Which Way?
Two men slumped on horseback stared intently at the sign by the crossroads. The horses stood immobile with their heads down in the blazing afternoon heat. The dark-hair man pushed his hat brim up with one long finger then wiped his forehead with his dirty bandanna.
"Well, Kid, which way?"
"Golden Gulch - 27 miles, Serenity - 12 miles," Heyes read the sign aloud and suddenly sat up a little straighter.
His blond companion removed his hat with his left hand and raked the damp curls off his face with his right. He looked south and saw a dry dusty road heading straight to the flat horizon. He looked north and had much the same view. His sky-blue eyes narrowed, was that a hint of green hills in the far northern distance?
"North to Serenity, Heyes," Kid Curry answered and started to turn his listless horse in that direction.
"I don't know Kid, Are you sure? Let's think about this for a minute," his partner replied quickly.
"What's to think about Heyes? Heading to a town that's 12 miles and sleeping in a bed or taking a 27 mile ride in this heat and another night on the ground, it's an easy decision." Kid once more turned his dark bay north and plodded on for a few yards before realizing he was missing someone.
Kid turned in his saddle to look behind him. Heyes sat placidly on his horse, gazing down the south road to Golden Gulch.
"You comin?" Curry called to his immobile partner.
"No wait, I think we should head to Golden Gulch, Kid. It's a feeling I have," Heyes stated calmly.
"A feeling!" exclaimed the cranky blond half of the duo as he rode back to face his partner. "I don't know what you're feeling Heyes but I'm feeling hot, filthy, tired, hungry and thirsty. I want a bath, a beer, a bed and a meal that's not beans. Today! Not tomorrow. Unless you can tell me a better reason not to head to Serenity that's where we're heading. I've never been there. Have you? Do you know the sheriff, mayor or anybody else in that town?"
"No Kid, you know we've never ridden this way before. As far as I know no one knows us there. No, that's not the type of feeling. It just feels right to go to Golden Gulch. You can last until tomorrow. Think about how much better all those things will be tomorrow. Why I'll buy you a really good breakfast, you can eat mine too if it will make you feel better."
"What will make me feel better, Heyes, is to get a bath, beer, dinner and a nice soft bed in Serenity. Quit stallin' and come on." The Kid absently pulled his sweat-stained, dirt-covered shirt away from his body and flapped the material a few times wrinkling his nose at the resulting tiny movement of air.
Heyes kept a steady gaze on his agitated partner and flashed him a charming smile. "You know Kid, we have had a pretty good arrangement up till now. I do the thinkin' and you do the shootin'. Well you did your part. We lost that posse . Now let me do my part. It's not worth getting yourself all hot and bothered about. I think we should go a little further, not risk going into town so quick, you know, make sure the posse isn't still around"
"We lost that posse two days ago. We're the only idiots still riding around out here. If you wanted to do all the thinking Heyes, why did you even ask my opinion?" Kid now studied his partners face intently. Heyes had something in mind realized Kid.
Kid knew his smooth talking partner very well and could recognize the signs of Heyes wanting to talk Kid into doing something without Kid knowing that was what Heyes was doing. Heyes always gets that trust me reasonable tone and makes it sound as if I'm the unreasonable one. Not today. Unless he tells me, and it better be a darn good reason to make me change my mind, he's not getting his way this time, thought Curry.
"I was just making conversation."
"Humphhh, yeah right. I know you, Heyes. That's not how you make conversation. Now tell me. What is the real reason you want to ride another 27 miles in the heat, drink hot water out of canteen, eat beans and hardtack for dinner, unless we're lucky enough to see a jackrabbit for me to shoot, sleep on the hard ground in the cold desert night and have to ride far enough apart so our combined stench doesn't make us retch?"
Heyes still didn't make any movements to get started in either direction. His trust-me brown eyes met Curry's annoyed blue ones. The silver-tongued ex-outlaw polished his weapon of choice and prepared to wage battle. Heyes really wanted to go to Golden Gulch.
