The tension in the room, spanning the gap between the two men, nearly crackles in its tangiblity.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find a spot for your horse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I helped build the barn, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince when have you made disgruntled noises and not meant anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
White knuckles imply unthrown punches as a new set of\u00a0boots sounds on the staircase.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam! We were expecting you tomorrow! I wanted to meet you in\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cThe stage came early.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be upstairs. Call me when dinner\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow wait just a\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be upstairs. It\u2019s not like I\u2019m leaving for God only knows how long or anything like that. I would never<\/em> do something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again the tension, stretching as the space between them grows and yet somehow remaining just as thick, broken only by an awkward clearing of the throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave a seat, son. How was your trip?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUneventful. The train makes things so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow are May and the girls?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour grandnieces are growing into lovely young women, completely enamored with the idea of having a great uncle who\u2019s a real life cowboy. It was all I could do to keep them from stowing away in my trunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should write to May again and invite her out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know she won\u2019t come?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the point of an invitation, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted to be sure you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026you\u2019ve both taken it hard. I see it in your faces.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u2026been a rough couple of years. Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Across the room, the grandfather clock chimes the hour, and both turn instinctively to it. The noise fills the silence, and for just a moment the discomfort is eased.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to be here, you know\u2026 But the letter got lost and I didn\u2019t know until\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, Adam. I forgave you long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe was married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never mentioned it in my letters. It was\u2026his news. And then his grief.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long has it been?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard him laughing with a few of the hands recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPa, I\u2019m sorry I haven\u2019t been here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam. You did what you had to do. You chased your dream, just as I chased mine. I\u2019m just glad to see you now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMissing the funeral haunts me every day. I\u2026I stopped by the grave on my way here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long are you home for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are<\/em> welcome here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got that impression.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe\u2019s been hurt\u2026is hurting. Give him time; you\u2019re brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome brother I\u2019ve been.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a reoccurring nightmare about adopting a bratty red-headed teenager. Trust me, you have nothing on this kid in terms of bad-brotherhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive him time, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure. I\u2019ll do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve made up your old room for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless you had something else in mind\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. My room is perfect. I chose its location, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, trust me, I heard your brothers complain about it often enough that I couldn\u2019t forget if I tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ll head up and wash for dinner. Travis Benet is supposed to bring my trunk out later; if he arrives, would you just holler at me? I don\u2019t want for you to have to carry it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not as old as I look\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMmmhmm. How many candles were on your cake last year?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk me no questions and I\u2019ll tell you no lies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least you didn\u2019t burn the place down. That would have been inconvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to have you home, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to be\u2026home.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n