Summary:  Little Joe does not heed Adam’s warning that Joe is skating on thin ice.  rating: teen  word count: 728

Thin Ice

“You know you’re skating on thin ice.”  Adam’s voice had its own particularly chiding tone.

“Maybe.” Little Joe’s voice showed his lack of concern.

Adam shook his head. “You never worry, do you?”

“About thin ice?  I’m lighter and faster than you; I don’t need to worry as much.”

“Lighter and faster, uh?” Adam snorted.  “That may help when the ice is physical; when it’s metaphorical, not so much.”

Adam had taught Joe the meaning of metaphorical years before. “When it’s metaphorical, there ain’t no chance of freezing if the ice cracks, and you know I swim like a fish.”  A smirk settled on Little Joe’s face.

Adam raised his eyebrow and gave the sixteen-year-old a look that had always sent a shiver down Little Joe’s back.  “No, when this ice breaks you won’t have to worry about freezing beneath it.  Your concern will be female daggers and the fire of our father’s wrath.”

Little Joe’s chuckle was forced and slightly brittle. If Pa finds out I’m trifling with two girls’ feelings and deceiving them both, the fire in my hindquarters won’t be metaphorical.

“Just don’t expect me to pull your irons out of the fire when Melissa or Ellie finds out that despite your sweet nothings, she is not the singular object of your affections.”

“Any irons I put into the fire, I can pull them out myself.  Unless…” Little Joe swallowed convulsively.  “You don’t intend to tell Pa.”

“No, now that I’ve done my brotherly duty warning you, I intend to sit back and watch the fireworks, and there will be fireworks works, baby brother.”

Little Joe chewed his lower lip.  “Why are you so sure…”

“Girls gossip; on that you can count, Joe.  There are no inviolate secrets when females, especially young females, are involved.”

LJLJLJLJ

“Little Joe, it’s so wonderful.” Mellissa’s eyes shone.

“What’s so wonderful?”

“I can be with you at the church social after all.”

Little Joe gulped. “But you said…”

“Mama changed her mind.  We’re all going, so you don’t need to fetch me; we’ll meet there.”  Leaning closer, she whispered.  “We’ll find a way to be alone.  It’ll be wonderful!”

“Yeah, wonderful!”

“Mama’s waiting, so I’ve got to go.”  Melissa blew Little Joe a kiss and dashed off.

Joe’s oh, no was audible as he considered if he could keep two girls happy and apart at the same social.   Then he shook his head and wondered if that was ice he heard cracking.

LJLJLJLJ

“It ain’t that big a lie, Hoss. Not really a lie at all. You just tell Melissa and Ella that I’m sick.”

“Joe!”

“I am sick every time I think about it.”

“How could ya ask two gals to the social and think nobody including Pa would find out?”

“I didn’t really.  I didn’t ask Ella until I thought Melissa couldn’t come!”  Little Joe’s voice held a put-upon whine.

“Even so…  Melissa thinks you’re courting only her.”

“Well, yeah, that’s why I couldn’t tell Melissa I had asked Ella when I thought she couldn’t go.”

Hoss shook his head.  “What did you think would happen when some gal told another gal who told Melissa that she seen you and Ella together at the social.”

“I planned on nobody seeing me and Ella together.  Her pa don’t allow her to court!  That’s why I know she’ll always be careful and won’t say nothing.”

Hoss shook his head.  “Onliest reason I’ll do it is so those little gals don’t get their feelings hurt.”

LJLJLJLJ

Sitting on the porch, Little Joe sighed and took a sip of lemonade. He had had to tell his pa that he had a stomach upset and couldn’t attend the social. He hated missing it, but he supposed it was a divine punishment. At least, Hop Sing’s is visiting Hop Ling and not here keeping me in bed. He sighed again.  Maybe I should have tried to go and just kept the girls apart.  Tucked Ella away one place and Melissa another.

At the sound of an approaching wagon, he looked out across the yard   The ice broke beneath him when he saw both Ella and Melissa sitting on the wagon seat beside his glaring father.

 

Author’s note: The following quote was the prompt for this little story: “In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson