JC: William Redman Carter Part 2: Hermit Chapter 8 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2006 John Carter, William’s older brother, squatted down by the campfire and picked up the coffee pot. While pouring a cup, he asked, “So what do you think of Betsy’s legal problems?” Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, “I don’t know what to think. I keep hoping that the father will drop the charges. It would be a disaster for the prison system if she were to go to jail. The thought of that sends shivers down my spine.” John laughed and asked, “What do you think the chances are of him doing that?” William held out his cup for his brother to fill while he answered, “Pretty good, actually. I’m sure that he doesn’t want to testify about what happened to him. It’s pretty embarrassing for a man his size to say that someone Betsy’s size did that to him. I also think he’s the kind of person who would ask for money to put an end to it.” “You’re probably right,” John said as he poured some coffee into his brother’s cup. The odor of fresh coffee filled the air. “I’m not sure that is the best thing that could happen for Betsy. She needs to learn control.” “I keep wondering when she’ll start her service to the Gods and Goddesses,” John said putting the pot back on the fire. He chuckled and said, “Can you imagine what will happen when the Gods and Goddesses direct her energy at some problem?” “The thought of it scares the daylights out of me,” William said with a snort. He could just imagine her stopping a riot single- handedly. It would make Custer’s Last Stand look like a picnic in the park. “I’ve got to admit the idea scares me a little,” John said. He sighed and said, “It’s a shame that we didn’t get to spend a little more time with her while she was growing up. Same goes for Eddie, too.” “I know what you mean,” William said. John looked over his shoulder at the tent and wondered when Momma Linda would wake. Glancing at William, he asked, “Should we wake her?” “No. Let her sleep. She was pretty tired last night. She’s not used to riding around out here,” William answered. He looked over at the sun that was just above the eastern horizon and knew that it wasn’t even seven in the morning. “It sure is a nice place you’ve got here,” John said looking around at the landscape that surrounded them. He stood up and moved to the edge of their camp. This was the active time of the day when it was cool enough for animals to move around without overheating. He glanced down and watched a desert mouse scamper around the base of a tumbleweed. The mouse was busy collecting seeds. In six weeks, or so, the top of the plant would break off from the stem and shed its seeds as it rolled under the guidance of the wind. “Thanks. We’d have never found it without Daddy Ed’s help,” William said. “No one knows Arizona better than Daddy Ed,” John answered still watching the mouse. The fight for life always amazed him. Seeing what his brother was watching, William asked, “How goes your work?” “Susan and I get to travel the world looking at exotic plants and animals. We’ve gotten a couple of species put on the endangered species list. It is a hard fight sometimes, but I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life,” John answered. He was fortunate that his wife and he shared the same passion and interest in the natural world. There weren’t too many women who would enjoy sleeping in a tent in the middle of some mosquito infested swamp. Susan not only enjoyed it, but she looked forward to it with the same degree of anticipation as most women viewed Paris. “Where are you off to next?” “We’re heading out to the Congo,” John answered. There was a major problem with hunters taking bush meat and killing off thousands of animals. “Sounds dangerous,” William said. “No more dangerous than the Amazon Basin was,” John said. The danger didn’t come from the animals, but the people who lived there. “You’re lucky that Susan shares your passion,” William said. “Yes, I am,” John said. He looked around the camp and said, “This is one of the few times that I’ve been camping without her. I’ll admit that I had a little trouble falling asleep last night. I get worried when she isn’t around.” Laughing, William said, “Don’t worry about her. I’m sure that Lucy is taking good care of her. In a couple of hours they’ll be heading to the mall for a little shopping.” “That’s what worries me,” John said with a laugh. He turned away from the tumble weed and returned to the fire. Shaking his head, he said, “Last time she went shopping she got a camouflage colored baby doll negligee. She beat me up when I laughed at it.” “Where on earth did she find something like that?” William asked. “I don’t know,” John admitted. He grinned and said, “She looks good in it though.” William laughed. He was enjoying the chance to talk with John. It seemed like too many years had passed without them having a chance to get together like this. He asked, “Are you going to have kids anytime soon?” “I don’t know,” John answered with a frown. Shaking his head, he said, “I keep thinking about what kind of life we’d be giving a kid. Susan and I would be miserable living in a house, but raising a kid in some of the places we go to would be nearly impossible. The Gods and Goddesses have given us immunity to the diseases we encounter, but I’m not sure that our children would have the same benefit. You can’t imagine the germs, viruses, and parasites that we encounter.” “I hadn’t thought about that,” William said. “Besides, can you imagine what it would be like growing up while tramping around in the wild?” “That doesn’t sound all that bad to me,” William said. “Come on, William. You know better than that. His home would be a tent. The only toys he would have would be those that he could carry in his pack. He couldn’t have a pet and half the animals he encountered would want to eat him,” John said. Shaking his head, he added, “Besides, what kind of education would he