CHOICESCHOICES
Rachel had set to work preparing breakfast the moment she had reentered the bunkhouse after following Jesse outside. Knowing how anxious Kid, Jimmy and the other riders would be to start their search for the runaway Lou, she had decided to make the quickest meal she could think of. The only thing that had deterred her was coming up with a meal that would be filling enough to satisfy everyone's appetites, including Cody's voracious one. After a few moments of thought, she had finally decided to make pancakes, fried potatoes and sausage patties. Her buttermilk pancakes were a favorite meal of all the riders, Jesse and Teaspoon when served with a variety of toppings. This morning she would open a couple jars of applesauce, and slice up some peaches to place on the table along with butter, molasses and preserves. While this breakfast was much simpler than the meals she usually cooked, Rachel had a feeling that no one would be leaving her table hungry.
She had barely transferred the skillet of crispy potatoes into a bowl, when
someone stomped onto the porch. A moment later the bunkhouse door flew open,
slamming into the wall with such force that the spice rack above the stove reverberated,
raining spice tins down around Rachel's head and onto the stovetop.
"Dang it Cody! Can't you ever enter the bunkhouse without making a lot of noise or causing things to fall off the walls!" Rachel shouted irritably, plucking an open tin of cinnamon out of the rest of the pancake batter.
"No Rachel, I can't! Why don't you go ahead and tell me what else I do
wrong, so's I can add it to the list that the boys and Teaspoon made! Wait,
why don't I do it for you? I talk too much, eat too much, and sleep too much!
I'm noisy, obnoxious, deceitful and lazy! Does that cover everything or did
I leave something
out!" Cody told her bitterly.
Rachel turned away from the stove to stare at him in stunned surprise! She
had never heard such an embittered tone in Cody's voice before, nor had she
seen such pain in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes. It was true that there
were things Cody did that were often exasperating to her and the other members
of their express family, but there were also a lot of endearing qualities in
Cody that made them love him too. She knew though that some of Cody's unredeemable
character traits were used as the base of considerable jokes among the other
riders. It was obvious to her that one of the boys had carried his joke a little
too
far and really hurt Cody's feelings.
"No, Cody. I don't think you quite covered everything." Rachel told him.
"Great. Why don't I just get a pencil and some paper so you can write
them down." Cody said, turning to face the wall so Rachel wouldn't see
the tears that
had filled his eyes. He hated it when he allowed the other riders' teasing to
get to him. Usually he was much better at defending himself against their jibes,
often sending his tormentor a scathing retort in return. There were times though,
like today that he wondered if they really liked him at all or kept him around
just so they could make fun of him.
It took him a moment to realize that Rachel was no longer standing by the stove,
but beside him. Hastily, he blinked away the tears in his eyes, hoping that
she
wouldn't ask him to turn around.
"I think that there's quite a few things that you left on that list of yours. If you will turn around so I can see your face, I'll tell you what you forgot to add." She said quietly.
Cody reluctantly turned around, making no attempts to wipe the tears that had
fallen away from his face. Rachel's eyes softened as she took in his watery
eyes
and tear-streaked face.
"I don't know what happened outside just now Cody, but I can honestly
tell you that the boys and Teaspoon would never willingly do anything to hurt
you. Mind
you, I'm not saying that you shouldn't be hurt. I'm not saying that at all.
I just think that their teasing would hurt you. You should know from experience,
that often things are said without thought to how someone might take what you
said. We're all guilty of doing that. I know I have, how about you?"
"You're right, Rachel. But-" Cody said defensively.
"Let me finish, Cody. While some of the things that you mentioned are
true, they aren't the only things that make up the William F. Cody that I know.
The Cody
I know is kind, loving, sensitive, funny, smart, loyal, adventurous, and courageous.
He's quick to come to the aid of someone in trouble, can always be counted on
to defend the people he love. He's got the greatest personality of us all and
knows how to make a person smile even if they'd rather be crying. He's someone
who is very special just the way he is and I am honored to call him friend and
blessed to have him as a member of my family."
A new wave of tears had filled Cody's eyes as Rachel spoke, falling unhindered
onto his cheeks. Cody reached out and drew Rachel into a hug. They stayed
that way for a few moments, before Rachel drew away and they both wiped tears
away from their faces.
"Thanks, Rachel." Cody told her.
"You're welcome Cody. Now, I'd better get the rest of our breakfast done
or nobody is going to eat." Rachel said, going back to the stove. "Despite
what the other boys might think, I can get downright nasty if I haven't eaten!"
Cody's laugh echoed through the bunkhouse and Rachel joined in. They were still laughing about what Rachel had said, when Teaspoon and the others arrived at the bunkhouse a couple of minutes later.
