Once his chores were done that afternoon, Matt returned to the house with slow steps. In the kitchen he washed his hands, and walked into the living room. His younger brother was alone there, and when he saw Matt appear, he exclaimed, "Mannie, play with me!"

Matt did not answer his request, and asked instead, "Where's Ma?"

"Upstairs."

Wanting to let his mother know he had finished all his chores, and homework, Matt rushed up the stairs. As he advanced along the corridor, he could hear voices coming out from the bedroom he shared with Jed. He approached, and stopped at the door from which he could watch his mother and Jane inside.

"Ma, where shall I put these?" asked Jane, holding a pile of clothes in her arms.

Lou looked through the garments. The boys' wardrobe was too full of clothes that the children did not get to wear anymore. In some cases, the boys had outgrown them, and in others, the garments were so worn out that they needed to be thrown away. So today Lou had thought she could tidy up the wardrobe. She would get rid of the tatty clothes, and since Kid would be going to Seneca soon, he could drop by the orphanage there and donate those clothes Matt and Jed did not need anymore. Her children were very lucky to have been born in a loving home, but that was not the case of many. So Lou tried to help whenever she could, and do something for the children who were living a similar situation to the one she had lived many years ago. So even though she could keep some of Matt's clothes for when Jed could wear them, she decided to give them away too. "Put the shirts in the carpet bag, honey. These go to Seneca."

From the door, Matt watched them in shock. His mother had not changed her mind, and still intended to send him away. She was already packing his things, having everything ready for his departure. Now Matt was coming to realize there was no way back. Nothing he could do would change the direction of this road, and he needed to come to terms with his new reality. Why then had Ma said she was happy to have him as a son? Why was she so loving lately if she was sending him away anyway? Maybe she was just being kind, and wanted to make his last days at the ranch nice. Matt felt a terrible urge to cry, but he resisted the tears stubbornly.

It was then that Lou realized the boy's presence, and she smiled. "Hey, honey," she greeted him, as she approached. "Have you finished your chores?" Matt nodded somberly. Lou noticed that her son was in a subdued mood again, and he looked as if he was about to cry. "Are you all right, Matt?" she asked, brushing her hand over his sandy hair.

"I'm fine," the boy replied in a low voice.

Lou stared at him for a few seconds, and then added, "What are you gonna do now?" Matt shrugged his shoulders in indifference, and Lou said, "Will you do me a favor, sweetheart?"

"A favor?"

"Yes, I want you to go and play with Ike. It's a lovely day outside, and I know he misses you," Lou explained with a smile.

Matt kept quiet for a while. "And what will Uncle Buck and Aunt Ellen say?" he asked, as he brought to mind his mother's words a few days ago about how Ike's parents did not want Ike to hang out with him.

Louise frowned in confusion, not understanding what Matt meant by that. When the boy did not elaborate, Lou added, "Well, I imagine as long as Ike has finished his homework, Aunt Ellen won't have anything to say against it. Come on, let's go. I'll walk there with you."

Matt shrugged his shoulders, and followed his mother. Ten minutes later both boys were in the yard. Matt was not in the mood to play, and went to sit on the edge of Ike's porch. "What do you want to play?" asked Ike as he approached his friend.

"I don't really want to play," Matt muttered.

Ike sat down next to his best friend, and watched him with curiosity. He had never seen Matt look so low, and he really worried him. "Do you still believe that silly idea that your parents are sending you away?"

Matt sent him an annoyed look. "It's not a silly idea. It's the truth."

"I'm sorry, Matt, but I can't believe it."

"I didn't make it up! I heard them!"

"Maybe they were talking about something else. It wouldn't be the first time you got confused. Your Ma came to the school today just to take you to the doctor's. Why would she do that if she didn't love you?" Ike insisted.

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Maybe they're planning to sell me to some people, and want to make sure I'm fine for them."

"That's crazy!" Ike exclaimed.

"And… and she's packing my clothes right now. That's why she brought me here to play with you. She doesn't want me to know, but I do know. She's sending me away," Matt said in a quivering voice. "I'm not inventing that! Jane's even helping her. Nobody wants me to stay."

Ike looked at his friend sadly. "I do. I want you to stay," he whispered.

"I know."

"When you go to live in Seneca, I'll visit you. I'll ask my father to take me there. You'll be my best friend forever… no matter what."

Matt smiled sadly. "Yes, and you'll be mine… no matter where I go, no matter where I am."

