Chapter 2 “Getting to Know Wesley” 

When we made it into town I was still pretty nervous and honestly frightened of what might be my future. But then I remembered what Mr. Cartwright said, that he would do his best to help me and for that reason I felt the securest I had ever felt in a long time. I know when you’re little that your pa is supposed to be your hero, and that you should feel the safest when he’s around; but that was never the case with my family. And now that both of my parents have passed away, that feeling is even further away from me. But at least with the Cartwright family I feel pretty confident and actually, now that I think of it I’ve never felt so confident.

All sense of confidence left when we explained the situation to Sheriff Coffee and his happy mood fizzled to a grim look, I got even more worried when he asked me and Joe to wait outside. If it was something good then he would’ve said it with me present, but now I was getting upset that he would think I can’t handle hearing whatever he has to say about my uncle and the situation. When I get upset I think a lot and when I think a lot, I usually say what’s on my mind. As you can tell from my past experiences, this never really ends well.

“Anything you want to say about my situation, you can just say it to my face sheriff Coffee!” My eyes started watering and my voice choked up while I yelled and refused to leave the room. Joe took this opportunity to leave and wait as he had been told, which I guess is what I could’ve done in the first place but oh well.

I was unaware that these were signs Mr. Cartwright had started to study about me, from his past experience with all three of his sons he knew exactly what to do.

“It’s alright Wesley; shhhh’ it’ll be okay, I just need to talk to the sheriff privately for a moment and then we’ll take it from there. Just calm down and I’ll take care of everything, and we won’t keep any secrets from you. ” He knelt on one knee and hugged me, then calmly said all those reassurances to make me feel better and calm me down. Not what I expected, but I started feeling secure again in his arms.

“Now tell the sheriff you apologize and excuse yourself, please.” He continued to keep his arms around me, but had me turn and face the sheriff.

“I apologize Sheriff Coffee, please excuse my outburst.” I looked at Mr. Cartwright to make sure I did it correctly and he nodded in approval. Now this was completely new to me, being hugged and soothed with kind reassurances wasn’t something that happened very often.

I didn’t intend on apologizing either, but I figured I might as well try it and see what it’s like to handle things the Cartwright way.

My parent’s way was the exact opposite; my father worked all kinds of odd jobs here and there, like bartending, gambling on horse races, con tricks and things like that. My mother worked at saloons as a con-artist and knew lots of card tricks that no one could ever win. Whenever she got caught, she would lie her way out of it and sneak away to find my father. Then it was time to move again because the jig was up. I don’t know how they had time to have a child or quite frankly why, but they didn’t have enough time afterwards to teach me the things Mr. Cartwright was showing me, that’s for sure.

“That’s alright Wesley, no harm done.” The Sheriff told me and eyed Mr. Cartwright giving him a puzzled look.

“Why don’t you and Joe go to deliver those letters to Miss. Jones and I’ll come and get you when the Sheriff is ready to talk with you. Sound good?” Mr. Cartwright asked me as he turned me around to face him.

“Okay Mr. Cartwright, I’ll see you later.”He gave me one last tight hug and I walked out and met with Joe who had been waiting for me.

“I just knew you had gotten yourself in more trouble, but this time I wasn’t goin down with you. If it had been me or any of my brothers that spoke to the Sheriff like that, Lord help us! What were you thinking Wesley?” Joe began to shoot off his mouth.

“Calm down it’s no big deal Joe, you said your pa is strict but he seems pretty nice to me. And I would’ve protested further but he reasoned with me, so I decided to leave at my own will and that’s all that happened.”

“Ha! your own will, yea right! Common sense finally made an appearance in your mind is what happened. You’re just lucky your last name ain’t Cartwright, or your ears would be ringin worse than a church bell.  Come to think of it, he must be in a patient mood cause even if you weren’t his son I think he still would have yelled and corrected you.” He acknowledged.

“Would you be quiet?!  My ears are ringin just from you hollerin at me now, and we got letters to deliver so let’s just get this over with, alright?” I really wanted to get this un-enjoyable task done and out of the way.

“Say umm, did he make you apologize before or after he told you to deliver the letters?”  Joe asked me sarcastically and kidded with me. Which I must admit was a pretty good joke with the right timing.

“You know something Cartwright? You’re a smart-aleck! Now, can we please get this over with?” I gave Joe a small shove to indicate I was joking and he went into a fit of giggles.

I would’ve told him exactly what happened and how calm Mr. Cartwright was, but there was a risk of him teasing me for getting such attention from his pa, like I was a little kid or something. To this day I still don’t know how Mr. Cartwright knew I was emotional and in need of reassurance, but I guess it’s one of those things that a good parent just picks up on.

When Mr. Cartwright hugged me and held me for a moment I realized that this was the third time I had ever been hugged in my entire life. How sad is that? The only other two times were because I got lost from my parents due to their drinking habits and forgetfulness. I bet Joe or even his brothers’ must have lost count of how many times their pa had embraced them.

