A Dusty Road In Arkansas
by dcat
This is a Hardcastle and McCormick fanfic, the characters do not belong to me.
Rated G
Notes: This story takes place after You Don't Hear the One That Gets You and The Birthday Present, which according to the original airdates were in Feb. of '84. I've given the Judge a little time to recoup and have placed Easter in Mid-April (please don't think of the other episodes as happening yet, even though they did air – just imagine!) I'm not sure when Easter was in 1984, so again, just pretend it's mid April. Anyway, it's Easter, Mark and Milt went back to Arkansas for the holiday….and this little Easter Morning conversation may just have taken place. Happy Easter!
It was coming up on noon as the two men slowly walked the dusty road back from the small church in town back to the farmhouse they were staying at.
It was mid-April, but you'd never know it from the temperature. The younger man was busy rolling up the sleeves of his long sleeve oxford shirt and loosening up his tie, while the older man had removed his sport jacket, revealing a short sleeve dress shirt underneath. The sun beat down on both of them.
"Judge, how come Aunt May and Aunt Zora didn't come to Mass with us?" McCormick asked.
The judge laughed before he answered. "They were up before the crack of dawn kid, they always go to the early Mass, first thing and besides, someone had to make all that breakfast you shoved down your throat."
McCormick smiled as he thought back to the feast he partook of earlier in the morning. He nodded his appreciation of their culinary expertise. "I don't think I've ever had home cooking that tasted as good as this Judge. It's no wonder you're the size you are, talk about food putting meat on your bones." Mark patted his own gut. "I feel like one of those old time kind of guys, you know the ones who could fight bears and cougars with one hand and plant forty acres and harvest a crop with the other." He waved both hands around as if to fight and plant.
"Nah, you couldn't do that," Hardcastle teased him. "You're missing the main component for that."
"Yeah, what's that?" McCormick questioned.
"Yep, you need a brain too." Milt was pleased with his joke.
McCormick rolled his eyes, thinking he was going to get some key ingredient as to those kinds of guys only to have Hardcastle turn it around on him.
"It's gonna be a hot one today," Hardcastle said, gazing up to the sun beating down on them.
"We should be used to this, we do live in California Judge," Mark said.
"You never get used to this sort of heat. I remember days working out in this kind of heat, backbreaking stuff McCormick. And those guys didn't stop for breaks. Real men you know? They worked from sunup till sundown. It's a wonder none of them died from working in this sort of heat. You know that guy in the first pew this morning? That was Marvin Harlenson, talk about a tough old bird. He taught me how to pull up potatoes out of this ground. Not an easy thing to do for 17 hours a day. He's pushing 96 now."
"96? Judge he could take you in basketball right now? Heck, he could take me in basketball right now." McCormick remembered the vice-like hand shake that this Marvin character had given him outside of the church. Mark thought his fingers were going to snap like pretzels.
"That's exactly what I mean. Marv was a helluva worker kiddo. You could take lessons from him on what constitutes a day's work."
"My day's work is fine just the way it is."
"Aren't you the guy who just thought the food you've been eating is going to allow you to fight bears and cougars and grow crops?"
"I guess I'm just not sure I want to live to be 96. Wow, that's old. I'd rather pace myself the way I've been doing it."
A trio of children ran past the two men. The two little girls turned back to look at Mark and one of them winked at him.
Hardcastle looked over to McCormick who had winked back and waved at them, then he looked over to Milt and said, "That's my farm team. See while you're busy looking at the old timers sitting in church, I'm scouting for the future." The girls kept running past, but waved back at him and giggled as they scampered away.
"They're my fourth cousins once removed McCormick."
"Hey Judge, it's not like we're blood relatives, just because we've both given each other a transfusion recently. Your relatives are fair game for me, besides that little blonde one could be a real looker in another ten years." He noticed that Milt was really starting to sweat hard. "You want to stop and sit under the tree over there for a few minutes, this heat is starting to get to me, I need a break," McCormick said. Even though the Judge had been cleared by the doctor to make the trip, he was also supposed to take it easy and a long walk to and from church in some scorching heat wasn't exactly taking it easy.
"I'm okay," the Judge said, "but if you need a break, that old tree is about a good a spot as any." Milt was just as worried about McCormick's recuperation from being shot by Arvid Lee and by everything he'd been through with Weed Randall. They'd been back in Arkansas for a week now and Hardcastle was glad he'd suggested it to the kid. They both could use a real vacation and May and Zora were making sure they both got it. Celebrating Easter with them was just the icing on the cake.
