The Price of a Normal Life, Part Ii

Hours later Bud rode a spent, tired horse, covered in grit and grime from the chase, as he went he came upon a well-built ranch, painted white, a respectable place. Outside a woman was hanging up clothes with her daughter, they’d both been scrubbing. The sight of the girl struck Bud in his seat, a blond-haired vision of maybe sixteen. He stared for a moment, to taken to speak, when the mother turned her eyes on him. “Well you just gonna stand there, all raggedy, or are you gonna get down and come in?” Bud moved before he could ever realize that he was obeying this strange woman’s words, the mother looked him over as he drew near, said,”You look like you’ve been riding herd.” Bud, he just shrugged. “It has been a tough day.” The mother said,”Well, there’s a pump out back, Go wash up and then dust yourself off, there's room in the barn for all your tack.” He moved slowly, not entirely sure that this wasn’t all some big trick. it had been a while since he’d heard kind words, took awhile to believe they would stick. When he had washed the daughter came out, said,”Hello, my name is Cecily. Momma says you ought to stay for dinner, and she’ll fix a place in the barn to sleep.” Bud just nodded, struck by her beauty, and followed her on into the home, there on the table a dinner was set, before a man with a face carved in stone. “So you’ll be joining us, my wife does say,” were the words that came from his throat. “Now quiet Henry, he’s just a darn kid, all alone and far ‘way form his folks.” “Actually, my folks are no longer around,” Bud said before he really knew why. “But I thank you for your hospitality, in truth, it has been a good deal of time.” “Folks not around,”said Henry carefully, then turned his attention to the food. Bud ate ravenously, it had been awhile, since he’d tasted anything this good. Later that evening he sat out on the porch, Cecily hanging off his every word, “All alone at your age, out on the frontier, why I don’t think that I’d have the nerve!” Bud would just smile, and tell some more tales, straying clear from the criminal stuff, he had no desire to frighten this angel with the truth of a life lived quite rough. Finally Henry came out to the two, and said,”Dear, I believe it’s getting dark.” Cecily smiled, and said hopefully: “Hope I see you again before you depart.” As she ran off, Bud got to his feet, ready to head ’round back for the barn, when Henry said, with a gun-iron voice, “I’ll kill you if you do my girl harm.”