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After seeing Polly’s big, new house, Ryan was afraid Gideon would be disappointed with his small, old Tudor, sorely in need of repairs. Gideon surprised him once again.
“Look at the build-ins and the original fireplace,” Gideon said touching the mantel with reverence. “This is great craftsmanship. Look at the crown molding and the stained glass windows. Beautiful.”
“It needs some work and now my first priority is the new development.”
“It will be worth both the time and effort, and the money.”
Next morning when they arrived at the construction site, Ryan saw that the new team promised by Jeff was already there. He directed them to the parceled site of the second house, the one he’d decided to build next, and soon the excavator digging machine was hard at work.
Satisfied, he entered the model home where the men were already working. “Good morning. As you can see we started to dig the foundation of the second house. We need to finish this one as soon as possible to set it up as a model home. Before going back to work, let me introduce our new worker, Gideon Pratt.”
With his boyish looks and happy-go-lucky smile, Gideon was perceived as an easy target for bullying. Indeed, the men turned to study this new addition to their team, most of them sneering their disapproval.
It was Steve, who stepped forward in an aggressive stance. “Hmm, I don’t think he has shaved for the first time yet.” He shook his head. “Nope. I don’t think he will be useful here, will you, boy?”
Ryan set Cleo down carefully. He knew better than to interfere in this dispute. His young friend had to stand up for himself or he’d never be accepted by the others and would be bullied all the time.
Encouraged by Ryan not contradicting him, and Gideon’s passive smile, Steve stepped closer. “Wearing a hard hat doesn’t make you a construction worker, boy. You have to prove yourself.” Demonstratively, he knocked off Gideon’s hat. It fell to the floor with a loud thud.
“Grrr,” Cleo growled at Steve, ready to pounce. Ryan picked her up again afraid the tiny dog could get hurt if the confrontation got uglier.
“Pick it up,” Gideon said. Keeping the smile firmly in place, he moved swiftly and with his right foot hit Steve at the back of his knees. It was a well practiced move, fast and efficient. Steve’s knees buckled and he fell forward on all four.
Taken by surprise, he looked at Gideon in disbelief. Getting up, he shook himself and roared. “I’ll kill you.”
Gideon extended his arm to keep him at a distance. “You can try, but I wouldn’t advise you. I killed a black bear when I was sixteen, only with my knife. I’m Alaskan born and bred. We are fighters and survivors,” he said with the same benign smile on his face.
It was time for Ryan to interfere. “Back to work all of you.”
Steve thought to object to vent his frustration, but Ryan was the boss, self-appointed it was true, but he was also the one who paid them, so he refrained from a more aggressive reaction and grumbling returned to setting the stones to the fireplace. He’d teach the young Alaskan a lesson when he least expected.
“I’ll take the kid,” Mike, the electrician told Ryan. “I’ll teach him wiring.”
“That’s nice of you, Mike, but you have your helper. And Gideon knows how to build a house. Let me see where he’ll be more useful.”
The older man nodded. “Waylon could use some help. Two men would finish installing the laminate flooring much faster. Unfortunately, Waylon likes working alone.”
The African-American man’s face was unreadable. Ryan sighed. Gideon was on his own. Hopefully he knew how to install the flooring. “What do you say Gideon? What do you know to do best?”
“I can do any work inside or outside, from plastering and painting to roofing. I did it all at the Monroe’s guest lodge. Personally, I like tiling the best,” Gideon said.
“Then help Waylon with the laminate flooring,” Ryan decided.
It proved to be a good pairing. The two worked fast and efficiently without talking much. Indeed, Gideon proved to know what he was doing and didn’t need much coaching.
Relieved that the spirits had calmed down at least for the moment and things were progressing well, Ryan went from one site to the other and in his absence he left Mike in charge.
At lunchtime, Gideon didn’t go with the men to have lunch together at one of the fast food restaurants. He was not invited and he didn’t stick to them.
Instead, he took his lunch bag and went outside in the back of the house. There, Waylon was sitting on a pile of empty crates, eating a sandwich.
“May I sit here with you?” Gideon asked politely.
