LANDLUBBERS, PART 2

 

 

            Oliver sat on the embankment by the St. John's River, which flowed right past his home in Volusia, dabbled his feet in the cool, refreshing water, and sought calm. His heart still banged violently in his chest in response to his terrifying encounter with the Forresters in Boyles' Store, on behalf of his friend Frank's mission to purchase land from the burly, dangerous men. He'd rushed back to his house, hastily reassured his mother that he was unhurt, hidden the rest of Frank's money along with the deed to the formerly-Forrester property, and then come out here in an attempt to relax and unwind his brittle, tensely-coiled nerves. Oliver sighed heavily and worked to force his breathing rate to slow. He leaned forward and splashed his face with the bracingly cool water and then sighed again. He lay back against the grass and closed his eyes.

            "Oliver?" said a voice quietly.

            The blond's nerves shot skyward again, and his eyes flew open to behold a bearded giant standing placidly over him. No! Not one giant...two! The sailor sat abruptly upright and spun on the ground to see them right-side-up. His blue eyes panicked and his chest heaved as he looked up at them.

            "Easy." Buck put out a placating hand. "Hit's still the same day, remember?" He smiled reassuringly.

            Oliver did indeed remember Buck's having said in the store that one should never beat up someone with whom one has just done business, at least not in the same day.

            Buck's eyes twinkled gently at him, as he saw the younger man remember.

            Still, Oliver's eyes traveled frantically from Buck to Mill-wheel and then back, gratefully seeing no hostility in either man. He leaned his head on his hand, panting, struggling for calm. Then, he raised his face to them again. He asked shakily, "Where's th'others??" simultaneously glancing around nervously.

            "We sent 'em on home, said we'd ketch up directly, soon's we finished an errand of our own we needed to do. Mind iffen we set down here beside you?"

            "No," Oliver agreed faintly.

            Buck and Mill-wheel, making no sudden alarming moves, casually seated themselves on the embankment, both to Oliver's left, so that the blond could see both of them face-to-face at the same time, and also perhaps being sensitive to the fact that Oliver would naturally prefer not to feel surrounded, even while seated.

            Mill-wheel said, "I meant what I said back there. You got guts to meet up with us that-a-way."

            Buck agreed, "That cain't have been easy, facin' us, all six of us, so soon after our fight, 'specially whilst you're still hurtin'."

            Oliver shook his head mournfully in agreement. "One o' the hardest things I ever had to do. Uh...," he realized and added somewhat sheepishly, "the second hardest ever, actually." He saw clearly that they understood all too well, and forced a weak smile.

            They smiled back at him kindly, and with only very mild amusement.

            He stammered, "Uh, ...I'm right glad you got that 'same day we done business' rule. But tomorrer??? And the next day???" He let his obvious unspoken question hang in the air.

            "Well now, that's what we two wanta talk to you 'bout. We got th'impression, at the store earlier, and even here right now, that you might wanta make peace with us."

            Oliver blinked. "Is that possible???"

            "Well, I don't know. But seems to us, hit's worth talkin' 'bout."

            Mill-wheel took over, "Now, see, the rest of us got nothin' really agin you; hit's jest Lem that's got it in for you. And you know why. And you know us Forresters'll allus be loyal to each other. But, might be possible to git Lem to agree to leave off you; hit depends on what you're willin' to do."

            Buck said flatly, "Twink's gone. Run off. We figger you ain't yit in no shape to go after her. Now, iffen you'll promise not to try, and to leave her be, could be that'd be 'nough to satisfy Lem."

            They watched him.

            Oliver genuinely considered their words. Not feeling safe anywhere in his own home town had been seriously weighing on him. He was all too aware that it put him in an untenable situation. Timidly, he asked, "What am I to do iffen she comes to me??"

            "Leave her be," Mill-wheel responded firmly.

            "Kin I at least...'pologize to her? And tell her I cain't see her no more??? So's not to be rude."

            Buck hesitated. "That might be all right. We'll check with Lem."

            "How'll I know...iffen he'll agree??"

            "Us two'll come back here tomorrer, 'bout this same time, to tell you."

            Oliver hesitated, unsure of whether to be serious or amused with his next question. "But..., your 'same day' rule: hit'll not be the same day...tomorrer."

            They grinned almost playfully. Buck agreed, "We'll extend the rule this one time, and come to you peaceful."

            Oliver grew serious. "Even if...Lem gives the wrong answer??"

            Buck sobered as well."Yes. Even iffen Lem don't agree."

            Oliver murmured faint thanks.

            "We'll meet you this same place," Mill-wheel told him.

            Oliver looked wistful. "I sure hope...."

            "So do we," Buck said. "We don't like to terrify fellers, honest we don't. When we seed how upset you was, at the store, ...well, we jest had to offer to try."

            "I'm right grateful."

 

            At the appointed time the next day, Oliver waited nervously. He sat cross-legged with his back to the river, facing the dirt road from which his visitors would approach. Upon arrival, Buck and Mill-wheel wore rueful smiles at the sailor's unwillingness to be taken by surprise again.

