The Rock Hole

by Reavis Z. Wortham

  The men were having a great time, not caring one whit if there was a dance going on because they weren’t there to rub bellies with their wives or girlfriends. They’d suffer the consequences later without complaining, for the chance to sit outside with the other men.

  “I recollect the time you and I went up on the creek to do a little hog hunting,” Edwin Lohman told someone I couldn’t see in the dark. Edwin was the only man I knew back then who had been divorced.

  “We didn’t quite make it down to the creek.”

  “Yeah, we did. Except we kept going across into Juarez. In fact, I believe we wound up over there at Cody’s place before he owned it.”

  “Yeah, there were hogs all right, but it wasn’t the kind we were hunting…”

  Cody caught Edwin’s eye and cocked his head in my direction.

  Edwin gave me an annoyed look, but then followed Cody’s lead. “Who’s watching the club for you this evening?”

  “Neal Box said he’d keep an eye on things for me so I could take the kids hunting this weekend. I can’t believe anyone would run a store all day and then my club at night.”

  “He probably wants to show you how to make some pocket money.” Edwin glanced behind me and started to ease his way out of the circle.

  Cody laughed. “As long as he does a good job, I’ll let him take my place any time.”

  “He’s probably doing a better job than you ever did.” A big hand rested on my shoulder and I looked back to find Grandpa Ned standing there, dressed in his constable clothes. His soft felt Stetson and badge almost glowed in the reflection of the yellow schoolyard lights.

  Judge Rains was with him. Still dressed in his dark judge’s suit, the only difference was the pinch-crown fedora covering most of his silver hair. I was always afraid of him. I’d met him several times over the years, but it was my first time to see him outside of his cluttered office. He nodded to the group. “Evenin’, boys.”

  “Howdy, judge.”

  A couple of the men slipped off the tailgate and stood out of respect. Two quietly disappeared into the darkness.

  “I thought y’all were hunting tonight.” Grandpa kept his hand on my shoulder.

  “We had to rest awhile. Top and Pepper ’bout wore me out killin’ everything that walks or flies, so we had to come in and unload.” He leaned toward me. “Tell your Grandpa about our pig hunt.”

  I was embarrassed, but I launched into the story anyway, forgetting the men and talking to Grandpa. Everyone listened to my version and laughed at all the right places. It made me feel about ten feet tall.

  Judge Rains cackled. “Say, y’all need to take me with you next time. I’d love a chance to sleep in the woods again.”

  “We’d be tickled to death. We’re going back out here in a little while. Come go with us.”

  “I reckon I’ll take a rain check.”

  Grandpa Ned grinned down at me. “Sounds like y’all were pretty busy. Well, you boys stay out of trouble out here, and y’all ought to hide them bottles a little better.”

  “Good idea, Tom, Edwin.” The Judge nodded at each man. “I don’t want to see any of you fellers in my courtroom Monday morning.”

  “Yessir, judge.”

  Grandpa gently shook my shoulder. “Cody, you keep your wits about you and be careful with these kids tonight.”

  “Yessir. We were fixin’ to leave after we listen to Uncle Cliff pick for a minute or two.”

  “You can probably hear him better inside.”

  “That’s a fact.”

  “All right. Y’all be careful.”

  I followed Grandpa and Judge Rains back through the doors because Uncle Cody didn’t get right up. On stage, Uncle Cliff and the band played a waltz. Even Pepper was dancing in the corner with Cale Westlake. I could see her laughing and throwing her head back. It made me feel better to see Cale was counting his steps.

  Judge Rains saw them also. “Am I looking at Darrin Westlake’s boy?”

  Grandpa shook his head like he does when he’s disgusted. “Yeah, and I don’t believe he has the sense to know the difference between come here and sic ’em. I’m afraid he’s gonna follow right along behind his sorry daddy.”

  “I’god, I’m tired of seeing these people come through my courtroom one after the other over the years. Maybe I could get a squeeze chute and vaccinate them against having any more young ’uns.”