I decided to forget the past and focus on the task at hand. Delivering the apology letters to Miss. Jones was going to be tuff but I was curious to what her reaction might be. Just think of it; I, Andrew Wesley giving her a sincere apology letter out of my own will. Well, mostly my own will, I guess you could say I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted to cross Mr. Cartwright or disagree with him; but we’ll find that out later.

Meanwhile, we finally made it to Miss. Jones house and knocked on the door. Joe nudged my side and whispered to me “Watch this.” The door opened and Joe began an act that should’ve been in theaters.

“Why, good afternoon Miss. Jones! Wesley and I were thinking about what happened yesterday and decided to fix our mistakes by giving you these two sincere apology letters. Though it really was my brother Adams idea, when he heard the way we acted he thought it was terrible and said that a woman of your stature should be treated with the utmost respect, so he insisted on us giving you these letters. ”

“Is that so? Well thank you boys very much! Why don’t you two come inside, I just made some fresh pie.” She said very cheerfully.

Before stepping inside Joe whispered to me again. “Hook… line… and sinker.” It was no secret in town that Miss. Jones was crazy for Joe’s older brother Adam and at that moment, I realized what Joe had just done and how brilliant it was.

While we both enjoyed some pie and Joe rambled on and on about his brother Adam; causing Miss. Jones to practically drool, I couldn’t help but wonder what the Sheriff and Mr. Cartwright were talking about. After all this does affect my life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Ben, would you mind telling me what that was all about?” Roy asked.

“I’m not quite sure myself Roy, the only thing I know is that boy needs a lot of care to make up for everything he’s going through right now and my heart goes out to him.”

“I can recall a time when one of you boys spoke up like that before; did you ever let them hear the end of it?”

“Yeah I know what you getting at Roy, but he doesn’t need reprimanding. How can you correct someone who doesn’t know the correct way in the first place, what he needs is understanding and somebody to show him guidance. The last thing he needs right now is someone lecturing him, what he needs is to know that someone’s there for him.”

“You hit it right on the nail there Ben. I read the reports on his parent’s death; and he saw the whole thing happened right in front of him and there wasn’t a thing that could’ve been done to save em’.  The doc there said in the report that his parents might have survived if they weren’t so intoxicated.” Roy just skook his head.

As Ben sat in the chair he folded his hands and leaned forward giving a serious impression. “You know as well as I do that some people have no business having children if they can’t bring them up right and spend time with them and take care of them properly.”

“Now Ben I ain’t gonna sugar coat nothin with you, Wesley’s not the world’s best behaved child and he’s been in trouble at school ever since he moved here.  And to make matters worse, his uncle never gave two bits about him either, there were several times I found Wesley looking for food and nearly starved to death. Yes sir, that boy’s been dealt a harsh hand in life and he ain’t playing his cards too well.” Roy said in a matter of fact tone of voice.

“You’re an eye witness Roy; you saw how well he can behave when someone is calm and secure. I’m sure that if one person, just one person showed him a little understanding and guidance it would make such a difference.” Ben stated entirely sure of his words.

“Were gonna need somebody to do just that Ben, I hear in Chicago there’s so many slews and slums about that city that it just makes it impossible to find a missing person. Not only that, but from what you told me about Wesley’s uncle, that man just don’t wanna be found.”

“So what are you saying Roy, there’s no way to find him?”

“I’m saying that we don’t have the man power to find him and if we did it would be a waste of time. There ain’t nobody who’s willing to go find a man in a city like that, that don’t wanna be found in the first place. ”

“Well then what happens to Wesley; do we all just forget about him and place him as a lost cause? He has to have some kind of closure to this and he told me he has no other relatives, so where is he supposed to live from now on?” It’s safe to say Ben was starting to lose his temper.

“The only thing I’m able to do for Wesley is to take him to a home where children can be adopted. From there on it’s out of my hands and I wish I could do more to help him Ben, but I can’t.”

“An adoption home! At his age no one would adopt him because he’s fourteen and around here that’s too grown. That would be the worst thing for any child to go through, watching all the other younger children leave and find happy homes while he’s stuck there wandering why no one loves him!” Ben shouted.

“Well then, what do you suppose we do Ben? My hands are tied!” Roy started to shout.

“We will speak to Judge Thatcher and I will gain custody of him. He and Joe seem to have hit it off and I’ve got all the requirements the state law requires to adopt him myself.” Ben concluded.

Sheriff Coffee just crossed his arms and shook his head and smiled. He thought to himself; leave it to Ben Cartwright to find a light at the end of a tunnel. “So be it Ben, but there is one thing you need to consider.”

“And what would that be?” He asked confidently.

“The state doesn’t require the child’s consent in adoption, but you should get the consent of your other sons since this will affect their lives too. And you should talk things over with Wesley; see how he feels about it.”

“It sounds like I’ve got a lot of talking to do.”

“And your just the man for it Ben, I hope everything goes well.”

“Thank you Roy, I think it might be best if I explained to Wesley about his uncle myself though.  I’ll be by in a couple of days and we’ll go from there.”

“Alright Ben, take care now.” The Sheriff went back to his desk and peered out the window watching his dear friend walk off. “Yes sir, the world sure could use more men like Ben Cartwright.” He mused.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Hello Miss. Jones, how are you today?”