            But their amusement faded as they sat with him.

            "Oliver, I'm so sorry," Buck said. "We cain't never tell you how sorry. But Lem'll not agree. He don't trust you to keep away from her."

            Before he knew what was happening, Oliver began to cry. He was at least as startled by the fact as they were. He suddenly realized how desperately he'd been counting on them coming to him with good news.

            "Don't hurt me!" he pleaded.

            "Oh, Oliver, we'll not." So saying, Buck hesitantly, awkwardly put comforting arms around him.

            "Not today," Mill-wheel added, with a consoling hand on the blond's heaving shoulder.

            His head rose slightly, and he faced them with tear-flooded, fearful blue eyes. "But...next time I see you-all, and Lem with you...???"

            They didn't need to respond. Their solemn expressions told all. He cried on them for a long time.

            When at last the two Forresters reluctantly indicated that they should be going, Oliver had hold of Buck's hand, and he looked up at him and said, "I don't wanta let go!"

            "Now why is that?" Buck asked gently.

            "'Cause the next time I see you, you'll not even let...!"

            "Let you hang on," Buck finished for him. He caressed a bruised cheek, wincing as he did so, knowing that he and his brothers had been the cause.

 

            It happened weeks later. Oliver and Easy Ozell were fishing in the river. Their fishing poles were dropped, forgotten, when Easy looked up and said, "Oh my god, Oliver."

            Seeing the six arrayed around him as he whirled frantically, Oliver let himself fall backward onto the grass, knowing all too well that rising, or even remaining seated upright, could be lethal.

            "Please!!! Don't do this to me!!!" he implored from the ground, his hands defensively up to try to guard his face, but with fingers carefully splayed, to avoid giving any impression of willing fists.

            "Git up!" Lem commanded.

            "No! No!!" Oliver gasped in dread, with no hint of flippancy: only with pleading, not defiance.

            Voice quavering, Easy begged, "Fellers, please, don't do this!"

            Lem turned his hostility to the older man. "You gonna git into this?!"

            Pitiful Easy wilted even further before their eyes. "No! I cain't. I ain't brave like Oliver. Or Penny. Or even leetle Jody."

            Lem sneered, "Oliver don't look so brave right now, neither." Then, he addressed his brothers. "Let's drag him up."

            Panicked, the blond rolled onto his side and curled up as small as he could.

            "I said git up!!" Lem roared, and delivered a savage kick to the gut.

            Oliver screeched harshly in pain, and curled up much tighter around his agony.

            Buck protested, "Lem, no!! Kickin' ain't right! You said so yourself, when you made fun o' Jody for kickin' and bitin' and clawin'!"

            Mill-wheel joined him, "What's next? You gonna start bitin' Oliver?? Clawin' him???"

            Hearing their concern for him and defense of him, and remembering the recent day in which he truly connected with them, Oliver extended a pleading, trembling hand toward Buck, seeking such a connection again, but the latter stood only close enough for Oliver to barely touch the toe of his boot. Still, Buck caught the gesture and its significance, and subtly, slightly extended an open hand in his direction in return. The hand was too high off the ground for Oliver to even begin to be able to reach, but Oliver saw, got the poignant message, and met Buck's eyes with his own blurred ones in gratitude.

            Aloud, he begged, "I'm afraid!!! Please, let me go!! I'll leave her be! I promise!"

            Lem's only response was to growl, move in on the sailor, and begin to bend down toward him. Oliver let out a terrified shriek and covered his face with his arms.

            Mill-wheel grabbed Lem's arm, and demanded, "What you think you're gonna do?? Drag him to his feet, keep draggin' him up, and keep beatin' him, when hit's clare he ain't gonna fight back??? Keep it up 'til you kill him??? Murder him! Right in front o' this here witness???" He indicated the cringing, flinching Easy Ozell.

            Arch remarked, "Or maybe you aim to kill the witness, too???"

            Easy winced, gasped, and crab-crawled backward, away from them.

            Pack joined in, "And then s'posin' Mis' Hutto hears and comes out?? You gonna kill her, too??? And Mr. Boyles iffen he shows up wonderin' what all the ruckus is???"

            Buck seized Lem's other arm. "Lem, you cain't kill the whole blasted town!!!"

            Lem eyed him dangerously. "We could. We likely could!"

            Thoroughly disgusted, Mill-wheel fumed, "That'd really make Twink love you, wouldn't it?!"

            Buck concurred. "Git him outen here, afore we end up beatin' up our own brother in front o' the town!!!" So saying, he gave Lem a hard shove toward Arch and Pack. They grabbed their disagreeable brother and "escorted" him back to their horses. Gabby followed.

            Buck dropped to kneel by Oliver, and took the blond's hand in his. Mill-wheel dropped down beside them, and commenced patting Oliver's back soothingly.

            Oliver held onto the hand, shifted to lay his head on Buck's knee, and began to murmur, "Thank you thank you thank you..." over and again, while an awed Easy Ozell watched.