A Solder's Tale (Book 1 of Something Series) (Completed)

Chapter 9 (Edited)

I leaned against the barn when a Jeep, holding 5 people came to a stop, close to where I was leaning.

"Hey, look at this, we got a new person," one of the boys said spotting me. "Yo, Padre, you're here to help us? Or are you just going to be un baboso, (a retard). "

I frowned a little, as I looked at them. "Yo hablo español, hijo (I speak Spanish, Son)," I replied.

The guys laughed a little. "Sí, sí un poco de español, (Yes yes, a small bit of Spanish,)" the first male said, making the other males laugh.

"¿Cómo te llamas, hijo? (What is your name, Son?)"

"José," the male replied. "¿Cómo se llama?"

"Señor Ryder," I replied. "¿Trabajas aquí? (Do you work here?)"

"Sí, con mis hermanos y primos. (Yes, with my brothers and cousins.)"

I shook my head. "¿Dónde está tu padre? (Where is your father?)"

"Nosé y no me importa (I don't know and I don't care.)"

"Figures," I muttered to myself, making the males hoot with laughter.

"Ah, you stopped speaking Spanish, Padre. You don't know anymore," José said with a smirk.

I bit back a retort and hid an eye roll. "I speak 5 languages fluently, besides English, hijo," I replied. "I also know American Sign Language."

José snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sure you do," he said sarcastically. "Now, if you excuse me, we have to go to work. And you have to do whatever you do without," he gestured to my unexisting arm, "that."

That did it. I was mad. My nostrils flared a little, and I gritted my teeth together. "Wanna see what I can do without my arm, that I lost saving your sorry life, Hijo?" My voice was cold and hard. "Or are you a chicken?"

José gulped a little, but he placed on his brave face and smirked. "Not of you, Padre," he replied. "What can you do?"

I smirked a little as I started to walk over to him. "Let's have a bet, you and I," I said calmly. "How 'bout we have a bet on who can do more push-ups without stopping. If I win, then you and your familia (family) will have to do what I say. There will be no ifs, ands, or buts. If I say drop down and give me 50, then you all will drop down and give me 50. If you don't complete with what I'm telling you to do, you all will have to do a 3 mile run. If you win, then you can blow off with whatever you are doing and act like baboons," I said.

José smirked. "Fine, you have a deal." He held out his hand to shake and I shook it.

I looked around and spotted Bellie (Anna) looking at us. I nodded, gesturing for her to come over to us. She did and frowned, wondering what I had planned. "José and I are going to have a competition on who can do more push-ups without stopping. If he wins, then he does whatever they want to do. Don't worry, your work will still be done, even if I have to do it by myself." She smirked, staying silent. "If I win, then they have to do whatever I say."

Bellie smirked. "Like if you told them to wear dresses, then they have to wear dresses?"

I bit back a laugh. "Oh, you are evil, Ms. Wright."

"I have learned from the best, Mr. Castille" she replied. "Now, what is it that you want me to do?"

"Spot us. Make sure that we're doing them right."

"What about your arm?" She glanced at the arm that was missing, frowning a little.

I shrugged my shoulder. "I guess I'll have to do my best."

Bellie nodded her head, trying not to smirk. "All right. I'll spot you both."

I nodded before glancing at José, after he and the 4 other men got out of the the Jeep. "Ready?"

"Sí, Padre," he replied.

Bellie nodded her head. "Get into starting position."

José and I got into position.

"And you may begin."

And with that, we started.

***

It didn't take long for where we were at to get crowded. News travelled fast, from what I could see.

People cheered left or right for me or for José. They knew that it was a bet to see how many push-ups that one of us could do. What might have gotten them curious was the fact that I had to do them with one arm.

I ignored them, and just concentrated on my breathing, breathing in and out.

"13, 14, 15, 16, 17," Anna counted. "18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25."

There were a couple of 'no's'. and I knew that José had stopped.

"30, 31, 32, 33, 34. Come on Ry. 37, 38, 39, 40."

I took a deep breath and started to push myself harder. My goal, 50, even though I could still do more.

"Stop all ready," José said. "You won."

I ignored him and still went to 60, beating my goal before stopping. I leaned back, wiping my brow. "I could've done more, but I wanted to get started on what you all are supposed to do". I looked at them in the eye. "First, I want to know your names."

"I'm José," José said. "This is my older brother Raúl and younger brother Herberto. Those two are my cousins, Juan and Antonio." He gestured to the other men standing in front of me.

I nodded my head. "Names Captain Ryder J. Castille," I said looking at them in the eye. "You will call me either Captain, or Mr. Castille. Do I make make myself clear to you?"

"And if we don't?" Herberto said.

I raised an eyebrow. "First task is to run around the property. That is the around the barn, the house, and the lake. That is 3 miles. I could do around the 100 acres of land, but you all need to get to work. This shouldn't take you long, 10 minutes at most. No complaining, or I will make it the whole acreage. Do you understand?"

"Bu-" José began.

"What'd I say?"

"No complaining."

I walked in front of José and got into his face. "No complaining, what?" I asked, challenging him to make the first move.

José looked me in the eye, and I could see the hatred for me, in them. "No complaining, Captain," he said.

I smirked a little. "Good, now hop to it. 10 minutes. I expect you to be in the main barn."

"Sir, yes sir," they said before starting to run. "This isn't the Army," one of them muttered.

"Ah, but this is worse," I said with a smirk on my face, before grinning at Bellie, who was trying not to laugh.

"You are evil, Mr. Castille," she said chuckling a bit. She shook her head. "Very evil."