An Older Brother’s Work Is Never Done
By JC
In the first of two vignettes from the Ties That Bind series, Adam imparts some mature wisdom on the
subject of men and women that may come back to haunt him. In the second, a
I. The Lesson
"Adam?"
"Hmm?" His forehead creased as he attempted to remain focused on the
book in front of him. Lately, it never failed that every time he had a few moments
to himself something or someone always interrupted him.
"Is it true you kissed Lotta Crabtree when she came to
He looked up, surprised by this unexpected question. "Who told you
that?"
Jilly grinned. "Who do you think?"
"Joe." He should have known. Smiling at the memory, he nodded.
"Yeah, I did." He resumed his reading.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you kiss her? Was it because she was beautiful and famous or
what?"
"Well, she was famous, and certainly attractive, though whether or not she
was truly beautiful underneath all that face paint I couldn't really say. Why
do you ask?"
She shrugged. "I'm just wondering what it is that makes a man want to kiss
a woman."
He eyed her warily, wondering at her sudden interest in the phenomenon of
physical attraction between the sexes. "Are you angling for someone in
particular?" He had a sneaking suspicion he knew who.
"Not angling, just curious. You're a man, and I'd just like to know how
men think."
"Uh, well..." He wasn't sure he could comfortably explain the minds
of men to his fifteen year old sister, especially on such short notice.
She smiled at his hesitation. "Maybe you'd rather explain where babies
come from."
He was temporarily distracted by a coughing fit behind him. Hoss set his coffee
cup on the table and and shook his head in apology. "Sorry, I guess it
just went down the wrong way. Go ahead. Don't mind me," he said, his mouth
curving wryly.
Adam turned back to Jilly. "You're not asking that, are you?"
"Are you kidding? I go to school in
Though relieved, her air of authority caught him off guard. He shot a look at
Hoss, who merely shrugged. "I see. Well, Hoss, it seems our sister has
gotten herself quite an education since she left home, wouldn't you say? If you
know so much, city girl, then why are you coming to me?"
Jilly rolled her eyes. "Okay, it was Aunt Margaret who told me about the
birds and the bees, and frankly she made it sound so unappealing that I don't
know why anyone would... never mind about that..." She sighed. "I'm
more interested in what happens before, in the beginning. You know, the
magic."
"Magic?"
She nodded.
"She wants to know about the magic." Adam appealed to Hoss with a
look that said "help me out here."
The amused expression he received in return told him he was on his own.
"And you're just the one to explain it, Older Brother."
Adam scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess
I know what you mean. Um, I'd have to say a pretty face or a nice figure gets a
man's attention to start with. Beyond that, it's often the way a woman
expresses herself that makes him want to be close to her -- her grace, the
sound of her voice, her sense of humor, even the way she looks at the world.
All those things can make a woman attractive to a man." With the
illustrious Miss Crabtree, it was her heavy-lidded disdainful pout and the way
she trembled in spite of herself when he confronted her about Joe. She thought
she was too good for him, and he knew right then that he wanted to kiss her,
mostly for the pleasure of wiping that smirk from her cherry-red lips.
"Sometimes though, it's all about power and who has more. Men like to
think they do, but they usually don't."
"Power?" She frowned. "I'm not sure I understand."
"You're a bright girl; you'll figure it out one of these days." He
returned to his book. "Probably gonna drive more than one man crazy before
it's all said and done."
"You really think so?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
He glanced up in time to see a slow, satisfied smile spread across her face.
"Thanks," she said, rising. "Goodnight."
His eyes followed her as she tripped lightly up the stairs, humming.
"There goes trouble, if you ask me."
Hoss nodded. "Yeah, I feel kinda sorry for Mitch Devlin."
"Who said anything about Mitch Devlin?" Adam shook his head. "I
was thinkin' about us. I have a feelin' this is gonna be a long, hot
summer."
