{"id":5138,"date":"2014-04-30T15:49:17","date_gmt":"2014-04-30T19:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5138"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:12:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:12:54","slug":"consequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5138","title":{"rendered":"Consequences (by Sassybrass)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Joe must know about his father’s past with Julia Bulette, even to the point of pushing his father into a lie.\u00a0 Set shortly after “The Julia Bulette Story”.\u00a0 A challenge story “Can you write from an outline”<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0WC 1900<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Consequences<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Joe, I don\u2019t know Julia Bulette quite that well, I assure you,\u201d Ben said quietly.\u00a0 His youngest stood in front of him, practically shaking.\u00a0 There was no sense riling the boy further, to Ben\u2019s way of thinking, especially not in front of his brothers.<\/p>\n

Adam tried to slide down into his chair and hide behind a three day old copy of the Territorial Enterprise.\u00a0 Hoss managed to look very small for a big man with only a small book.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you don\u2019t mind if I burn these?\u201d Joe held out a stack of letters bound with a green silk ribbon.\u00a0 He pinned his father with an accusing glare full of all the hurt a seventeen year old could muster, then raised his hand to toss the letters straight into the fire.\u00a0 Ben didn\u2019t waver.\u00a0 Joe tossed the letters with a sneer.<\/p>\n

Ben was out of his chair so fast that his hand barely grazed the flame.\u00a0 He held the packet and stayed in the crouch of a man ready to snarl and leap for just a moment, a mere blink of an eye, but it was enough to tell the more accurate facts of the story to Joe.\u00a0 Adam turned away, but Hoss was dumbstruck.\u00a0 Ben stood up, his face now clear of the anger from a moment ago, but he was only a few steps from Joe.\u00a0 He sat back in his chair by the fire, the letters held tightly in his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Hoss raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cthem letters, are they, are they?\u201d he couldn\u2019t finish the sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom Julia?\u00a0 And kept in a tin in your desk where you told me to go look for some bills?\u00a0 But I got my left and my right mixed up, and look what I found.\u00a0 Yeah, Hoss.\u00a0 But I didn\u2019t read them, Pa.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t want to be lied to.\u201d \u00a0Joe stood up straighter, like some vengeful demon born of an angel, how else could you explain how that beautiful face could look so terrible.<\/p>\n

Adam folded his paper down.\u00a0 \u201cWhatever you may think, Joe, it\u2019s all in the past.\u00a0 And now you\u2019ve made Hoss worry.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing-\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, nothing,\u201d Hoss muttered but tried to sound convincing.\u00a0 \u201cBut Pa, if it\u2019s nothing, then why keep \u2018em?\u00a0 I don\u2019t keep letters from gals about things like cattle, just love notes, so I don\u2019t get-\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u00a0 Fine,\u201d Ben snapped and looked form Hoss to Joe.\u00a0 His eyes stayed on Joe and he saw the questions, the hurt, the rage.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the same in Hoss\u2019s eyes, only the emotions in his middle son were tempered by an odd plea for an explanation.\u00a0 Ben knew Joe would not stand for any more lies.\u00a0 Besides, it wasn\u2019t the letters he valued.\u00a0 A flick of the wrist tossed the bundle into the flames as he held his youngest son\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d Hoss said with some disbelief as the flames took glee in turning the envelopes dark brown, then curling the top papers back to reveal pretty and completely unreadable handwriting as fire worked faster than the eye could follow.\u00a0 Joe did not look at the burning package.\u00a0 He did not believe this was the end of things.\u00a0 His eyes told his father that this action was not the end of things.<\/p>\n

Joe burned inside for eight more days.\u00a0 He needed to know, had to know, and surely Julia would never tell.\u00a0 The letters were burned.\u00a0 All that was left was\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNope,\u201d his older brother said firmly as he mounted his horse.\u00a0 \u201cLeave me out of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you saw how Pa saved those letters!\u00a0 I know he loved her, I know there was more there!\u00a0 Please Adam, I need to know!\u201d Joe begged at his brother\u2019s stirrup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019ll have to ask Julia.\u00a0 I\u2019ve gotta live in this family one way or the other.\u00a0 You have your thoughts, Pa has his.\u201d\u00a0 Adam urged his horse forward just enough to move away form Joe.<\/p>\n

