|
Buck Turner has taken over as sheriff of
Contention City. He’s gone on a brainclipping spree, implanting a brrkup
in Chronicle editor Hank Atwell and other Contention City miscreants.
For the definition of words such as brrkup and
pleebk and other story information please see the Squaattoosian Glossary in the “Free RPG” section of www.sfwestern.com.
Episode 24
Becky saw me first. "He's back!" she
hollered.
Everyone came running from inside the house on
that seventy-five degree spring afternoon (24 degrees Celsius). My welcoming
committee consisted of Edith, Becky, Caleb, Graax, Guzmán, Nuñez and their
wives. They'd all been out at the main house to greet Graax, who'd ridden in
just ahead of me.
I could see the question in their eyes; I gave
them the answer before they asked: "I got the job."
"You'd been gone a long time. I figured
that," my wife said, before letting out a whoop, clapping gleefully and
reaching up to hug me.
"We're moving?" Becky burst out, happy
as can be.
"Right! Give that girl a pie!" I said.
"Yay!" she cried out to everyone's
laughter.
"What did you tell them?" Caleb asked.
"Nothing that wasn't true." While I was
telling what I'd said and done, Lupe Guzmán interrupted, saying, "Are
you going to stay up there in the saddle all day, or are you going to come
down sometime?"
I dismounted, laughing. "Come down, I guess.
We need to have us a barbecue! That's one thing that nobody in the city can
do!"
I slapped Graax on the back. "How are you
doing, pardoner?"
"Fine, thanks!" the alien said.
"You get what you need in Tucson at the
university?" I said. "You learn anything, or did you know it all
already?"
"It was good," he said.
"I'll bet it's nothing compared to the
universities they have on your planet."
"Ha!"
"For that matter, compared to what they have
back east. That's where you should have crashed. Remember that next
time!"
Renner was there too. I asked him how he was
getting on.
"Good," he replied.
"That's good," I said, not knowing what
else to say to the man.
Everyone whooped and set to work getting together
the party and feast.
Later, at the barbecue, I told the Guzmáns and Nuñezes
how I decided to give them a 70 percent interest in the two ranches, with
the ability to buy my share out over time. "I think you'll make good
managers," I said. There was no need to tell them how much I was going
to be paid as sheriff.
"Thank you so much Señor Turner. We'll try
to keep your good management to the ranch," Guzmán said.
"Si. You have treated us very
fairly," Nuñez added.
"I try, gentlemen and ladies. I do try. I
only have one condition," I added.
Suddenly wary, they asked, "Que?"
"You guys keep Renner on, hear?"
"Si," they quickly said, nodding
and relieved it was all I had asked.
"He's OK now," Nuñez said.
"He can't much help what he was before," I
added. "Thanks to the brrkup, all of that is the past. Thanks to the
brrkup, he's someone you'd want to keep on, right?"
"Si. He's a good worker now," Guzmán
agreed.
"Though he's better now, he's still going to
have a lot of foolishness to make up for. You do him wrong, you're going to
have to answer to me."
"Naturalmente!" Guzmán said.
"Claro esta!" Nuñez reiterated.
I turned to Renner. "Hear that?"
"Yup. Noted," he said.
"Good." I smiled and said ominously,
"There's also one more thing."
The men and their wives' faces sunk. "¿Que?"
they asked. They couldn't believe I was being so generous. It was partly that,
but also good business. Giving them a healthy interest in the ranch would free
me from looking for a buyer and would give me an income over time. Besides,
they were good, smart workers and deserved to have a ranch of their own. If
fate had traded our places, I would have wanted that too.
"My second condition is I want everyone to eat
and drink as much as you can—till you upchuck," I said. "Then eat
some more!"
Everyone laughed. Guzmán slapped my back and shook
my hand. "We are your men for that too!"
"I know I can count on y'all," I said,
taking a big bite of barbecue.
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
|
