A New Beginning

Jerry was standing there looking at me with a look I couldn't quite define. I knew I was mad. I also knew I had better things to do with my time besides fuck around with this idiot. I just had to keep in mind why we were here to begin with.

So, I lit into him. I'll give him credit, he did try to defend himself. But, he lacked the experience one gains from working on logging crews.

When I finished with him, I looked around. Everybody was watching.

"Anybody want to make five dollars?"

Several men stepped forward.

"I need you to take him out to the county line and drop him off.

The oldest of the bunch spoke up.

"I'll handle it. You whipped his ass proper. Boy, you sure know your way around a fight, that's for sure."

I handed him the five and nodded.

Heading back to the house, I paused and listened to the night. The weather was warm now. The trees and whatnot were budding and blooming. The first insects were coming out. The low sounds of the camp, someone playing a guitar while he, or another, sang a lonesome ballad. A cow out in the pasture lowed questioningly into the darkness. Bell answered her. Her crystal clear lowing a mighty pleasant thing to listen to.

I went on in the house. Supper was waiting for me. I sat down and Elsie set to treating my cuts and bruises.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed. "You're hurt!"

"Naw, it's only a few marks."

"Where's Jerry?"

"Being dropped off at the county line."

"Did you hurt him bad?"

"I reckon I did. Pretty bad. I'm not sure he's gonna make it. I broke some of his ribs, well, most of them I reckon. I figure one or more punctured his lungs. I warned him not to come back, but he did, and he hurt our boy. I won't stand for it."

She finished the job. Kissed me. Then set my plate of supper in front of me. Roast beef, beans, fried taters and cornbread. Let me tell you something right how. My long legged little gal sure could cook. Mama, Callie, and Maggie came pulling in.

I was just sitting back when Sophie and Tommy came downstairs and ran up to me. I picked Sophie up and she curled up in my lap.

Tommy said, "I'm sorry pa, I tried to do right but he just hit me too hard."

"Don't you worry about that, son. You did good. Makes me proud. You always stand up for your sister and your mama. Now hug my neck, go hug your mama, and get tucked in. We got a day's work tomorrow, you and me."

They hugged me and Elsie.Tommy took Sophie by the hand and led her upstairs.

The women came in, looking all frazzled out. They sat down and Elsie poured them coffee.

Maggie spoke first. "Well, we got Mrs Johnson packed and loaded to head out in the morning. I went over the store. Then by the rent houses. Everything looks to be in tip top shape."

I nodded. "You figure you might run that outfit for me?"

"I was going to suggest that very thing. I feel it would be a pleasant life handling the store."

Mom spoke up next. "Mercedes had a bunch of people coming out here today to discuss selling or leasing their land to you. Money's getting tight. People are starting to panic.I told them to put it off for a day or two."

"Well, I won't take advantage of them due to hard times. If they're selling out to make a planned move, I'll talk to them about buying. If they're selling out just because they're panicked over this depression business, I'll try to talk them out of it. But it has to be on credit extended by them. I can't go to the bank and get them involved. That bank only cares about their own interests. I know these people. I grew up working with, or for, most of them. They know I'm good to my promise. I've never broken my word to any of them."

I thought briefly on it.

"I've been entertaining another notion lately. Remember when the county tried to start a cooperative around here some years back? But nobody would go for it because the government was trying to drag in a bunch of city folks in here to run it?

Well, I've got my own ideas about doing that. Anyway, we'll talk about it later.

Everybody nodded in agreement.

"Good. Well, that's taken care of. I'm gonna go bathe and hit the hay. Goodnight everybody."

I don't remember falling asleep. Or even when Elsie came to bed. Something woke me up. I'm not sure what it was, though. It was still dark out as usual when I rolled out. But, something was different. I lay still, listening, my hand going to my old Remington pistol I kept on the night stand. I got up. Kissed Elsie gently so as not to wake her up.

I dressed, picked up my pistol and went downstairs. I eased around through the house, watching how the shadows moved, watching for movement with my peripheral vision. It's easier to spot that way in the darkness. I heard a faint noise. I froze, listening carefully with my eyes closed. There it was again.

The kitchen.

I eased the hammer back on that old pistol, then started slipping through the house in that direction. I got to the entry and peered around the corner. Someone was sitting at the table, hunched over. It was too dark to make out who it was.

