Hoss, the young guy of 11 years old was sitting on the living room floor like an Indian, covering his face with his hands, while Little Joe (5 years) old was standing staring at him with very wide eyes and even more opened mouth
-Daddy's gonna kill me
-No, if He doesn't find it out.
-Oh, Little Joe, Dad always finds out, He has a kind of creepy superpower or else.
-But Daddy is not even here! He's with the tree feeling,
-The Tree felling, Little Joe.
-Whatever … and He will not return until next week.
-I know, but when He'll return, He's going to kill me (shaking his head). Joe, if Dad kills me, all my stuff are yours
-All? Carrot, too? (Referring to the Hoss' horse)
-Take care of her, She loves artichokes and oatmeal cookies.
-Don't worry, Hoss. I'll give artichokes every day.
-Thanks, little brother (said downcast while ruffled Joe Hoss)
-But what if we fix it
-We? How?
-When Adam and dad were putting fences… One day they took me with them… and I saw how they helped old Thomas to rebuild the henhouse.
-Little Joe, Dad's armchair is not a henhouse.
-Yeah, but it's the same, you've to take a piece of wood and some nails and you've to cross them well (indicated by his little arms) and put them on the edge, and "ammer" them very strong
-Hammer
-That's what I said (indignantly). You have to hammer (pronouncing carefully) and then cut 4 pieces of timber and put each one as leg on each side. And I'll paint and varnish. Adam taught me. And you'll see… Dad will not even notice. Let me (Little Joe take him out) I'll teach you.
-I don't know, Little Joe. If Dad catches me lying, He'll take me to the barn (Joe was very young yet and his father had never taken him to the barn, He had just received only a hand spanking from his father or Adam, but he knew that when his brothers got in troubles, in big troubles, They always ended doing a short walk to the barn, and then they were sitting on cushions a couple of days and trying to avoid riding at any price)
-He will not catch you, if we do well. And you are very good with the "ammer" (Hoss stood hesitating a moment, but then smiled, and ran to the shed where their father had the tools).
A week later
-I'm dying to arrive back home and take a bath (Adam said in the same time that he stepped into the Ponderosa ranch) I have resin even inside the ears!
-Amen, son, amen. You go first, while I'll watch the correspondence.
-I'm not going to argue with you, dad (father and son laughed. Adam was 17 years old but he worked as hard as any adult. Adam was a polite young one, intelligent, handsome, and responsible. And since he was 14, Ben had begun to relegate him the responsibility of some of the minor tasks of the ranch and take him with him in the long trips).
-Hahaha (Ben laughed cheerfully, while they left the horses in the stable)
-That smells so good; it smells like Hop Sing's berry stew.
-Then we should run before Hoss will finish all.
-Daddy, Daddy, Daddy (Little Joe ran to his father when he heard the horses reach the barn and jumped into his father's neck. Ben caught him on the fly and gave him a pair of kisses)
-Hello, Shorty, How these weeks were?
-Very well. Jimmy brought a very big spider to school and Miss David was screaming like a nuts. And Tally has had kittens, 5 Dad, five! Hop Sing made hazelnut and honey biscuits, I've saved you one (Little Joe was speaking very fast and gesticulating a lot)
-Well, thank you.
-And I save a biscuit for you too, Adam (Little Joe said without letting go of his father's neck while they walked home)
-Thank you, Little Joe.
-And do you know who was here? Mr. Sanchez, but He's going to return on Friday.
-Heck! A lot of things have happened here.
-yeeeeeeeeeeeees, that's because you have been out a long time. Dad, you smell weird.
-It's Resin.
-And why do you smell "raisin"?
-Resin, Joe, resin (his father corrected him). And I smell resin because we have been cutting down trees.
-Did you cut down the trees with the resin?
-Hahaha no (laughing at his little one's occurrences) We cut down them with axes. Hey, little man, why do not you go in and help to prepare the bath for Adam and me?. I've to check the mails and some very boring things first, but after I'll clean my self and I'll join you on the bath so you'll stop saying that I smell funny.
-Yeeeeees (He let go his father neck and jumped and ran into the kitchen to start preparing the hot water for bathing)
-WAIT, shorty! (Adam yelled, running after Little Joe) I will help you with the hot water (Adam didn't want that the boy scald himself with the hot water)
-Hahaha (Ben laughed, as he put his hat and gun in his office)
Ben looked the pile of letters on his desk and sighed deeply, it would take him all the night to catch up. Ben was walking up and down in his office, while he was ordering the letters in order of priority. He made three piles and put them carefully on his desk. For a moment, Ben felt down when he notice how many letter he will have to read the next day, but the sound of Adam and Little Joe laughs from the bathtub, put him in a good mood. So he decided to grab the first bundle of letters and start working. Ben, took the pipe out of his box, and took two deep puffs and he got ready to sit in his armchair to start reading. And suddenly… pataplaf! His ass ended on the floor, with his broken armchair behind him.
Ben try to stand up with some difficulties but once he stood up He put back the chair, but It fall again It had the legs broken. First thought the chair was broken for his weight, it was very old, when He bought it home it was already old. But after seeing the chair more carefully, He could see the nails and strips and the four plugs paint with paint ditches. And He has any no trouble to connect the dots.