“Oh I’m fine Mr. Cartwright, and yourself?”

“I’m doing well, thank you for asking. But I came by to get Joe and Wesley, are they still here?”

“Oh yes, I’ll get them for you.”

Miss. Jones was in a good mood, so Ben smiled knowing the boys had succeeded in their task.

“Here they are Mr. Cartwright, just the same as when they got here but much fuller with pie.”

“That’s good to hear, I hope you found the letter’s they wrote pleasant.” Ben said with a smile.

“Huh? Oh yes the letters, well I haven’t even read them yet but I’m sure there just wonderful. And umm, would you mind telling Adam I said hello for me please?”

“Uh, sure I don’t mind but I thought…”Joe cut in.

“Come on pa, I’m sure Miss. Jones has some things to take care of. Not to mention Wesley over here, he’s right anxious to talk about finding his uncle.” He finished in a big rush, but that’s when I stepped in.

“Are we still going to talk with the sheriff Mr. Cartwright?” I asked innocently, even though Joe was the one who distracted Miss. Jones, not me.

“Well, not exactly. Ben sighed. Goodbye Miss. Jones, let me know how you found the letters.” He apparently wanted to talk about this later in private.

“Of course Mr. Cartwright, please don’t forget to tell Adam I said hello.”

“Oh I won’t, I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from you.” I could be mistaken, but I’m almost sure I heard Mr. Cartwright chuckle under his breath as we walked away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*

We walked back to our horses quietly, which made me nervous again as we started our way back to the Ponderosa.

After riding nearly halfway up to the house Mr. Cartwright stopped and told Joe he wanted him to show me more of the Ponderosa. We both thought it was strange and reluctantly agreed, as he went back to the house we gave each other puzzled looks.

“Well it’s clear he doesn’t want us at the house right now, so where do we go first?” I asked Joe playfully.

“C’mon I’ll show you the clearing.” He gave a half smile.

When we got there it was really nice and I enjoyed the scenery.  Then I asked Joe if he wanted to race.

“Is that a trick question?” He grinned and took off at full speed.

We raced all around the clearing and then made our way to the lake, which was outstanding.

“I won!” Joe exclaimed loudly as he dismounted from his horse.

“You mean you cheated?” I asked sarcastically and dismounted as well.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Joe Cartwright never cheats.” He declared and posed proudly like a statue with his eyes closed.

“Oh really, you don’t say?”  We were standing close enough to the edge of the lake; I grabbed my empty canteen and filled it quietly while he went on mimicking his father and gave a speech about telling the truth.

Before he could finish saying what the definition of honesty was I snuck up behind him and emptied the entire canteen on him. I laughed so hard that I doubled over and he tackled me into the water not caring that we were both fully dressed.

We laughed so hard together and swam the rest of the afternoon splashing each other back and forth. By the way, to set the record straight I won that race.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ben Cartwright came home and found his sons eating lunch in the barn. “Might I join you two for lunch?” He asked already knowing the answer.

“Sure pa,” Hoss answered and laid down another bale of hay for Ben to sit on.

“So how did everything go with Roy, pa?” Adam asked as he tossed Ben a sandwich.

“That’s actually why I came out here to talk with you. I talked things over with Roy and we’ve come to the conclusion that Wesley’s uncle can’t be found.”

“That’s a shame, Wesley’s a good kid and he deserves better than to get abandoned like that by someone who’s supposed to be his uncle.” Adam stated grimly.

“What do you thinks gonna happen to Wesley now? Is there anything we can do to help em?” Hoss was concerned.

“Well, that’s the second reason I came out here to talk with you two. Are… are you fond of Wesley?” Ben wasn’t sure how to put his words.

“Are we fond of him? Adam and Hoss asked in unison and looked at each other with raised eye brows.

“Well yes, do you like having him around is what I’m asking.”

“Pa, I think me and older brother over here understand what you’re gettin at.” Hoss stated with a grin.

“And the answer is absolutely, it would be nice for Joe to have someone his own age to be around and Wesley seems like a good kid at heart.” Adam said in a matter of fact voice.

Then it’s settled, you two are happy with adopting Wesley?” Ben asked to make sure.

“The more the merrier!” Hoss gave a big smile.

“Great! I’ll talk things over with Wesley and Joe tomorrow.” Ben gave a big smile of his own as he walked out of the barn, but turned back as he remembered something that gave him an even bigger smile.

“Oh, Adam I almost forgot to tell you that Miss. Jones said hello.” Ben tried his best not to laugh as Adam suddenly turned pink.

“Thank you for the message pa.” Adam said through clenched teeth and shot a look towards Hoss who had just burst into laughter.

Ben made it as far as the porch before he himself went into a fit of laughter, due to hearing his sons banter.

“It’s not that funny Hoss!” Adam yelled

“No, you’re right… It’s not that funny to you older brother, but it sure is funny to me!” Laughter could be heard from Hoss all the way around the Ponderosa.

End Notes:

I hope you liked this chapter, please let me know through your comments and feedback. Any suggestions are welcome and thank you for reading!