Summary: In this first of three short stories, we are able to see the healing properties that can be present in a simple hayloft.\u00a0 In this first story, a deeply disappointed youngest Cartwright brother learns that even a bossy boots big brother can know just the right things to say… and not to say.<\/p>\n
Rating: K\/G (1,711 words)<\/p>\n
The Loft Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Loft #1<\/a> <\/p>\n THE LOFT #1<\/strong><\/p>\n Hoss always did say Adam was like a big, sly cat\u2026 ya never hear him sneak up on ya.\u00a0 But t\u2019be fair, I guess I was cryin\u2019 hard enough that I wouldn\u2019t\u2019a heard him if he stomped right by my ear.<\/p>\n I know I sure didn\u2019t hear the ladder to the loft creakin\u2019 until whoever it was was right there at the top\u2026 not as much creakin’ or as loud as if it was Hoss, though, so it was either Pa, or Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam, then\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cLeave me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t like to let Adam see me bawlin\u2019… not since he turned up again from back East, anyhow.\u00a0 It’s embarrassing.\u00a0 With Hoss it isn\u2019t such a big thing; him and me, we seen each other cry before, but Adam \u2026 Except for when Mama died, I\u2019ve haven’t seen him cry in years.<\/p>\n Well, only that one time, just about two years before he left for college, when Pa tanned him somethin’ fierce for sassin\u2019 him instead of answerin’ Pa plain when he demanded to know where Adam\u2019d been and who he’d been with when he got home so late the night before.\u00a0 Hoss and me kind of sidled into the barn afterwards, worried; Pa had still had steam comin’ out his ears when he stalked back out the barn door, threading his belt back through the loops of his pants. It ain’t like Pa to tan us when he’s that angry; in fact, he usually goes off for a bit to calm down first, so Adam must’ve really<\/em> riled him bad.<\/p>\n We found Adam workin’ real fierce-like at muckin\u2019 out the stalls with an awfully red face, those black brows of his just about joined into one.\u00a0 He didn’t even really cry… I just could see the tears would leak out every now and again and he kept havin\u2019 to angrily swipe at his eyes.\u00a0 And every so often, if he accidentally moved just so, he’d flinch, sudden-like, and have to grit his teeth awful hard, but he never stopped workin’, not once.\u00a0 Anyway, I \u2018member Adam got real mad at Hoss and me, hollerin’ at us to let him be, when all we did was just ask him if he was all right. Right about then, Hoss downright spun me around and pushed me straight outta the barn, with me protesting all the way. Once outside, he said to me, real firm-like, that Adam needed some time to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cHow come’s he mad at me and you?\u201d I remember askin\u2019 Hoss. \u201cPa hurted him, not us!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe ain\u2019t mad\u2026 well, not at us, anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCoulda fooled me!\u201d I pouted.\u00a0 I\u2019m told that when I was almost five, I could pout with the best of \u2018em\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Little Joe, you know full well that Adam don\u2019t like to show nobody when he hurts, or when he\u2019s real upset, and right now, he\u2019s both them things,” Hoss said stoutly. “So, let\u2019s just give him some room, all right?\u00a0 Give him a little time and he\u2019ll be all right in a bit.\u00a0 We can try to help him feel better then.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that I\u2019m older, I understand what Hoss was gettin\u2019 at.\u00a0 The hurtin\u2019 part I could well understand\u2026 when he\u2019s of a mind to, Pa can make that belt o\u2019 his bite with the sting of a whole swarm o’ hornets.<\/p>\n An\u2019 I understand now that Hoss was sayin\u2019 Adam was angry at Pa.\u00a0 Now that I\u2019m so much older (I am<\/em> just two weeks away from twelve years old now, after all!), I know that it musta hurt Adam\u2019s pride pretty bad to get a lickin\u2019 at sixteen.\u00a0 But, as Older Brother himself told us later that afternoon it was his own dumb fault (Hoss was right, by the way\u2026 an hour or so later, Adam was calmed down again and even apologized for snappin\u2019 at us).\u00a0 He told us he knew better than to be disrespectful and sass Pa – we all<\/em> <\/strong>know Pa won\u2019t stand for that! – and if it was gonna hurt like all get-out to sit at the supper table that night, well, he had no one to blame but himself.<\/p>\n But, anyhow, all that\u2019s neither here nor there.\u00a0 Right now, I\u00a0<\/em> was the one that just wanted some room, and here was my bossy boots big brother stickin\u2019 his nose in\u2026<\/p>\n I heard him stop for a moment at the top of the ladder, then finish his way up and come onto the platform.\u00a0 I shifted myself as far away from him as I could (without fallin\u2019 off the edge, anyhow).<\/p>\n \u201cI said leave me alone!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot planning to harass you,\u201d came his cool voice as I heard him lightly drop down to loft floor, ’bout four feet to my left. \u201cJust sitting here, minding my own business.\u201d<\/p>\n I heard his boots scrape on the loft\u2019s floor boards; I lifted my face up enough from my crossed arms to peer blearily at him.\u00a0 Ol\u2019 Adam was just sitting there, calm as could be, chewing on a long piece o\u2019 alfafa that had been mixed in the hay, sittin\u2019 cross-legged like the Paiutes did, and starin\u2019 off into space.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot sayin’ a word,\u201d he responded, solemnly… still not looking at me.<\/p>\n It took a bit, but I slowly got myself settled some and finally pulled myself up from lying on my belly to sit, leaning up against the barn wall.\u00a0 I still didn\u2019t want to talk, but I had to grudgingly admit it\u2026 I was kinda glad my big brother was there, not lookin\u2019 at me, not sayin\u2019 anything, but just\u2026 well, just being there with me.<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2019spose you heard,\u201d I muttered.\u00a0 When he didn\u2019t say anything, I risked another glance at him.\u00a0 He still wasn\u2019t lookin\u2019 at me, but I could see he\u2019d heard me.