All Boxed up ( Part Five of chapter one)

Willie now went into uncontrolable laughter and when he spoke again his voice shook. " It sure is cold in this here shed. Is this where you been hidin' out while I been gone? I...I got to go...now; forget I am here , okay? I don't want to think about it and any how I'm okay..Okay..? Sis, aw come on now squirt stop the blubbering..I'm ...Okay. Sis...ya see I know the score now...I know ... Sis..."1

He backs away and turns to go, hitting the hanging light bulb on his way out, leaving it to swing, slicing the shadows on the walls. I stand alone watching the shadow dance he has left me with. Tears running down my face, too numb to cry out and wanting to scream "Oh my Willie you don't know the score, you don't even know what game you've been playin at." But I am silent and stand still, watching the light bulb play on my fear, until, finally it stopped moving and the shadows danced no more. 2

I took a deep breath of cold clear air deep into my lungs, the hypnotic light show was over. I begin to shiver all over, the poured concrete under my feet is iced. The window over the seed plants now is bringing rain in instead of the sun. My numbed fingers reach up to close the window,it's stuck,I lean into it with my whole body, pulling it closed with a slam.3

Crash; my seed shelf colapses and I look down at the cold hard concrete strewn with broken tera-cota pots, my seedlings are now evicted from their homes. They lay in the scattered dirt, showing off the finery of their tender roots and the pale green shoots of life's beginnings, precious small jewels-unstrung. 4

Uncontrolably, as if qued by my big brother, I laugh with histaronical tears. My body is bent and shaking picking up all the broken pieces, returning them to a safer place. On the floor again I kneel, feeling with my hands to see if I have missed a seedling, but to my surprise I have put my hand into a hand, hollowed and hardened in cement. Memories of long ago pour back into my mind to a time I can recall, but cannot not reclaim.5

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My Daddy's building a new shed and today he's pouring the concrete floor. Daddy has marked and prepared it all for this day. Willie, Jenny and I are playing with lady's new puppies. Daddy say's Lady is a good bitch, but not worth showing like King our champian dog. But I think lady is very kind to let us play with her puppies. Lady won't let Mom any where near the pups and Mom won't let the dogs anywhere near her house- so it's a stand-off between Lady and my Mom , while King seems aloof to the whole thing.7

I'm sitting under the old cottonwood tree, penned inside with Lady, her head is on my lap and one of her puppies is greedily sucking on a teet. I call him Lucky because my Daddy keeps the other pups outside of the pen while Lucky gets more milk than the others because he is the pick of the litter. But I think Lady takes good care of all her pups whether my Daddy likes it or not. Anyhow I like being with Lady and Lucky, watching all the other pups with Jenny and Willie; all of them , kids included, going in circles, being herded by King as he controls their antics with the training and herding instincts of a great Collie.8

Lady is Kings Mama, I guess that makes all these pups his sisters and brothers. Six little balls of fur that run faster than their feet, leaving them in an almost constant state of what I call "tumble rolls" and "hop twists". It is comical to watch Willie and Jenny, I can't figure out if they are imitating the pups in their chase or it just works out that way. Which ever it is King keeps them in check the same as the pups. If anyone, pup or kid, strays too far from Kings disignated circle, they face a bark, a growl and an occasional nip, but King has never broken the skin and rarely leaves a mark. 9

Today King's getting and giving quiet a workout. Willie is taunting King to the very edge of the line, he is about twenty five feet away from King who is workng the pups into a tight cirle around Jenny's twirling legs, her skirt and her spirits are flying high. Willie takes off with a smeark on his face,sure that will win the circle game. But before he can blink King's ten feet in front of him,low to the ground barking up a storm, weaving back and forth, criss crossing an unexcapeable path back toward Willie. 10

I wish King was at the State Fair right now, this is a Blue Ribbon performance, even Lady takes notice. We both stand up to watch,the puppy feeling "un-lucky" for losing the teet, rolls over too sleepy to whine. King makes a beautiful tight turn at max speed, placing himself in front of Willie. The surprised look on Willie's face I can't see, but I know he wears it, just by looking at his back. Lady and I both have our noses through the wire fence watching with pride, while King so low to the ground you would think him to be crawling, except for his speed. He zig-zags back toward Willie giving him a warning bark. King's telling my big brother to back up where he belongs.11

Willie won't budge, except he's working his feet like a silly young bull and leaning back and forth. King makes a direct charge and stops on a dime, about three feet in front of Willie. King barks his warning ,backing up by inches, the two of them in a comic duel of feet, neither giving more than inches.12

I guess my Daddy has had enough, he stops working the cement smooth and yells at Willie "to go sit down or he'll feel the belt on his back". Willie squats down on his long legs and King stands guard. Willie's body tenses and he springs up and over king. That dog of mine springs up too, doing a mid-air turn, going for willie, catching hold of my brother's pant leg with his teeth tight, down they go. 13

Willie is splayed out on the ground with his hands in the wet cement. He brought down the stakes and string that marks the site of our new shed. I see the cement splattering onto Willie's clouthes and hair, He is squirming to get away,as Daddy comes over giving King the hand signal to stay. Daddy, without saying a word grabs Willie by the seat of his pants with one hand and throws him about ten feet. Daddy doesn't even look to see where Willie lands, he just turns his back and leaves. I suck in my breath and hear the truck grind and squell out of the yard. 14

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We won't see Daddy until morning and he won't say more than "pass the biscuits" and "more gravy Ma". As for Willie he must be made of rubber, because other than a few bruises and hurt pride he's OK. I'll always wonder who Willie was really testing the limits on, King or Daddy? Well who ever it was, Willie lost. 16