a Sweetwater Saga short story
Sprawled out in the porch's shade with her brother, KC watched her grandfather pause to stomp the dust off his boots before climbing the ranch house steps.
“Why ain't ya young ‘uns doing sumthin' sides lazin' ‘bout?” Stanley asked as he crossed the porch to a pair of rocking chairs.
KC rolled onto her side. “It's hot, Grumps,” she gloomily told her grandfather.
“Yep, it is makin' out ta be ‘nother scorcher,” Stanley agreed taking off his Stetson and dropping into one of the chairs. Leaning forward, he tugged a kerchief from his back pocket then wiped the sweat off his brow and neck. “But that don' mean there ain't chores ta be done,” he informed the children.
Sighing deeply, KC flopped onto her back and draped an arm over her eyes. “Too hot,” she declared.
“So ya jus' plan ta laze ‘bout ‘till supper?”
“Yep,” Charley muttered.
Peeking out from under her arm, KC stretched out a leg to nudge her brother. “Ask him,” she instructed in a whisper.
Stanley shoved his kerchief into its pocket before settling against the chair's back.
KC nudged her brother again. “Ask him,” she insisted in a louder whisper.
“Stop kicking me,” Charley protested rolling out of his sister's reach. Jumping to his feet, he ran to his grandfather and scrambled up long legs into his lap.
“Wha' she tryin' ta git ya ta say?” Stanley asked his grandson.
Charley shrugged.
With an audible groan, KC forced her body up into a sitting position. “Goodness, Charley, does I have to do all the talkin' for ya?”
“Ya best spill it out, young ‘uns,” Stanley told the children, “I got chores ta finish.
“Ya needs to take us swimmin',” KC informed her grandfather. “Ain't that right, Charley,” she added then frowned when her brother just shrugged.
Stanley shook his head. “Can't be takin' ya swimming,” Stanley protested. “Tol' ya… I got chores ta finish.”
KC stood then walked across the porch to stand beside her grandfather. Placing a hand on his leg, she looked up at him and smiled.
“Don' ya be lookin' at me like that, child,” Stanley objected. “I got chores… don' want yer mother mad at me for not doin' ‘em,” he explained.
“What am I going to be mad about?”
Stanley looked up to find his daughter standing in the yard just beyond the end of the porch.
“Mommy,” KC exclaimed happily. She ran to the end of the porch and skid to a stop; only preventing a fall by hanging onto the railing she ducked under. “Can Grumps take us swimming? Please,” she asked sweetly.
“Sounds like a fine idea to me,” Jesse said grinning at her father. “A dip in the river would sure be more fun than working in this heat.”
“Then why don' ya take ‘em,?” Stanley grumbled.
“Oh, I wish I could,” Jesse said removing her Stetson to wipe her brow with her sleeve. “But I promised Jennifer I'd fix that broken shelf today… going to the barn for my toolbox.”
Charley tugged on his grandfather's shirt. “We go swimming?” he asked hopefully.
“Go ahead, Poppa,” Jesse urged. “I'll help with your chores later today when it cools down.” She watched KC hop down off the porch and run toward her. “You mind your grandfather,” she said after picking up her daughter.
KC wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. “Thank you,” she said tightening her hold.
“You best be thankin' Grumps,” Jesse said keeping a hold on KC as she slid down to the ground.
“Thank you, Grumps,” KC called out skipping around the corner of the porch and back to the steps. She hopped up the steps then skipped across the porch to her grandfather. “Come on, Grumps,” she said tugging on his hand.
“Have fun,” Jesse encouraged her father as KC and Charley led him down the steps and headed across the ranch yard. Chuckling, she continued on to the barn.
#
KC and Charley led their grandfather down the well used path to the river and to the swimming hole creating by encircling a shallow pool with a ring of large rocks. As soon as the river came into view, the children started undressing.
“Now, don' be doin' that,” Stanley admonished as discarded clothing was tossed haphazardly about. “Ya best git them clothes off them bushes fer sum squirrel takes ‘em.”
