Part Two to: Roofless Hades

[Texas, Laredo"?1869] Arizona Blue found himself, barley, back across the Mexican boarder, wiping his brow, and thinking: he'd not spend any time in that roofless jail. The problem now was, he needed to find a bar and a quick drink: so he told himself. But before he could get off his horse and make it the bar, he fell off it, in front of a grocery store, Sam Howard's Grocery. Looking out the window was Novalyne, Sam's daughter, of 24-years. She quickly rushed sternly out to see the youthful ex soldier on his back, chocking on his own vomit. She moved him a bit, onto his side on the thickly grooved mud street, then asked a walker by"?a friend of sorts"?to assist her in bringing him into the back storage room of the store, the old Mexican, Tony, did as she asked: but looked deeply into Blue's eyes, at his gun, Blue's army shirt on, and came to the conclusion he was the one the Mexican authorities were looking for.

"Miss Novalyne,"? he said in a sympatric way, "I think this is the critter they're looking for across the boarder; he's just drunk, I think he's been drunk since the war ended with the states, he reeks like swine."?

Miss Novalyne was not surprised, and wittingly said, looking Tony sternly in the eyes, as if to say"?should we take inventories, and said instead, "You're probably right, too many drunks around here, maybe we can use him to build the clinic, Doc Belington, from Houston, said he'd not come down here until he had a clinic built, so until then, whose the doctor?"?

Tony wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement. So he said nothing.

It was all of three days before Blue could get to his feet and walk straight, Sam Howard had gone to Houston to gather up some store items, and wouldn't be back for a week, enough time thought Novalyne, to sober up this critter, and see if he'd help with the clinic.

As it was, Blue did heal, it was on the forth day, and as she said closely on the cot by his side, she inform him:

"Stranger, you owe me, and I am to collect, you need to help build the clinic down the street, and you can't do it drunk, or hurt. You had a rib broken, I did what I could for you, and you'll breath better, and I fed you beans and bacon, you couldn't swallow any meat, you were beat pretty bad, I suppose those Mexicans are still looking for you across the boarder. Give me your word you'll not drink while in town, and you'll help with the clinic, a man's word is his honor, and you'd not like to be owing to a female, now would you?"?

Blue was taken back a bit by her behavior, she was a bee, a stormy bee, with a long sting, but had pretty long light brown hair, slender and petite, as smiley and assured of herself as the day is long; with just enough spunk to make things worth while thought Blue. And she was right; he did not want to be owing to any man, and especially a woman.

"Ok, it's about time the feast is over, time I suppose to stop drinking, if I can, it's been one long drunk, a lot of ghosts from the war. How about money, I need to make money and a place to say?"? he asked her.

"In your spare time you can work here, in the store, my dad was going to hire someone anyhow, so why not you. And as for sleeping (she hesitated looking into his deep blue eyes) you can sleep back here on this cot for a few more days, get some fresh air from the windows; it will scare any robbers, make them think twice, especially when they know Mr. Blue is in town."?

"How did you know my name?"? asked Blue.

"You're becoming famous Mr. Blue, and dangerous."? She smiled when she said the last word, and walked away, to allow Blue to get dressed.

It was as she said, Sam took a liking to Blue, and he helped build the clinic down the street, and the young doctor from Houston, came to town and set up practice. Blue remained in the back storage room; for the time being it was fine. And weeks turned into months.

A stormy and affectionate relationship developed between Blue and Novalyne, Sam saw it developing, but his daughter was too strong for him to control, in is old age, as often determined young adult daughters can be. She showed her interests in marriage often to Blue, and Blue, showed his, not as often but showed it nonetheless, the problem was, they never showed it as the same time. When he thought he was ready for love and marriage, she pointed out their differences, and she pointed out a lot of them. When she was insistent she was in love, he needed more freedom, and time to think; both passionate but fiercely independent, which made for an intense and exciting bond, but a rocky relationship. One Blue felt was impossible to sustain.

Under her caring he did sober up, but she had new plans, she told him, she was going to a graduate program at the University some place in Minnesota, and she'd be gone a while. She was if anything, a woman warrior of her day, thought Blue, and equal in fighting spirit to him; but a teacher, as she was, and wanting to be a higher grade did not fit into his plans, nor hers.

6/25/2006 [Lima, Peru]