Big Sky - 3. Chapter 3 What Goes Around Comes Around

BIG SKY

Chapter 3

What Goes Around Comes Around

Mike went off trying to find Ed, he looked in the corrals, in the kitchen house, and finally found Ed on the back deck of the ranch house oiling down his saddle. “Hey Ed, can I talk to you for a bit, if you are not too busy,” Mike smiled at Ed.

“No, I am not too busy to talk to you, what is on your mind Mike?” Ed said to Mike as he was laying down the stirrup he was oiling up.

“This is hard for me to say but, I am just going to say this right out, I can’t work here with a faggot, I was brought up that it is wrong for a man to lay down with another man. I just saw one of your hands kissing another one of your hands over behind the barn and wanted to let you know I was turning in my time and leaving if you don’t do something about it. I know some of the other guys will be leaving too when I tell them what I saw if you don’t get rid of him.” Mike smirked to Ed.

Ed stood up and looked at Mike, “Mike first of all, nobody threatens me and second nobody tells me what to do. So I think you need to tell me what the hell you are talking about right now,” Ed yelled at Mike.

“Hunter is a faggot, and I want you to fire him and send him packing if you don’t want to lose all your help on this ranch.” Mike yelled back to Ed.

“Mike for one thing I don’t give a shit if he is gay or straight as long as he does what he’s told to do on MY RANCH,” yelled Ed, “and another thing you’re fired grab your shit and get off my property, nobody tells me who I can have work for me on my ranch. If the ranch hands have a problem with it they can leave too.” Ed was standing there with his fist clinched as Tom walked up after hearing the yelling to see what was going on, “Help him get his shit and get him off my property Tom, he no longer works here,” Ed told Tom as he was staring Mike down.

Mike just stood there with a stunned look on his face “You don’t really want to do that Ed, I will spread it all over town that you have fags working on this ranch and you will get nobody to work for you.” Mike said.

“Tom get him out of my face right now.” Tom grabbed Mike’s arm and pulled him away from Ed.

“Tom he will regret this for firing me!” said Mike.

“Mike you are playing with fire here, Ed has lived here his whole life and people look up to him in this town, so I would shut up if I was you and get your shit and get off this property.” Tom said to Mike pushing him forward to the bunkhouse.

Mike went in the bunkhouse and got his stuff and loaded it in his truck, got in his truck, gunned it and left with rocks flying everywhere. All that Mike thought of was, this was not over by a mile. Hunter will play for what he did to me.

As Mike was walking to his truck, Tom walked back over to where Ed was at to see if he was alright. “Tom do you have a problem with gay men?” Ed asked Tom with serious look.

Tom was looking at Ed, “No never have.”

“Good, can you go out to the west pasture and get Hunter for me please?”

“Sure no problem, are you going to be alright?” Tom asked Ed with a concerned look on his face.

“Ya I am gonna be fine. Just go get Hunter for me please.” Ed asked Tom with a faraway look.

Tom walked over to the barn to saddle up his horse, hoping Ed and Martha can handle Hunter being gay. Tom has known of this for a long time but has kept quiet knowing that is was Hunter’s business if he wanted people to know about it.

Hunter was out in the west pasture checking the jackleg fencing. Ed uses this kind of fencing because the ground is so rocky and uneven here. Mostly, he was checking for rotted wood and downed wire. The other guys were further down the fence line were fixing the fence where the rustlers had cut the wire to get to the cattle. Hunter had no idea what was happening back at the ranch house with Mike and Ed.

Hunter looked up and saw Tom riding across the field, which could only mean one thing, something happened at the main house. Hunter stood up waiting for Tom to ride up to where he was at.

Tom looked down at Hunter and said, “Ed needs you back at main house right now.”

“Is everything ok Tom?” Hunter asked Tom with a worried look on his face. Tom just shook his. Hunter walked over to where Cope was roaming around eating grass at and got in the saddle. As the two of them were riding back across the pasture Hunter kept asking Tom what happened but Tom would not say anything to him, so Hunter just shut up and stopped asking.

As Hunter and Tom was riding in Ed and Martha was walking out of the ranch house. Hunter looked at Tom then Ed and got out of the saddle holding on to the reins. “Tom will you take Cope to the barn for Hunter, unsaddle and wipe him down please?” Ed said to Tom while looking at Hunter.

“Sure.” Tom said, Hunter handed Tom the reins.

“Hunter come in the house please.” Hunter just looked at Ed and Martha then followed them into the house.

“Let’s go in the office for a little privacy,” Hunter followed Ed and Martha into the office worried that something happened but can’t figure what it could be. “Sit down Hunter,” Ed went and set behind his desk, Martha set in one of the three chairs in front of the desk and Hunter took the one next to Martha, Hunter kept looking at Ed waiting to see what was going on.