<\/p>\n It was like he knew I peeked at him\u2026 he always told Hoss and me he had eyes in the back of his head and knew when we were plannin\u2019 something. Wish I knew how he did that…<\/p>\n He nodded, then looked over at me\u2026 no cow eyes, neither, filled with pity the way Hoss woulda done.\u00a0 Sometimes a fella can appreciate Hoss\u2019 kind of supportin\u2019 feelin\u2019, but not now\u2026 not about something as important as this.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I heard,\u201d he said, quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I \u2018spose you<\/em> <\/strong>think Pa\u2019s right,\u201d I said bitterly.<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t up to me.\u201d<\/p>\n I harrumphed.<\/p>\n After another few minutes of silence, I sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWhen is he gonna see I\u2019m not a baby anymore, Adam?\u201d I asked softly.<\/p>\n Almost as soon as the words were outta my mouth, I winced. \u00a0Pa\u2019d likely say, gruff-like, that if I wasn\u2019t<\/em><\/strong> still such a baby I wouldn\u2019t be cryin\u2019 my eyes out like this right now over being \u201cdisappointed\u201d\u2026 disappointed?! I ask you!!<\/strong><\/em>…and I got mad all over again.<\/p>\n And ol\u2019 Adam – bein\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>Adam! –<\/em> was probably gonna point that fact out to me in that annoying, superior way he\u2019s sometimes got!<\/p>\n But he surprised me.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t say anythin\u2019 like that.<\/p>\n He sat a moment, then pulled in this big, deep breath and let it out again. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for him, Joe,\u201d Adam said quietly, glancing at me almost apologetic-like. \u201cBecause, see\u2026 you are<\/em> his baby.\u00a0 Even when you’re old and gray yourself, he\u2019ll still<\/em> see you as his baby.\u201d<\/p>\n Surprised, I looked at my big brother.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looks at all of us that way sometimes,” Adam continued with a small, sad smile, “but it\u2019s harder for him with you\u2026 you\u2019re his youngest child.\u00a0 And that keeps you really close to his heart.\u201d<\/p>\n I frowned, pulling my knees up and wrapping my arms around \u2018em, resting my chin\u2026 then put my mind back to the issue at hand, and used the heel of my hand to scrub back the leftover tears from my face.<\/p>\n \u201cYou<\/em><\/strong> got to go on the drive when you were thirteen! Less than a year older\u2019n me!\u201d I accused him.<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou<\/em><\/strong> didn\u2019t have to stay home and go to stupid school!\u201d I ground out.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t,\u201d he agreed.\u00a0 He leaned back, then, his palms flat on the loft floor.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, back then we only had Jake, Jos\u00e9 and Ed for drovers\u2026 a bit short-handed, you might say. Pa needed every horseman and pair of hands he could get. Hoss didn\u2019t, either, by the way. Go on a drive at twelve or thirteen, I mean.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked up at the ceiling, thinking.\u00a0 \u201cIf I remember right, Hoss was fifteen before Pa allowed him to leave school and join the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n I sniffed, shrugging.<\/p>\n We neither of us said nothin’ for a little bit.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m also willing to bet he said the worst thing in the world to you, too, didn\u2019t he?\u201d Adam observed, glancing at me.<\/p>\n Frowning, I looked at him, questioning.<\/p>\n \u201c \u2018There\u2019ll be other drives,\u2019 \u201d he intoned, making his voice deep and rumbly just like our Pa\u2019s.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t help it; I giggled.\u00a0 Then the giggle faded, and I sadly sighed and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe sure did,\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n Adam nodded. \u201cUh huh.\u201d<\/p>\n We were quiet again for a few minutes.<\/p>\n Then without a word, my big brother\u2019s right arm lifted\u2026 the arm that was facing toward my way. He didn\u2019t look at me, just kept looking out over the rest of the barn with that big arm o’ his stickin\u2019 out there.<\/p>\n And, also without a word, I slowly scooted my hind end over, and slipped under that arm, leaning against him just for a second, letting him give me a quick squeeze in comfort.\u00a0 Then I, too, pulled my legs up and sat cross legged, glumly drawing circles in the hay dust on the loft floor, my chin propped dejectedly on my fist\u2026 his arm didn’t budge so much as an inch.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joe,\u201d was all he said, real quiet.\u00a0 But I knew he understood.<\/p>\n I sighed.\u00a0\u00a0\u201d\u2026thanks, Adam,\u201d I was finally able gruffly respond \u2026 without tears, and with my pride pretty much nailed back in place.<\/p>\n I thought to myself as we sat there together, me listening to his quiet steady breathing mingling with the other, everyday sounds of the barn animals, and the hands workin’ outside… well, I realized that not once in this whole conversation had he called me Little<\/em><\/strong> Joe.<\/p>\n It occurred to me that big brother Adam could usually find the right things to say to a fella to make him feel better about things.<\/p>\n But then there were those extra special times … when he just knew exactly what not<\/em> to say, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary: In this first of three short stories, we are able to see the healing properties that can be present in a simple hayloft.\u00a0 In this first story, a deeply disappointed youngest Cartwright brother learns that even a bossy boots big brother can somehow know just the right things to say… and not to say.
\nThe Loft #2<\/a>
\nThe Loft #3<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\nRating: K\/G (1,711 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12518,"featured_media":12352,"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_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1091,41,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-joe","category-hurtcomfort","category-prequels","wpcat-1091-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-30-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AdamJoeHP7.jpg?fit=399%2C299&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}