Chapter 2

Yep, it had been near an entire month that I had known her. There is something about riding, camping out, and seeing just what sort of person you are with. War was like that, too. We learned about all there was about each other in those four long and cruel years. My boys, Hell, three were older than me, were tried and true friends. Miss Sue had every reason and chance to complain during the trip down; but she didn’t. If something needed to be done you had not to ask her twice to do it. Since that first day not only did she take over the cooking and clean up each night, she ended up telling each of us whatever needed to be done. I still did not really know how old she was, but Ma liked her and told me, in no uncertain terms that I would be a ‘damn fool’ if I let a woman like her get away. As if I did not already know that. Maybe you all should start calling me a fool now.

So, hat in hand and with several Blue-Bell flowers as a gift, I went over to her in the kitchen. She and Ma were fixing our meal for later, up. Ma looked at me, shook her head and said she would be back, she had something to do outside. I had to wonder why my heart was thumping so, sweat pouring down my brow and there was a thumping that sounded like a herd of cattle racing through my head. Miss Sue handed me a glass of sweet tea and told me to sit down before I fell over. I sat down, then jumped up again, and handed her the flowers, saying, “I got these for you Miss Sue!”

It seemed like an eternity. Then I heard her say, “Yes, thank you and ... anything more to say?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I, I just wanted to say ... say something. I just wanted you to know that I think highly of you and just wanted to say...”

“Hell J D, out with it. If I said before that if you were the last man on this planet, I didn’t like you, now that I do have some options, do you think I would change my mind about that?”

“No, Ma’am, I guess not. I mean, I really think you, you know your not like the other guys. You’re special.”

“Gee, you realized all by your lonesome that I was not like that bunch of miscreants that ride with you, did you.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“And?”

“Whew, this is so hard, Hell, I’ve never done this, so here goes. Miss Sue, I have come to the conclusion that, you and I, well, you mostly, can do a bunch of things and ... and I want you to stay.”

“Stay, what, you want to hire me to cook and clean and the like for you?”

“Yes, Ma’am. No, Ma’am, what I mean, is ... I want you with me!”

“With you! Like a servant or slave huh, I suppose keep you warm at night too, anything you need to check out first, my teeth, if my hips are wide enough, that my legs are straight, that I have the right conformation or what?”

“Yes, Ma’am, no Ma’am. What I mean is everything. You know the boys and I are buying a spread. We all plan on settling down, raise a family and the like. So, I guess, what I’m asking if you, I mean if you and I could get together and, like, do all that?”

“Do all that, you mean what exactly?”

I did not see that Ma had returned and was listening in at the doorway. Miss Sue saw her though, and was smiling.

“So how much does this job pay J D? What if I wanted to leave? Get married? Start a family of my own? You know there are a couple men in town who have asked me what my plans are, don’t you? I might need to consider that. A girl’s got to think about all her option, s you know?”