Page 291 of The Texas Sterling Collection
Grover took Sparkle’s reins. “I’ll tie Sparkle to the carriage. You follow along. We’ll head on home now.”
Joey took one more look at the thinning crowd around the rodeo grounds, hoping for one last glimpse of Felix.
* * *
That night, Felix lay on his bed, alone in his room. A blanket of deep depression settled over him, with grief so profound even tears wouldn’t come. His father sent him to the Sterlings, and he discovered a real family and what it was like to have a best friend. Then, the one person he realized he despised, wrenched the joy from him.
The knob squeaked, and the door to his bedroom opened. His father stood in the doorway. “Be sure you are up early. I want you in the store with me first thing in the morning.” His tone was flat and uncaring. “I need you to help me with customers. Saturday is always a busy day.”
“Yes, Father.” Felix didn’t look at his father.
“Now that you’re a big, strong, manly cowboy, you can take Emmaline for another carriage ride after church on Sunday. I told her father you would do that.”
“Yes, Father,” Felix said the words, but every thought racing through his mind screamedno, never.But he could not speak the words and show his father how he felt.
The door closed, and his father’s footsteps retreated. Felix shed his clothing and crawled between the sheets. Sleep eluded him, and he tossed through a restless night. Nobody in the house said anything about his win. Nobody asked about his time at Sterling Ranch. Nobody except Helen seemed the least bit interested, and she must be careful not to annoy Father. He couldn't exist in such a loveless environment now that he had experienced real family and love.
* * *
Joey’s gut ached. His spirit lay in pieces at his feet. He missed Felix’s laughter, smile, touch, and kisses. He moped around all afternoon, taking care of the horses, pausing at Sparkle. Even Sparkle seemed sad.
He sat at the supper table, ignoring his food. His mother came up behind him and put her arms around him. “Honey, I know you miss Felix. I wish I could make it better, but I can’t. His father wanted him back.”
“But Ma, I have a big Felix-shaped hole in my heart. I don’t know how to survive without him around.”
“I understand, honey. Maybe you’ll find a new friend when school starts.”
“I don’t want a new friend, Ma.” A single tear wandered down his cheek. “I want Felix.”
His mother kissed him on the ear and released her hug. “Why don’t you go on up to bed, honey? Sleep will help.”
He must deal with this himself. “Thanks, Ma.” Joey left the kitchen and wandered upstairs. In Felix’s room, he took a shirt hanging on a hook behind the door, lay face down on the bed, and buried his face in the shirt while he sobbed.
Chapter Eighteen
Felix worked in the store with his domineering father through two weeks of pure hell. He longed to be on the open prairie, riding fences and herding cattle with Joey. He found being indoors in a warm building, working alongside a man who displayed no concern or compassion, stifling both in temperature and enjoyment. Every day, he would get up, wash, and dress, then go to open the store with his father. Every evening, he came home from the store, ate the bland meal his mother felt obligated to prepare for her husband and children, and listened to his siblings go on and on about how much fun they had playing outside.
Friday afternoon of the second week, as Felix rearranged a display, a vase fell to the floor with a loud crash, scattering shards of glass. He stood gazing at the scattered pieces, knowing what was coming next.
“Clean up the broken glass, boy.” His father boomed from the second-floor office. “I’m docking your pay two bits for that piece.”
At his father’s words, something inside of him snapped. “Father, I’m not cleaning this up,” Felix shouted. “You don’t pay me enough to afford this stupid piece of cheap glass. I’ve had enough of you and this store. I’m leaving.”
“Felix, do not disrespect your father.” Cornelius boomed, bounding down the stairs.
Felix stood firm, clenching his fists and breathing hard. “Why not?” Felix’s anger boiled over, and he crossed the line between mild acceptance and adult independence. “You never show respect for me. Ilearneddisrespect from you.”
“What?” Cornelius shouted. He stomped to where Felix stood, boots crunching on broken glass.
“I set a new record in calf roping, and you did not mention it once. You shipped me off to the ranch to learn to be a man, but you never asked how much I learned. You stood over me after my rodeo victory and demanded my return to help you in the store. And you expect me to date, no, you expect me to marry Emmaline, a woman I cannot tolerate. You can’t even call me by my first name unless you’re angry with me. You call me boy. How do you think it makes me feel?” Felix expressed his true feelings to his father for the first time.
“Don’t speak to me with that tone of voice,” Cornelius huffed, red in the face and balling his fists.
“I’m going back to the ranch where I have love and caring, and they call me by name, tell me when I’ve done well, and encourage me when I need help.”
“Get out!” Cornelius shouted, raised his arm, and pointed to the door. “If you want to leave, leave. But if you walk out, you’re out for good.” He stabbed at Felix’s chest with his finger. “I don’t want you in the house or this store.”
“Fine.” Felix let his father know he was not about to be bullied. “I hoped for a chance to return to the ranch. Thanks for kicking me out.” He turned and walked. He would not give his father the pleasure of seeing him run, but when he rounded the street corner, he ran all the way to the house.
