The little five-year-old boy looked around the interior of the
stagecoach. He was not tall enough to look out of the window on his
own.
"Mama!" he said trying to point something out to her.
Maude
Standish looked down at her little boy.
"Be quiet Ezra. What have I told you?"
He looked down at
his lap. "No talking when Mama's working."
She smiled a chilly smile
at him.
"That's right." And again she focused her attention on snagging
the man who had caught her eye, ignoring the child beside her.
After flirting for a while, the man struck up a conversation with
the beautiful southern lady; he looked distastefully at the child and
Maude was quick to reassure the man that he was not her child. She was
just taking care of the poor dear until she could get him back to
where he belonged at the next stop.
Ezra's tummy growled at him. He was hungry. He had only eaten half a
sandwich yesterday, but he didn't wanna be a bad boy. His mommy was
busy right now. He was not supposed to be a burden.
The gentlemen helped Maude out of the stagecoach at the
stop in the town of Four Corners, stating that he was also going to
catch the next one home. "Would you please have dinner with me, my
lady? After you. . . " He glared at Ezra. ". . . get rid of the child."
Maude blushed - she had it down to an art - and accepted.
Ezra looked around at all the tall people and horses, not
noticing that he had just walked into the path of several horses bearing
down on him. Someone noticed, though, and Ezra was quickly swept off of
his feet and carried out of harm's way. Ezra looked into the clear blue
eyes of the one who had saved him. "Damn, Li'l pard. Ya coulda been
hurt!"
"Sir, unhand my child."
Buck looked at the pretty lady
bearing down at them.
"Ma'am. He could have been hurt."
"I assure you, Sir, that I know how to raise my own child."
She snatched at Ezra's little arm and dragged him away. He had to run
to keep from being dragged. Buck watched them go. Some women shouln'ta
have any young.
+ + + + + + +
Little Ezra P. Standish sat on the bed, ready to go to sleep, and
listening to his mama. "Don't you ever listen? I have told you
time and time again, stay out of trouble and out of sight!" She shook
his little frame. "You will do better next time." She released him, a
signal for him to go to bed.
Ezra wiggled under the sheets, waiting for his goodnight kiss but
instead heard the tread of footsteps and the closing and locking
of the door. He sighed. His kiss didn't come anymore and it was all his
fault. It was his fault that daddy got tired and went to sleep with red
sauce all over him and never got up again.
He got out of bed and went to his little bag and pulled out
a stuffed bear. His daddy had made it out of bunnies and cotton so he could
have a forever pet.
He went back into bed.
"I wuv you, daddy," Ezra told the teddy.
"I wuv you, Ezwa," he answered for the teddy, pretending it
was daddy. "I always wuv you, Ezwa P. Now kiss daddy." He kissed the
furry animal and hugged it close and fell asleep, a tear falling down
his soft little cheek.
The End
Follow-up story: Where's Mommy?
