Summary:  Rainy day reflections from Hoss Cartwright in the aftermath of a tragedy. (An epilogue for “The Dark Gate”)

Rating: T   Word Count: 644

 

I usually don’t mind the rain. I’ve always liked the way it washes things clean and leaves a fresh new smell on the earth. But it’s been rainin’ here for days, like the sky itself is grievin’. We could all use a little sunshine right now, especially my brother Adam.

There are some things a man knows he has to do, even if it’s the last thing he wants. Adam had no choice. It was either his life or the life of his best friend. He knew that. But when he killed Ross Marquette, I think a part of him died too.

Adam and Ross had been friends for as long as I could remember. I was just a kid when they were old enough to go off on adventures together, and I used to get a little jealous that they didn’t ask me to go along. But later I understood why they didn’t. At first glance they were as different as two people could be, sort of like me and my brothers. Ross was tall and lanky, with ears that stuck out and a mouth that looked too wide for his face. Adam is just plain handsome any way you look at him, at least accordin’ to most of the women around here, and I wouldn’t disagree. But that don’t mean much to him, even though I tease him about it sometimes. He and Ross were alike in the ways that matter to a man, like bein’ able to count on somebody to back you up when the odds are against you, and knowin’ he’ll tell you the truth about yourself even if hurts both of you. Somebody who’ll get you home when you can barely sit a horse because you nearly drank yourself blind over a girl, even if it means leavin’ the dance early. I didn’t see it, just the leftovers the next mornin’. Not a pretty sight even then, so I figured Ross must’ve had his hands full. They weren’t much more than boys then, younger than Joe is now. A lot of things have happened since.

Adam went to college, and Ross worked his family’s place for a few years before he married one of the sweetest gals you’d ever hope to meet. Delphine. Even her name sounded sweet, like music. If Ross had a wild hair she tamed it, and he’d do anything for her. I never saw two people any happier. But sad things happen to everybody at some point, and they were both pretty broken up when their baby came too early. They wouldn’t have any more.

Nobody but Delphine could say for sure when things started goin’ wrong with Ross. But she didn’t tell anybody at first, and now she’s gone too. That makes it even worse for Adam, because he tried so hard to help her when he found out what Ross had done. Ross was so crazy by then he even accused her of cheatin’ on him with his best friend. There was no reasoning with him after that, and Delphine didn’t argue when Adam told her to pack her things. She had somebody else to think about besides herself, but she couldn’t tell Ross because he never woulda believed that baby was his. Nobody knew except her and Doc Martin and Adam. He kept it to himself for as long as he could I reckon, because when he told me I could tell it had been eatin’ him up inside.

It’s easy to say that time heals all wounds, but the problem is that it don’t always. Some things never go away. You just learn to live with them, that’s all. I figure my Pa knows that better than anybody. That’s what Adam’s gonna have to do. And I know he will, because I know my brother.

I just wish it would quit rainin’.

 

END

Special credits:  “The Dark Gate” (Season 2, episode 24) was written by Ward Hawkins.