"How's your head?" asked Kid as he stepped into his bedroom that night. Lou had complained about a terrible headache that evening, and he had convinced her to go to bed earlier than her usual time.

Lou looked at him with half-open eyes, and muttered, "The same. I've tried to sleep, but I can't."

"Too many worries, huh?" Lou nodded. Kid was also very concerned about Matt, because it was clear that something weird was going on with the boy. Tonight at dinner time he had been even quieter than these past days, and had hardly eaten, and his sullen bearing told them that there was something wrong.

"Have you checked on the children?" asked Lou, resting her hands on the mattress and pushing her body up.

"They were in bed before I went out to feed the animals," Kid explained.

"Could you please check on the boys again, and make sure they're already asleep, please?"

"Sure," Kid replied promptly, and walked out. When he crossed the door of the boys' bedroom, he first approached Jed's bed. They boy was sound asleep. Kid smiled at seeing his son. He had his right thumb in his mouth, and his free hand tightly held an old stuffed toy which used to belong to Matt. Lou was trying to stop him from his habit of sucking his thumb, but she had not succeeded so far.

Kid rearranged the blankets around the boy, and after placing a soft kiss on his forehead, he walked to the other end of the room where Matt slept. When they had first bought the house, Lou had complained that the rooms were too small, so Kid had gradually made some extensions, and the bedrooms were now ample, and airy just like Lou had wished. Kid was proud of his hard work in their home. The children enjoyed comfortable lodgings, having their own space in the same bedroom, and even if the family increased, they would still have plenty of room for any newcomers.

Kid looked down as he stood before Matt's bed. The boy was buried under the quilt, which covered him from head to toe. Kid could notice his shivering figure under the bedding, and when he gently uncovered him, he heard the muffled sobs that the boy was trying to muffle. Matt had his eyes closed, but the tears flowed down his cheeks, and his body, curled up, was trembling like a leaf. Kid grew concerned, and shook the boy softly. "Matt, buddy, wake up."

The boy opened his eyes at once because he was not really sleeping. On seeing his father, he wiped his tears with his sleeve, and muttered, "Pa…"

"What's wrong, Mattie? Were you having a nightmare?" Kid asked, but when the boy did not answer, he insisted, "What is it? You can tell me."

"I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" Kid asked, but when Matt did not answer, and apparently did not intend to do so, Kid added, "Mattie, do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

"Please, Pa," Matt replied, nodding energetically.

"Make room for me then, buddy." Matt shifted his body in the bed, and Kid lay down next to him. Instantly, Matt wrapped his arms around his father, hugging him tightly. His body was still trembling, and he wanted to keep crying, but he fought the tears now that his father was with him. He noticed Kid's hand stroking his head as he sometimes used to do when he was younger.

Both father and son remained in silence for a while, and then Matt called him in a whispering voice, "Pa?"

"Yes, buddy?"

Mattie did not speak straightaway. He kept considering how to ask his father what worried him. "Pa… Pa, are you… are you really fond of me?" he asked, wanting to make sure that what his father had told his mother was true.

Kid smiled at the choice of words of his son. "Yes, Matt. I'm very, very fond of you."

Matt smiled timidly even though his fears were still very real. "Pa?" he called a second time.

"Yes?"

"Do we… do you always do what Ma says?"

Kid grinned again. "A good question," he said in a thoughtful way. "Well, your Ma is a clever girl, and knows what's best for all of us. Don't tell her this, so between you and me, she's really the boss in this house."

Matt sighed. This was not the answer he wanted to hear. Even if his father were not happy about the Seneca thing, he would never oppose Ma in this. "And Pa…"

"Yes, Matt?"

"I love you and Ma very much. I really do."

"I know," Kid replied, stroking the boy's head affectionately.

"And I like our family, our home."

"That's good to know."

"And families need to be together all the time. Isn't that true, Pa?" Matt insisted.

"Yeah, sure. It's true…most of the time."

"Most of the time?" Mattie echoed in confusion.

"Well, not everybody is so lucky, buddy," Kid explained, as he pondered about his own experience or Lou's. Unfortunately, they had not enjoyed a normal childhood, and they had grown up under very hostile circumstances to have an average family life. He had been forced to face adult responsibilities when his father had disappeared and his brother had left. And Lou had spent much of her own childhood in an orphanage. "Sometimes things happen, Matt, and in some cases it's not possible for everybody in a family to be together."

