announcement called for a lunch break, and suddenly she was caught up in a dusty stampede of children heading for food.
Renee climbed up into the bleachers to search for Clint and didn’t see him anywhere. She leaned against a railing and remarked to a fiftyish woman with broad streaks of gray in her short, dark hair and an approachable, friendly face who sat nearby, “I don’t know how the parents of these kids do it. Must be hard.”
“You do the same as with any other kid. Love and protect them, teach them what they need in life to be decent human beings. Try to keep them safe. That’s my daughter, Gracie. You hugged her after she got her lariat around the bull’s horns on her fourth try. It’s not her best event.”
Renee saw a thick-bodied girl with the slanted eyes and heavy neck of a Down’s Syndrome child coming their way. Probably somewhere in her teens but hard to tell from her childish features, she carried four hot dogs squashed together in her hands.
“I’m sorry,” Renee said.
“Don’t be. What you see there is love on the hoof.”
The girl arrived and held out her offerings. “I got one with ketchup and one with mustard and two plain. I like mine plain,” she said decisively. “The mustard one is for my mom, but you can have this one.” Focusing on Renee, Gracie held out her offering of food. “You gave me a hug. I am Grace Ann Jones.” Gracie poked a finger at the paper nametag stuck to Renee’s impressive chest. “You are Miss Reney. You have pretty hair and really big boobs.”
“Gracie, we don’t say such things to strangers!” her embarrassed mother exclaimed. “Not to friends either.”
“I’m supposed to tell the truth always.” Gracie stuck out her lower lip in a hurt pout.
“Thank you, I consider what you said a compliment, Gracie. My name is pronounced Renee. I’m not very hungry right now. You can have the extra one.” Renee passed on the crumbled bun and the hot dog dripping ketchup.
“Okay. They’re real good.”
“What did I tell you, Gracie?” her mother prompted.
“I can only have two.” Gracie thrust the oozing wiener back at Renee who accepted it with reluctance. “I got a boyfriend. His name is Tony. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“I guess I do.” She saw Clint cutting across the ring in her direction. “There he is.”
“I know Clint. Clint is Dad’s friend. He’s pretty like you.”
“And strong and brave and kind.” Renee amazed herself by stating her feelings out loud. Usually, she kept her emotions locked down tight. Life was largely a business deal that had to be played with cunning. Never let the other guy know what truly went through your mind, but the closer Clint got, the better he looked. Yes, he was pretty and all those other things, too. Renee sucked on her hot dog and took a bite. Ketchup dribbled down the front of her T-shirt, making her look like she bled from the heart.
He climbed up into the stands and sat next to Renee. “I see you’ve met Gracie and Ruth Ann. Ruth Ann and Snuffy were married once upon a time.”
“Might as well still be,” Ruth Ann confessed. “He wouldn’t quit the road. I wanted special schools and such for Gracie, and I sure didn’t want my son to follow in his footsteps, so I divorced the man. And what does he go and do? Gives me the deed to the ranch outside of Casper. Every time that man swings by, I open my door and say, ‘come on in’. I guess we’re common law again by now. Didn’t stop my boy from putting on makeup and going on the circuit, either.”
Gracie finished wolfing down her two dogs. “I’m thirsty.”
“Come on, Gracie, let’s get something to drink,” Clint said, ruffling the girl’s clipped dark hair. They walked off arm in arm.
“We had her tubes tied a couple of months ago. Both Tom and I thought it was for the best. She does have a boyfriend, and you know, sex just feels good, so they’re bound to try it. I talked to Tony’s parents. If the kids
Renee climbed up into the bleachers to search for Clint and didn’t see him anywhere. She leaned against a railing and remarked to a fiftyish woman with broad streaks of gray in her short, dark hair and an approachable, friendly face who sat nearby, “I don’t know how the parents of these kids do it. Must be hard.”
“You do the same as with any other kid. Love and protect them, teach them what they need in life to be decent human beings. Try to keep them safe. That’s my daughter, Gracie. You hugged her after she got her lariat around the bull’s horns on her fourth try. It’s not her best event.”
Renee saw a thick-bodied girl with the slanted eyes and heavy neck of a Down’s Syndrome child coming their way. Probably somewhere in her teens but hard to tell from her childish features, she carried four hot dogs squashed together in her hands.
“I’m sorry,” Renee said.
“Don’t be. What you see there is love on the hoof.”
The girl arrived and held out her offerings. “I got one with ketchup and one with mustard and two plain. I like mine plain,” she said decisively. “The mustard one is for my mom, but you can have this one.” Focusing on Renee, Gracie held out her offering of food. “You gave me a hug. I am Grace Ann Jones.” Gracie poked a finger at the paper nametag stuck to Renee’s impressive chest. “You are Miss Reney. You have pretty hair and really big boobs.”
“Gracie, we don’t say such things to strangers!” her embarrassed mother exclaimed. “Not to friends either.”
“I’m supposed to tell the truth always.” Gracie stuck out her lower lip in a hurt pout.
“Thank you, I consider what you said a compliment, Gracie. My name is pronounced Renee. I’m not very hungry right now. You can have the extra one.” Renee passed on the crumbled bun and the hot dog dripping ketchup.
“Okay. They’re real good.”
“What did I tell you, Gracie?” her mother prompted.
“I can only have two.” Gracie thrust the oozing wiener back at Renee who accepted it with reluctance. “I got a boyfriend. His name is Tony. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“I guess I do.” She saw Clint cutting across the ring in her direction. “There he is.”
“I know Clint. Clint is Dad’s friend. He’s pretty like you.”
“And strong and brave and kind.” Renee amazed herself by stating her feelings out loud. Usually, she kept her emotions locked down tight. Life was largely a business deal that had to be played with cunning. Never let the other guy know what truly went through your mind, but the closer Clint got, the better he looked. Yes, he was pretty and all those other things, too. Renee sucked on her hot dog and took a bite. Ketchup dribbled down the front of her T-shirt, making her look like she bled from the heart.
He climbed up into the stands and sat next to Renee. “I see you’ve met Gracie and Ruth Ann. Ruth Ann and Snuffy were married once upon a time.”
“Might as well still be,” Ruth Ann confessed. “He wouldn’t quit the road. I wanted special schools and such for Gracie, and I sure didn’t want my son to follow in his footsteps, so I divorced the man. And what does he go and do? Gives me the deed to the ranch outside of Casper. Every time that man swings by, I open my door and say, ‘come on in’. I guess we’re common law again by now. Didn’t stop my boy from putting on makeup and going on the circuit, either.”
Gracie finished wolfing down her two dogs. “I’m thirsty.”
“Come on, Gracie, let’s get something to drink,” Clint said, ruffling the girl’s clipped dark hair. They walked off arm in arm.
“We had her tubes tied a couple of months ago. Both Tom and I thought it was for the best. She does have a boyfriend, and you know, sex just feels good, so they’re bound to try it. I talked to Tony’s parents. If the kids
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