I stuck the pistol around the corner, glancing back to make sure nobody was trying to sneak up on me.

I spoke quietly. "Put your hands on the table real careful like."

"Jacob, it's me, Callie."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Eased the hammer down and stepped in. I went and lit the lantern. Stoked the fire and fed it wood. Drew water from the cistern pump, and put coffee on. Then sat down.

She looked at me. Her eyes wet with tears. All red and swollen.

"Hey now, what's the matter?"

She sniffed. "Aww, you don't need to worry yourself over my nonsense."

"Well, since we seem to be the only ones up. How about you lay it on me."

"I've just been thinking is all. I miss Hank awful bad. I feel like a stranger in my own home here. Ever since you come back with Elsie, you ain't took an interest in me. You made me feel young again for a spell there. Now, I'm just a lonely old widow woman with no man interested in her. Aww hell, I know I'm talking foolishness, but god damn it, I got a right to feel as I please."

I nodded. "Yes you do. We all do. I'll tell you what, though. Don't you think for a moment I've forgotten what it feels like in that pussy of yours. I'll guarantee it's as good or better than any out there."

"You really think so? Or you just saying that to make me feel good?"

"Come over here and I'll show you."

"I don't need a pity fuck, damn it."

"Well, my cock ain't hard over pity for you. I promise you that."

She stood up and came around. Her tits swaying under her thin gown. Causing my heart to pick up the pace a little. I stood up and unhitched my overalls and took them off. Setting my cock free.I spun the chair sideways and sat back down.

"Take that thing off, woman, and get this up inside you."

She took her gown off. Completely naked under it. Stepping up to me, she got astride of me. She took my swollen cock in hand and guided herself down on it.

After she had worked my full length inside her dripping pussy, she sat still, letting her cunt adjust to it again. Then she started fucking herself on it. I reached up and grabbed her saggy, swaying tits and squeezed their softness. Rolling her nipples between my fingers. She leand forward, offering them to me. I sucked and nibbled on them until she stiffened up and started cumming. She collapsed against me.

Recovering from her orgasm, she slid off my still hard cock, then bent over the table.

"Take my hind end, honey. I want to feel that big god damned dick up my fat little fanny again."

I got on my knees and started licking and tonguing her little ass hole until it was all slicked up. I stood up and held the head of my cock to the puckered little hole and started pushing in. She immediately started pushing back onto me. I was only about halfway inside her when she tensed up and started jerking. I heard her spend hitting the floor wetly as her pussy released its flow of cunt juice. I hammered into her a dozen more times before my cum blasted out into her guts.

She clenched her ass tight around my cock and milked it for all she was worth.

I let my spent cock slip out of her. She grabbed a rag and put on her ass to catch my sperm. Then she wet a rag and cleaned my cock with it.

I dressed, and she slipped her gown back on, I poured some coffee and sat down.

"Callie, I don't need you feeling that you ain't wanted or desirable. You are. You and mama both are. Elsie is my woman, my wife. I have a responsibility to her and those youngsters. At the same time, I won't see either you or mama put out. I know folks would frown on what we do here in this house. But it was gave to me. For the price of seeing after your well being. You know I'm good for my promise. In as much as to what everybody else thinks, I just don't give a good god damn. They don't spend a penny of their money or put in the first hour of work toward this place. So they're welcome to shove their opinion up their ass."

She looked at me with a mischievous grin.

"What are you about to stir up now, you wretched old woman?"

"Oh, I was just thinking is all. Thinking that if you were to shove that fence post you got for a man part up their ass instead of their opinions, maybe they'd rethink their opinion about what you just did to my poor old ass."

We both shared a good chuckle at that one. She looked around. Then got up.

"Well, I guess I'll go ahead and fix you breakfast. If you would, leave that old pistol down here. I'd feel much better with all the coming and goings around here. Speaking of which, I plumb forgot about Hank's guns. He's got a right smart collection of them up in the attic. He built in some cabinets up there after we built this house. I'll show you where they are directly. We both want you to have them. I know how you appreciate a fine firearm."

She was putting on bacon to fry when Elsie came down, followed by mama and Maggie.

Maggie poured her and me some coffee and she sat down across from me. Mama started helping Callie, and Elsie sat on my lap, nestling her face into my neck. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.

