Summary: An important question arises after Little Joe's first saloon visit.
Rating: PG Word count: 1550
A Burning Question
It's Saturday night. Mitch and I are sitting at a table near the bar in the Silver Dollar Saloon. Leaning back, I take a deep swig of my beer and take in the atmosphere. The air is filled with the smell of whiskey, tobacco, and the sweat of unwashed men's bodies. A bottle clatters on the floor as two miners fight at one of the corner tables. I hear cursing and laughing as the onlooking crowd cheers the two brawlers on. Another table is playing poker, and the clanging sounds of the old piano echo over everything.
Finally, Pa permitted me to drink beer in the saloon. Okay, one beer, and he sent my brothers along as chaperones. Still, I feel like an adult. Mitch and I are almost sixteen and have full-time jobs like the other men.
I sneak a peek at the other cowboys leaning against the bar, elbows propped up, hat pushed back, and boot heel hooked into the brass rail. I try to look distant, unlike this is my first time here.
A girl in a low-cut dress comes to our table and stands close to me, making my heart beat faster. I can smell her perfume. Her long, painted fingernails brush across the back of my neck, giving me goosebumps. "Buy me a drink, cowboy?" she asks seductively.
"Sure!" She makes me feel grown up. I clear my throat to make my voice sound deeper and try to get Cosmo's attention by raising my hand. "A drink for the lady," I shout as his eyes glance in my direction.
"Thanks, sweetheart," she coos, grabbing a chair. A small, delicate hand rests on my thigh just above the knee and slowly moves up. Beneath lowered lashes, the girl looks at me to gauge my reaction. I get hot and feel the flush rise to my face. What embarrassment! She must think I'm still a schoolboy. My racing heart pumps blood to my lower regions, tightening my pants. Oh my, I hope that nothing can be seen! The hand continues on its way while I gasp for air.
"Belle, they're just kids. Come sit with me!"
I give Adam a dirty look, but the truth is that I`m relieved. What would have happened without his intervention?
Belle hooks up with my eldest brother: "I just wanted to see ..."
"How far can you can go …?" As they walk away, my brother's voice is drowned out by the noise in the salon.
Mitch elbows me in the ribs, grinning. "That's quite a girl! You looked like you would pass out!"
I struggle to regain my composure, clutching my glass and taking a few deep gulps.
"Joe, have you ever—you know?"
"Have you?" I counter, looking at my empty glass. Would Adam notice if I ordered another?
Mitch plays with his hat, which is on the table. "No, not yet. You?"
I shake my head. "We must be the only virgins in the whole saloon." My whisper is so low that Mitch has to read the words from my lips.
"I don't even know how—." he falls silent, watching Adam and Belle. She`s sitting on his lap, her lips close to his cheek, caressing his face. They both smile.
"Neither do I," I admit in a whisper. "You know what? We'll try to find out what we can about it. I'll ask my brothers. Speaking of my brothers: Here they come."
Hoss makes his way over to our table, followed by Adam, who`s just putting on his jacket.
"I suppose they'll drag me home. I have to go, Mitch. Can we meet next Saturday?" I grab my jacket.
"Well, kid, time for bed!" Adam slaps my back.
"Hoss? May I ask you a question? Have you ever been with a girl...hmm...you know?"
"What?" Staring at me with wide eyes, my brother's face turns bright red. "What kind of question is that? You're still a kid and shouldn't have thoughts like that!"
"I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a man!"
"You're fifteen!"
"Aw, Hoss, come on." I sit beside him by the creek, dangling my bare feet in the water.
"Stop fidgeting, shortshanks. You're scaring the fish away!" Hoss' color returns to normal, which could be due to fanning himself with his big hat. "Hot day.—Oh, a fish!" He jumps up and starts reeling.
"Hoss, don't change the subject. Come on."
My brother unhooks the fish and puts it with the others.
"All my friends—except Mitch—told me they've already been with a girl." Hoss blushes again and starts coughing. Until he calms down, I slap him on the back. "You can't believe everything people say. Why do you want to know?" He stares into the water. "You`ve got a girl?"
"Hmm, no, but it's good to know how—."
"Dadburnit, it's getting late!" Hoss jumps to his feet and picks up his fishing gear. "I promised Hop Sing I'd bring him the fish by dinnertime."
"You don't know yourself!" I yell after him, trying to squeeze my wet feet into my socks. It's no use asking Hoss. I should have known. He's pretty shy around girls. With a sigh, I lie back in the grass and look up at the sky. Tomorrow, I'll ask Adam.
"That's a personal question. What would you like to know?" With energetic movements, Adam brushes the dust from Sport`s coat, looking in my direction, frowning.
"You know. How is it when a man and a woman—?"
"Ah, the child grows up!" Adam sounds amused. I take a deep breath for a vicious retort, but my brother continues: "Joe, use your brain. You live on a ranch, and I'm sure you've seen animals reproduce before."
"Yes, I have. But I didn't know if it worked the same way with humans."
Adam rolls his eyes. "Sure it does!" Tossing the brush back into the box, he leans against the barn wall. Arms crossed, he watches me with that unique look that makes me jump out of my skin: Amused, a little condescending, and superior. Taking off my hat, I run my fingers through my curls. Why doesn't anyone come clean?
"Why do you want to know?"
"Well, I need to be prepared in case I get into a situation ... "
"Prepared? Don't let Pa hear you say that. He'll put you over his knee and tan your butt if you end up in bed with a girl at your age."
Ah, now we're getting to the point.
"As a man, you have certain obligations. You don't want to be a father at sixteen, do you?"
"No! Of course, I don't! But I thought ..."
"So, you think! That`s new! I have an impression not your head is thinking, but a certain other part of your body!"
Now, it's my turn to blush. I rub my boot on my pant leg and pull a straw out of my shirt. "I didn't mean to ... it's just a ... hmm ... technical question, okay?"
Adam rolls his eyes again, and the corner of his mouth twitches. "Usually, a man and a woman do it face-to-face. Woman's on the bed, you're on top. It doesn't mean you can't ... um ... change it up, but you'll figure it out sometime. I'll give you a tip, but don't ever let Pa hear it. You go to one of the saloon girls who take men upstairs. You pay her to give you ... lessons."
My face lights up. That's some helpful advice. "Gee, thanks, Adam, I might do that—sometime. You know what? I just didn't want to embarrass myself in case I got into that situation. You always tell me to think before I act."
"I didn't have this particular situation in mind." My brother walks past me. He picks up the pushcart.
I run after him. "I kissed a girl once. Grace, do you know her? She's always with her friends. When they see me, they giggle and whisper and put their heads together. They act in a pack, and getting Grace alone is hard." Grinning, I stand next to the horse stall my brother begins to clean out. He looks relaxed today. Maybe I can get some more information. You don't learn useful things like that in school.
"Adam, do women have fun with this stuff?" Not wanting to miss a word, my eyes are glued to his lips. My question makes him laugh.
"That's up to the man. The girl will enjoy it if he's a good lover. You have to go slow, not like cattle, just up and in. No more questions now; you'll figure it out yourself sometime. Take it easy for a few more years."
"Adam, how old were you when ...?"
"Get your skinny butt over here and help me clean out these horse stalls! Not a word to Pa, understand?"
"No, of course not!" I`m looking forward to sharing my new knowledge with Mitch next weekend. "Thanks, Adam, you're a great brother!" I grab a pitchfork and start working.
Joe Cartwright is not going to make a fool of himself!
The End
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