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Last episode Buck becomes irritated
with life in general because he believes he should have more
wealth than he does. If only he didn’t have the troubles with
Renner and the drought. Also, Squaattoos has so much more in the
way of technology than Earth does. Graax gets to go to another
planet and Buck can’t even fly up like a bird can and see his
own.
Buck doesn’t let on how much he’s
upset about the disparities between the two worlds. He and Graax
instead talk about agricultural operations on the two planets.
Buck realizes that he’s a historical
figure, but, like the first Indian to meet a white man, nobody
will know his name.
Graax graduates the “Creature
Teacher”, Becky, and gives her a gift.
Episode 10
As the sun started its daily climb
into the sky, I ambled out to the corral with Graax. I set him
on Prettygirl, Becky's pony. Going by how melancholy she'd been
acting the night before, I expected her to burst forth with a
scene of tears and crying.
There was none of that, amazingly.
Sitting on the porch, she watched, expressionless, as Caleb and
I hoisted the alien up on her pony. She seemed not to care at
all.
"Without me and Caleb around to
help, this is how you get up there," I said, then putting
my boot in the stirrup and hoisting up, explaining how to mount
a horse. By telling him such a basic fact, I worried about
insulting him. He'd been convalescing when we were cutting with
the horses. And since he wasn't a ranching man on his own
planet, I figured he didn't know anything.
Fair enough, he seemed to say with his
expressionless eyes. He didn't look insulted.
"Good. It'll get easier once we
get you some of your own gear - though we might have a problem
getting a hat in your size with your big head and all. Those
silver duds you're wearing ain't going to last forever. That's a
shame too, cause you look like quite the dandy," I said,
smiling.
"It get warmer?" he said.
To him, it was cold. I thought the
weather was fine. "Yeah, we got summer coming. I imagine
you'll like that better. And next winter we can get you a coat
and underwear that will keep you warmer than anything. I never
had a hand that froze on me. Course I never had an alien work
for me either."
I didn't want him to chicken out about
working the range. "You might not like the cold, but you
got some advantages over me."
"How's that?"
"That scaly skin on your hands or
claws or whatever: it looks a mite tougher than mine."
"Thank you very kindly, Mr. Buck
Turner."
"It's just Buck and it's just the
truth."
"Buck."
"You're very welcome," I
said. "Now go ahead and get off Prettygirl. Let's see how
you get up there on your own."
It was comical to see how stiffly he
mounted. Almost falling on his face, it was nothing short of a
miracle that he didn't bang his head and earn another two months
of doctoring from Edith.
My son and I almost busted our bellies
laughing too hard. We shouldn't have because he so recently
healed. But we couldn't help ourselves. "Come on! Bend
those legs!" I yelled.
When the alien sat astride the
chestnut filly, wary and big-eyed, he looked like a polecat
chased up a tree.
I had '49er canter over and patted the
alien's knee. "Don't worry, Graax. This little girl ain't
going to loose your hinges."
He nodded nervously, saying by the
looks of him: I hope we don't go too fast on these horses.
"Just settle on into it. You
might still be good at this yet! You could be a natural."
"My side doesn't hurt
anymore," he said quietly, clutching the reins with white
knuckles. "These animals are alive and you ride them. This
is strange for me. I see how it's possible since they are large
enough for you to ride."
"Ain't a thing unnatural about
it," I said, never having thought life possible without
horses.
"We don't have such an
animal," he said, looking his mount over from mane to back.
"Don't? Huh," I said,
pondering that for a moment.
"That's strange. Anyway, it don't matter none.
You'll get used to it. It'll be as natural as walking soon
enough." It better be. There's no way anyone can do cowboy
work on foot. If he couldn't ride, we'd have to find something
else for him to do.
My insides got as jumpy as a bit-up
bull in fly season. He was much worse than I'd imagined when I
agreed to Edith's proposition. He had a lot to learn - too much.
I doubted he could do it, smart as he was. Still, I'd have to
give him a couple days.
No use telling him that. I'd been
wrong before.
"You'll get used to it! There
ain't nothing to it," Caleb chimed in. "Prettygirl
ain't the type to throw anyone. She's as gentle as a lamb.
That's why Daddy gave her to Becky."
"I wouldn't put my little girl on
a dangerous animal," I affirmed. "I wouldn't do it to
you either. Edith's already done enough work on your poor
carcass."
"You can do it!" Becky
chimed in from the porch. She was watching the whole thing. From
the wide grin on her face, it looked like she was happy helping
to teach him again.
"You crash and survive in one of
those spaceship crashes, it means you've got a guarantee of life
that ain't going be revoked on the back of a pony," I said,
smiling. "Gospel truth."
I gradually settled down. With how
funny he looked, it was easy for me to be patient. With a man,
who should have known better, I would have been aggravated. With
a bug-eyed alien in silver overalls, I was entertained. I
temporarily forgot about my constant list of things to do.
"Caleb," Edith called out,
stepping onto the porch. "Come up here and get this
sombrero for Mr. Graax. We don't want to add sunburn to his
litany of ills."
Caleb hauled off and fetched it for
Graax. The alien donned it.
"You look like a real vaqueró
Mr. Graax," Caleb said.
"Yes, he does," Edith said,
beaming at the life she'd saved.
"Gracias," Graax
said.
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