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145 Tamale Ridge by: Chuck Cusimano

happy with him but he believed he was doing some woman a favor by letting her find a man that

could give her a real home. Juan liked to wander. He had witnessed a lot of things in his

lifetime. He hid from a large group of men, one day, as he watched them pass by. It was Pancho

Villa and some of his army. They may have ignored him, or might have taken him in but he

never regretted that they never saw him.

Gilberto sat across from Juan and sipped his coffee. His thoughts were on his pregnant wife and

the coming of their first child.

“Quando?” asked Gilberto, meaning “when”?

“Only God can say,” answered Juan, “You cannot rush such a thing.”

“I hope things will go well Tio,” he had become accustomed to calling Juan “Uncle”.

They both jumped up when the knock came on the cabin door.

“Señor Beeg Jeem!” Shouted Juan, as he grasped the big mans’ arm.

“Come in and have some coffee Jim,” said Gilberto in nearly perfect English.

“I’ve had a long ride and that sounds mighty good to me,” said Big Jim.

“What happened to your hand?” asked Gilberto.

“That smart alec, Billy Watkins, got his face in front of my fist in the Newberry Café, last

night,” came the reply.

He then told of the small scrap he had when he was trying to enjoy his pie.

It seems that Billy Watkins had earmarked the waitress named Lucy as his own property and she

didn’t want anything to do with Billy. When Billy came through the door, he decided he could

whip Big Jim and made a big mistake. Billy grabbed for Lucy’s arm when she told him to get

out because he was drunk. Big Jim punched Watkins in the stomach and stood over him while

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