Cowboy's Salvation

Hunter

this is stupid. I hate this. I hate everything. I loved the ocean, I loved my boat, I loved my mom, but everything that i loved had been taken away from me. Hell, i had even loved my father, but that had been taken from me long ago. I slumped lower in my seat as aunt susan drove through the small town of Willcox, Wyoming. She waved at everybody. the sort of town where every body knew everybody. i watched the people go about ther buisness a small child clinging to his mothers leg, some boys skating down the sidewalk talking and laughing, two parents simply sitting and watching thir kids play. They were all happy. I hated them for that, and their happiness just made me that more miserable. I slumped lower in my seat, turning up my I-pod up in an effort to tune out the whole world.

Only when aunt Susan turned off the truck did i come back to reality. I sighed climbing out of the old ranch truck. I looked around. there were three horse barns, not like real barns but rows of stalls with a roof over them. There was three blue "houses. one a large house with a wrap around porch, a mini-house-type-deal, and what apeared to be a bunk house. There were arenas, and corrals, and pastures, and a chicken coop.

    As we walked to house i noticed a girl, about my age. She was working in the garden out front. She had red hair and blue eyes. "Howdy" she said, looking up at us, squinting against the sun, "you must be Hunter, miss Susan said you would be coming" "yeah" was all I said. "well, I'm Andi"said, and having noting else to say I just said "yeah" again. "sorry about your mom" she said, looking genuinly sorry. How could she have any idea what it was like to have your dad leave you and then have to watch your mom die slowly from some disease? Again I had nothing to say so i just repeated "yeah" That created and awkward silence that Aunt Susan finally broke by saying "well, lets get you unpacked." Andi wiped her hand across her forehead, smearing dirt on her face, then went back to work.

   Aunt Susan showed me my room,. The walls were painted light yellow, there was a large window on one wall. I could see miles and miles dotted by horses or cattle, just a reminder that my ocean was gone. Aunt Susan left me to unpack.

   I stuffed my clothes in drawers, made my bed, set a picture of mom and a picture of my boat, Calypso on the night stand and put my I-pod in the drawer. I just sat there on my bed until supper. I sat silently while aunt Susan, calypso and 16 cow hands and I te. Many of the hands tried to talk to me but i mor or less blew them off so they moved on and chatted with each other. I didn't understand half the stuff they were staying "soulda seen it, old twinkie got dusted chasin' an acorn calf on that old buttermilk bangtail, he had so much air in 'is lungs," WTF did that mean. but most the men laughed, one defended himself. So, an insult? and one called me a "regular ol' mail-order cowboy. Once again an insult i guessed. I finished quickly and asked to be excused then went back to my room.

   When I awoke in the morning I was sick of staring at the ceiling so I threw on jeans, a T-shirt, and my converse and slipped into the timber next to the house. I wandered for a while then I climbed a tree and sat down in a fork between branches.

   I had been lying there for a short time when a squirrel scampered up and sat in front of me. It had a big fluffy tail, a twitchy nose, beady little eyes, and cute little paws, just like and other squirrel. Squirrels really are cute, I had always thought so, "f*ck off stupid squirrel." I told it. It just sat there, its nose twitching in an iritating way, and blinked once. "get outta here" I yelled throwing my hands in the air. This time the squirrel cowered, his nose stopped twitching and his eyes filled with fear. He cowered there, paralysed with fear, until I felt guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" I said soothingly. Slowly his nose started to twitch agan and he causiously came bck to a sitting position again.

   Every day that week i visited the squirrel, bringing some food for him to eat, and everyday the squirrel was there. YOu might think I'm crazy, but I talked to the squirrel (of course he didn't talk back, that would be wierd). By the end of the week he was comfortable sitting on my foot while I talked. I talked about my boat Calypso, that used to be my pride and joy, and my mom getting sick, and my dad leaving, and how everyone around here seemed friendly and happy, and tried to talk to me, but I blew them off, and the squirrel would fill his little cheeks with nuts that i brought him. And that became my routine, get up, go talk to squirrel, eat lunch, sit in room, eat supper, shower, go to bed.

So there's the first chapter, hope you liked it, I'll try to get  chapter a day, no promises, and that was really short but the next one should be much longer.