Summary: Little Joe doesn’t know what to do with himself when Pa is delayed and can’t make his seventeenth birthday. A simple sweet tale.<\/p>\n
Rating T, WC 3326,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019m Already There<\/strong><\/p>\n ***I\u2019m already there don\u2019t make a sound.\u00a0 I\u2019m the beat in your heart.\u00a0 I\u2019m the moonlight shining down.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m the whisper in the wind and I\u2019ll be there \u2018till the end.\u00a0 Can you feel the love that we share?\u00a0 Oh, I\u2019m already there.\u00a0 We may be a thousand miles apart, but I\u2019ll be with you wherever you are.\u00a0 I\u2019m already there.\u00a0\u00a0 Take a look around.\u00a0 I\u2019m the sunshine in your hair.\u00a0 I\u2019m the shadow on the ground.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m the whisper in the wind and I\u2019ll be there \u2018till the end.\u00a0 Can you feel the love that we share?\u00a0 Oh, I\u2019m already there. *** (excerpt from song \u201cI\u2019m Already There\u201d by Richie McDonald, Gary Baker, and Frank Myers)<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright walked into the Ponderosa Ranch House and closed the door behind him.\u00a0 He cast a glance over at his brother Adam sitting there in front of the fireplace.\u00a0 Frowning, he advanced across the living room and released an exasperated sigh as he took a seat on the settee.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he?\u201d Adam asked, looking over at his brother as he closed the book that he was reading, tossing it onto the coffee table.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere do you think?\u201d Hoss responded with a shake of his head, frustration very evident on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t tell me he\u2019s out brushing his horse again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep \u2013 dad burn it Cochise is gonna be slap bald as many times as Little Joe has groomed her today.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stood and eyed his father\u2019s brandy sitting just off to the side of his desk.\u00a0 He was getting very tempted to indulge in the expensive liquor after the day he\u2019d had.\u00a0 Turning around to face Hoss he sighed and remarked, \u201cDid you ask him again about opening his presents?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded, \u201cYeah, he said the same thing he’s told us every time we’ve mentioned it today.\u00a0 He don\u2019t want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t know what to do about the kid, you know?\u00a0 Pa put me in charge, and he told me what to do but that was when he expected to be home today at the very latest.\u00a0 I\u2019ve no idea how to get through to Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n The two men were interrupted when their little brother walked in through the front door and hung up his blue jacket and then glared over where Hoss and Adam had quite obviously been talking about him as they had shut up just as soon as he walked in.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Little Joe — Hop Sing has fixed you a swell cake.\u00a0 How about we dig into it then when Pa gets home, he said he\u2019d fix you a brand new one so\u2019s we can put candles on it and the three of us will sing to you then?\u201d Hoss offered, trying his best to cajole the kid.<\/p>\n Joe drew in a deep breath and attempted to put on a calm controlled fa\u00e7ade so he could hide his true feelings as he made his way over to his brothers.\u00a0 He took a seat on the settee next to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t exactly feel like cake tonight, Hoss.\u00a0 It\u2019s like I said earlier \u2013 we\u2019ll just celebrate my birthday whenever Pa\u2019s able to make it home.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a big thing \u2013 I don\u2019t know why the both of you are making it such an issue.\u00a0 I\u2019m fine with it,\u201d He tried to convince both men along with himself that he was telling the truth of the matter.<\/p>\n Adam approached his youngest brother and settled there on the coffee table opposite him.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, listen I know that it was tough to get Pa\u2019s wire today about him being delayed.\u00a0 That bridge washing out forced the stage to turn around and go back to the depot.\u00a0 They\u2019re going to try and find another route tomorrow which might bring Pa home by tomorrow night or maybe the following morning.\u00a0 I know he wishes he could\u2019ve made it home in time.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe looked over at Adam and suddenly was on the defensive over what he had said.\u00a0 He fought not to yell at him for treating him like a child.<\/p>\n \u201cI know you think of me as a kid, Adam, but I\u2019m seventeen now — I\u2019ve been seventeen all day in fact!