Summary: An important question comes up after Little Joe’s first saloon visit.

Rating: PG    Word count: 2080

A Burning Question

It’s Saturday night. Mitch and I are sitting at a table near the bar in the Silver Dollar Saloon. Soaking up the atmosphere, I lean back, taking a deep sip of my beer. The air is filled with the smell of whiskey, tobacco, and the sweat of unwashed men’s bodies. A bottle shatters on the floor as two miners fight at one of the corner tables. The clanging sounds of the old piano drown out the cursing and laughing as the onlooking crowd cheers the two brawlers on.

Finally, Pa allowed me to drink beer in the saloon. Okay, one beer, and he sent my brothers along as chaperones. Still, I feel like an adult. Mitch and I are almost sixteen and have full-time jobs like the other men.

From the corner of my eye, I peek at the cowboys leaning against the bar, elbows propped up, hat pushed back, and boot heel hooked casually into the brass rail. I try to pretend this isn’t my first visit to a saloon. Although my heart is pounding and my stomach is in knots with excitement, my outward appearance is calm, or I hope so.

A girl in a low-cut dress saunters with a seductive swing of her hips to our table, stopping next to me, making my heart beat even faster. I can smell her flowery and too sweet perfume. Her long, crimson painted fingernails scrape across the nape of my neck, giving me goosebumps. “Buy me a drink, cowboy?” she asks in a deep, smoky voice as she leans in close so I get a good look at her cleavage. Holding my breath, I try not to stare.

“Sure!” I tear my gaze away from the base of her breasts and look at her face, giving her my best smile. The girl makes me feel grown up. I clear my throat to make my voice sound deeper as I try to get Cosmo’s attention by raising my hand. “A drink for the lady,” I shout as he glances in my direction.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” she coos, grabbing a chair, placing a delicate hand on my thigh. Her face is inches from mine. I smell her powder, see her lips painted bright red, while her sweet breath tickles my cheek.

I freeze as a wave of heat rushes through my body. Hopefully, the light is dim enough that no one will notice I’m blushing. My racing heart pumps blood to my lower regions, tightening my pants. Oh dear, I hope that nothing can be seen! I slide back and forth on the chair, resisting the urge to adjust myself.

With a knowing smile, the girl slides her hand higher. My mouth goes dry, and my ears are buzzing. I don’t know if Mitch notices. Anyway, he looks like his eyes are about to pop out of his head.

Someone clears his throat. The hand on my thigh disappears, and I don’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

“Belle, they’re just kids. Come sit with me!”

I shoot Adam a dirty look, but the truth is that this time I’m not mad at him for stepping in. What would have happened otherwise? I wouldn’t want to find out in a saloon full of people.

Belle slips her hand through my eldest brother’s arm. “Hello, Adam, darling. I just wanted to see …”

“How far you can go until …?” As they walk away, my brother’s voice is drowned out by the noise in the salon.

“Phew!” Mitch elbows me in the ribs, a broad grin plastered on his face. “That’s quite a girl! You looked like you’re about to pass out!”

Struggling to regain my composure, I grab my beer to take several deep gulps like a man dying of thirst. This helps to cool my boiling blood and calm down the situation in my pants.

Moving closer, Mitch lowers his voice. “Joe, have you ever—you know?”

“Have you?” I counter, inspecting my empty glass, my mouth still dry. Would Adam notice if I ordered another beer?

Mitch plays with his hat sitting on the table. “No, not yet. You?”

Embarrassed, I shake my head. “I bet we are the only virgins in the whole saloon.” My voice is so low that Mitch has to read the words from my lips.

“I don’t even know how—” he falls silent, eying Adam and Belle. She’s sitting on his lap, her lips close to his cheek, caressing the back of his neck. They both smile.

“Neither do I,” I admit in a whisper. “You know what? We’ll try to find out what we can about it. I’ll ask my brothers. Speaking of my brothers: Here they come.”

Hoss’ broad figure is impossible to miss as he makes his way through the tables toward us. Adam gives him a nod and stands up, kissing Belle goodbye.

“I suppose they’ll drag me home. I have to go, Mitch. Let’s meet next Saturday?” Grabbing my jacket, I give Mitch a pat on the back.

Mitch grins. “Sure. See you Saturday!

Adam wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Well, kid, time to go home.”

“Hoss? Can I ask you a question? Have you ever been with a girl … hmm … you know?”

“Huh?” Staring at me with wide eyes, my brother’s face turns bright red. “What kind of question is that? You’re still a kid and shouldn’t have thoughts like that!”

“I ain’t no kid anymore. I’m a man!”

“You’re fifteen.”

“Aw, Hoss, come on.” Sitting beside him by the creek, I dangle my bare feet in the water, a cool and refreshing contrast to the sun beating down on our heads.

“Stop fidgeting, shortshanks. You’re scaring the fish away!” Hoss’s color returns to normal, which could be due to fanning himself with his big hat. “Hot day—there, I got one!” Slamming his hat back on his skull, he jumps up and reels in the line.

“Hoss, don’t change the subject. Come on.”

Pretending he didn’t hear me, my brother unhooks the fish and puts it with the others.