  I lost their conversation as they drifted toward the refreshment table to join a knot of men standing nearby. Cody stepped through the propped open doors and was immediately swarmed with women. I stayed by the wooden bleachers and watched him work the crowd. He couldn’t take three steps at a time without someone stopping him to talk or hug his neck. He laughed big and hugged them back each time.

  Henrietta Lewis, in her seventies and destined to be forever unmarried, passed me on her way to the refreshment table. “Why, Top! My lands, honey, you’ve grown a foot since the last time I saw you. We’re gonna have to put a brick on your head.”

  I’d seen her earlier and ducked as she went by, hoping to avoid the big spinster woman, who could smother a kid between her giant breasts. She hugged me and made a fuss over how much I’d grown. Then she left me smelling like gardenias from the cheap perfume she wore.

  I looked for Uncle Cody again and saw he had Calvin Williams’ redheaded wife Norma hemmed up in the corner by the stage. Then I knew for sure why we were there.

  Uncle Cliff stepped down for a few minutes and the younger musicians played a Lefty Frizzell tune. Pepper and Cale danced to “Saginaw, Michigan” on their way past, finally brave enough to leave their corner of the gym. In her red button-down shirt and jeans, with her hair pulled back in a long brown ponytail, she was rapidly losing her tomboy look.

  I also noticed a couple of small bumps in her shirt I’d never seen before. I was embarrassed by the revelation, but when she passed, we grinned at each other like we didn’t have good sense.

  It infuriated Cale. He stopped counting his dance steps and scowled at me. “What are you grinnin’ about sissy-boy?”

  “What do you mean sissy-boy?”

  He sniffed the air. “You smell like my grandmother.”

  It made me mad to know I smelled like gardenias. I felt my eyes start to burn. “Kiss my ass.” It shocked me to realize I spoke those words.

  “Let’s go outside you little piss ant. I’ve never liked you anyway.”

  “Oh, shit.” Pepper tried to pull Cale away.

  It was like watching a boulder roll downhill. You can see it happening, but there’s no way to stop it.

  “Don’t.” Pepper put her hand on Cale’s chest. “He wasn’t making fun of you. Top really was looking at me.”

  “I’ll knock his top off all right. Let’s go.” He swaggered out the door, looking back over his shoulder at me. “C’mon titty-baby.”

  Three of his toadies slouched out of the bleachers and followed Cale through the door. They all grinned wide, because each one had been in my position at some time and knew what was coming.

  There was no backing out. If I crawfished, all one hundred and ten students would be talking about me on Monday morning. I was also afraid I’d start crying when I got fighting mad, and there’s no way to make yourself look brave with tears leaking down your cheeks.

  Pepper let go of Cale and grabbed my arm. “You stay in here and I’ll go out and talk to them.”

  “Won’t do any good. If he doesn’t fight me tonight, he’ll do it later. I’m not gonna be called a titty-baby.”

  Oblivious to the drama unfolding under their noses, people laughed and couples danced. Uncle Cliff returned. He picked up the pace, and the dancer’s faces flushed as he swung into a fast two-step.

  I followed Cale’s boys outside. Looking back over the decorated gym, the last thing I saw was Cody grinning down at Miss Norma in his arms. They were having a big time. Despite what was about to happen, I couldn’t help but envy Cody. I wished I was dancing with a redhead instead
of going outside to meet Cale.

  I’d walked inside like a man after telling stories to grownups about hunting. I came back out scared and sick inside; a kid again.

  They weren’t waiting like I expected. They showed some sense because the grownups were still out there in the yellow light spilling through the doors and windows. I thought I was home free because someone had run Cale and his buddies off, but as I stepped off the concrete step and caught a whiff of cigarette smoke, I saw one of Cale’s toadies standing at the corner of the building. He motioned for me.

  I had barely rounded the corner, when a cannonball hit me. The next thing I knew, I was in the dusty grass, wondering what had happened.

  Sparkles of light flashed in my eyes and I heard Pepper in the distance. “Don’t hit him again, you son of a bitch! He wasn’t ready. You’re not fighting fair!”

  “There’s no such thing as a fair fight, stupid.”

  I could already feel my eye swelling shut. The sound of a slap reached me. I got a hard kick in the ribs and it knocked the breath out of me. Then a body landed with a grunt right next to my head. It was Cale and he was holding his blood-spurting nose and squalling.

