Chapter 5: One Drink Too Many

“Here are your keys. Enjoy your stay. Rest well. See you folks probably later today, or tomorrow. Tomorrow, the family will want to ask you questions, and express their thanks for returning their girl to them.” Ranger sadly adds. “What a morning.”

“Pick a bed Honey None. There’s the tub, enjoy yourself. I need to hook up the truck, and collect a few things. I say, probably, you have three quarters of an hour at least, with all this luxury to yourself. Look at the nice robes?”

After the Ranger and Slim returned to the office, having finished with connecting the truck on line voltage to charge batteries, they collapsed into deep chairs. Slim wearily drops his bedroll and tote sack on the floor beside him. The phone ominously rings, Ranger answers with:

“Morning, Robert. Have a safe watch. I’ll call to log in tonight.” Hung up. Reverently, he places his Smokey Bear Ranger’s Stetson in a glass fronted cabinet. Locking the cabinet door, turns to Slim with a grin.

“Long night. Glad it’s over. I’m ready for a drink, how about you, Slim?”

He digs up a bottle and glasses from an obscure lower shelf. Pours generously.

“Slim? (offering Slim a glass) Call me Red. I’m all done Rangering, until 8pm tonight. That was Ranger Robert on the phone. He’s got the day watch, on watch now. He’s stationed over at the Ole Faithful office.”

“With no effective government, so no official park service anymore, or not yet again, or que sera sera whatever. How does it workout for Robert and you? Rangering on your own at Yellowstone?”

Slim is awed at the dedication of unpaid unsupported unofficial volunteer park Rangers. They’re an inspiration to him.

“How’s it working out for you and your crew of volunteer or drafted electricians, going around fixing the grid? Are they paying you a fortune for risking your lives? What with? A promise of a nice cushy graft job later?”

“I’m an Idaho Power and Light man, Red. It’s what I do!”

“And ditto, Yellowstone Rangering is what I do, Slim.” They clink glasses and nod to each other in mutual respect.

“Forgive my curiosity, but I’m assuming Red is a nickname? Interesting story behind it? I’d bet! Care to divulge? Bare your secret closeted skeletons, Red, confession is good for the soul, they say. Who’s they, by the way?”

The potent liquor is rapidly affecting Slim, his exhaustion lowering his tolerance to near zero.

“Nope!”

“Won’t tell? Then, I won’t tell you mine neither!” Slim pretends belligerence.

“Not won’t tell, it’s a fact, not a nickname. A straightforward translation of my Sioux name is Red.”

“Your Sioux name is long and hard to pronounce?”

“Nope.”

“Well, what is it? Spill the beans, Red. This is intended to be a two-way conversation. Repeating ‘Nope’ don’t carry much of your half of the water.”

“Want to know why I’m not using my Sioux name publicity? Cause I like breathing.”

“Now I am determined to pry it out of you. Give, or be prepared to wrestle.”

“Haha! I was about to offer you a refill, Slim. In your condition, one drink already was one too many! I’ll help you to your room, Slim, you look a bit unsteady.”

“Thanks, just feeling done in a bit, I’m fine, really. And I insist you...”

“My name is Lootah. Means Red in Sioux. I wouldn’t like being shot or lynched as a looter! All it would take is some idiot pal shouts my name where a crowd of liquored up cowboys can hear and get wrong ideas. Now, you know all there is to know about why I’m called Red.”

Laughing uproariously, drunk, Slim, is deposited in Stephanie’s unamused care.

“Good morning again, Miss. He only had ONE, one drink, I swear it. Take good care of him, he’s a good man. One of the best!”

Ranger Red leaves her to manhandle Slim inside alone, and goes to his own rest.

Stephanie is disillusioned with Slim. Heroes with feet of clay, especially alcoholic heroes, are less than attractive life partners. Slim promised he’d be back within the hour, said he could only assure her forty five minutes of privacy. Engaged to be married to her less than twenty four hours, he pulls an unfeeling stunt like this! Leaves her, his tender young fiancée, his intended, abandons her, left alone in a hot strange hotel room, for hours! Doesn’t he care, that she worries why he’s so late and what disaster may have befallen him, worried her beloved hasn’t returned? Then, shows up drunk, two whole hours later. Staggering drunk, half carried, and boisterously laughing. Probably laughing at a dirty joke involving female anatomy.