\u00a0 I\u2019m not mad, I\u2019m not upset that Pa isn\u2019t here either.\u00a0 I\u2019m just fine with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why won\u2019t you open our presents or even let us put the candles on the cake Hop Sing made so we can sing to you?\u201d Adam returned, his eyebrows raised, almost mimicking Pa\u2019s usual mannerism.<\/p>\n Little Joe stood and had to fight his anger over the question that he\u2019d been asked over and over again that day.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to celebrate his birthday and that was the end of the discussion, well, at least as far as Little Joe was concerned.\u00a0 However, his brothers and even Hop Sing had pestered him to go ahead and celebrate even though he had more than made his position known to them.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you we will do all of that when Pa gets here \u2013 whenever that is \u2013 tomorrow or the next day.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a day on the calendar after all.\u00a0 I\u2019m planning on being seventeen for a whole year so there\u2019s no hurry,\u201d Joe advanced across the living room and back over to the front door.\u00a0 *** I hope that came out believable enough. ***<\/strong><\/em> He thought to himself.<\/p>\n Hoss stood and called over to his little brother, \u201cWhere\u2019re you going, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, come on!\u201d Little Joe shouted, finally letting loose his anger after having held it in all day.<\/p>\n \u201cI just asked,\u201d Hoss muttered, feeling bad that he couldn\u2019t do anything to help his brother.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t meant to make him mad but evidently, he had.<\/p>\n Joe raised his hands in exaggerated gesture.\u00a0 \u201cOkay \u2013 if you must know \u2013 I\u2019m going to do what I\u2019m supposed to do every Friday.\u00a0 I\u2019m supposed to fill the darned wood boxes before I go to bed at night.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been doing this chore for the last two years if you both didn\u2019t ever notice why there\u2019s always wood in that box there on the hearth.\u00a0 Pa gave it to me because it\u2019s not as important as what the two of you do around here, but it\u2019s a chore and I\u2019m gonna do it like Pa was here to see it done.\u00a0 Now, with your permission, I\u2019ll go get the wheelbarrow and get started.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your birthday, Little Joe, Pa never makes us do our regular chores on our birthdays,\u201d Adam interjected.<\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t answer his oldest brother but simply turned out of the house slamming the door to show his displeasure over all their questions.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n \u201cKid\u2019s not handling any of this well but he\u2019s not going to level with us, Hoss,\u201d Adam sighed and returned to the blue winged-back chair.\u00a0 \u201cJust let him alone and I will too.\u00a0 At least hauling in that wood will give him something to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head sadly.\u00a0 \u201cI just hate to see him trying to hide his feelings from us.\u00a0 We could help him better if he\u2019d just talk straight about how he feels, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, he\u2019s pretending \u2013 maybe it\u2019s for us or maybe it\u2019s for himself as a form of self-protection?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand that lingo just speak straight with me,\u201d Hoss protested.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t near as book- learned as his older brother.<\/p>\n Adam stared into Hoss\u2019 confusion filled eyes and fought to explain his comment.\u00a0 \u201cI think Joe is trying to talk himself into believing that he\u2019s not upset that Pa isn\u2019t here to celebrate his birthday.\u00a0 If he keeps to his regular chores and doesn\u2019t think about Pa, then he can pretend that today is just another day.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shrugged his shoulders and stood staring down at his brother.\u00a0 He felt helpless and he hated that feeling.\u00a0 Hoss had always been Little Joe\u2019s protector and now he couldn\u2019t do a thing to shield him from the hurt he was trying so hard not to show to anyone.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go bring us in some coffee,\u201d he offered sullenly and turned for the kitchen just to have something to do.<\/p>\n ****************<\/p>\n As Little Joe picked up the cord wood and tossed it into the wheelbarrow, he talked to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bridge goes out today \u2013 not tomorrow or the next day.\u00a0 No, it goes out on my darned birthday!\u201d Joe muttered as he reached down into the wood pile and tossed more into the wheelbarrow.