KC giggled. “That's funny, Grumps,” she said retrieving her shirt from a barren gooseberry bush. She gathered up the rest of both hers and her brother's clothes and carried them to a large flat rock at the river's edge where she deposited them in a tangled heap. Then, with a loud yell, she ran toward the swimming hole and launched herself into the air.
With little concern, Stanley watched his granddaughter hit the water then disappear underneath it. “How long ya think she'll stay under?” he asked his grandson.
Charley stood at the river's edge. “Bet she stays under all day,” he replied.
“Don' think she can hold her breath tha' long,” Stanley chuckled claiming a seat on a boulder shaded by a large pine tree.
Laughing, KC burst straight up out of the pool before falling back into the swirling water. “What yer waitin' fer?” she asked Charley.
“Is it cold?”
“Nah,” KC said dogpaddling about the swimming hole. “It feels good.”
Charley looked over his shoulder at his grandfather. “You coming, Grumps?”
“I think I'll jus' sit right here. Ain't fittin' fer a grown up to be splashing ‘bout,” Stanley said firmly.
Disappointed that his grandfather would not join him, Charley turned back to the swimming hole and inched into the water.
“Jump,” KC commanded her brother.
“It's cold,” Charley protested.
“If'n ya'd jump, it won't be,” KC assured the hesitate boy.
“Really?”
“Yeah. It's only cold when ya don' jump.”
For a few minutes, Charley watched his sister splashing happily about in the water. Then he gathered his courage and jumped as far from the shore as he could.
Charley hit the water with a loud plop and quickly disappeared under its surface. Seconds later, with arms thrashing wildly, he reappeared. “Brrrrrrrr,” he screamed at his giggling sister.
“Where ya goin'?” KC asked Charley who was determinedly splashing his way back to shore.
“Too cold,” Charley said angrily standing back on solid ground.
“Now, young ‘un,” Stanley spoke to the upset boy, “ya git back inta tha' water and swim. It'll warm up soon ‘nuff fer ya.”
Charley shook his head vigorously causing droplets of water to fly everywhere.
“Ya gonna tell me we cum all this way jus' so's ya can stand there and shiver.”
“It's cold, Grumps.”
“Ain't tha' wha' ya wanted. Ya said it was too hot fer ya so's ya wanted ta go swimmin'. Can't go swimmin' standin' there.”
Charley shook his head again.
“Come on, Charley,” KC called to her brother. “I ain't cold… see?” she said splashing in the swimming hole.
Stanley pulled his boots and socks off then rolled up his pant legs. He stood and walked to a boulder resting partially in the river. Sitting on the rock, he dangled his feet into the water. “Feels mighty good, don' it?” he asked KC who was floating on her back in the middle of the pool.
“Sure does, Grumps.”
“A lot better than standin' in the hot sun,” Stanley continued keeping an eye turned toward his grandson.
“It ain't cold?” Charley asked uncertainly.
“Little bit at first… but feels mighty good now,” Stanley answered.
Charley inched back into the water, stopping when it covered his legs up to his knees. After a few minutes, he smiled at his grandfather. “Feels mighty good, Grumps,” he declared with a definitive nod of his head. A moment later, he leaped into the pool and started dogpaddling around it with his sister.
KC made her way to where her grandfather sat. “Grumps, you gotta swim too,” she told Stanley after wrapping her arms around his dangling legs.
“Nope. I'm jus' gonna sit right here… nice and dry.”
“But, ain't ya hot?”
Stanley pulled his kerchief from its pocket. “Dip this in the water,” he said handing the cloth to his granddaughter who complied before handing it back. He wrung out the kerchief being careful not to remove all the water from it then draped it around his neck. “Nice and cool,” he stated.
“That ain't like swimmin',” KC said tugging on her grandfather's legs. “Ya gots to get all wet.”
“Tol' ya, it ain't fittin',” Stanley huffed. “Now, git ta swimmin' or we can go on back so's I can do my chores.”
#
Stanley and the children had been at the swimming hole for some time. Charley, tired and sleepy from the hours in the water, was stretched out on the flat rock letting the hot sun dry his body.
“Ya dun swimmin',” Stanley asked his half-asleep grandson.
Charley nodded. “I'm hungry.”