~*~
II. Sibling Revelry
Adam took a deep breath, loosening his tie as the music
faded behind him. The atmosphere inside
was a little too close for his comfort, and the heat from the dance floor was
the chaser to a scorching day which the night still struggled to overcome. He had done his duty with all the eligible
ladies of
A breath of a breeze ruffled his hair as he stepped out into the street, illuminated to near daylight by a full August moon. A lover’s moon, he thought with a smile as he spotted a young couple on the corner engaged in a passionate kiss. However, his smile faded as he drew closer and recognition set in.
He cleared his throat, announcing his presence. They both looked up, obviously startled. Even in the moonlight he could see the flush on his sister’s face; Mitch Devlin looked like the proverbial fox caught in the hen house, thoroughly embarrassed, and with good reason, Adam noted as he fixed him with a stare. “Excuse me, but I think the party is inside.”
“Uh, we were just sayin’ goodnight,” Mitch mumbled.
“Good idea,” said Adam, taking Jilly’s arm. “I think it’s time we were all getting home. You go tell the others. I’ll be right behind you.”
Jilly glanced apprehensively at Mitch, then up at Adam. “All right. Goodnight, Mitch,” she said over her shoulder.
“Goodnight, Jilly.” He turned to go. “Night, Adam.”
“Hold it.” Adam stopped him with a hand on his arm, his fingers clenched firmly around it.
“I like you, Mitch, always have. I think you’re a good guy, which is why I’m not going to knock you through a wall, though I might have good cause, judging from the state of things.”
Shamefaced, Mitch fidgeted with his hat in front of him. “I’m sorry, Adam.”
“Well, you certainly should be. Jilly’s only fifteen. I hate to think what might have happened if I hadn’t come along when I did.”
“Adam, I admit, I lost my head for a minute, but I swear I would never disrespect Jilly! Joe’s my best friend!”
“Well, you’re lucky it was me who found you two and not him. You know what a temper he has. He’d’ve been all over you like black on a kettle.” Adam paused, stroking his chin as he considered another scenario, “Of course, that’s nothin’ compared to what Hoss might do…It takes a lot to get him riled, but I reckon this is the kind of thing that would work…” His eyes narrowed. “You ever been on the losin’ end of three hundred pounds of “mad” with arms like tree stumps and fists like boulders comin’ at ya?” Adam shuddered. “Trust me, Mitch. It’s not a pretty sight. Are you all right?”
By this time most of the color had drained from Mitch’s face, replaced by a sickly pallor. “Can I go home now?”
“Sure you can, as long as we’re clear on this.”
“Per…perfectly clear, Adam.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away quickly. “G’night.”
“You ready, Adam?”
“Yeah, Hoss.”
“Wasn’t that Mitch? Looks like he left his hat.” Hoss reached down and picked it up. “HEY MITCH! WAIT! YOU FORGOT…Reckon why he’s in such an all fired hurry? And what’s so dadburned funny?”
Adam composed himself as Joe and Jilly approached. “I’ll ya later.”
“Up you go, Cinderella,” said Adam, helping Jilly into the buggy. “You didn’t happen to leave a slipper behind, did you?”
“Very funny.”
“Mitch left his hat,” said Hoss from the front seat.
“Hey, where is Mitch, anyway? I didn’t see him before we left,” said Joe.
“He went home,” said Adam.
“Didn’t seem to be feeling too well.
I think maybe he just got a little overheated at the dance.” He smirked, watching from the corner of his
eye Jilly as she readjusted her wrap, pretending not to hear. He leaned over and whispered, “You can stop
worrying. I’m not gonna tell
Her relief was evident in her smile. “Thanks, Adam.”
“But,” he held up his hand, “This is not free. You owe me.”
She frowned. “You’re beginning to sound like Joe.”
“Please. That’s like comparing a master craftsman to his apprentice.”
“All right, what do you want?”
“Hmm, this is a big one. I’ll have to think about it.”
“Maybe I should just tell Pa myself.”
“That’ll be fun,” he laughed. “Hey Hoss, can you pick up the pace? I think Jilly’s in a hurry to get home.”
Joe snickered. “Why? Is
Cinderella afraid she might turn into a pumpkin if we don’t get her home by
Jilly rested her head in her hands, groaning. “Why do I have brothers?”
Adam patted her on the back with a complacent grin at the impish moon. “Just plain lucky, I guess.”
The end