  Suddenly people were stepping and falling all over me. I rolled over to push myself up, but someone fell on my back. The fight went on for a minute with several more punches and then everything quieted down. Pepper knelt next to me, crying, and the music still poured through the open windows.

  A hand grabbed me under the arm and helped me stand. “You all right? You got sucker-punched pretty good there.”

  My head was spinning and I finally took a deep breath. “How…how?”

  “That’s the first thing you ever said to me.”

  “Mark?”

  “Call me Chief War Cloud now. This your sister?”

  Pepper grabbed my chin to look at my eye. “No, I ain’t. Shit. Will you hold still? I want to see how bad you’re hurt.”

  “You look like his sister,” Mark said conversationally.

  “Naw. I’m his cousin. Who are you, War Cloud?”

  “Mark Lightfoot. My family moved into the shack down from Mr. Ned’s house.”

  Pepper turned her attention toward Mark. “You ain’t hurt, are you? Somebody caught you a good lick.”

  He rubbed his ear. “I’ll be all right. Hope you don’t mind me joining in.”

  I was still feeling woozy. “Where did Cale and them go?”

  “They changed their minds and ran off. I don’t think they’ve ever tangled with a Choctaw before. We’ve always been outnumbered by you white-eyes, so we learned how to fight early. Good thing I was here.”

  A panicked voice shouted from the direction of the parked cars and trucks. “Fire!”

  People boiled from the gym as the cry was repeated inside. We stepped around the corner to see what was going on. I expected the gym or schoolhouse to be burning, but people pointed toward a glow to the east. It wasn’t the rising sun they pointed to and it wasn’t lightning either.

  Judge O.C. stepped out the door. “I believe it could be your house, Ned.”

  Grandpa followed him, but didn’t say anything. I think he was trying to figure out exactly where the fire was. Then without a word he took off running across the playground with Judge O.C. right behind. They jumped in his car and the engine barely turned over before Grandpa jammed it into gear, throwing dirt and gravel into the air. The tires squealed when he hit the road. Someone’s headlights shined through his open window and I could see the radio microphone in his hand and knew he was calling Chisum for help.

  Both Pepper and I were almost lifted off of our feet when Cody grabbed each of us by an arm. “Come on everybody! Get something to fight the fire. We’ll need help before the trucks get there!”

  The volunteer fire department was stationed in Powderly, another tiny community about ten miles up the road.

  Instead of trying to get into the cab with Cody, Pepper and I jumped into the back. The bed was still dirty from the hog carcasses we’d hauled, and the coppery smell of the hog’s blood by the tailgate was so strong it was almost a taste. I looked up to see Lightfoot’s ponytail fly as he rolled over the side with a thump. His eyes twinkled with excitement.

  Cody drove like we were in a race car. We shot down the highway behind Grandpa. With our backs against the cab to stay out of the wind, I fished the atomizer out of my pocket and took a puff.

  Pepper slid over and put her arms around me. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t matter none.” I was embarrassed since Mark was sitting right there. “I’m sorry to shake up your romance.”

  “That’s all right. He had his hand on my ass most of the time anyway, and I kept telling him to quit. I didn’t like it one damn bit.”

  Mark held his flying hair with one hand. “I knew I enjoyed beating on him for some reason.”

  Pepper frowned at him, but didn’t say anything. It didn’t take us long to get to Grandpa Ned’s house. I stuck my head over the cab and was relieved to see the fire was still a distance behind the house. Miss Becky stood on the grass beside the highway with a cloth jacket over her nightgown, waving a flashlight at us. Grandpa braked and pulled over beside her in the oncoming lane. Cody squalled to a stop in the middle of the highway. More cars stacked up behind us.

  “What’s the matter, Mama?”

  “Oh Lord, Ned! I heard that poor Indian woman a-screaming bloody murder down there at the shack. By the time I looked out the winder, the house was afire and someone was hollering for help and screaming, ‘God save us!’ and, ‘No, please, no!’, and then it just quit.”