get?” “I don’t know, but your children would have two of the greatest parents any child could possibly want. That’s got to count for something,” William said looking over at his brother with a smile. “Maybe,” John said with a sigh. Looking at William, he asked, “What about you?” “We’re planning on having a whole bunch of kids, just not anytime soon,” William said. “Why not?” “We need a chance to grow up a little,” William answered. “You’re the oldest person I know,” John said. “What do you mean? I’m younger than you,” William said. For some reason, that comment had hurt his feelings. “You were more mature than I am now when you were three years old. You’ve always looked at the world though old eyes,” John said looking over at his brother. William didn’t reply in words. He snorted and shook his head. John said, “I remember when you wouldn’t talk with people because the conversations were too superficial. You preferred learning from books than people because you didn’t have to deal with people.” “Okay,” William said with a frown. “I bet you can’t name three teams in the NFL,” John said. “Sure I can. I’ve studied the economics of sports,” William replied. John laughed at the admission and asked, “Who won the super bowl last year?” “I have no idea,” William answered. “That’s my point. You’re above that kind of stuff. You may have lived around people, but you don’t really live with people,” John said. He wondered how many real friends William had. He couldn’t see his brother having a friend that he just hung out with to pass the time. Linda slipped out of the tent and watched the two brothers talking. She had been listening to them from about the time they started talking about Ed helping William find the property. The direction of the discussion was beginning to bother her. “Do you think I don’t have friends?” William asked. “I don’t know.” “Spirit of Desert Rock is a friend of mine. So is Kotyit. Happy Harry was a friend. I’m friends with Oscar Meyers, too,” William said. “Kotyit is an old man and so was Happy Harry. I see you as being about their age. I can’t say too much about your friendship with Oscar Meyers, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t sit around and drink beers with Dale,” John said. “We don’t drink beers. Our Native American blood doesn’t make that a very good idea,” William said. “You know what I mean. Do you and him get together just to talk about stuff? Do you go hunting and camping together? ” The question bothered William. He frowned and answered, “Dale and I don’t do stuff like that.” “That’s my point. You don’t do stuff like that. You don’t engage people like other people do. Everyone else around you is an employee,” John said looking at his brother. He knew that he was the only one who could say something like that to William and have him take it seriously. “Kotyit once told me that a war party of three wasn’t much of a war party.” From behind, Linda said, “Kotyit is a wise man.” --- When Lucy thought of shopping with another woman, the kinds of stores she considered going to did not include sporting goods and hardware stores. However, those were the only stores that Susan even considered visiting. Since this was really the first chance that Lucy had to get to know her sister-in-law, she had gone along with her. To say that Lucy had found it boring was an understatement. They had spent thirty minutes at the hardware store doing nothing more than checking out the various ropes they had in stock. Even the salesman’s eyes had glazed over when Susan had started comparing the strengths and weakness of hemp, nylon, and cotton ropes. After all of that, Susan had walked away without buying anything. Lucy couldn’t believe that two days of shopping had led to only a single purchase. It just wasn’t natural for a woman to act like that. She looked down at the ground and covered her eyes with a hand when Susan started to show off the results of two days of shopping. Holding out a pair of high top leather hiking boots and, in the same voice as a woman showing off a new pair of high heels, Susan said, “Look at what I found.” Linda looked over at Lucy and rolled her eyes. She understood exactly what Lucy had gone through trying to go shopping with Susan. That was half the reason why she had argued to go camping with the boys. Riding a horse all day and sleeping on the ground at night was better than shopping with Susan. Without missing a beat, John said, “Those are nice. Are they the ones that have a steel toe?” “Yes, they are. I couldn’t believe it when I saw them in the store. I’ve been looking for a pair of these for ages,” Susan answered. Her eyes caressed the leather. “You’re kidding,” Linda said. She noticed Lucy shaking her head as if warning her not to pursue that subject. “I had a pair of these a year ago and they were so comfortable. I was furious when that stupid monkey carried off one of them. I wanted to grab it by the throat and strangle it. I mean, I had just gotten those boots broken in,” Susan said. “I think she would have killed that monkey if she had been able to find it,” John said with a laugh. “Well, it is hard finding a pair of hiking boots that fit so well,” Susan said calming down a little. She growled and said, “At least plants don’t steal stuff.” Hoping to change the subject, John asked, “Did you find anything else?” “No. I guess Arizona isn’t the place to get outfitted for the Congo,” Susan said. William and John exchanged glances. Grinning, William said, “There’s only one place to go.” “That’s right,” John said with a twinkle in his eye. Susan shivered and licked her lips. Excited, she asked, “When can we go?” “What are you talking about?” Lucy asked looking from one person to the next. The deer caught in headlights expression on Linda’s face scared her. “We’re only talking about going to the greatest store in existence,” Susan said rubbing her hands in anticipation. “Macy’s? Saks Fifth Avenue? Neiman Marcus?” “No. The Sporting Goods Store in