"I see," the boy muttered in a sad voice. "But that's very sad, and scary."

"I know, but you needn't worry about that, Matt. You needn't worry about anything at all, all right?"

Matt did not reply. How could he not worry? He did not even know what was going to happen to him when he was sent to Seneca. He wished he could ask his father, but he was too scared. All he wanted was to believe that he was going to stay here with his family all his life, and if he did not know the truth, maybe it would not happen after all. He wanted to believe this was just a bad dream, only a nightmare. Matt closed his eyes, hugging his father even more tightly, and little by little, he finally fell in a deep slumber that took him to a world where there was no Seneca, no worries, and no fears.

Matt's worst fear became a terrifying reality when at lunch his father announced that he had changed plans and was leaving for Seneca the next day. Apparently he had received a telegram from the fella he was supposed to meet, and for some reasons that Matt did not care to understand, he had to travel tomorrow. The rest of the day had been terrible for the boy; he was so scared that he could hardly move, talk or eat. He had even thrown up his lunch. His mother had made him lie down in his bedroom for a while, and tonight she had not said anything when he had refused to eat.

Louise entered the boys' bedroom, and headed straightaway to Matt's bed. "How are you, honey?" Lou asked, automatically pressing her hand on his forehead to check whether he was running a fever. Fortunately, that was not the case, but Lou was very worried, and tomorrow they would pay another visit to Dr. Maxwell. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No," Matt muttered apathetically.

"Does your belly ache or anything?" Lou insisted, but Matt only responded by turning his head from her, and directing his eyes to the wall instead. "Well," Lou continued, "I guess a good night's sleep will do you good." Lou bent over to kiss him on the forehead, and as she straightened up and saw Jed watching her with big eyes, she added, "And that goes for you too, young man. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day." With Kid away, and having to shoulder all their responsibilities on her own, she knew she was up to a few hard days. In times like this she wished she could swap roles with her husband, and he could be the one to stay at home with the children.

"Yes, Ma!" Jed exclaimed as he closed his eyes tightly, and hugged his stuffed toy against him.

Lou turned to put out the lamps, and noticed Matt's big eyes staring at her with a strange expression. "Something wrong, honey?" The boy shook his head, and once again turned his face back to the wall. "Good night then," Lou said, finally leaving the room in darkness.

When she walked into her own bedroom, Kid was getting ready to go to bed, and asked, "How's Matt?"

"I…I don't know," Lou replied tiredly, as she dropped down on the bed, and started to undo the buttons of her blouse. "He won't say a word. He's like… in his own world, and I really don't know what to do."

"I wish I didn't have to go to Seneca, and could stay at home. I don't like to leave you alone with this problem," Kid said, sitting next to her on the bed, and caressing her back affectionately.

"Hopefully, Matt will come around while you're away."

"It's not easy to be a parent, is it?" Kid added.

Lou shook her head sadly. "And nobody teaches you how to be one."

Kid smiled, and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. A knock resounded in the room, and he added, "Let me deal with this one." He walked to the door, and as he opened it, he found his eldest son, tears rolling down his face. "Matt?"

On hearing the boy's name, Lou jumped off the bed, and came behind her husband. When she noticed his tears, she grew even more worried than she already was. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Please, please, don't take me," he hiccupped, joining his hands together as if he were praying. "Let me stay, please. I'll be good. I promise. I'll be good, please."

Kid and Lou shared a confused look. "Matt, what are you saying?" Kid asked, passing an arm over the boy's shoulders, and steering him into the room.

"I don't want to go to Seneca. I want to live here with you, and with Janey, and Jed, and Virginia."

"Honey, come here, and explain to me what's all this about Seneca," Lou said, taking his hand, and guiding him to her bed. She made him sit down while wiping his tears with a white handkerchief. "Just calm down, and tell me everything."

Matt's tears gradually subsided, and then said, "I heard you and Pa the other day when you were talking about sending me to Seneca and leaving me there."

"What?" Lou exclaimed, sharing a look with her husband. She did not understand a word.

"On Sunday. The day I set off the firecracker in the kitchen, and you got angry. You said you didn't want me here anymore."

Suddenly, it dawned on Louise what her son was referring to. "But, Matt, we weren't talking about you. We were talking about Ramon."

Mattie creased his forehead in bewilderment. "The goat?"

