Summary:\u00a0 Adam offers an explanation to his father about his day in town.
\nRated:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Word Count:\u00a0 1695<\/p>\n
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I love my brothers, Lord knows. I would gladly die for those two but, honestly, there are times when I wouldn\u2019t mind having been an only child. Just the thought of being able to sit down and not have to worry about those two \u2014 Joe especially \u2014 is something I can\u2019t conceive of any longer. It\u2019s gotten to be such an ingrained part of me that I don\u2019t even know if it can be shut off.<\/p>\n
Yes, I know. I\u2019m supposed to be the oldest and, therefore, the most responsible of us. Do you know how tired I am of being seen as \u201cresponsible\u201d? I would love to be able to shirk that once in a while. Just once I would like to have the opportunity to give in and pull a stunt worthy of Joe. Can you see me doing half the things he does? No, I didn\u2019t think you could.<\/p>\n
Hoss, God love him, is the easiest for me to get along with. Well, most of the time. We do have our moments but, for the most part, we spend our time trying to keep younger brother out of mischief. Hoss rarely gets mad but, boy, watch out if he does. He doesn\u2019t really care what people say about him, you know that. It\u2019s what those people are saying about his family that will rile him up.<\/p>\n
And Joe\u2019s not a bad kid. He\u2019s not. He\u2019s just . . . irrepressible is the best word I can think of at the moment. There\u2019s just no describing him \u2014 no really \u2014 you have to experience the \u201chuman tornado\u201d that is Joseph Cartwright. I have never seen anyone who can go from being that happy to being ready for a brawl in the space of one breath. It absolutely astounds me.<\/p>\n
I turn my back for one second and those two are tearing up the Bucket of Blood. All I wanted was to go into town and get a cold beer. Is that too much to ask? Most would say no. Apparently, it is too much to ask of my younger siblings. I\u2019ve had a hard week, not that they haven\u2019t but that\u2019s beside the point. I just wanted to sit and enjoy my drink. That\u2019s all. Nothing more, nothing less. Seemed reasonable at the time. To the gods, however, this must have been an impossibility to grant.<\/p>\n
It never occurred to me that they\u2019d tear the place up like that. Really, it never crossed my mind. Some guy was making eyes at the saloon girl in Joe\u2019s lap. I\u2019m not sure what was said but it must have been something to get both of them worked up like that. I\u2019m kind of sorry I missed it, to tell the truth.<\/p>\n
The next thing I clearly remember is seeing Joe ram some miner, knocking the guy off his feet. It was pretty spectacular; even I have to admit it. But the guy didn\u2019t stay down long. He came up swinging. He knocked Joe into another table, which did not sit well with the men playing poker at said table.<\/p>\n
Yes, this is where Hoss comes in to this sad tale. He didn\u2019t seem to think that it was fair odds to have that many people trying to maim a seventeen-year-old kid. He picked up the miner that started all of it and hurled him in my direction. I didn\u2019t appreciate that either. Not only did my beer get spilled but that\u2019s how I wound up with a black eye and a concussion.<\/p>\n
No, I didn\u2019t try to get into the middle of it. Joe\u2019s always saying he\u2019s not a kid any longer. I thought it was time he dealt with things like an adult. I know, I should have helped out but maybe he learned a lesson in all of this. I\u2019m not sure what he learned. I did learn that I need to work on my ducking skills.<\/p>\n
All I remember after that is waking up on the floor of the bar with Joe and Hoss looking down at me. As if I wanted to be there on purpose. What, did they really think I like sleeping on floors? I have to admit they both looked properly concerned and chastised. It\u2019s a very odd look for them.<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
Adam finished his diatribe. He could feel himself getting all worked up over the whole situation again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd, all of this\u2026\u201d Ben started and ended up in a stunned silence at the \u201cadventure\u201d that had taken place in\u00a0Virginia City. All he had done was ask his sons to go into town to get supplies for the week.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it all happened in an hour. Sixty minutes. Amazing what those brothers of mine can do in such a small amount of time. Like I said, I love those two and would die for them. But I think that, while I\u2019m laid up, I\u2019ll be thinking of ways to get my revenge on those two. It\u2019s only fair after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam, I don\u2019t want any roughhousing around here. You remember what happened with that bullfighting scheme those two brothers of yours came up with,\u201d Ben warned, briefly wondering what it would be like to have raised girls.