Synopsis:\u00a0<\/b>A brief epilogue to Loss and Legacy, which attempts to clarify Adam’s reasons for his life choices.
\nRating:\u00a0 G
\nWords:\u00a0 1400<\/p>\n
Legacy Series:
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The Brandsters acknowledge that the authors are the owners of their stories.\u00a0 Should an author included in the project reach out to us and indicate they do not wish their work to be archived in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library, we will remove their stories.\u00a0 We would also be happy to change the e:mail address for any authors who wish to continue to have their stories archived in the Library.<\/p>\n
Responsibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n \n This short story takes place several weeks after the events described in “Loss and Legacy”.<\/span><\/p>\n Adam Cartwright gradually became aware of an incessant knocking sound. He lifted his head from his desk where he had apparently fallen asleep surrounded by paperwork. The lamp was still burning bright, so he knew that he had not been sleeping long. He yawned, stretched and groaned a little before calling out, somewhat testily, “Yes, who is it?”<\/span><\/p>\n “So you\u00a0are<\/i>\u00a0alive in there! Open this door!” came the reply.<\/span><\/p>\n Adam managed a small smile. He recognized the voice of his old college friend, Charles Weston. Adam pushed himself to his feet and walked stiffly across the small room to unlock his office door. The energetic, if rather portly, man who strode in was looking, truth be told, rather peeved. “I heard yesterday that you had returned last week, though of course I didn\u2019t here this from you. I sent word inviting you to dine with us this evening. Your secretary sent word back that you had accepted. Well the food is now cold, the children are in bed, and Martha is quite put out. She sent me to fetch you. I checked your lodgings but your landlord said you had not returned from work. So here I am. What have you got to say for yourself?”<\/span><\/p>\n Adam let the tirade wash over him, a properly chagrined look on his face. “Charlie, I am truly sorry. It\u2019s just that I still haven\u2019t been able to straighten out these books. I don\u2019t think my grandfather had balanced his accounts in over a year prior to his death, and nobody else did either. How am I ever going to get this business back on track if I don\u2019t even know what we have? And my being gone for three weeks only put me further behind. But that doesn\u2019t excuse my behavior tonight. The truth is, I got so wrapped up in this morass that I lost track of the time. Then I seem to have fallen asleep.”<\/span><\/p>\n Charles answered in a more conciliatory tone. “That just proves that you aren\u2019t fit to accomplish any more tonight. You need to eat and you need to sleep in a bed. Come to my house and do both. Martha won\u2019t let me back in tonight without you so I won\u2019t take no for an answer.”<\/span><\/p>\n Adam was too tired to put up any resistance. He took his overcoat, hat and cane from the coatrack and followed his friend out to a waiting cab. Charles did his best to make conversation. “How was your trip to Nevada? Was your brother as ill as your other brother said, or was it the ruse you told me you suspected to intice you to visit?”<\/span><\/p>\n Adam responded sadly, “I never should have doubted Joe. I ought to have gone in response to his first wire. Hoss\u00a0was<\/i>\u00a0quite ill. He died less than twelve hours after I arrived.”<\/span><\/p>\n “Oh Adam, I am so sorry. Well it\u2019s good you went then. Your family needed you.”<\/span><\/p>\n “That\u2019s just the thing. They didn\u2019t. Well, Hoss had told Joe he wanted to see me, so that alone justifies the trip. I owed the big guy that much and a lot more. As for Joe and Pa, they\u2019re grieving, but they\u2019re managing.”<\/span><\/p>\n “You\u2019re telling me they are doing so fine without you that they sent you packing?”<\/span><\/p>\n “They didn\u2019t\u00a0send<\/i>\u00a0me. They asked me to stay, of course. But they didn\u2019t\u00a0need<\/i>\u00a0me to stay. And Stoddard Shipping\u00a0does<\/i>\u00a0need me. I have young cousins whose maintenance and education depend on the profits of the business. I had to come back and untangle this mess.”<\/span><\/p>\n “Are you sorry you went?”