Maggie spoke up. "Well, I'm moving up town after the meeting. I met with some and like I said, we decided to put it off a couple of days to get everybody together.''

Callie spoke up next."I was thinking of moving with her and helping her run the store for you."

"Well, if that's what y'all want to do, I'm ok with it."

I got up and headed down to the camp.

I looked around for JT and found him in the mess hall chewing asses over garbage being strewn around.

"I'm telling you right now, I will not tolerate it. Clean this place up or draw your wages. And I'll gut shoot the one I find throwing anything but a hook and line in that lake."

He spun around, shoving a cigar in his mouth, chewing on it angrily. He went to one of his crew bosses.

"Cut the top out of some oil drums and place them around for trash. I'm paying you top wages to manage these men. You'd better start doing that, or the same applies to you."

He left without waiting for a response. He spotted me sitting at a table by the entrance. Coming over, he sat down. The cook brought over coffee for us.

"Just who I needed to see. We need meat. My shipment is running late from Dallas. The hands came back last night with some dry goods and staples, and your new truck, but, there was a problem getting pork chops and sausage. Have any idea what to do?"

"Yep. Just as soon as you can get free, come and get me."

He nodded and left.

I went back to the house. Got butcher knives and a whetstone out and sat down to put a keen edge on them.

The women knew what I was doing. Elsie did, too. Just not why. Out where she was from, you got your pork from fat tame hogs in a pen. Out here in the bottoms, you used dogs to bay and catch. You let your hogs run wild, and they can get cantankerous at times.

I've heard tale of the lion cats over in Africa. Them big ol' grizzly bears up north. I reckon you ain't lived until you run up on a 700 or 800 pound boar with might near a foot of razor sharp tusks sticking out of its snout. I imagine them other critters are awful bad. But, they ain't got bunched up in a briar thicket with a mature boar and went toe to toe. That boar will gut you in short order.

I heard JT pull up and honk. I kissed Elsie and left.

I told him where to go. A few minutes later, we pulled in his yard.

An old man came out and peered at us. I got out and approached him, hand out.

"Thicket, how ya been?"

"Why, howdy Flannery. Been a spell."

"Yes sir."

"You need hogs?"

I nodded.

"Well, I got about eighteen, maybe twenty, out back. Caught them off Fenwicks place about a week ago. Nothing but barrows and sows. Come on back. Bring your friend if he's a mind to."

I waved at JT. He came over. I introduced him.

"JT, this is Thicket."

He held his hand out to the old man, who took it. I saw JT wince a little. Ol' Thicket might be small and wirey, but, let me tell you, he was unnaturally strong. I'd seen him take a big mule shoe in is bare hands and bend it straight.

"Mr Thicket."

"Just Thicket, JT. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Y'all come on. JT, you mind getting too close to them dogs. They's trained to catch hogs, but ain't too particular about what they wrap their jaws around."

We headed out back. There was a dozen dogs chained up. Nine big curs. These were bay dogs. They'd run a hog to a stand still and keep it there.

The other three were some sort of bulldog and perhaps mastiff cross types. They were catch dogs. They weighed well over a hundred pounds and didn't care for nothing or nobody but Thicket.

The dogs knew and tolerated me. I'd handled them all at one time or other. But, I never let my guard down around them.

They all stared at JT, baring their teeth and snarling. He did his best to ignore them.

We made it to the pen with the hogs. They were all between a hundred and a hundred fifty pounds. Nice fat young ones.

I looked at Thicket, "How much?"

"Oh, for you? I'd go a dollar a head."

JT pulled his wallet out and pulled out a twenty and handed it over.

"Now, I ain't got change at hand."

"Thicket, you keep it. This helps me out."

"Obliged, JT. You bring your trailer if you want them alive. Or some hands and trucks and we'll kill and gut them in the pen. Your boys can load them."

"Ok, I'll send over a crew with a couple of trucks and trailers."

We shook hands around and left.

After we left, he looked over at me, "I'm guessing you know how to handle those hogs?"

"Yes sir. We need to go to camp and set up to skin. I'll show them how to do a couple."

We got back and I went to the big Live Oak on the edge of camp. Looked it over. It'll work. I went to the barn and got out Hank's butchering equipment. A big chain hoist, a skinning gambrel hooked to a length of chain, a take down wood table, a two foot long meat saw, and some wash tubs. Some hands had followed me. I had them carry it all over to the tree. We rigged it up, finishing about the time the trucks arrived with the hogs.