"Just think, what a town with a name of Serenity might be like. It may not have any saloons. Sounds like a very law-abiding, dull, quiet town. Probably only a bunch of do-gooders live there, spending their nights in bible study or improvement committee meetings. Why I'll bet there won't be any place fun to spend our hard-earned money and get the kind of relaxin' you need Kid. You're getting mighty cranky you know. Now Golden Gulch sounds like our kind of town. The land of golden opportunity. Lots of golden beer, golden-haired saloon girls, golden..."
Curry was in no mood to listen to Heyes work himself into a long persuasive speech. Kid leaned forward closer to Heyes and interrupted, the words shooting out from between clenched stubbled jaws.
"We are supposed to be law abiding. We are supposed to do good deeds. After that cattle drive, and you know how much I hate that kind of work, and after riding all over this stupid God-forsaken desert for 4 days a little quiet time sounds just fine to me as long as they have a hotel with beds and bath, and a café that serves steak. And Heyes, even the do-gooders enjoy a beer now and then. I'm sure they have a saloon. Now the sooner we get moving the sooner I'll be relaxin and..."
The words stopped abruptly. Kid Curry stared at the sign for a minute. He slowly scanned the area in a full circle, noting what little landmarks he could identify. He thought about his partner's favorite method of relaxation.
"What day is it?" Kid finally asked knowingly.
Heyes fidgeted in his saddle. "What difference does it make, why do you want to know?" he temporized.
"Why do you always want to know the time? Same reason. Humor me, it's Friday, isn't it?"
"You know, Kid. I think it may be Friday but I'm not sure." Heyes looked the picture of innocent confusion.
"You know it's Friday. Golden Gulch is where that big Saturday night poker game is. Isn't it? The one the cattle foreman was talking about. The one with the mine bosses. You want to go to Golden Gulch and play poker. I'll get to spend the night watching your back and playing with a bunch of dirty, smelly, drunk miners and you'll be finessing your way into that game. Drinking the good stuff, eating decent food, relaxin' your way. Not this Saturday, Heyes. We have enough money for right now. You can play poker in the saloon in Serenity," The hot, cranky blond said forcefully and once again started to turn his horse north.
"Wait, what if they don't gamble in the do-gooder town," Heyes called out.
"Heyes, we don't even know if it is a do-gooder town. You made that up. Even if they don't, you can read. You like that too," Kid shouted over his shoulder as he continued onward down the road to Serenity.
"Wait Kid, We need to decide this fairly with the legal flip of a coin," Heyes shouted somewhat desperately. "Please Kid, it's the right thing to do." He watched his partner's back stiffen. Horse and rider stopped. Heyes watched the back of a brown hat tip back as his stubborn partner looked skyward. He smiled inwardly as the Kid turned the bay around secure in his knowledge of the ultimate destination.
"We will even use your coin," Heyes offered magnanimously.
"Doesn't matter Heyes, your coin will do."
Heyes fished in his pocket and found a nice shiny silver coin. He held it out to show Curry, who was still some distance away. "Here, you can even inspect the coin. Just so you can't say I cheated."
"Don't need to Heyes."
Heyes started to get a suspicious feeling. Curry's sudden change from stubborn to cooperative worried him slightly. He tossed the coin high in the air.
With the speed and accuracy that made the man a legend in his own time, Kid Curry drew, fired and twirled the colt into his holster with a flourish. The no longer cranky "Fastest Gun in the West" looked the silver-tongued ex-leader of the Devil's Hole Gang straight in his wide-open brown eyes and enunciated slowly and clearly.
"I am hot, filthy, tired, hungry and thirsty. I want a bath, a bed, a beer and a meal that's not beans, not necessarily in that order. Tonight! Not tomorrow. Do you understand me, Heyes?" Kid Curry turned his horse to the north and started off down the road for the last time.
"You comin' Heyes?" Kid didn't even look back.
"Geez, Kid, all you had to do is ask. I didn't know you were that serious." Heyes watched his retreating companion. He did look very hot, extremely filthy, dead tired and he was always hungry. If he was being truthful with himself, the Kid wasn't the only one either. A bath, a soft bed, a nice meal with a cool beer and several hours of reading sounded suddenly like a good idea.
Heyes looked once more to the south and spotted the bent in-half shiny silver disk lying in the middle of the dusty road. The reasonable accommodating partner kicked his chestnut to catch up.
"You owe me 50 cents!"
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