Summary: \u00a0Joe has become unusually introspective, much to the consternation of his brothers.<\/p>\n
Rated:\u00a0 K — \u00a0WC \u00a01600<\/p>\n
What Kind of Man<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Written for the 2011 Bonanza Round Up Writers Seminar.<\/p>\n Disclaimer: \u00a0All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners.\u00a0 The original characters and plot are property of the author.\u00a0\u00a0 The author is not in any way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, and makes no money from this work.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was an unusually hot Indian summer<\/strong> and haying even this small meadow was not his favorite activity, but what bothered Hoss Cartwright most was the unnatural silence of his younger brother as they labored side by side.<\/p>\n Little Joe was working hard enough; he always did, despite their older brother’s frequent protestations to the contrary. Joe just worked differently, that’s all. He didn’t over-analyze the process for one thing and he was fast. What’s more, Hoss could always count on Joe to turn the most miserable task into a good time. That Joe got his work done quicker than most and had fun doing it irritated the heck out of Adam.<\/p>\n “You’re awful quiet this mornin’, Joe,” Hoss said. “Somethin’ bothering ya?”<\/p>\n “No,” Joe said sharply. Then, seeing the hurt look on Hoss’s face, he added quickly, “Just wondering, that’s all.”<\/p>\n “About what?” Joe shrugged his shoulders and kept raking. \u00a0“Girl trouble?” Hoss persisted. It seemed his little brother had a new filly every week. Trouble like that could sure wear a body thin. Hoss chuckled to himself. \u201cGuess that’s why I’m as big as I am,\u201d<\/em> he thought. \u201cNever had no fillies trotting after me.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n “I’m thirsty,” Joe said, changing the subject. \u00a0“How about a drink?”<\/p>\n Not waiting for an answer, Joe dropped his forage rake and went to retrieve the canteens cooling in\u00a0the nearby stream. By the time he returned, Hoss had plunked himself down in the shade of the hay wagon and was wiping the sweat off his head with his kerchief. Joe handed him one of the canteens and then uncorked the other, pouring water over his own head before taking a big swig. When he finished, he shook his mane like a dog, showering Hoss with water.<\/p>\n “Hey!”<\/p>\n “No, water,” Joe laughed. “Hay’s that stuff we’ve been harvesting all morning.”<\/p>\n Hoss groaned at the play on words, but smiled all the same.<\/p>\n “Hoss?” Joe asked as he sat down cross-legged next to him.<\/p>\n “Yeah.”<\/p>\n “If I ask you something, you’ll tell me straight won’t you?”<\/p>\n “You know I will, brother,” Hoss said. \u00a0“Don’t we always tell each other the truth?”<\/p>\n Joe nodded, smiling. “The pure truth right?”<\/p>\n “You got that,” Hoss said, his blue eyes twinkling. “Now, what’s on yer mind?”<\/p>\n “What kind of man am I?”<\/p>\n At first, Hoss thought Joe was kidding, but as his brother’s eyes bore into him, he said, “Well . . . I reckon yer a mighty good man, Joe.”<\/p>\n “What makes you think so?”<\/p>\n “Well, you tell the truth . . . for the most part.”<\/p>\n “What do you mean, ‘for the most part’?”<\/p>\n “Well, doggone it, Joe. You know what I mean.”<\/p>\n “No, I don’t . . . so why don’t you explain yourself.”<\/p>\n “I mean that . . . well sometimes you twist words around to suit your purpose.”<\/p>\n “I do not.”<\/p>\n “You do, too.”<\/p>\n “When have I done that?”<\/p>\n Hoss thought seriously a minute and just when Joe opened his mouth to say “ha!” he continued, “like when you tell Pa you’ll do somethin’ and then you don’t and he catches you and you say ‘I just said I’d do it, not when I’d do it,’\u2014”\u00a0Joe shut his mouth and glared at Hoss. “\u2014that kinda stuff.”<\/p>\n “Oh.”<\/p>\n “Well, ya asked me for the truth now, didn’t you?”<\/p>\n “Yeah. What else?”<\/p>\n “You want more?”<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes and gestured to Hoss to bring it on.<\/p>\n \u201cWell . . . you\u2019re real nice to women.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat!\u201d Joe squeaked.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t mean the pretty, young-un\u2019s. I mean the old ones, too. You know, the widders and spinsters . . . like Miss Abigail . . . and the fat ones, and even the ugly ones\u2014”<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay, I get it,\u201d Joe said, and stood up ready to go back to work.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m serious, Joe,\u201d said Hoss as he rose and grabbed Joe\u2019s elbow. \u201cYou remember the rule, \u2018Always treat a woman\u2014any kinda woman\u2014like a lady.\u2019 Ya, done that, little brother. Ya done that real good. Ya treat all women real nice, with respect, just like Pa taught us. You\u2019re a good man, Joe, and there ain\u2019t nobody can say otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing opened the door and admonished, \u201cYou very late. Not set good example for sons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, I know,\u201d Ben said wearily, hanging his hat on the peg.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have coffee and a sandwich if you don\u2019t mind Hop Sing. It\u2019s been a long day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmmph! Sandwich on table. Sons waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben threw his saddle bags and gun belt on the credenza and entered the dining room. Hoss and Adam were at the table, the remnants of a late-night snack still evident.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, put up my horse would you please?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, Pa,\u201d Hoss said, poking Adam as he walked past.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell him,\u201d Adam said in response.