"I need a.22 rifle or pistol."

Joe had an old falling block Savage.22 and brought it over. I had them pick up some sheet metal and get ready.

"As soon as I shoot, get up in there, one on each side, and push the rest toward the front of the trailer bed. Another of you grab the dead one and drag it out.

We got it hung up ahd dressed out. I showed them how to do it. The camp kitchen had coolers packed with blocks of ice trucked in every couple of days. They kept a meat locker cold with ice to pack cut meat in. The cooks were boning out the quarters and cutting them up into chops. Grinding and seasoning the scraps into breakfast pan sausage.

I looked around at the men. They had settled into a schedule. I heard the chatter. Well Number 2 was showing signs of a strike at any time. JT and Joe had the capping crew stand by to step in. An earthen wall about 2 feet high had been built around the rig site to contain anything flowing on the ground. Everything was running according to plan.

I found JT.

"I need a little help bringing up one of my steers. I'm throwing a BBQ in a couple of days."

"Well, come show me which one you want. I'll have the men load it up with a tractor and bring it up. You got a spit big enough?"

"No, I'm trying to devise something."

"Well, my millwrights know exactly what to do."

We went and rounded them up. I explained what I wanted. They got on it right away.

"Ok, then, thanks JT."

"No, thank you for solving my meat problem. How many of those hogs can you get?"

"How many you need?"

"An order about like today's ever week and a half, maybe two weeks."

"Ok, just go tell Thicket what you need. Pay him. He'll go get them for you. There's plenty out there on the river. He uses a wagon. If you offered to provide a truck and a couple of young hands to load hogs for him, he'll cut you deal."

"Oh, no, I pay him his asking price. It's costing me a fortune dealing with the butcher up in Dallas. I also noticed the shipments look a little light, as well. That pork I saw you butcher today is different than pen raised hogs."

"Well, yeah. These are Razor Backs. They imported them from overseas somewhere a long time ago. The meat is darker. Richer. I like to catch shoats and pen them up. Fatten them on acorns and corn. They cure out the best. These that have been feeding wild are best for this. Just don't butcher a boar, they stink to high heaven. You can't eat them."

I went on back to the house. It was getting onto supper time. I saw a buggy I didn't recognize in the yard. A big draft mule hitched to it. I went to the barn and got an ear of corn, then went to the mule. A big gelded jack. I shucked the corn and gave it to him. He crunched it up in short order. I scratched his ears and he rubbed his head on me, rumbling his approval deep inside his big body.

I went on in. Everybody was at the table. The mule and wagon belonged to Garrett and Molly Hudson. A middle aged couple who had 240 acres back north east of town.

Garrett stood up and shook my hand. "You remember my wife, Molly."

" I surely do. How are you Mrs Hudson?"

She smiled shyly at me and looked down.

I turned back to Garrett, "Please, have a seat."

I sat down and Elsie brought me some coffee.

"Well, Mr Hudson, to what do I owe this visit?"

"I was talking to Mrs Johnson, she said you were buying land."

"Under the right conditions I am."

"Might I ask what those conditions are?"

"I reckon I need to buy it on credit. I have all my money tied up at the moment. I won't get the bank involved. I just don't trust them."

"Ok, so what sort of terms are you offering?"

"Land's going for about thirty an acre right now, with prices expected to drop in the next few years to essentially nothing. I'm offering forty an acre if you sign the deed over to me and accept a purchase contract on my word over the next couple of years.. Sooner if things go anywhere near what I'm expecting. If they don't, then add a year to pay it off. Either way, you get your money."

"Ok,so, I've always known you to keep your word, no matter what. Top that off with Hank and Mrs Johnson trusting you, well, I guess I can, too. Thing is, we've saved some money and want to go down to Houston. I got a brother down there that works for a petroleum refinery. He's offered me a job. If I come right away. I talked to some real estate folks. They offered me fifteen an acre cash."

"Well, you'll get your money up front that way."

"Yeah, at half the going rate. Your offering my a premium over that. What if you die, God forbid?"

"I've thought about that that. If that happens. I'll put a clause in the contract that you'll get your deed back. If I've paid any money towards the debt, you'll have to return that at face value."