Colorado,” Susan answered with glee. At the look of horror on Lucy’s face, Linda put an arm around her and said, “I know exactly how you feel.” --- “Druids,” said the man behind the counter when the group entered the store. “Hello,” John and Susan replied together recognizing a fellow Druid without even having to see him or his robe. “Hello Peter Goodman,” William said dredging up the name of the Druid who had taken over the store from Catherine from his memory. Based on the reaction of the man, it was obvious he had recalled the correct name. Lucy came to a complete stop and stared at the dog sled hanging from the ceiling. The price tag suggested that it was actually for sale. She wondered how many of them they actually sold. Looking over at the counter, she asked, “How many of these do you sell?” “A dozen a year,” the man answered with a grin. That was the most common question he got from people visiting the store for the first time. “You’re kidding,” she said incredulously. She couldn’t imagine anyone buying one of those when there were modern snow mobiles available that ran off Fusion Batteries. There were snow shoes hanging next to the sled. She guessed it made sense that if you were going to use a dog sled that you’d also use snow shoes. “Not at all,” the man answered familiar with that reaction. “Have you got any clothes?” Lucy asked deciding that she could look through them while the others were looking at the camping gear. “The whole back half of the store is filled with clothes. If we don’t have it, then it isn’t worth wearing,” the man answered with a grin. He knew that Lucy was going to be disappointed. Lucy headed directly to the back of the store. William went over to where the pack saddles were hung on the wall. Susan and John went over to the area where they had tropical jungle gear. After an hour, Lucy caught up with William. She sidled up to him and said, “Did you know that they actually have camouflage underwear here?” “Really?” William asked with a grin. He was half tempted to ask her to buy a pair. Winking at her, he said, “You might want to show them to Susan.” “You’re kidding!” “Not at all.” Lucy glanced in the direction of Susan and watched the woman examine some mosquito netting. Susan was in an intense discussion with the red robed Druid who had been behind the counter. Shaking her head, she said, “I think you’re right.” “Go ahead and show them to her,” William suggested. “And she seems like such a normal girl,” Lucy said with a sigh. Chuckling, William watched Lucy head over to where Susan was pulling on the netting to see how durable it was. He was pretty sure that it would take Lucy twenty minutes to get Susan away from the netting. It was easy to see that Lucy liked Susan, but she didn’t understand her at all. He turned back to look at the rock climbing gear. There was some gear there that he thought Eddie would enjoy. The collection of carabineers was overwhelming. Frowning, he realized that he didn’t know enough about them to make a reasoned selection. Deciding that a bad choice would be worse than not making the purchase, he moved away from the climbing gear. There had been a time when the knowledge necessary to know what to buy would have just come to him. William stopped in front of a rack containing enameled cookware and knelt down to examine them. They were nice, but he already had a set given to him by Daddy Ed. Peter stopped by and said, “Those are old fashioned, but you can’t beat them for durability.” “I know, I’ve got a set,” William said. Peter pointed to some plastic items on the shelf above them and said, “A lot of people prefer these. They are lightweight and fold up nicely to fit in a backpack. Personally, I can’t stand them.” “I know what you mean. They don’t seem very sturdy,” William said. He folded one of the items into a bowl. It was very flimsy and he could picture spilling his meal onto the ground by accident. Shaking his head, he said, “I’d only consider one of these if I were hiking and had to carry everything with me.” “Like I said, they are popular with a lot of folks,” Peter said. “So what do you suggest for someone who has a packhorse?” William asked. “Cast iron cookware, enameled plates, and stainless steel cutlery. I know they’re heavy, but they’ll last forever. You’re grandchildren will probably be able to use them,” Peter answered. “That’s what Daddy Ed bought for me,” William said. “Ed Biggers is an old fashioned outdoorsman. I bet he’s taught you a lot about being outdoors,” Peter said. “Yes, he has,” William answered. He looked over at Peter and said, “The Rangers taught me a lot too.” Peter raised an eyebrow at the mention of Rangers. He had a lot of respect for the woodcraft. Gesturing to where William had spent thirty minutes, he said, “I noticed you checking out the climbing gear. Did you see anything you like?” “I don’t know anything about rock climbing,” William said feeling rather uncomfortable admitting his ignorance. “Are you with the young woman who went off to look at the clothes?” Peter asked. “Yes.” Peter laughed and said, “I doubt you’ll ever get a chance to learn how to rock climb.” “You’re probably right.” “Is there anything that you need here?” Peter asked. “I’d like to get some rock climbing gear for my brother Eddie,” William said. “I know just the thing for him,” Peter said leading the way to the climbing gear. He knew that Eddie had the highest quality equipment available on the market. It didn’t matter; there was always equipment that required replacement. “Thanks,” William said as he followed Peter down the aisle. After William had finished picking out some items for his brother, Lucy came over and tapped him on the shoulder. When he looked back at her, she gestured to another part of the store and said, “I can’t believe it, she did buy the camouflage underwear.” “I told you.” Lucy sighed and said, “She’s such a nice girl, but you really have to wonder. She gets excited about buying hiking boots and army underwear.”