Page 37 (1/2)

CHAPTER 1

When I was four,accident Daddy didn't even work for the drilling outfit He was a company man ore a suit and tie when he went to inspect the production and drilling platfor floor before setup was completed He fell sixty feet to the platform below and died instantly, his neck broken

It tookback I waited for hi at the frontof our house in Katy, just west of Houston Some days I stood at the end of the driveway to watch every car that passed Nofor hith of h to make him appear

I have only a handful of memories of my father, more like impressions He must have carried me on his shoulders a time or two—I remember the hard plane of his chest beneath h in the air anchored by the strong pressure of his fingers around my ankles And the coarse drifts of his hair in my hands, shiny black hair cut in layers I can al "Arriba del Cielo," a Mexican lullaby that always gave me sweet dreams

There is a fraraph of Daddy ona Western dress shirt and jeans with creases pressed down the front, and a tooled leather belt with a silver and turquoise buckle the size of a breakfast plate A little sers in one corner of his mouth, and a dimple punctuates the smoothness of his swarthy cheek By all accounts he was a sh-carat as in his life if he'd been given the gift of more years I know so little about my father, but I'm certain he loved me I can feel it even in those little wisps of memory

Mama never found another man to replace Daddy Or maybe it's more accurate to say she found a lot of men to replace hi She was a beautiful wo aone, however, was a different h more boyfriends than I could keep track of It was sort of a relief when she found one she decided she could stick with for a while

They agreed they would ether, in the east Texas town of Welcorown up As it turned out, Welco Welcouided froht of going

Ona dead-end road that cut between rows of trailers lined up like piano keys The park was a dusty grid of dead-end streets, with a newly built loop that circled around the left side Each home sat on its own concrete pad, dressed in a skirt made of aluminum or wooden latticework A few trailers were fronted by patches of yard, so crape myrtle with blossoms crisped a pale brown and the bark shredded from the heat

The late afternoon sun was as round and white as a paper plate tacked to the sky Heat see in visible waves froround Timeneeding to be done in a hurry wasn't worth doing Dogs and cats spentonly to lap a few tepid drops from the water hookups Even the flies were slow

An envelope containing a check crackled in the pocket of er of Bluebonnet Ranch, Mr Louis Sadlek who lived at the redbrick house near the entrance of the trailer park

My feet felt like they'd been steaes of asphalt I saw a pair of older boys standing with a teenage girl, their postures relaxed and loose-li blond ponytail with a ball of hair-sprayed bangs in the front Her deep tan was exposed by short shorts and a tiny purple bikini top, which explained why the boys were so absorbed in conversation with her

One of the boys was dressed in shorts and a tank top, while the other, dark-haired one wore a weathered pair of Wranglers and dirt-caked Roper boots He stood with his weight shifted to one leg, one thu as he talked There was soe of his profile His vitality was als

Although Texans of all ages are naturally sociable and call out to strangers without hesitation, it was obvious I was going to walk by this trio unnoticed That was just fine with me

But as I walked quietly along the other side of the lane, I was startled by an explosion of noise andback, I was set upon by what appeared to be a pair of rabid pit bulls They barked and snarled and peeled their lips back to reveal jagged yellow teeth I had never been scared of dogs, but these tere obviously out for the kill

My instincts took over, and I spun to escape The bald soles ofof pebbles, round on my hands and knees I let out a screa to be torn to pieces But there was the sound of an angry voice over the blood rush inoverhands take hold of me

I yelped as I was turned over to look up into the face of the dark-haired boy He gave lance and turned to yell sos had retreated a few yards, their barking fading to peevish snarls

"Go on, damn it," the boy snapped at the people, you sorry pair of sh—" He checked hilance at me

The pit bulls quieted and slunk backward in a startling change oflike the half-curled ribbons of party balloons

My rescuer viewed theust and spoke to the boy in the tank top "Pete, take the dogs back to Miss Marva's"

"They'll git home by theirselves" the boy protested, reluctant to part coirl in the bikini top

"Take 'em back," ca the daate open"

While this conversation was taking place I glanced down at ravel dust My descent into the pit of soul-shriveling embarrassment was complete as the shock wore off and I started to cry The harder I gulped against the tightness of my throat, the worse it becalasses

"For God's sake" I heard the boy in the tank top rabbed them by the collars "Co s for the 4H state dog show

The dark-haired boy's attention returned to entled "Here, nowyou're okay No need to cry, honey" He plucked a red handkerchief froan to mop at my face Deftly he wiped my eyes and nose and told me to blow The handkerchief held the sharp bite of male sweat as it clae had a red handkerchief tucked in the back pocket of their jeans I'd seen kerchiefs used as a sieve, a coffee filter, a dust mask, and once as a makeshift baby diaper

"Don't ever run fros like that" The boy tucked the kerchief in his back pocket "No matter how scared you are You just look to the side and walk away real slow, understand? And shout 'No' in a loud voice like you mean it"

I sniffled and nodded, staring into his shadowed face His wide mouth held the curve of a smile that sent a quiver down to the pit of my stomach and knotted my toes inside my sneakers

True handsomeness had escaped him by millimeters His features were too blunt and bold, and his nose had a crook near the bridge fro been broken once But he had a slow burn of a sainst the sun-glazed color of his skin, and a tumble of dark brown hair as shiny as mink fur

"You got nothing to fear fros," he said "They're full of mischief, but as far as I know they've never bitten anyone Here, take my hand"

As he pulled me up and set me on my feet, my knees felt like they'd been set on fire I

hardly noticed the pain I was so occupied with the fury ofaround ers dry and warm

"Where do you live?" the boy asked "Are youinto the new trailer on the loop?"

"Uh-huh" I wiped a stray tear off my chin

"Hardy" The blond girl's voice eetly cajoling "She's all right now Coot somethin' in my room to show you"

Hardy So that was his naround It was probably just as well the girl couldn't see the wry smile secreted in the corners of his ood idea of what she wanted to show him

"Can't," he said cheerfully "I have to take care of this little one"

The disgruntle referred to as if I were a toddler was proirl Although I couldn't figure out why in the world he wasn't leaping at the chance to go with her