Chapter 3: Travis O’Shea

“Travis, can I ride along with you and Trooper? I would like to see these Angus cattle.”

“Can you ride a horse?”

“Yes, I can ride.”

It was a long time ago on the beach at one of the hotels. But I can do this!

Joan overheard the conversation and disappeared for a minute. She returned with a pair of cowboy boots.

“These should fit you.”

They did fit, more or less. I followed the men out back and to the stables. There Travis selected a horse for me and saddled her. He showed me how to mount then helped me up. His hands touched my legs and my butt. They felt nice!

We walked through a corral gate to a road leading off thru some pine trees then out into a big pasture. There they were! Probably a hundred Black Angus mother cows each with a baby by her side. They were beautiful!

As we rode the men talked about the cattle, the condition of the pasture and the weather. I wanted to talk about Travis! I got a question in somewhere between them talking about the last time it rained and them saying they needed to bring more salt blocks out to the salt lick.

“Do you guys have any kids?”

Trooper said he was expecting to be a father in about 4 months.

Travis did not say a word.

“How about you?”

“Travis does not even have a girlfriend so no he better not have any kids.” They both laughed.

“Why no girlfriend? You’re not gay are you?”

“Don’t worry he’s not gay. He is just having a hard time adjusting back into civilian life from being in a war zone and almost having his head chopped off.”

“If he had been six inches closer, he would have cut me in half. I am still having nightmares of that day.”

“You are going to have to get passed that. He missed. You are alive. End of story. Others were not so lucky. We have all been where you are now. All you have is a bad scar. Your brother Davy still limps, your father spent time in the same VA hospital as you did. How many of your uncles or ancestors lost eyes, Zulu lost a leg. Travis there are lots of vets laying in hospitals that would trade that scar of yours for their wound.”

“There’s a wire down over there.”

The conversation went back to the business of raising cattle. But I had learned a lot about Travis O’Shea.

At a gate in the fence Trooper got down and opened it and led his horse through before shutting it.

“It’s closer for me to go home from here. Tell Angel I’ll get my truck tomorrow sometime. Ana, it was nice meeting you and I hope to see you again real soon. He mounted and waved as he rode off at a gallop.

“Let’s get back to the house. I’m hungry.”

We were alone and I was not going to waste any more time.

“Tell me about yourself, Travis.”

“Well, where do I start? I grew up here on the ranch. My dad was a Marine just like Troopers’ dad and our great-grandfather. My dad married best friends and I have two full brothers, Jack and Davy. They run the Ranch out in Texas. Joan is my half-sister along with a half-brother, Daniel. He’s still in college.

I graduated college and went into the Marines. After OCS and Basic School I went to jump school then recon school. It was on my last mission in a place we weren’t supposed to be and doing something we were not supposed to be doing that I was almost killed.

I never saw the kid. He came at me with that machete of his and he damn near succeeded in cutting me in half.”

“What happened after he cut you?”

“I was carrying a 16-gauge pump shotgun. I blew a hole thru that kid you could put your fist thru.”

“You keep saying “kid” how old was he?”

“I don’t know 14 maybe 15.”

“Is that what is bothering you? Killing a young boy?”

“Hell no! I would shoot his baby brother, his mother and grandmother if that’s what it took to stay alive. It is the fact that I almost died. I came within inches of being killed. I lost 3 men on that mission and to tell you the truth we did not accomplish our mission. The bastard we were after was not home that day! We found out later he was at a Mass for his dead mother. Can you believe it?! One of the evilest men in the world, at Mass praying for his dead mother! In our world he is a monster, dealing in drugs and everything that comes with that line of work. In his world he takes care of his people and is respected enough that young kids will die defending him. Who is right? Us or him?”

“Travis are you in counseling?”

“Was, it did not work. The nightmare just kept getting worse until I came home and Angel started talking to me. Talking to Father Joseph helps also. Now that’s my story what about you? Is it Ms. or Mrs. Ana Marie Gomez?”