Chapter 10

Walk Like a Man - Girl

Reflections of Betzy - 8th Grade

She presented a snarl with her eyes glaring at every movement of her prey. Every cocky guy fourteen and older were her targets. The timid and weak she defended. Bullies were slime. Bobby and Carl were her friends. Betzy was a freshman when Carl came a year later.

She spoke the low mountain dialect until eighth grade when her teacher, Miss Ann, gave strawberry suckers to those speaking proper English in class. Betzy received one almost every day. A bundle of ten of the delights cost a dime, but it would have only one strawberry flavor in the assortment.

By the time she moved to high school her speech approached a northerner from Ohio or Illinois. She could read and write better than most teachers. However, her combativeness exploded at every perceived disrespect.

Betzy returned to the school system for her freshman year. Two members of the football team were teasing her for speaking like a Yankee. She kicked and hit them with the speed of a hurricane. They had bruises on every part of their bodies. The principal sent her home from school.

He told her, "Betzy, you can come back if you tell the boys you are sorry."

"I ain't sorry. If they mouth me again, I'll whip them worse than a hive full of bees turned loose." She tightened her stance when she assumed she stood for the right. Nothing could dissuade her. Authority figures did not intimidate her.

The principal suspended her. Her daddy sent her back to live with her Aunt Alice and Uncle John. When Betzy returned to school, her actions were a mite more mellow, but most students did their best to keep her content in order to avoid conflict with her.

The best thing to do was to smile, let her say what she wanted, and tell her she presented the best solution.

The teachers avoided confrontations with her. Most learned to smile at her and say, "I never considered it that way before." In one way it created a tragic situation, in another it kept life simple. One little girl captured the attention of an entire school.

Most of the time found her in a good mood. Her ire only burst through when someone lied to her, or attempted to hurt a person about whom she cared.

She was not a bully but put the fear of wrath to those who crossed the wrong side.

For some odd reason, Bobby and Carl could disagree with her and she would smile. If anyone said something bad about them in her presence, her fury would become unleashed. Her brothers insisted she had a crush on Bobby. He ignored it as nothing significant. They assured him, to her it turned into important.

The Dream Ends

The smile fades. The abruptness of the war injuries did not excuse his madness.

Carl returned to Boyd County. His uniform was adorned with many ribbons. Major Carl Hatton and retired Major Robert Davis approached hugging and slapping one another's back.

A sparkle rendered from each of their eyes. They walked the exterior of the ranch with a bounce in each step. Talk and laughter emitted loud and steady. Carl mentioned he would be stationed near Boyd County, but he disclosed none of the specifics.

Let It Be Bobby Boy

Bobby's settlement from the Air Force, with back pay and a medical retirement, provided him the funds to buy into the ranch part of his Daddy's farm. Plastic surgery made him appear acceptable. Scarring was minimal. The limp was barely noticeable.

The G.I. Bill and Disabled Veterans Recovery Act was stunning. It permitted Bobby to get teacher certification courses and a Masters of Equestrian Science Degree. The degree and certification qualified him for teaching agriculture courses in high school and college.

After completing the required classes three mornings a week for a year, he worked on the ranch twelve to sixteen hours daily.

Even with Carl's return Bobby began dragging. He wandered without direction on the ranch and farm. His shoulders drooped as his feet fumbled. He concentrated on the ground. His stomach tightened, and he growled. Breathing became labored. Frowning flared from his face.

Work took control. His gaze shifted into nothing. Eye contact was avoided. He searched the bowling alley, bars and barn dances. Then he avoided those gatherings. There was no time for recreation. Momma told him to relax and have fun.

Carl was present and said, "Your mother is correct. Enjoy what you have but do not get too serious."

Momma smiled and said, "Find a nice girl and get married." He deliberated about Betzy, but she worked in Memphis. The last time he met her, she was angrier than a country bull on a rampage.

Where does one start? Several single women board horses at the ranch. Millie was attractive, but she talked and talked. He was never allowed to ask a question or tell her what delighted him. Her jabbering dominated their time together.

She decided where they went and what they would do whether he wanted it or not. The first date ended with his temples throbbing and stiffness in his neck. The desire to leave commenced after ten minutes of monologue. Bobby quit calling her. He observed her approaching to feed her horse. She strolled and snorted to the stables shunning him.

Ruth Ann was just the opposite. When he asked. "What would you like to do Ruth Ann?"

"Whatever you want Bobby Boy. You choose." or "Wherever you choose to go." She nodded often, spoke little, hummed or groaned, "Um Hum."

A smile broadened his face, and warmth surged across his body. However, he found himself dozing, muttering and his attention straying.

An assortment of dates found his heart shrinking, and a heaviness within. His gaze wandered, and dread overtook his mind. A desire to be alone and refrain from looking produced stares with no focus.

Carl concentrated on Bobby's eyes and said, "It is tough choosing a lifelong partner. You are a good man. You will find that someone special. She will be honored to be with you, and you will be proud of her. It is going to happen, and you will have peace and satisfaction."

Momma said, "Don't give up. The right one will appear unexpectedly. Maybe a girl in your own back yard." Momma gazed up with a smile.

"Momma, all the women I've dated have been local girls with whom I went to high school. Why do I agonize over choosing the right girl?"

"You need to travel further but not too far. She will materialize as normal as sunrise. A precious jewel who has admired you for an extended period. Unlock your heart and let nature provide."

"Momma, did you envision who in one of your manifestations?"

"Yes, and it is brilliant... Don't agonize, be content. Life seizes a way to work with these issues."

Carl said, "She is correct."

Momma gazed at Carl and said, "Carl it is about time to find a girl for you." Bobby was drinking a glass of water. It spewed from his mouth and sprayed the table.

"Don't you know Carl took a vow of celibacy?" Carl examined Bobby's face with a beam.

Momma said, "Carl is not celibate. There is a girl robot for Carl. I have seen her in a vision. The two of them will get married and have three little robots and a robot dog."

Carl said, "How long have you been informed that I am a robot?"

"Since your sophomore year in high school. It came to me in a dream. A Thai woman named Mae Sua told me."

Bobby said, "Carl, I told you, Momma envisions episodes about people. These dreams emanate the truth. Issues we have forgotten or suppressed unlock new opportunities. Her dreams help many absorb reality in a deeper awareness. Some fear her predictions. The good items are embraced, and the bad incidents are ignored."

Carl remarked, "Like foretelling the outcome of our experience in Vietnam."

"Yes. Momma's awareness created chances to change our lives or endure."

Carl and Bobby gazed at Momma. Their faces and limbs relaxed.