“Hunter first let me tell you that both of us, me and Martha have grown to love you just like we would if you were our son. With that said I need to tell you that I had one of the hands come tell me something that the two of us don’t care one way or the other but, we both think you need to know this before the other guys get back to the ranch and get wind of it.” Ed was looking at Hunter with a serious look on his face. “Mike came and told me he saw you kissing one of the other hands, I am not asking if it’s true or not. I just wanted to tell you what was said so you can be prepared for it if anybody comes up to you” Ed looked at Hunter straight in the eyes as he asked him. “Hunter I am just gonna ask you straight out. Are you gay?”

Hunter started to fidget in the chair, scared shitless. He did not want to leave this ranch when he thought of it as his home. Hunter looked at Ed then at Martha as she grabbed his hand with tears in her eyes. “If it is true you have to understand that we love you like a son and we don’t care if you lay down with a man or woman. We will love you either way.” Martha told Hunter with a smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. Hunter squeezed Martha’s hand.

Hunter had tears in his eyes when he looked at Ed, “Yes I am gay, and I will leave the ranch right now so you don’t have any of the other hands leave on you, just give me time to load my stuff and Cope in the trailer,” Hunter finally spoke.

“Hunter, you have it all wrong. We don’t want you to leave, you are my best hand here at this ranch. We don’t care if you are gay, we have known of this for a while now.” Ed said with a smile on his face.

Hunter looked at Ed with a stunned look on his face. “About a year ago this guy came by the ranch looking for a job, you were in the round pen working with Cope and the young man saw you and asked me if your name was Hunter and one thing led to another and he told me how he knew you, he told me what your parents had done to you and why, I did not hire the guy but sent him to another ranch I knew that was hiring at that time.”

“What was the man’s name, if you remember that is” Hunter asked Ed shaking in the chair.

“If I remember correctly it was Robert, but I am not one hundred percent sure, since it has been over a year now, would you know who I’m talking about Hunter?” Ed said looking at Hunter for his reaction to the name.

Hunter sucked in a big gulp of air and looked at Ed shaking his head up and down. “Well since I think you know the man I mentioned, I guess what he told me to be true. If that is the case you still have nothing to worry about being here” Ed got up from his chair and walked around his desk and took the seat next to Hunter and grabbed his hand.

“Hunter, I don’t want you to leave and I know Martha thinks the same as I do, so what we are going to do is have a meeting with everybody and I will let them know that Mike is no longer working here as of today, and if you want we can discuss the reason I fired him, but if you want to wait to see if any of the men comes up to you or cause’s you any problems and deal with them one on one, that is fine with me. But I am telling you right now if there is any problem with them working with you they are out of here, I will not have bigots working for me.” Ed said to Hunter with a grin on his face the whole time.

“Hunter, look at me please.” Hunter looked up at Ed. “You have to understand a few things about me and Martha. When I was in the military I had a lot of buddies that are gay, ya they had to stay in hiding but with me being close friends with them I knew they were gay. I have never had a problem with them and I don’t have a problem with you being gay. You have even met a few of them over the years since the guys come visit us. So I am not going to say nothing to the men but I will not stand by and let them be hateful to you either.” Ed explained to Hunter.

Hunter looked at Ed and Martha “I don’t know what to say, after what happened with my parents I have just stayed to myself here on the ranch, I have never had any kind of a relationship with any of the men that have worked here. I know Mike didn’t see me doing that, but I need to tell you something so please bear with me on saying this.” Hunter looked at Ed and Martha with sadness in his eyes. “Mike and I had a little get together on our way back from town this morning, which was the first time it happened. I am not going into details about it but when we got back here to the ranch Mike threatened me and I told him he was not going to get what he wanted and to leave me alone which he did not like. I am thinking that since he did not get what he wanted from me, he probably thought that if you knew you would fire me. So with that I am truly sorry for misleading you and Martha.” Hunter said with tears running down his face.

“Honey, you never mislead us. We understand why you kept this to yourself so no apologies needed. We just want you to know that you have a home here for as long as you want to stay here.” Martha smiled.

“Ok, enough of all this. You now know we have no problem with this matter. So since it is already getting late go check on Cope so you won’t worry about him and then when you get that done go to the bunkhouse or the kitchen house and get some coffee and I will come down to the kitchen when everybody comes back in.” Ed said as he got up and was walking to the door.

Hunter left the office stunned that he still had a home and a job. He sure hopes the other guys don’t cause him any problems. Mike sure does not know when to keep his mouth shut that’s for sure, Hunter thought with a smile on his face. Hunter was thinking of an old saying; that what goes around comes around sucker.