\u00a0 \u201cI waited most of the day for Pa to show up, just like he said he would, and then right at six o’clock Adam comes home with the darned buckboard but no Pa in it!\u201d\u00a0 Joe finished loading the wood and began wheeling it up to the front door.\u00a0 *** And those two brothers of mine just keep going on and on about him not making it home today, which I don’t need to hear.\u00a0 What — do they think that I don’t know that Pa isn’t here, so they’ve just got to constantly remind me?\u00a0 I’ll be glad when I can just go to sleep and forget all about this darned day! ***<\/strong> <\/em>He ran the day’s events through his troubled mind as he pulled the front door open and wheeled the firewood inside.<\/p>\n \u201cNeed some help tossing it into the wood box?\u201d Adam offered as Joe drew closer to the fireplace.<\/p>\n \u201cNo thanks,\u201d Little Joe returned, not looking over at his brother.\u00a0 He knew that both Adam and Hoss were attempting to make him feel better, but it was backfiring.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t want anyone to know what he was thinking or feeling.\u00a0 The hurt was his alone to deal with and he didn\u2019t plan on explaining what he thought or felt.<\/p>\n Little Joe cast a look at the grandfather clock for perhaps the twentieth time in the last hour.\u00a0 He\u2019d filled all the wood boxes including the ones in the kitchen and on the hearth.\u00a0 Now it was almost ten p.m., and he was running out of things to do to keep busy.<\/p>\n Hoss and Adam watched as Hop Sing finally gave up on the beautiful birthday cake that had been sitting on the dining room table ever since supper.\u00a0 He walked in and covered it with a bowl hoping it would stay moist until the patriarch got back since Joe refused to celebrate without him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna go check to make sure the horses are settled and close the barn.\u201d Joe announced and didn\u2019t wait for another objection.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m acting like a darn fool.\u00a0 So, Pa didn’t make it back for my birthday — he’ll be here in a day or so.\u00a0 Nothing he could do, I ain’t blaming him none — he didn’t make that bridge wash out.\u00a0 But I’ll celebrate my birthday when I’m good and ready to and not before.\u00a0 I don’t need a cake neither — at least not tonight.\u00a0 And I don’t need any danged presents — all I want is –,” Joe didn’t finish his statement, he couldn’t.\u00a0 He simply stroked his pinto\u2019s mane.\u00a0 Cochise hadn\u2019t minded the extra attention, but she did turn and look directly at her master as though she understood he was hurting.\u00a0 She gave a whinny and moved closer to Joe as he closed the stall.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I love you too, Girl,\u201d Joe nodded and patted her on the neck.\u00a0 \u201cYou go on to sleep now.\u00a0 It\u2019s okay, nothing to get upset over.\u00a0 See you tomorrow,\u201d He whispered and turned out of the barn closing the door and then heading back into the house.<\/p>\n Little Joe looked one last time at the grandfather clock and sighed to himself.\u00a0 It was now after eleven and it was safe to go to bed and hopefully not get any further questions about his birthday.\u00a0\u00a0 As he turned to go up the staircase both of his brothers stood from their chairs and called over to him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, sorry today didn\u2019t turn out like we all hoped it would.\u00a0 But, well \u2013 happy birthday,\u201d Adam said, and smiled at the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Little Joe, Pa will probably be back tomorrow, or Sunday and we\u2019ll have us a real celebration then!\u201d Hoss exclaimed and offered a grin to his little brother.<\/p>\n Joe turned and fought back any animosity he had felt towards his brothers after reading the sincerity on their faces.\u00a0 It made him feel bad that he had pushed them away all day.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t the enemy; in fact, no-one was.\u00a0 It was just the way of things, and he would just have to tough it out.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks \u2013 hey I\u2019m sorry that I wasn\u2019t in the mood to celebrate.\u00a0 But really, I\u2019m okay.\u00a0 See you in the morning,\u201d He returned and then headed up to his bedroom.<\/p>\n The two men heard the door upstairs close and then took their seats again and looked at each other.\u00a0 They both wished that the day had been a happy one for their little brother, but the kid still was hurting even though he had tried to tell them differently.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, at least he tried,\u201d Hoss sighed and shook his head.<\/p>\n Adam reached over and patted his brother\u2019s arm and returned, \u201cI think he\u2019ll be alright just as soon as he sees Pa.