But instead of facing the woman who\u2019d laughed at him, laughed off his offer of marriage and everything he could give her, he went to Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook,\u201d Joe tried one more time while Hoss cooled a new horseshoe in the cistern by the forge, \u201cAdam\u2019s all evasive.\u00a0 That\u2019s practically evidence, when it comes to Adam!\u00a0 So Pa wasn\u2019t coming clean at all when I asked him!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno, Joe,\u201d Hoss sighed and realized he had to pause in his work to listen to the agitated little brother else he\u2019d get no peace.\u00a0 \u201cI think Pa wouldn\u2019t lie about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018But if there wasn\u2019t anything, then wouldn\u2019t our ever upright and honest big brother open his big mouth and agree wholeheartedly?\u201d Joe said rather snidely.\u00a0 He paced, looked at Hoss, and passed again.\u00a0 He\u2019d have kicked something if there were something to kick.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam sort of agreed that night,\u201d Hoss frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he didn\u2019t!\u00a0 He evaded,\u201d Joe nodded triumphantly, \u201cand he evaded me again not five minutes ago.\u00a0 There\u2019s something more here.\u00a0\u00a0 And I need to know.\u00a0 Deep down in me, Hoss, I need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe Pa,\u201d Hoss said firmly,\u00a0 \u201cand Adam just riles you up sometimes even if he agrees with you \u2018till he\u2019s blue in the face.\u00a0 Enough, Joe.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t getting\u2019 me riled up.\u00a0 I\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, there ain\u2019t no opening your eyes, is there!\u201d Joe snorted and tipped his hat back in shock.\u00a0 He shrugged and walked out of the barn with a backward wave.<\/p>\n

Ben had heard the conversation in the barn.\u00a0 Joe was not quiet, the window above his desk was open and he\u2019d caught all of it, including Adam\u2019s rather unsubtle contribution.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s years of experience kept him steady as Joe burst in the front door, his entire body still radiating anger directed as his father.\u00a0 Unlike the past days, though, Joe came to stand directly in front of that desk, not speaking until Ben broke first.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, just because Adam is close-lipped does not mean there was anything serious between Julia and me.\u00a0 You must understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t,\u201d Joe said stubbornly.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t.\u00a0 Why won\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing to tell,\u201d Ben shrugged.\u00a0 He\u2019d already lied and burned the letters, may as well keep going, he thought sadly.\u00a0 \u201cShe is what she is, you know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t!\u201d Joe raised his voice to his father, who winced.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not tossing me off, Pa.\u00a0 Not like this!\u201d<\/p>\n

Four more days of tension passed in the house.\u00a0 Joe was almost beside himself and knew where he had to go. \u00a0So, on a rainy Sunday afternoon after church, Joe steeled his courage, found it still lacking, and went to see Julia Bulette anyhow.<\/p>\n

The boudoir, he knew it was called. It hadn\u2019t changed any in the past short while, and Joe wondered idly if it had changed much since his father had started to call here.\u00a0 He proudly and nervously refused to come in more than two steps. Although he made sure the door was closed, he had enough brains left for that, despite the sight of her.\u00a0 He still loved her, loved all that he\u2019d hoped to have with her, no matter their age difference.\u00a0 But Joe could never forget her rejection of his sincere offer.\u00a0 It drove him to know, to question, to demand.\u00a0 And he did it all two steps from the door, hat in hand, asking nicely.<\/p>\n

Julia denied it all.\u00a0 She even tried to deny the Ben had ever visited.\u00a0 The more she denied, the more polite Joe became, and persistent.\u00a0 He pointed out the holes in her fabrications with care, and when all else failed, he told her that his father had kept the letters.\u00a0 He did not tell her they were now ash, as he saw no purpose to that.<\/p>\n