“Most of my friends told me they’ve already been with a girl.”

Hoss blushes again and starts coughing as if he had choked on his spit. Rolling my eyes, I jump up, step beside him, and slap his back several times. It seems to help as he calms down. “You can’t believe everything people say. Why do you want to know?” Hoss avoids looking at me, choosing to inspect the hook he has removed from the fish’s mouth instead. “You’ve got a girl?”

“Hmm, no, but in case, it’s good to know how—”

“Dadburnit, it’s getting late!” Hoss starts to pick up his fishing gear. “I promised Hop Sing fish for supper. You can take your time, Little Joe!”

“You don’t know yourself!” I yell after him, trying to squeeze my wet feet into my socks. It’s no use asking Hoss. I should have known. He’s pretty shy around girls. With a sigh, I lie back in the grass and look up where white fluffy clouds float across the blue sky. Sticking a straw in my mouth, I close my eyes, letting my thoughts drift to the creamy white skin of Belle’s neckline.

Tomorrow, I’ll ask Adam.

“Adam, I guess you’ve already slept with a girl?” I blurt out as I join Adam in the barn the next morning.

My brother has rolled his shirt sleeves above his elbows and cleans Sports’ coat. Lowering the brush, he turns to face me. With a furrowed brow, he looks me over from head to toe. “That’s quite a personal question. What’s it all about?” Adams’ expression wavers between amusement and suspicion.

I fidget a bit. “You know. How is it when a man and a woman—?”

“Ah, the kid grows up!” I can hear the chuckle in Adam’s voice.

Furious, I draw in a deep breath. I could have guessed that Adam was making fun of me. He always does. But he steps towards me and rests his hand on my shoulder. “Joe, use your brain. You’re a smart boy. You live on a ranch, and I know you’ve seen animals breed before.”

“Yeah, I have. But I ain’t sure if it works the same way with people.”

Adam rolls his eyes. “Sure it does!” Tossing the brush back into the box, he leans against the barn wall. Arms crossed, he watches me with that unique look that makes me jump out of my skin: Amused, and a bit superior.

To cover up my frustration, I take off my hat to run my fingers through my hair. Why doesn’t anyone come clean? I don’t want to ask Pa. That would be embarrassing.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well, I need to be prepared in case I get into a situation … ”

“Prepared? Don’t let Pa hear you say that. He’ll put you over his knee and tan your butt if you end up in bed with a girl at your age.”

Ah, now we’re getting to the point.

“As a man, you have certain responsibilities. You don’t want to be a father at sixteen, do you?”

“No! Of course, I don’t! But I thought …”

“So, you thought! That’s new! I got the impression that it’s not your head thinking, but a certain other part of your body.”

Blushing, I rub my boot on my pant leg and pluck a straw from my shirt. “I didn’t mean to … it’s just an … uh … technical question, okay?”

Adam rolls his eyes again, and the corner of his mouth twitches. “Pa owes me one for taking this part,” he mumbles, then meets my gaze. “Listen. Usually, a man and a woman do it face-to-face. Woman’s on the bed, you’re on top. It doesn’t mean you can’t … um … change it up, but you’ll figure it out. I’ll give you a tip, but don’t ever let Pa hear it. You go to one of the saloon girls who take men upstairs. You pay her to give you … a lesson.”

My face lights up. That’s some helpful advice. “Gee, thanks, Adam, I might do that—sometime. You know what? I just didn’t want to embarrass myself in case I got into that situation. You always tell me to think before I act.”

“I didn’t have this particular situation in mind.” My brother walks past me to get the wheel cart and the pitchfork.

I’m glued to Adams’ heels. “I kissed a girl once. Grace. You know her? Honey-blonde hair, and she smells of oranges. She’s always with her girlfriends. When they see me, they giggle and whisper and stick their heads together. They act in a pack, and getting Grace alone is nearly impossible.” With a dreamy smile, I block out the scent of horse manure and concentrate on how Grace’s smelled.

Adam smiles and seems relaxed as he mucks out one of the horse stalls. Relaxed is good. Maybe I can get some more information. You don’t learn useful things like that in school. “Adam, do women have fun with this stuff?”

“Mucking out stables?” he asks with innocently raised brows.

“No! You know exactly what I mean!” I lower my voice. “Sex stuff.”

Adam shoots me a good-natured grin. “That’s up to the man. The girl will enjoy it if he’s a good lover. You have to talk to each other, find out what the other one likes. It’s helpful not to do it as fast as our cattle, just up and in. You’ll figure it out yourself sometime. Take it easy for a few more years.”

“Adam, how old were you when …?”

“Get your skinny butt over here and help me clean out these stalls!”

“Yes, sir!” I sigh, knowing that question time is over. Adam is not willing to spill any personal details. However, I’ve learned enough for now, and I look forward to sharing my new knowledge with Mitch. I grab a pitchfork and drive it into a pile of fresh straw. Of course, I still have a ton of questions. But I know I can’t ask too much of my brother’s patience.

“Thanks, Adam, you’re a great brother!” With a satisfied smile, I spread the straw on the stall floor.

When it comes to girls, Joe Cartwright won’t make a fool of himself!

The End

March 2024