Waylon waved his hand in agreement. For a while, they ate in silence, looking at the wide vista, all open to the sight for now, before other buildings’ height hid it from view. The town was expanding adding new inhabitants and new neighborhoods every year.
Waylon finished eating and crumpled the empty bag in his hand. Gideon took out of his bag a red apple and cut it in half. He offered half to Waylon and bit in the other one.
“Apples are my favorite fruit. In Alaska, they are quite expensive the farther a town is from Anchorage and not always available. In remote places, cut off from the rest of the world during winter, supplies are brought by airplanes and cargo space is limited,” he explained, enjoying the juicy crunchy fruit.
Waylon ate it too, although he didn’t like apples in particular. He had a sweet tooth and he found apples too tart. He preferred strawberries and tropical fruits. He marveled at this strange world that was Alaska. “Do you miss it?”
“Alaska? Nah. Well, okay, maybe sometimes. But there is nothing for me there. Not anymore,” Gideon told him.
“What about your parents?”
“I never knew them. I was raised by my grandmother.”
“Is she still in Alaska?”
“My grandmother is dead.” He closed his eyes tightly, afraid the tears would run down his face. He wouldn’t like to be perceived as weak. “I was away with the general store owner. We flew to Anchorage to bring in supplies. Grandma and I, we lived just outside of town in a cabin in the woods. No one knew how a fire started. The cabin was burned down and when the people were alerted, it was too late. Grandma was dead.” His voice was wobbly, sign of a deep emotion.
“The worst is when someone we love dearly dies unexpectedly and we can’t even say Good-bye,” Waylon said looking straight ahead.
It occurred to Gideon that his older co-worker had his own ghosts chasing him. Was this why he kept a distance? To avoid answering unwelcome questions?
“You know, kid, you can run away from a place, but the bad memories remain with you to haunt you,” Waylon continued. “You have to think of the good times spent there and to remember your grandmother as the generous person that raised you. Don’t forget her just because it hurts thinking about how she died. Keep her in your mind and heart and it will soothe the hurt. In time. Slowly.” He watched a little bird jumping on the ground looking for food. He opened the lunch bag and threw some breadcrumbs a few feet away. The little bird ran to them and started picking them up. “How did you get from Alaska to Laramie, Wyoming?” Waylon asked.
“Zack Monroe lived in the wilderness for seven or ten years. He had a hunting lodge there. He was returning home to Wyoming right then, after my cabin burned down. I figured Wyoming is as good place as any, and away from Alaska. I asked him to take me with him,” Gideon explained throwing his own leftover crumbs to the bird that started pecking at them gratefully.
“How old were you?”
“Nineteen then. Now I’m twenty-two.”
“So what happened? Since you’re here, I assume Monroe agreed to take you with him.”
“Yep, he’s a great guy, Monroe. All the brothers are.”
“I know the mechanic, Adam. I agree there’s no one better in all Laramie.”
“Zack needed help to build his lodge - he calls it. It’s a dude ranch. I pitched right in. It was good for me to learn how to build a house from ground up...”
“To keep busy,” Waylon added.
“That too. It keeps nightmares at bay. I liked to see the progress we made every day. It’s rewarding.”
“Why did you leave it now?”
“I was restless. Guiding a bunch of city people around the ranch and explain again and again how we raise cattle, and not cows as they call them, was no fun.”
Waylon chuckled. “I see your point. But construction work is not easy.” He continued on a more serious tone. “And you made an enemy here. Steve will try to get back at you. Watch out.”
“I can deal with Steve and the likes of him,” Gideon said without boasting, just stating facts.
“Did you really kill a bear with a knife?”
“Yes. In Alaska, it’s no big deal. Most of us who live in the wilderness have to be prepared and we have such encounters from time to time. The bear attacked me when I was just outside the cabin taking a bundle of firewood from the shed.”
After a while Waylon nodded. “You’ll do.”
And with this stamp of approval they returned to work.
Gideon was content. He’d made an enemy because he’d had no choice. The others were not very likable either, but he’d acquired a valuable friend.