Blaze! A Son of the Gun by Stephen Mertz

Author:Stephen Mertz [Mertz, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rough Edges Press
Published: 2016-01-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

They circled each other slowly, eye to eye, in the close quarters of the Sheriff’s Office.

“You don’t believe I’m your son, do you?” said Joe Bridge. “Well, it’s true. I am your son and you’re my father.”

Snap Foster’s remains rested on a bunk in one of his own cells. Thankfully the other cells, one to either side of the sheriff’s temporary resting place, were unoccupied.

The front office furnishings included a battered wooden desk, a few chairs, a wall brimming with wanted posters, and a pot belly stove, cool to the touch this time of year.

Enough room for two men to circle each other while they conversed. Nothing hasty, nor aggressive. Taking each other’s measure, close-up.

“Look Joe, I don’t want for you to take this personally—“

“How can it get more personal than father and son?”

“I know, I know,” said J.D., “It’s just that—”

The sentence tapered off. He was not sure what to say or what to think.

Joe said, “Just that what?”

“Well all right, you want it straight flat out, here it is. Joe, I’m not certain that you are my son. What makes you so all-fired certain? Maybe you ought to tell me who your mama is.”

“Was.”

J.D. blinked. He hadn’t expected that. Hell, he hadn’t expected any of this!

“I’m, uh, sorry to hear that. Uh, when? What was her name?”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” said Joe. “Death is part of life, right? Three years ago. Her name? Her name was,” and he spoke in an Indian tongue. “She raised me alone on the reservation at Fort Sill. I was raised Comanche, sort of. Some of us half-breed children, they took pity on us, I guess. Some of us were schooled with the white kids. Ma told them her name was Dawn Flower, which is sort of what her Comanch’ name means. Everyone called her Dawn. She sowed a lot of love in her life. People shed a tear when she passed on.”

“Did she tell you I was your father?”

Joe said, “How’s this? My given name is Jehoram. Ma taught herself to read. She would read the newspapers to her friends and the tribal elders when a newspaper came her way. You and your wife, J.D. and Kate Blaze, you’re sort of famous, y’know. Ma saved the stories about when you killed or captured people.”

“Uh, about calling me by my given name—,” J.D. started to say.

Joe said, “Don’t worry. I understand, believe me, having the same name. That’s why they call me Joe. Your secret is safe with me. Anyway, add on the fact that I look a hell of a lot like you. That’s not enough?”

“But your mother never said I was your father?”

Joe briefly avoided J.D.’s eyes. “Uh, no. But whenever she came across one of those stories, she’d say that J.D. Blaze is a mighty man, and the world could use more like you.”

“You ever ask her pointblank about me?”

“I did, but her eyes would get...starry. Faraway eyes. What about you? Did you have any idea that I, well, that I existed?”

J.

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