\u00a0Surely they couldn\u2019t have caused this kind of trouble.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNow Pa, would I really do something like that?\u201d Adam asked, not saying that he wouldn\u2019t get back at his brothers but leaving the impression nonetheless. If there was one thing he\u2019d learned, it was the art of evasion. Not surprisingly, Joe was a master.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no I don\u2019t suppose you would,\u201d Ben stated, knowing that Adam rarely joined in the roughhousing. For which he was thankful, as he didn\u2019t\u2019 think the house would survive if all three were wrestling in the living room.<\/p>\n For the next few days, peace reigned on the Ponderosa. The retaliation that Ben had still half suspected hadn\u2019t been realized. Joe and Hoss, in a show of making amends, had been most solicitous to their brother. Adam, realizing that guilt was at the root of their sudden kindness, used it to his full advantage.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Just as all were beginning to relax, Adam found himself having another late night \u201cdiscussion\u201d with his father.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it seemed like a brilliant plan of revenge at the time. After those two brothers of mine caused such a ruckus in town, it seemed only fair that I should get my revenge on them. All I wanted was a beer and to sit in peace and quiet. Did I get that? No, I did not. What I did get was a black eye and a concussion. All thanks to those loving younger siblings.<\/p>\n I kept thinking that there had to be something that could be done to teach them a hard lesson. Just as I learned to work on ducking. Yes, I know. It sounds childish now but, at the time, it just sounded really funny. Oh, I decided to take a lesson from younger brother, Joseph. I mean, if you can\u2019t rise above them you may as well stoop to their level.<\/p>\n No, I didn\u2019t think that it would wind up the way it did. If I had thought that, I certainly wouldn\u2019t have done it, now would I?<\/p>\n See, it all came to me while I was cleaning my gun. For the love of\u2014no, I wasn\u2019t going to shoot them! Now that you mention it, it does have a certain allure, don\u2019t you agree? I\u2019m joking! I wouldn\u2019t ever harm them, permanently anyway.<\/p>\n I\u2019m getting sidetracked. Some of Joe\u2019s habits must be wearing off on me and not the good ones either. I can\u2019t explain it\u2014I just choose to blame it on the concussion. Addled my thinking. Think they\u2019ll buy it?<\/p>\n It just sounded funny to give Joe\u2019s floor a really good waxing after he went to bed. I guess I shouldn\u2019t have given it that extra coat. I didn\u2019t realize a person could get that high off the ground from slipping. It looked pretty darn funny too. That is until he started screaming because he\u2019d dislocated his left knee. The humor went out pretty fast after that. I think the \u201cconcerned and chastised\u201d look must look pretty odd on my face, too.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sorry! I didn\u2019t mean to nearly give you a heart attack. I just had forgotten how loud he could yell. Now, Joe\u2019s got a\u00a0limp<\/em>, Hoss isn\u2019t speaking to me, and I have to do his chores! Where\u2019s the justice in that, I ask you? Sorry, stupid question wasn\u2019t it,\u201d Adam asked his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, that would be fairly stupid. Honestly, I thought you, of all people, wouldn\u2019t let something like that brawl get to you! I\u2019m just glad the only problem with Hoss is that he\u2019s not talking to you. I can\u2019t have two of my sons unable to work. I trust you boys to help me. I can\u2019t do it all on my own any more,\u201d Ben stated, laying the guilt on pretty heavily. He just hoped it wasn\u2019t too much.<\/p>\n Before Ben could continue, an outraged bellow sounded from upstairs.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam! I\u2019m going to get you for this,\u201d exclaimed Hoss\u2019 disembodied voice.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, I guess he found my \u2018present\u2019 that I left for him. Well, I guess I\u2019d better get to work,\u201d Adam said in a rush. Grabbing his hat and gun belt, he made an uncharacteristically hasty exit.<\/p>\n Thudding footsteps sounded on the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he? I\u2019m going to pound him good for this one,\u201d Hoss threatened. He noted that his brother\u2019s hat and gun were missing and knew Adam had left. Barely acknowledging his father, Hoss grabbed his gear and went in search of his oldest brother.<\/p>\n In the quiet that ensued, Ben reflected on the events of the past week. He could only come up with one conclusion: his sons had lost their minds and were trying to take him with them.<\/p>\n ***The End***<\/p>\n