

“Good morning pa.” Adam refrained from looking at his father afraid he wouldn’t be able to hide the grin.

“Not so loud Adam.”

“Pa you should know that drinking never solved any man’s problems it only compounds them.”

“Joseph I know the lecture, I’ve given it to you more times then I can count.”

“It is extremely disheartening for me to not see you follow your own advice. Come on Hoss we got work to do.”

Ben waited until the door had closed behind his two youngest sons. “He’s not going to let me forget this is he.”

“Not for quite a while but can you blame him?”

“I suppose not.”

An uneasy silence fell between father and son. One that lasted for a while.

“Adam you came and got me didn’t you.”

“Yes I did pa.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve done if for me. Pa I’m not going to ask why but I am going to warn you to stay clear of Widow Hawkins for a while.”

“Why?”

“She may be upset that you missed your date with her.”

“Date? I don’t recall make any date with Clementine.”

“Good. Then you were drunk when you made it.”

“What does that mean.”

“Pa Mrs. Hawkins is a fine woman but I don’t think I could ever see myself calling her ma.”

“Could it have gotten that far?”

“Pa with as drunk as you were she could have had you in front of a preacher and consummating the marriage long before you sobered up.”

“Speaking of consummating may I ask you what this is.”

Adam took the paper from his father. “You didn’t have enough cash so she gave you a bill and if I recall you signed a promissory note.”

“This much for one girl.”

“No six.”

“SIX!? Adam if I had to satisfy six women I’d be dead. I am not that young anymore.”

“It’s nice to know you once were, but actually only one was for you.”

“Really?”

“It was your idea and your treat.”

Ben sat there mulling this new information over and over. He thought of many things. He tried to focus on the many topics to lecture Adam on, but why was ‘that’s my boy’ keep pushing its way to the forefront.

“Maybe you can explain these to me.” Ben held up the two blue ribbons he’d found tied to a most odd place.

“Good for you pa you got two.” Adam figured that wasn’t exactly what his father was asking. “You know what a blue ribbon means don’t you pa? It means what it’s been tied to has been deemed the best by the judge.”

“I see and just how often is the blue ribbon awarded?”

“From what I understand whenever the lady, or judge if you prefer, comes upon what she feels is a specimen worthy of one.”

“I see and the winning….specimen can win multiple times?”

“Sure pa. Multiple times for multiple…I got myself twelve last night alone.”

“Twelve?”

“Sure two from three and three from two. I know those two ladies a little better then the other three. Besides I was getting tired and it was late when we started out.” Adam saw a puzzled look appear on his fathers face.  “What’s wrong pa?”

“I’ve seen these ribbons in not only your room but your brother’s as well.”

“I would hope so. Of course those twelve from last night are now the most ever in one evening beating Hoss’s eight.”

“HOSS?!”

“Well yeah pa he is your son too.”

“Not Joe?”

“No, Hoss beat Joe’s and mine’s tie of seven. Wait till I tell them it’s now twelve.”

“How?”

“How pa? Well the ladies seem to enjoy my fingers just as much…”

“NO! Not how? But how?”

“How what pa?”

“How could I have not seen this going on right under my own nose.”

“We didn’t want you to see it and even if you had you didn’t want to.”

“I see. So that time when you were seventeen…SEVENTEEN!”

“You mean when I told you I took Betsy Sue’s ribbons?”

“Now that she had three ribbons makes more sense.”

********

Hoss and Joe were finally home for the mid-day meal and Adam found it to be a welcome interruption for once.

“Hey Adam what’s wrong with pa?” Joe made sure to keep his voice low.

“He got his first two ribbons last night.”

“WHAT?” Joe kept his voice as low as he could.

“PA?” Hoss couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah and I got twelve.”

“Twelve? In one night?” Joe knew Adam must be joshing.

“Yeah come on Adam you would a killed the girl with twelve.” It never entered Hoss’s mind that it should have the same effect on Adam.

“There were five girls, pa paid for them and thanks for the concern for me Hoss.”

“Pa musta been real drunk.” Hoss thought to not only go into a place like that but to have paid for five for Adam.

“Boys I’d like to discuss something with you.”

All eyes turned to their father.

“Way to go pa you got two.”

“Joseph this is no trivial matter.”

“Course not pa two ribbons is real good. Most men don’t even get one. You know how most of those ladies are well kind a hard to please seeing how they do it so often. They say they get kind of numb to it.”

“I did not need details Joseph. What I would like to know is how long has this been going on. I know Adam was seventeen.”