\u00a0 I know he talks a good game, but it wasn\u2019t the presents or the cake, all Little Joe wanted today was to see our father.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded, he concurred.\u00a0 Little Joe needed to see Pa, especially on his birthday.\u00a0 The man had never missed any of his son\u2019s birthdays no matter what was going on in all their lives.\u00a0 Even when Adam was away in college, Pa had journeyed there in time to celebrate his birthday.\u00a0 Hoss knew that somehow Pa would make Little Joe feel better once he got home; Pa had a knack for doing that after many years of experience.<\/p>\n ****************<\/p>\n Little Joe felt edgy and couldn\u2019t settle down in his bed even after he had washed and put on his nightshirt and robe.\u00a0 He moved over to his desk and sat there just staring at the picture of his mother.\u00a0 She had been gone for so long he could no longer remember her.\u00a0 Twelve years, and all she had become is a mere symbol of someone who he had been told loved him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t remember her touch or her voice.\u00a0 Now there was just a picture of a beautiful woman in a cameo there in the frame against the green velvet backing.\u00a0 But Pa was different.\u00a0 Pa was always there.\u00a0 He held him when he was hurt or afraid.\u00a0 He made him feel better about himself even when Joe knew he had messed up or his life had gotten out of control.\u00a0 They had the kind of bond that most fathers and sons would envy but not be able to duplicate.\u00a0 Pa allowed him to be himself and to show the part of him that he hid from everyone else.\u00a0 He could yell about things that made him mad or he could cry about things that had hurt him emotionally or physically and Pa accepted either emotion from him.\u00a0 Being with Pa in their private moments, when all the others were either away or in bed, were some of his fondest memories.\u00a0 It was in those times when his father made Joe feel like Pa was his alone and that he cherished him.\u00a0 Joe wore a mask around everyone else, but not his father.\u00a0 Pa understood him better than he understood himself.\u00a0 Pa was his rock, plain and simple and he missed him.\u00a0 Joe felt foolish.\u00a0 He was now seventeen and he felt like he needed to grow up and not be so reliant on his father to make him feel good about himself.\u00a0 But the truth of the matter was that was exactly how he felt; he needed Pa.\u00a0 And it was his birthday, and it hurt that he wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n Little Joe placed his mother\u2019s picture back into the frame and put it in its normal position on his desk.\u00a0 He then stood and prepared to finally call it a night.<\/p>\n \u201cI just hope you\u2019re alright, Pa.\u00a0 I wish you were here \u2013 but more than anything else \u2013 I just want you to be safe and come home,\u201d Joe whispered and finally lighted down on his bed.\u00a0 Still in his robe, he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Hoss stood when he heard the sound of heavy bootsteps outside on the porch.\u00a0 Before Adam could pull himself to standing to see who it was at so late an hour, the door flung open and there stood Ben Cartwright in all his glory.<\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d Hoss and Adam exclaimed in unison and headed across the room to greet the man.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, boys!\u201d Ben smiled over at his two sons as he hurriedly removed his holster and tossed it along with his hat down onto the credenza.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you get here?\u201d Hoss asked taking a good look at the man who looked winded and a bit rough.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you all about it in a bit.\u00a0 Where’s Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned and glanced over at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cKid went to bed, Pa.\u00a0 He kept telling us he didn\u2019t want to celebrate today.\u00a0 He said it didn\u2019t matter and that it was just another day.\u00a0 When I brought him your telegram, he took it hard, though he tried to hide it from the two of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben rushed over to the grandfather clock and gave it a quick look.\u00a0 \u201cFive minutes to spare,\u201d He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOne of you put away that poor horse that I rode in on, I\u2019m afraid I worked the poor beast into a lather.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorse?\u201d Hoss questioned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about the stage and your luggage?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeft it all behind and bought a horse, a saddle and well \u2013 I\u2019ll explain later.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a birthday boy to see, and I just barely have time to get up to his room.