Cowbob and the Teeter-Totter Gang

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the bell rang, Robert and Yoshi could feel themselves try to melt into their chairs. If only they could be invisible, that would make today easier to accomplish. They sighed deeply as home-room came and went the only easy class of the day. On more than one occasion Robert and Yoshi seemed to slow their pace from frenzied to a short gallop. They were in no hurry to leave the sanctity of the bright purple hall way.

Brad and his gang of outlaws were already on the prowl for them. They watched as the group stood outside of the doorway, taunting everyone as they entered. Ugh, Math class is going to be rough. Already he could see the fear smeared across the face of Yoshi. In an attempt at bravery, Robert simply tried to tell himself jokes, hoping at least one would make him happy enough to dart through the doorway of death. As it turned out, the evil Mr. Adams of the fortress of mathitude actually came to their rescue. Yep, good ole Mr. Adams! For a math teacher he was incredibly impatient and grueling. He had a bad attitude and could not stand children lolli-gaging about. One thing can be said for the man though, He was mean but he was fair, every child felt his wrath, not just some.

Robert felt his mouth widen to a smile as he watched the band of bullies pulled into the classroom by their earlobes. Instinctively, he reaches to his own and massages his ears. Robert knew how much that hurts. That was better than any joke he could have come up with. He looked over at Yoshi, seeing him beam with pride at the sight. Both of them found a brief moment of happiness and however fleeting, felt their pace quicken from short gallop to happy skip.

*~*~*

They could hear the laughter and smell the dirt as it was being hurled at their faces. Cowbob and Yo-Yo somehow managed to keep their composure. Their hands started to swell as they dug deep with their fingers and worked in minimal lighting. No food, no light, no tools, and most importantly no dignity were the cards they were dealt while working in the coal mine. Another chunk of nasty debris collided with Yo-Yo almost completely knocking him off his feet. Cowbob closed his eyes and felt his trusty guns bang against his hips. He thought of Ole Betsy and Bitty Blue, the sweet sound of their hooves stomping the dirt in unison. He pictured his long time horse jumping fences and galloping towards unknown adventures. To lose such a friend, would be to lose a piece of himself.

With this fact in mind, hatred for the Teeter-Totter Gang burned him deep. He knows several great cow folk that are lost and saddened by their actions. Someone had to stop them and that someone now has a fighting chance. He squinted in the dark, trying to see the face of his partner, knowing full well his yo-yo’s could still meet their mark, even at this distance and in this light. Cowbob just hoped he would be able to resist the urge to fight. To get fired from this job would mean losing any leads they have and never retrieving said horses.

Another large clod of dirt landed on Cow Bob’s hat. With a little shake of his head, he cleaned most of it off and bit his lip grudgingly. He continued to pull at the walls with his aching fingers, waiting for the day to end so the real work could begin. That’s right boys, after work you are mine! He sniggered at this and dug his nails deeper into the walls. He could hear Yo-Yo working alongside him, huffing and puffing but never losing his temper. What a day this is going to be!

*~*~*

Robert Spit the clod of dirt out of his mouth, grass still sticking to his bottom lip as he felt the hand on the back of his head. Brad pushed his face down once more and wiggled it against the cold ground.

“Eat it Cowboy, Eat the dirt.”

Robert could hear the mocking tone of the others in the background. He could feel them step on him and could feel the pierce of the malicious insults. Sometimes about Arkansas, sometimes about his accent, but the one that got to him the most was the farmer comments about his mother. The shame was more painful than the abuse.

“What’s a matter Arkansas, don’t like our grass? It’s better than the slop you ate back home with the piggy’s.”

To his relief, Robert heard the lunch bell ring for the second time, drawing his bullies away from him and deep into the bowels of the horrid school. Tears streamed down his face as he sat under the oak tree. With trembling hands, he opened his sandwich and took a bite.

I don’t care if I’m late, He sobbed.

The sandwich still tasted of dirt as he chewed, but he was determined that he was not going to go hungry today.  He looked over at Yoshi and watched as he continued to spew the contents of his lunch from the side of the merry-go-round. This was going to be a very difficult year indeed. Yoshi wiped his mouth off and continued to sob, randomly shouting words in a language never before heard by Robert.

Even with a language barrier, Robert knew what Yoshi was getting at and he completely agreed with him.

“They need to be stopped!” he spat as he stared at Yoshi’s misfortune.

*~*~*

The saloon doors swayed for a good while after they entered. Even this far from the dustbowl, Cowbob could not shake the scoundrels. Everywhere he looked, Teeter-Totter Gang members were harassing people. Some were cheating at cards; others were simply taking what they wanted from the weak.

Cowbob and Yo-Yo had to be unconcerned. Even if it tore them up inside, they had to ignore them. They were after a bigger catch today and starting a gun fight wasn’t part of the plan. Yo-yo sucked noisily through the straw as he finished off his third fizz of the day. After a long shift at the mine, Cowbob figured they needed it.

He caught the root beer extra fizz and keep his hat lowered. The music played and the women danced. He could hear the loud jeering and the clinking of glasses from all around him. The entire atmosphere seemed to be thick, collecting all the things he despised in life and swirling it around in an invisible hate cloud, polluting his mind and torturing his soul.

He waited patiently for them to leave. They were going to head south for a bit, taking their merchandise to the rustler and claiming their reward. Seemed easy enough, all he had to do was follow them. Be a shadow on a hot desert day, being unnoticed in the mess of thieves. Then Yo-yo and Cowbob could recover the stolen goods, claim their reward, and tumble like a weed in the wind. To be out of that forsaken mine and gone for good is worth his weight in suckers.

He saw the reflection in his glass, the reflexes of a true cowboy is what saved him. Though distorted, he could see the rubber band flying towards him through the empty mug. He dropped to the floor and pulled his six shooters, placing a bead on the bunch and praying for another small miracle.

Three more bands bounced off of the barstool and one more kissed the floor beside his feet. As he let loose on one, he watched Yo-Yo work his magic on the other. Whelped and crying, the numbers started to dwindle to manageable odds. Panic built up and sat on his chest. Cowbob was pinned down.

To the right of him was a Barstool and the left was a piano. Any moment, he would have to make a choice. One that he hoped he would never have to make. Should he dive for it and risk the safety of innocent people, or should he take a direct hit. This decision left him frozen and vulnerable, like a deer in headlights, he stayed put. The bubble of his pupil could read the impending doom, but his brain rejected it. Bands, three of them, came careening towards his body. It was warm like a summer day, yet cold as ice. A bizarre mix of hurt and fear, nightmares and daydreams was all he could remember thinking as the thick bands stole away his consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, sheer invasion of bright sunlight pounded into him. The plowing of hooves against dirt rang into his ears. It took a moment of confusion before realizing that he was on the back of Ole Betsy, trotting his way to freedom. Yo-Yo kicked his spurs into the horse, forcing even more of a distance from his attackers. Behind him, Cowbob could hear a faint steady thud of multiple horses being raced across the hot desert. He now knew his plans for the day were gone. This battle was far from over.