When the letters were brought up, a wall broke.\u00a0 The woman Joe still loved and wanted to spend his life with finally shed real tears, although they were few and the few sobs were quickly stifled.\u00a0 \u201cHe kept them,\u201d she murmured, then turned to Joe and said, \u201cand I kept this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe waited as Julia went to her vanity and opened a small drawer, took out a key, and opened another drawer.\u00a0 She handed him what he\u2019d been seeking.<\/p>\n

It burned through his pocket all the way home.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d it had taken two days to even speak.\u00a0 Now he\u2019d waited until he was alone with his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Joseph,\u201d Ben replied heavily and yet he kept his patience.\u00a0 \u201cAre you ready to give up now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa.\u00a0 But I want the truth, from you.\u00a0 About this,\u201d joe put the thin circle of gold on the side table by his father\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n

Ben’s face went near grey.\u00a0 He looked up at Joe, then at the ring.\u00a0 \u201cWhere did you get such a simple wedding band?\u201d he asked neutrally although it half killed him.<\/p>\n

Joe smile was full of hollow victory.\u00a0 \u201cDid Adam even know?\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have.\u00a0 He must have thought it a torrid affair.\u00a0 Was that all it was to you, Pa?\u00a0 A torrid affair?\u201d\u00a0 Joe ached inside.\u00a0 He loved that woman to this second, and not just\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not,\u201d Ben said hoarsely as he leaned forward and picked up the delicate band.\u00a0 \u201cWe intended\u2026,\u201d he blinked away the feel of tears although none fell.\u00a0 \u201cIt did not go as\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlanned?\u201d Joe supplied the word.\u00a0 Julia had used the very same word. \u00a0He felt age creep up his spine and into his soul, a deep aching way of knowing that you could love with all your heart and that love just wasn\u2019t enough for some women.\u00a0 He was learning this at seventeen, and apparently his own father hadn\u2019t learned it until he was mid to late forties.\u00a0 Julia had not given the date, just the duration, which was very short.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat word will do,\u201d Ben inhaled with a shudder.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid Adam know?\u00a0 Hoss?\u201d\u00a0 Joe whispered and picked up the ring.\u00a0 He gave it to his father with his eyes oddly empty of tears.\u00a0 He felt like he\u2019d just grown up a whole lot more, as though his legs had gotten long and the world was a long ways down.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ben said briefly.\u00a0 He pocketed the ring.\u00a0 \u201cI was too ashamed.\u00a0 It was annulled.\u00a0 Clearly there was no intent on her part\u2026\u201d\u00a0 there were so many things Ben could not say, yet the young man in front of him was perhaps the only one who could truly understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Pa,\u201d Joe bent down and hugged his father tightly, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u00a0 If I\u2019d known, I never would have kept at this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Ben sighed and hugged Joe back.\u00a0 \u201cDid learning this\u2026help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, although I feel like a heel,\u201d Joe admitted as he stood up again.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I feel like I got off lucky, too. Like a spell broke or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later that night, Ben slid the fragile ring from his vest pocket and tucked it away with a more solid gold one, and wished he were as fortunate as his son.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Joe must know about his father’s past with Julia Bulette, even to the point of pushing his father into a lie.\u00a0 Set shortly after “The Julia Bulette Story”.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0WC 1900<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":3478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,13,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-whn","category-challenges","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-13-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1593,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35404,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=35404","url_meta":{"origin":5138,"position":0},"title":"A Book: A Gift of Reading (by fanofoldTVshows)","author":"Fanofoldtvshows","date":"December 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A box of gifts arrives with a sender that intrigues the Cartwrights. 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Some wounds never heal. Rating: T (935 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/JuliaBulette.jpg?fit=627%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/JuliaBulette.jpg?fit=627%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/JuliaBulette.jpg?fit=627%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15670,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15670","url_meta":{"origin":5138,"position":3},"title":"The Burden Of The Oath (by Hart4Ben)","author":"Hart4Ben","date":"August 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Hoss struggles with how to help Doc Martin in the aftermath of the epidemic and Julia's Bulette's death. 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