-Joseph! Erik! (Ben roared shaking the very foundations of the house)
-ups! (Little Joe said in the bath with his brother)
-ups? (Adam said, arching an eyebrow. Little Joe bit his lower lip) Ok, let's dry you off and put on your pyjamas, because for Dad's tone, it would be better we go now.
-I don't do anything, Adam, I swear (said Joe denying with his head)
-Go, go! (Putting him the nightgown.)
When Adam arrived to his father's office with Joe in his arms, Hoss was already standing in front of his father's desk with his head down and crying.
- I'm going to make you some questions and If you know what's better for you, you'll only tell me the truth. Who's been sitting in my archair and has broken it?
-It was me, Sir (Hoss said in a trickle of voice)
-how?
-We were playing the explorers.
-In my office?
-Yes, sir.
-Okay, one more thing who tried to fix it?
-Me too, sir.
-But it was my idea (said Joe but then he hid behind Adam to avoid his daddy angry stare)
-Sir, I fixed it, Joe is too young to use tools (Hoss said he didn't want that his father would be angry with his baby brother).
-Okay, Hoss I'll see you in the stable, go and wait me there, I'll go asap (Hoss looked at his father's eyes and saw disappointment in his eyes, tears start to fell and He ran to the barn) Joseph, tell me, are you allowed to be in my office when dad is not there?
-No, Dad, I can't.
-And could you play in my office when I'm at home?
-No, Dad (Joe said crying already)
-So if you know that you can play in Daddy's office and know you can not enter Dad's office when dad is not there tell me why did you come anyway?
-We were explorers, and We were too much cold! We were in the "antartita", daddy. So we fled to Africa (a zebra rug was laying in his father office floor, Ben had a hard time trying not to to laugh at his youngest explanation)
-Joseeeeph!
-Sorry Dad, we shouldn't play here. Your office is not place to play around.
-You shouldn't have come into my office and point! (Little Joe was worried to see that his dad was very angry and hid behind Adam again) come here Joseph (Little Joe held tight to Adam, but Adam released him and gently nudged him towards his father)
-Daddy
-Joseph (Joe gulped but came close to his father) PLAFF PLAFF PLAFF PLAFF PLAFF PLAFF (Ben gave six hand spanking on his chubby bottom, he had still a toddler bottom, Little Joe was screaming like someone were killing him)
-Auuuuuuuuu aaaaauuu Daddy. DON'T I'll be good auuuuuu never again, I won't be naughty anymore auuuuuuuuuuuu ay ay (after only 6 spanks Joe was crying toughly , Ben took a while to calm him down, finally He fell asleep in his arms. Ben gave Joe to Adam, who put him into the bed, very deep sleep )
-Ben, took a deep breath and took off his belt, doubled it over and went to the barn.
-Erik, I could expect this of Little Joe, or even Adam, but you? You've always been the most honest of my children, the most loyal and now this... I'm not hurt because you disobey my orders and came into my office and played there. I'm disappointed because you tried to hide that you had broken the armchair. Seriously, son? Did you think that this arrangement so sloppy was going to work? Son, I would be angry to know that you had disobeyed me and you had broken my chair, but the fact of trying to hide it ...
-Dad, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I freaked
-No excuses, Erik, you're 11, I hope that when you do something wrong at least have the honesty to recognize it and accept the consequences (Hoss was crying.)
-Yes, sir, I'm sorry, please forgive me father (Hoss really was crying from his heart. The reason of his tears wasn't the fear of spanking, but he knew he had let down his father. Hoss couldn't understand why he had done something so despicable like was trying to trick his father. He wasn't that way; he hated lying to his father. Ben left the belt over a water barrel and came close to Hoss)
-Son, I'm proud of my three boys, the three are special in their own way, and I'm just disappointed with you because you betrayed yourself. You are honest and good (Hoss hugged his father and blubbered for a while while he swore that he wouldn't disappoint him never again. Finally, after a while Hoss calmed down)
-I'm ready, Dad (Hoss was placed by his father over the barrel. Ben had the intention of giving a good spanking on his bare ass, but after seeing how regretful he really was, Ben decided that he wouldn't give more than 20 with the belt).
-Okay son, It will be fast, after this, You and Little Joe will assist Hop Sing with all his chores for the next two weeks, okay?
-Yes, sir
-ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS NO MORE LIES ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS NO MORE PLAYING ON THE HOUSE FURNITURE ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS NO MORE ZWASS ZWASS enter IN my office without my permission ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS ZWASS Very well son, you did very well (BEN back rub him to calm him and let him know his daddy was there with him)
-ay ay noooooooo Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu auuuuuuuuuuuuuu hurts hurts ayyyyyyyyyyyy dadyyyyyyy NOT ayyyyy auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu auuuuuuuuuuu the auuuuuuuuuu.
-Shhhhhhh It's over my little big man, daddy loves you, daddy forgives you,
-Dad Sniff sniff sniff sniff sorry I didn't mean… I was wrong SNIFF never sniff
-Shhhhhhhhh son I know it, I have any doubt of that (Ben said grabbing his chin and looking him in his sparkling eyes) I love you son, and I'm proud of you, you're my son. Come inside, your brother and me are starved we haven't eat anything in 10 hours. And the smell of this stew is driving me crazy? Son, are you hungry?
-Dad, I'm always hungry (Hoss exclaimed indignantly)
-Hahaha
