The Meeting - Chapter 2

As they walked toward the hotel, Blue removed his hat and slapped it against his leg to remove as much dust as he could. A layer of dust from his pant leg joined the dust beaten off his hat; forming a cloud that blended in with the cloud of dust kicked up by their boots on the dirty street. Blue didn't have much time to admire the swirl of dirt swirling around his boots because his empty belly and plain old curiosity were leading him in the direction the stranger was going.

The hotel was cool and inviting. Blue excused himself long enough to visit the wash stand and wash his face and hands to remove as much dirt as he could, then he rejoined his new acquaintance. A matronly lady served their food with cool glasses of water and hot coffee. The steak and potatoes filled the empty spot in Blue's stomach and the coffee was almost as good as Victoria's. When the man ordered each of them a slice of apple pie, Blue thought he'd ridden right into heaven today. They ate their dinner and chatted like old friends. Blue told him about High Chaparral and the night that Annalee was killed and Mr. Daniels spoke of his life in Boston. As Blue dug into the pie, he realized that Mr. Daniels was watching him. He quickly apologized for not using the manners that his mother had taught him. Mr. Daniels laughed. "It's alright son. You must be hungry after the trip to town today. Please enjoy the pie. It's not as good as Annalee's apple pie, but it's pretty good anyway. I apologize for staring, but you remind me of her you know."

Blue felt his cheeks grow warm and knew he must be blushing. He sheepishly replied that lots of people tell him he resembles his mother. He made his best effort to change the topic. "So, what do you do Mr. Daniels? What are you doin' in Tucson?"

"I'm an artist and illustrator, and my editor suggested that I come out here to get some ideas for a new book that I am working on. I welcomed the opportunity because I've wanted to try to find you for a while now. Do you draw, Billy?" Blue was surprised at the question, so he took a moment to think before he answered. He had brought his sketch pad and pencils with him to keep him busy while he waited for the telegram, but he never really discussed his drawings with anybody. Pa just didn't understand why he would waste his time on drawing. Heck, Blue didn't understand it, other than he knew it made him happy. "Nothin' special, just pictures of things I see on the ranch mostly. They ain't very good." He should have asked his new acquaintance to call him Blue, but the name Billy just sounded right coming from Ma's friend.

Blue's surprised expression at the question about his drawings hadn't gone unnoticed by the man who felt the need to explain, "Annalee was very artistic. I hoped that you got some of her talent. I bet she taught you to draw."

Blue liked this man. He could certainly see why Ma liked him. He had kind eyes a shade darker blue than Blue's and spoke about Ma as if she were very special. He wondered if they were more than friends, but knew he shouldn't pry. "Ma did like to draw, and she used to show me pictures she sketched. I have one picture she drew of Pa and me fishing at the creek that ran by our cabin when we lived in Kansas. I kept it even when Pa wanted us to leave behind everything that wasn't necessary. I hid it in my saddlebags with my paper tablet. Only Ma knew it was there. She also made some sketches of High Chaparral that I kept." It had been a while since Blue talked about Ma to someone and it made him happy to share the memories with this man who seemed to know her so well. Blue and Ma only had each other when Pa was away earning a living as a soldier or lawman; and they'd been each other's support over the years Pa and Uncle Buck had been on opposite sides of the civil war that left very few Americans untouched. He missed her very much.

Jasper Daniels asked about John and Buck and how the family ended up out here. Blue replied that the trip to Arizona had been hard, but an adventure. He had learned a lot from his father and uncle. He had learned a lot about them too. "Uncle Buck likes to fight while Pa likes to settle things more peacefully. Sometimes they fight each other before they decide what they're gonna' do. Pa wanted to come farther west for a while, then after the war he got more determined to move. Uncle Buck has what Ma called an adventurous spirit and is always ready to pick up and go. Ma didn't really want to move, but she wouldn't stay behind. She said she had to go where Pa did."

"It sounds like John and Buck haven't changed a bit, always bickering but always protecting each other too. Did I forget to tell you that John and I are cousins? His mother and my mother were sisters. That would make you and me cousins too. When the rest of the family went west, John's father was determined to stay in Virginia. When Uncle William passed on, John and Buck came to Kansas to be near family for a while. John was an army officer and was able to get a post in Kansas so Buck stayed with us for a while. That's where John met Annalee." Blue heard a bit of sadness in the last sentence.

"Pa never told me how he met Ma. He doesn't talk much about the past." Blue fingered the blue-checked tablecloth and tried to remember exactly what Ma had told him about meeting Pa. "Ma talked about it some, but I think I was too young to understand most of it."

"Well, Billy, I wouldn't want to give away family secrets, but since you're family, I don't see why you shouldn't hear the whole story." Jasper looked at the blue eyes that gazed into his own and noticed that Blue definitely had his mother's eyes. He picked up the glass of water and took a sip to wet a throat that suddenly was too dry for speaking. Looking around, he realized that the restaurant was getting busy with dinner guests. "Why don't we go to my room to finish this conversation? We can take along another slice of pie and a cup of coffee." Blue readily agreed and the waitress was summoned to bring more pie and coffee. Blue didn't need much encouragement to talk with this man. He found that he enjoyed his company and wanted to know more about him. Mr. Daniels paid the bill and they picked up their dessert and coffee and climbed the stairs.