<\/span><\/p>\n “Selfishly, no. I got there in time to say goodbye to Hoss. I spent a little time with Pa and Joe and our\u2026their\u2026cook Hop Sing. I met the lad my father recently adopted. It was good to see all of them. And the Ponderosa is still the most beautiful place on earth. I\u2019ve seen quite a bit of the world now so I know what I am saying.”<\/span><\/p>\n Charles shook his head. “You call that selfish? You don\u2019t think your family was glad to see you and grateful that you came?”<\/span><\/p>\n Adam had no reply but a shrug. The cab pulled up in front of the Westons\u2019 house. The two men entered through the kitchen door to find that Mrs. Weston had left a brimming dinner plate for Adam. He began to eat while Charles continued the conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n “Cartwright, what is it with you? You always seem to be planning your life based on some calculation of who needs you to be doing what the most. You went back to Nevada after college instead of pursuing a career here because you felt you owed it to your family. But then you came back here to Boston from Europe last year all fired up about becoming an artist. I was ready to hire you as an illustrator for the newspaper to pay your bills while you pursued that goal when you discovered that your grandfather\u00a0needed<\/i>\u00a0you to work for him. And when he died, all your New England relatives suddenly\u00a0needed<\/i>\u00a0you to continue running the company. Apparently Adam Cartwright was the only person capable of assuming that responsibility.”<\/span><\/p>\n “Look, Weston, did you invite me here to feed me or to lecture me? Even my father has apparently given up doing the latter. And I will remind you that I took a six-year holiday from any responsibilities while I traveled the world as an increasingly not-so-able-bodied seaman. Don\u2019t you think it\u2019s time I resumed being mindful of responsibilities?”<\/span><\/p>\n Charles thought for a few moments before replying. “I think you\u2019ve done nothing but be mindful of responsibilities for most of your life. Don\u2019t forget I\u2019m the one to whom you told the story of your childhood over a few too many beers one night back in college. You earned that \u2018holiday\u2019 five times over. But even if the holiday has ended, isn\u2019t there a middle ground? Why can\u2019t you be a happy, responsible artist instead of a miserable, responsible businessman? I suspect you even were a lot happier as a rancher than you are doing what you are doing now.”<\/span><\/p>\n “Well I can\u2019t be a rancher now. I went to sea with an injured back and left the sea six years later a virtual cripple. As a result of my indulgence in irresponsibility it\u2019s impossible for me to ever resume my responsibilities on the Ponderosa. Fortunately, my brother Joe seems to have more than filled my shoes. And he likes what he is doing”<\/span><\/p>\n “You just proved my point. You\u2019re a great fellow, but maybe you are not as indispensible as you think. Isn\u2019t it possible that there is another Joe who could fill your shoes at Stoddard Shipping? Have you even looked?”<\/span><\/p>\n “Oh, Charlie, I would never forgive myself if I walked away and the business collapsed. I understand what you are saying, but I just can\u2019t do it. Maybe in a few years, if things are going better, but not now.”<\/span><\/p>\n Charles sighed. His friend Adam was a singular individual. He had an artist\u2019s soul, but a Yankee merchant\u2019s work ethic. For a while it had seemed that the artist was winning the struggle. But the merchant had mounted a fierce counterattack and was now in control. There seemed to be no way to sway him from his current path.<\/span><\/p>\n “Well, if I can\u2019t persuade you to abandon yourself to art, can I at least tempt you to be just the least bit hedonist and sample some of Martha\u2019s chocolate cream pie?”<\/span><\/p>\n Adam laughed. “I don\u2019t have the sweet tooth or appetite of my late brother Hoss, but I believe I will succumb to that temptation, if only to honor his memory.”<\/span><\/p>\n Charles cut them each a generous portion. “To Hoss!” toasted Adam as he put a large forkful into his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n “To Hoss.” replied Charles, doing likewise. “And to his brother Adam. May he always remember to find time for dessert and other pleasures among his responsibilities.”<\/span><\/p>\n END<\/span><\/p>\n