McCormick headed toward the tree to sit down. He'd easily allow the Judge to think it was he who needed the break. He'd been really worried about Hardcastle's recovery. He knew he couldn't dote on the Judge because Milt would never accept that in way, shape or form, so McCormick had to play these little games with him just to make sure he was indeed taking things easy.
"I hope you saved some room in your stomach for the dinner we're having," Milt said.
"By later tonight? Sure, I'll be ready."
"Not later tonight kiddo, this is Easter Sunday Afternoon, we eat at two. It's tradition."
McCormick looked at his watch, it was almost half past noon already. They were planning on eating in another hour and a half.
"See that's how it is with these holiday's sport. Church and food, food and church. If we're lucky, sometimes us men folk can get in a nap somewhere in the midst of it."
Mark smiled, "a nap sounds good right about now," he leaned his head back against the tree. "Yeah, I think I could really get used to this, living out here, hang up chasing after bad guys, do some real, honest to goodness clean living."
"You forgot about the working," Hardcastle reminded him, closing his eyes.
"Naw, I didn't forget. It's just peaceful I guess that's what I meant."
Milt nodded his understanding. "You want to hang up chasing after the bad guys?"
McCormick turned and looked toward the Judge, his eyes were still closed. He hadn't meant to suggest that exactly. "Well," he took a deep breath and paused, "someday down the road I suppose, but I actually kind of like it sometimes."
"It's the adrenaline and the excitement, it just gets in your blood," the Judge explained.
Whew, McCormick had dodged that one. He never meant to suggest to the Judge that he didn't want to partner up with him any longer. He never really told Hardcastle how thankful he was for everything, giving him another chance and giving him a home. "You know I've really learned a lot from these cases we've been working. It's helped with school you know?"
"How is that criminal justice class going this semester?" The Judge remembered to ask.
"Good," Mark sat forward now. "I got a B on the midterm, but I think I can pull it up to an A with a good job on the term paper I have to do and the final."
"That's Erwin Talbot teaching that one right?"
Mark nodded even though the Judge wasn't looking at him, "Yeah, he's a great professor." McCormick wasn't surprised that Hardcastle knew his teacher, the old donkey knew just about everyone.
"Now there's a guy who has a work ethic too, what a crazy lawyer he is. Crazy like a fox," Milt paused and added, "he comes up with the damndest questions when he's cross examining a witness. It's uncanny what he can do to change the outcome of a trial," Milt laughed obviously recalling one they'd worked on together.
"He tells some great stories in class. I'd like to see him in court some day."
"Oh he'd love it kiddo, he's a real showman. You can learn a lot from him."
"Are you happy you retired Judge?" Mark posed.
"Most of the time," he began and then added, "Eh, there's days I miss it I suppose. People mostly, that's what I miss. Some of the best people in the world, came in and out of my court you know." Hardcastle decided to give the kid an oft-handed compliment. He knew McCormick was sharp enough to pick up on it and he learned over the last year the kid needed to hear those kinds of things. Milt figured he probably hadn't heard enough of it growing up and maybe that's why he got into the trouble he'd gotten into. Hardcastle needed to do it in a way that the kid would understand, but one that wouldn't be too overly mushy either. If he did it outright, McCormick would make some stupid smart aleck comment and neither one of them would just be able to soak in the true feeling. Milt checked his watch. "We better keep walking, otherwise they'll have a shotgun pointed at us when we walk up the drive. If you're late for a meal around here, they really do kill you."
The two of them stood up and brushed off the backs of their pants.
"So what do you think is on the menu?" McCormick was curious.
"Only things from every major food group. I suppose we'll have ham, chicken, beef roast, potatoes, salad, homemade dinner rolls, green beans, peas, buttered noodles and the desserts, pies, cakes, cookies. You know it'd be easier to list the things we won't have."
McCormick rubbed his hands together. "Sounds delicious, I can't wait."
"Don't forget you promised to take my 3rd cousin Melvin for a ride in the Coyote too."
"I know, I know, he asked me in front of Father Kostos. So now I have to drive Melvin over to the church, give the good Father a ride and then bring Melvin back to his house. I really appreciate being the side show around here Judge. Thanks for that."
"Listen, do you want to keep eating like you're eating? Then you'll do it without the back talk and you'll like it too, all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I always do, don't I?" McCormick kicked a rock as he walked along. "You know, that was a real nice Easter homily this morning, you know, how we get these fresh starts and how it's up to us to make the most of them. It really makes sense. It's true. I liked it, did you?"
"Yeah kiddo, I liked it too."
The two men kept walking down the dusty road.