This story was written as a challenge. The first sentence by William Faulkner was given.
Thanks to my Beta!
For Honor
Through the fence, between the curling flower spaces, I could see them hitting and punching each other. We third graders had just finished watering the school's garden when we heard noises of nearby shouting, and then a fight. I stared through the fence between the garden and the schoolyard in wonder, seeing my reasonable elder brother punching another boy with all his might.
The next thing I remember was Adam standing in front of our teacher holding his wet handkerchief against his bloody nose and stubbornly refusing to answer her questions. Finally she wrote a note for Pa explaining that Adam had disturbed the peace at school.
We both know how our father feels about fights, expecially starting one. "Adam, what will you tell Pa about why you fought?" I asked on our ride back home.
"Nothing!" he hissed.
"But Pa will be very angry..."
"It´s not your concern, little brother," he said in the smug "big brother" voice I hate.
"Sure isn´t and I´m glad," I said before letting my horse fall back behind his.
Nevertheless I hoped to myself that Pa wouldn´t be too mad at Adam.
My hopes failed. Pa was furious-and after yelling at Adam a while, he demanded I tell him what I'd seen or heard. I hate beeing trapped like that, but Pa fixed me with that ominous look of his, so I said, "There was something about a saloon-girl and a gambling house hostess…I dunno…."
Pa spun back to Adam. "You defended Marie´s honor? Was it that you wouldn´t tell me?"
Adam nodded.
"Sit down, both of you," Pa said soberly.
We sat on the settee. Pa stood by the fireplace and cleared his throat. "Now tell me what´s wrong with being a dancehouse girl or a hostess in a gambling house."
"They …, you know, Pa," Adam stammered.
"They are sinners, somehow depraved?" Pa shook his head. "You two need to know that your stepmother did work in a gambling house in New Orleans."
Beside me, I felt Adam freeze.
"Adam, do you remember how some kids treated you, and some men me, when we were on the road?"
He nodded again, slowly.
"Why was that? Were we criminals or sinners?"
"It was their prejudice!"
"And could you silence them with your fists?"
"No, sir, not really. Sometimes, if I told them about our plans, they understood and we made friends instead."
"So, son, think how you could handle this better in the future without using your fists. Or are you now ashamed of Marie?"
"No!"
Was Adam blushing?
I'd been thinking over what I'd heard. Ma must have been like the women in Virginia City who played cards with the miners after the men's work was done.
"Pa?"
"Yes, Hoss?"
"If Ma liked working, I think a saloon-girl´s a really good job for a mother because she could be with us all day and only go out after she kissed us goodnight."
I´m not sure why Adam and Pa laughed but the tension broke and that´s what was important.