“Guess we best head fer home,” Stanley commented. “You ‘bout done, too?” he called to KC who was sitting on the shore tossing pebbles into the water.
“Yep.
“Then git yer clothes back on,” Stanley told the children as he swung his legs out of the water. “Can't have ya goin' home nekid.”
KC stood up then headed for the pile of clothes. “Here, Charley,” she said separating her brother's clothes from her own.
Standing next to the river and with his back to the children, Stanley stretched out his cramped muscles.
“This was fun,” Charley said pulling on a pair of cut off pants.
“Yep,” KC agreed lifting her shirt from the pile. She started to slip her arm through the sleeve then stopped and let the shirt drop back down on the rock as she spun about. “Watch out, Grumps!”
Turning around when he heard KC yell, Stanley was startled to see his granddaughter racing straight for him. Shifting out of the charging girl's path, his foot caught on a clump of dried grass.
KC saw her grandfather stumble. “Look out,” she screamed as the distance quickly closed between them. She tried to stop but her bare feet slipped in the loose sand.
Arms flaying as he fought to regain his balance, Stanley could do nothing but absorb the blow as KC plowed into him.
“Uh oh,” Charley muttered. The resulting splash caused by his grandfather and sister hitting the water was the biggest he'd ever seen. “Wow,” he whispered in awe.
After several attempts, Stanley managed to brace his feet on the bottom of the pool.
“Why was ya standin' there, Grumps?” KC asked as soon as she emerged from under the water, her arms and legs wrapped around her grandfather.
“Why… Why was I…,” Stanley stammered, water dripping off the end of his nose. “Jus' wha' was it ya was thinkin'?” he bellowed at his wide-eyed granddaughter. “Why was ya runnin' at me like tha'?”
“Wasn't runnin' at ya,” KC answered in a matching bellow. “I was gonna jump in the water. Ya was in my way.”
Stanley glared at his granddaughter.
Watching her grandfather's Stetson bobbing upside down in the water. KC informed him, “Best ya gits ya hat ‘fore it floats away.”
Growling, Stanley reached out a long arm to retrieve his hat. Then, without thinking, he jammed it back onto his head. A rush of water cascaded down over his shoulders.
KC started giggling when the water rained down on her. “Guess ya should have poured it out first,” she said after the waterfall ended.
“What I should have dun,” Stanley stated angrily as he sloshed through the pool toward the shore, “is ta have tended ta my chores.”
#
Enjoying the porch's shade and a bit of afternoon breeze, Jesse and Jennifer were sitting in the rocking chairs sipping lemonade when the sound of laughter reached their ears.
“Sounds like they had a good time at the swimming hole,” Jennifer commented.
“Yep,” Jesse agreed watching KC emerge out of the trees that bordered the river trail. “Oh, no,” she groaned when her father appeared carrying Charley.
“Wha—?” Jennifer managed to say before clamping her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.
Jesse stood and, with measured strides, crossed the porch then descended the steps where she waited for her children and father.
“Hi, mommy,” KC greeted cheerfully then she bounded up the steps. “Hi, momma.”
“Did you have fun?” Jennifer asked her daughter.
“Yep,” KC said climbing into her mother's lap.
Stanley drudged across the ranch yard, a trail of water droplets clearly visible on the dry ground behind him. He came to a stop in front of his daughter.
Quizzically, Jesse eyed the very damp and disheveled man before her with a misshapen hat sitting catawampus atop his head. “Problem at the swimming hole?” she asked
“Ya told me ta take the young ‘uns swimmin',” Stanley said starting up the steps. “So's… we went swimmin'.”
“With your clothes on?” Jesse asked turning to follow her father.
“Ya got a problem with tha'?” Stanley asked walking over to the empty rocking chair, dropping into it, and shifting Charley to sit in his lap.
“Ummm,” Jesse shook her head, “nope.”
“Did everything go okay?” Jennifer tried to draw an explanation out of Stanley.
“Went fine. Young ‘uns had fun… didn' ya?” Stanley asked.
“Yep,” KC and Charley answered together.
“Nuff said,” Stanley informed the chuckling women.
#