\u00a0 Excuse me,\u201d Pa called over his shoulder as he bolted towards the stairs.<\/p>\n ***************<\/p>\n Little Joe was halfway asleep lying on his side facing away from the door to his room.\u00a0 He never saw the thin shaft of light which came in with his father.\u00a0 Ben approached his boy\u2019s bed and slowly lowered himself down on the side opposite his son.\u00a0 He gently reached for Joe\u2019s shoulder, placing his hand up between his arm and the bottom of his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to see my seventeen-year-old,\u201d Ben whispered softly leaning down to where his boy was lying.<\/p>\n Joe blinked his eyes a couple of times wondering if he was dreaming.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve only got a couple of minutes until you\u2019re another day older, Son.\u00a0 How about rolling over?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe was sure that he was losing his mind.\u00a0 It was then that he felt the fingers of his Pa\u2019s hand softly combing through the curls on his head.\u00a0 Sudden realization hit him that he wasn’t dreaming, the touch was without a doubt real.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe whispered, half asleep at the time.\u00a0 He rolled over and faced the man sitting next to him.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u00a0 How did you get here?\u201d He questioned; his face filled with disbelief as he drowsily sat up in bed.<\/p>\n \u201cI have my ways, Joseph,\u201d He quipped and then reached over and pulled his son into his arms, hugging him tightly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry it took me so long \u2013 but at least I got here before you were seventeen and one day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 I never thought you\u2019d make it!\u00a0 I — well — I missed you.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m about grown \u2013 and I shouldn\u2019t need my pa to be there on my birthday \u2013 but well,\u201d Little Joe stopped to regroup a bit and gather his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cI just wanted you here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Joseph \u2013 it wouldn\u2019t matter if we were a thousand miles apart, I\u2019d be with you because you\u2019re right here in my heart,\u201d Ben whispered as he held his son close to his chest.\u00a0 \u201cHappy birthday, Son, I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you too, Pa,\u201d Little Joe choked out, his heart filled with overwhelming joy as he felt the strong arms of his father encasing his shoulders holding on to him like he was the only other person in the entire world.\u00a0 Just as always, Pa had shown him how cherished he was by him.<\/p>\n Ben gently pulled Joe\u2019s chin up and grinned down at him, \u201cOh, I had to leave your presents on the stage, Son.\u00a0 I bought a horse and rode right out so I couldn’t bring them with me.\u00a0 Sorry, you\u2019ll have to wait a day or two to get them.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe, still held in his father’s arms, closed his eyes and whispered, \u201cI don’t need presents. I’ve got the only thing that I wanted \u2013 or needed.\u00a0 I just wanted you here, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n His son\u2019s words struck at his heart, letting him know that all his efforts to get home in time to tell his boy on his birthday how much he loved him had been well worth it.\u00a0\u00a0 Pa held his son in his arms and his mind reflected back to the day that Joseph was born.\u00a0 It was hard to believe that his youngest was almost a man now.\u00a0 He let out a contented sigh.\u00a0 Much like the day his son had come into the world, Joseph\u2019s seventeenth birthday was a day he would never forget.\u00a0 Neither would Little Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go get some birthday cake,\u201d Pa smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cCake sounds good, Pa,\u201d Joe grinned and nodded his head as he pushed back joyful tears.<\/p>\n Together the two of them walked out of the room and down the stairs.\u00a0 They joined the rest of the family to sing happy birthday to Joe and eat birthday cake, even though it was past midnight.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter to Little Joe that it was technically the day after his birthday.\u00a0 \u00a0And he didn’t need to blow out any candles in order to get his wish granted.\u00a0 He had already gotten exactly what he wanted for his birthday; his pa was with him.<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n Written by Wrangler<\/p>\n 10\/1\/2025<\/p>\n (Dedicated to Rob the story consultant, and to four of the best humans I\u2019ve ever known who were born this month, Joan, Krishna Michael, Pat and Michael Landon)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n