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me what? What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing happened, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSit down and have a sandwich, I\u2019ll get the coffee,\u201d Adam said, but before he could get up, Hop Sing came in with a fresh pot.<\/p>\n Ben communicated his thanks with a wave and then said,\u00a0\u201cAll right, what\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he? Is he hurt?\u201d Ben said anxiously, starting to rise.<\/p>\n \u201cNo . . . he\u2019s fine,\u201d Adam motioned to his father to sit down.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in bed. He\u2019s not hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell then, what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was just acting peculiar today . . . asking a bunch of questions that didn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor example?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe asked Hoss if he thought he was good person.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe asked me about charity and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he didn\u2019t say why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Just . . . what kind of man I thought he was,\u201d Adam shook his head bewildered. \u00a0“You know how he gets when he\u2019s stewing about something, but for the life of me I can\u2019t figure out what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss doesn\u2019t have any idea either?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMmmm. I\u2019ll talk to him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stood in the doorway with his arms across his chest watching his youngest son contemplate the ceiling. Joe was stretched out, hands clasped behind his head, wide awake, and oblivious to his Pa\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a million miles away son.\u201d<\/p>\n When there was no response, Ben moved into the room and stood at the end of the bed, but Joe continued his fascination with the cracks in the ceiling.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018you\u2019re a million miles away tonight.\u2019 Penny for your thoughts?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d have to give you change,\u201d Joe mumbled under his breath, but his Pa heard it nonetheless.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you let me be the judge of that,\u201d Ben said, as he maneuvered around to the side of the bed and sat down. Joe pushed himself up against the headboard but said nothing; neither would he look at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYour brothers said you had some questions today.\u201d There was no response, but Joe started picking at a knot that had popped through the top of the quilt covering his legs.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes this have something to do with our trip to Carson City last week?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow does he do that?\u201d<\/em> Joe thought, searching his Pa\u2019s face for . . . he didn\u2019t know what exactly . . . the courage to go on maybe; the fortitude to hear what his father might have to say?<\/p>\n \u201cDid you and Samuel have a talk about why we were there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he told me all about it,\u201d Joe admitted.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you understand what was going on and why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think so,\u201d Joe said. \u201cSam was Bar Mitzvah and said that meant he was a man and that he would be held accountable for his actions. It got me thinkin\u2019, Pa, about what it meant to be a man and what kind of man I was.\u201d Then he leaned forward and put his hand on Ben\u2019s arm. \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of man am I?\u201d Joe searched his father\u2019s face for any trace of disappointment or anger, but found only benevolence. \u00a0\u201cHoss said I was a good man because I was respectful and told the truth.\u201d Joe caught a raised eyebrow out of the corner of his eye and hastened to add, \u201cmost of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did Adam say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam said I was a kind man who cared about others and had a forgiving nature. Then he said I had a fine mind but didn\u2019t use it to full advantage and that I needed to take more responsibility and\u2014”<\/p>\n Ben patted Joe\u2019s hand. \u201cAll right, son. I get the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe can go on a bit, can\u2019t he?\u201d Joe rolled his eyes and shared an easy laugh with his father.<\/p>\n Serious once more, Joe asked again, \u201cWhat do you say, Pa? What kind of man am I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, I think Adam and Hoss are both correct. You are a good and truthful man\u2014for the most part,\u201d Ben winked, \u201cwith a fine mind and a kind, compassionate heart. You are also a man of conscience\u2014you know right from wrong and you endeavor to always do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben placed his hands on either side of Joe\u2019s face and looked into his eyes. \u201cBut most of all, you are a man who is loved by his family and one I am proud to call my son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d Just then, the clock in the great room struck midnight.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, isn\u2019t it about time you got to sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir. I got a lot to be accountable for now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, just like Sam last week . . . today I am a man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHappy 13th Birthday, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019night, Pa. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014The End\u2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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