"Yeah… he's a real pain in the neck. He gnaws at everything, charges at everybody, and you know what he did on Sunday?" Matt shook his head, and Lou continued, "He ate all my strawberries!" Lou had been trying for years to make her strawberry bushes in the orchard to bear fruit, and last spring she had gleefully discovered the first few berries. "And remember what happened when he followed Ike into his house? Didn't you see the way the living room was after Ramon had been there?"

"Aunt Ellen was very upset afterwards," Matt added with a smile. He looked up at his mother with hopeful eyes, and added, "So I'm not going to Seneca?"

"Matt, how could you even think we could do something like that to you?" Lou exclaimed.

"That's what worried you all this time?" Kid asked.

The boy nodded. "Oh Matt!" Louise let out, shaking her head. "That wild imagination of yours is a real danger for everybody, especially you."

Matt shrugged his shoulders, not really understanding what his mother meant. He was totally relieved, but there was still a little matter that nagged at him. "Ma?" he called, lifting his big blue eyes to his mother.

"Yes, honey?"

"Do… do you love me?" he finally managed to ask.

At his question, Louise felt a tug in his stomach. "Of course, sweetie. I love you."

"Even though I'm bad?"

"Listen to me, Matt," Lou said, framing the boy's face in his right hand. "You're not bad. You're naughty, but that doesn't mean I love you less. Nothing… nothing in this world would make me stop loving you. I sometimes get angry, but it's because I worry about you, honey. You need to understand that certain games are dangerous. When we say no, it's for your own good. Pa and I just want the best for you because we love you. Do you understand that, Matt?" she finished, caressing the boy's soft hair.

"Yes, Ma. And I want to be good."

"And buddy," Kid added, crouching before the boy, "you also need to tell us what worries you. We're here to help you, and you know you can tell us everything. If you had come to us about this matter from the first moment, you wouldn't have to have been so worried and scared."

"I'll do that, Pa."

"And now, young man, time for bed," Kid added.

Matt turned to his mother. "Good night, Ma. I love you."

"Night, sweetie," Lou answered back, hugging her son tightly against her chest. "I love you more."

Matt smiled when he pulled away, and as he rose to his feet, Kid said, "I'll walk you to the bedroom, and tuck you in." The boy nodded, shuffling to the door alongside his father, and just before walking out, he turned round, and waved to his mother goodbye.

When the boy was settled in his bed, Kid returned to his own bedroom. Lou was still sitting on the bed, almost in the same position, but her face was buried in her right hand, and Kid could hear soft sounds of weeping. Kid ran to sit next to her, and without another word, he took her in his arms and rocked her softly. After a while, she looked up, her eyes bright with tears, and cried, "What am I doing wrong, Kid? My son thought I didn't love him. What kind of mother am I?"

"Lou, don't take this to heart. Matt's just a child, and sometimes children are like this."

"Maybe I'm too hard on him," Lou continued, brushing her hands over her face, still wet with tears. "You know he's always getting into trouble and I don't really know how to deal with him sometimes."

"Honey, you're with the children all the time while I spend a lot of hours working in the stables. In a way, you have to play the part of the bad fella, and make sure one day they'll be good men and women. You're doing an incredible job."

Louise sighed and leaned against her husband. "When he asked me if I loved him, it almost broke my heart," she whispered. "Love him? God, I can't even express what my children mean to me."

"I know, Lou," Kid replied, completely understanding what his wife was saying, because he felt the same way.

"And he's my special boy… my very special boy," she carried on.

Kid nodded, placing a soft kiss on her right temple. When Matt was born, Lou used to call him her miracle baby. After having Jane, they had tried to have another child, but all of the three pregnancies Lou had next ended up in miscarriage. Lou had been disheartened, and when she got pregnant again, she had doubted that baby would be born. But months went by, and that baby was received by tears and fears. Kid remembered being absolutely terrified. Thinking that there was a reason why Lou had not carried her pregnancies to term, he had feared that something might happen to her during labor. Fortunately, everything turned out fine, and he had to agree with Lou. Matt was a very special boy. And after him, Lou had never had any problems with the other pregnancies, and it was strange they now had four children, when there was a time they thought Jane would be their only daughter.

"Kid?"

Lou's voice startled him, and brought him back to reality. "Yes, honey?"

"I think I'll try to talk to Matt more often. I think we have overlooked how sensitive he is. And he's very clever."

Kid gazed into her eyes, and smiled. "I think he takes after you. And you're amazing."