“That ain’t true pa. That’s just when they started giving out the ribbons and I heard tell that it was all because of Adam that they started. Those four were the first ever awarded.”

“Four? I only saw three.”

“I used one to tie around your birthday present that year pa. I was only five.”

“I’ll return it to you Adam.”

“That’s okay pa.”

“So Joseph when did you earn your first ribbon?”

“Pa what kind of a thing is that to ask.”

“JOSEPH.”

“I was seventeen.”

“I see and you Hoss?”

“Aw pa.”

“HOSS.”

“Sixteen.”

“You started younger then your brothers?!”

“Whoa, wait a minute pa. It takes a little experience before a man can do that to a woman. It don’t always happen the first time.”

“Did for me and from what I hear Adam too. Only they wasn’t given away ribbons then.”

“Hoss I don’t think that’s what pa wanted to hear.” Adam wondered why did his brother’s always dig the holes they were in deeper and why did they insist on dragging him in with them.

“I would a got one at sixteen too but I only got to go two times that year, remember. To make it worse the second time was with Emmy and she never gave out ribbons.”

“She gave me two I think.”

“Yeah Adam and she gave me one.”

“If I’d of gotten to go to town more I’d a got a ribbon at sixteen too.”

“STOP THIS! This is not something to joke about!”

“We know pa.”

Suddenly they all noticed a strange look come over their father’s face. “Why you snake.”

“That hurt pa. It was me who told her to tie two on. Those two younger sons of yours wanted it to be only one.”

“I see. Then those ribbons were really from Betsy Sue.”

“Yes and Joe really did take one to use on your present which is why there was only three.”

“And your brothers?”

“Adam would give them to us whenever we did something real well. Like school work or chores.”

“You never told me about this Adam.”

“I know how you don’t like to reward us for doing things that we should but…I hope you’ve learned your lesson pa.”

“Wait you told her to tie two on?”

“Not everything was a lie pa. You have the bill for the girls don’t you?”

“Then there really were six of them?”

“Yes but you only owe for the one you were with. I told the other five you were going to pay for for me that I wouldn’t possibly be able to treat them as they deserved to be what with it being so late and me being as tired as I was.”

Again Ben thought, ‘that’s my boy’. “You know Adam you are going to be one hell of a father.”

“I learned from the best.”

“I can’t believe I fell for it. Ribbons.”

“I don’t think it’s such a bad idea. Maybe I’ll suggest it to the girls.”

“You will do no such thing Joseph.”

“Pa why don’t you go lay down for a while.”

“That, Adam is the first good thing you’ve said.”

********

“You think we should tell him?”

“Are you kidding Hoss?! We got away with it and you want to tell him.”

“I just don’t like lying to pa.”

“Hoss we’re not lying we’re just sparing him from something he would rather not know. Joe that was real good. Me giving you ribbons for doing good work.”

“I can think on my feet as well Adam. I’m just surprised he fell for it. I mean you were always harder on us about responsibilities the he ever was.”

“Like I said he doesn’t want to know this truth.”

“Hey Adam what about those five girls that pa don’t think he owes for any more.”

“I guess I’ll have to pay for them myself. I better go do that and explain this all to them before pa goes and tries to pay for only one”

“Let me go. If I get an early enough start I just might beat those twelve.”

“You got the money to pay for the five girls from last night?”

“No but I got enough for two or three for myself.”

“You go on little brother. Just tell them I’ll be in to settle pa’s bill.”

Joe was out of the door with a whoop.

“Why you letting him go?”

“Hoss I’m tired and a little sore.”

“You know one day pa is gonna find out the first truth was the true truth.”

“I must be real tired.”

“Why?”

“I actually understood that. Don’t worry Hoss pa doesn’t want to know this truth so I’m not too worried he’ll be looking for it. What does worry me is that one of these days that little brother of ours will beat us and I don’t look forward to hearing him brag endlessly on about it.”

“How can he beat us when you got all them extra ribbons hidden away somewhere.”

“What extra ribbons?”

“You mean to tell me you actually got twelve last night.”

“All tied up pretty and neat as you please.”

“They all fit?”

“I’ll have you know they not only fit but there was plenty of room to spare.”

“Sorry brother. I didn’t mean to hurt your pride.”

“It’s the family pride I’m trying to uphold. Now wake me when it’s supper time.”

“Sure thing older brother.”

“You know little brother if I wasn’t so tired I’d come over there and teach you some respect for your elders.”

~The End
Chapter End Notes:

There are some references made to Clementine Hawkins from The Burma Rarity.