  Grandpa simply stomped on the gas, throwing gravel all over the yard and Miss Becky. She waved her flashlight at Cody. “Tell him I’ve already called Chisum!”

  He waved to show he’d heard, then made a gun with his right forefinger and pretended to shoot like little kids do when they’re playing. “You got it?” Miss Becky patted the deep pocket of her jacket and nodded. Cody waved again and floored the accelerator.

  I looked over at Mark. His face was completely blank. I wondered how he could hear something so horrible without reacting. I didn’t know until much later his entire life was one tragedy after another.

  Once again Grandpa’s brake lights lit up as he slowed to turn left onto the dirt road leading to the shack. The sedan’s back tires barely gripped the soft sand enough to keep him from slewing into the bar-ditch. He brought the car under control and then floored it.

  We followed close behind, leading a line of trucks and cars. Headlights flickered in the dust raised by over two dozen vehicles. Ahead, the weathered shack was completely swallowed in flames licking high into the air. I wondered why bundles of clothes were scattered across the dirt yard.

  Grandpa slammed his brakes. Cody slid us to a stop beside his car and opened the door. We started to get out but he held a hand toward us. “Y’all stay back there.” His short tone stopped us cold. I didn’t move.

  Grandpa looked over his shoulder and reinforced the order to us. “You heard him.”

  Judge Rains stepped out of the passenger side and held out his hand. “You men hold up, don’t worry about the fire. Stay right where you are.”

  “Listen, Judge, we have to do something.”

  He gave Isaac Reader a sad look. “It don’t look like there’s anything left to do.”

  I could tell the men stood there against their better wishes, but Grandpa and the Judge had spoken. I was glad Uncle Cody had parked so far away. Even from our distance the heat was almost too much. The fire was more powerful than any I had ever seen. It roared through the engulfed house and smell of smoke mixed with the odor of cooking meat was strong as the north wind pushed it toward the cars.

  They walked slowly toward the nearest pile of clothes. For the first time I saw Grandpa’s pistol hanging loosely in his big hand. It sent a tingle down my spine. He knelt by the mound. An ax handle stuck up at an angle.

  Pepper moved in the bed of the truck to look over
the cab. “Shitfire. That’s somebody.”

  The pile of clothes suddenly changed shape before my eyes and I gagged when I realized the smell of roasting meat came from burning bodies. I leaned over the side of the El Camino and gagged again.

  “It’s Mama!” Mark jumped over the edge of the truck bed.

  Cody put his hand against Mark’s chest to hold him still. “Stay right here. How do you know, son?”

  “She only has one dress.” He didn’t try to go to his mother’s body. Instead, he stood there and leaned into Cody’s hand, tears running down his cheeks.

  Lightning flickered across the river in Oklahoma. Grandpa glanced toward the north. “It’s coming up a storm. The rain will wash away any tracks before we get a good look at them.”

  He stood slowly and exchanged words with Judge Rains. As they walked across the grassless yard, Grandpa slipped the pistol back into his holster. The two men looked much older to me in the firelight. For the first time in my life, I realized Grandpa would die some day.

  Mr. O.C. and Grandpa stopped beside a second smaller bundle, and then continued on to a third. The flames roared even higher. The bright orange light made everyone there look evil. But I knew Evil had already left.

  The heat became even stronger, and Uncle Cody started the engine and backed it up some. Other men did the same, moving their trucks back toward the highway. Grandpa didn’t notice it, though he was closer than the rest of us. I guess shock and duty took over his mind.

  The rising wind fanned the flames and brought their voices toward us. Judge O.C. kept his back turned toward the intense heat and protected his face with his hat. “My god, what’s this world coming to when people take chopping axes to kids?”

  Grandpa shook his head and walked slowly back toward us from the burning shack. “All right then. You men check those bodies closest to the house there and drag them away before they catch fire. Their clothes are already smoking.”

  Grim-faced men hurried toward the shack. Thunder rumbled in the distance while several more tenderhearted men and women wept beside the cars and trucks. Highway patrol cars with their lights flashing shrieked down the hill toward the creek, slowing to pass over the narrow bridge before speeding up again toward the flames rising into the cloudy night sky.