Lou wrapped her arms around him tightly, and as they held onto each other, she whispered, "And you're an incredible husband, and father, Kid McCloud."

A soft murmur gradually crossed the barrier of sleep, and little by little his mind could make out the sound of his name being uttered. His eyes fluttered, and when Matt finally opened them, he squinted them against the morning light filling his bedroom. The image before him became clearer, and he then could see the smiling face of his mother. "Good morning, honey!"

"Morning, Ma," Matt replied in a husky voice.

"Pa's leaving for Seneca. Wanna tell him goodbye?" Matt nodded silently, and Lou added, "Good. Get dressed then. You, Jed and I are gonna see him off. Is that right, honey?" she asked, turning her head towards Jed, who was wide awake and sitting on the bed.

"Yes!" replied the younger boy.

Fifteen minutes later, Louise and her two sons approached the stables in front of which Kid was getting ready for his trip to Seneca. He smiled when he saw them appear, and said, "What are you three doing up so early?"

"Pa!" Jed exclaimed, running towards him and jumping to his father's arms.

At the boy's spontaneous reaction, Kid shared a smile with his wife, and Lou added, "We came to give you a proper goodbye."

"That's very nice. Thank you very much," he replied, ruffling Jed's hair, and shifting his eyes to Matt, he added, "Did you sleep well tonight?"

"Yes, Pa."

"No nightmares or worries?" Kid asked again, and the boy shook his head. "That's great."

"When are you coming back?" Matt questioned, not wanting to talk about what had worried him sick all week.

"In a couple of days, and I want you to be very good to your mother, all right?"

"I'm good!" Jed exclaimed proudly.

"And you, Mattie?"

"Yes, I'll be good. I promise," the boy replied seriously.

"These are my boys! I'm so proud! " Kid exclaimed, as he put Jed back on his feet, and then he approached Lou, "I'm going to miss you."

Louise nodded. "Be careful when you're out there, all right?"

"Lou, it's just a short drive to Seneca. I've done it dozens of times."

"Yes, but you never know what might happen. Newspapers are full of stories about travelers being assaulted. Please come back safely to us."

"I will," Kid replied, and wrapped his arms around her. "I have too much here to risk it." His hands travelled from her waist to her face, and framing her cheeks he brought her mouth to his and kissed her.

Seeing their parents in a tender moment was not so uncommon, and both boys reacted differently. Jed smiled from ear to ear whereas Matt let out a protesting 'Ma!" loudly. Kid and Lou pulled away with a smile. "Time to go then," Kid announced, and shifting his eyes to the edge of the stables where Ramon, the goat, was tied to a post, he added, "Boy, you and I need to get going."

Louise glanced at the animal, which for some strange reason had a strange kind of glum expression, and when she shifted her eyes to her children, they were looking at her with sad faces, and sending her a silent, obvious plea. Lou knew that she would be sorry sooner than later, but right now she did not have the heart to carry out her desires. Kid was already untying the goat when Lou said, "Kid, leave Ramon where he is. We'll keep him."

The two boys cheered happily, and staring at his wife with a surprised expression, he asked, "Are you sure, Lou?"

"I guess. Like you said, this is his home too. Getting rid of him is the easy way… maybe we need to teach him better."

"I will do that, Ma!" Matt exclaimed happily.

Lou smiled, and then added, "Why don't you boys go back to the house? Ask Janey to start breakfast. I'll be back in a minute."

"Yes, Ma! Bye, Pa!" Matt shouted, and before either of them could say anything, he dashed across followed by Jed.

"Matt, take care of your brother!" Lou called, and then she saw Matt stop at the porch, and taking Jed's hand, he led him into the house.

"He's a good boy," Kid said.

"I know. I was very worried about him, and I'm glad he talked to us."

"And things will probably go back to normal," Kid added.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, they heard noise coming from the house, the sound of glass breaking, a loud thump as if a piece of furniture had been tipped over, and Virginia wailing. And almost instantly Jane's angry voice wafted over loud and clear, "Matt! What have you done?"

Kid and Lou shared a look. "You see? Back to normal, honey. Have fun," he said with an amused smile, kissing her on the cheek, and quickly climbed onto the wagon seat. "I'll see you in a few days."

Lou shook her head as Kid drove off, and mumbled between gritted teeth, "Coward. In a few days… yeah, you'll see, in a few days."

The End