ON THE VEKHOL

Sam benders eyes were open. the old house he lived in was black and quiet. something had caused him to wake. he turned his head and looked at the battery clock next to the bed, 1230. what had brought him awake? ever since his second tour of veitnam he had slept light. it took nothing more than the change in temperature or a barometric change. if you wanted to stay alive you became sensitive to such things. after not hearing anything; that caused alarm he silently rolled out of bed , pulled on his wranglers and slipped his feet into a pair of mocasins . padding silently through the house he still found nothing out of order. he still had a uneasy feeling. since a altercation a few days before where he had been forced to shoot a mexican drug smuggler and rescue a young mexican girl who was being forced to carry drug packs he had been uneasy . retribution could come from any quarter. carefully openning the propane refrigerater  he took a cold beer and stuffing the 357 into his waist band he slipped out the screen porch onto the porch. there he was met by ole boliver, his catahoula catch dog. falling into the wicker chair he kept on the porch he sipped the beer and stared west out across the sonoran desert; where he had been raised. he could see the silouetts; of his horses down at the corrals. it was deathly quiet. he sipped the cold beer and watched the tree line along the vekhol wash on the other side of the yard. . but boliver showed no sighns of alarm and all remained quiet. ; just when he dozed off he wasnt sure but the smell of bacon and coffee cooking brought him awake. the half empty beer bottle lay on its side on the floor next to the chair. carfully pulling the 357 from his waist band he rose and stepped into the kitchen. at the stove stood the mexican girl who he had rescued. upon her rescue , while he had alerted the authorities she had disapeard. but here she was.; she was cooking fresh tortillas and had eggs in the skillette. sam , with out saying a word accepted a cup of strong black coffee then sat at the table faceing her. prsently she set a plate of food on the table and smilled at him. " senoor, i have come back." " i see that " sam mumbled between fork fulls of egg " where ya been?" " when you went for the policia i went away. i didnt want them to take me back to altar she wasnt shy but she was soft spoken " what can i do; for you ?" sam asked " let me stay here and repay my debt to you. your house is a pig sty and you cant cook for nothing. i have nowhere to go. all i need is a place to sleep. ; her head was bowed, he hair falling over her face. ; " i wont turn you in but i like it alone.; besides that cabrone i shot, will have friends? they could come.; then more trouble. " sam was wipping his plate with the last totilla. "ime not afraid here. ime no puta so dont think i will be used. but i want a quiet place to live and work. you need me." she answered. Sam thought for a moment then nodded" ok, we will give her a try.; but while gone during the day you need to stay out of sight as much as possible." she nodded then picked up the dirty plate and returned to the kitchen and started cleanning up the mess.; sam dressed then went to the barn in the early morning light, fed his horses and saddled the mount for the day while he ate his grain. when the sorrel had finished his grain; sam stepped on the pony and headed up the vekhol toward the bender windmill. " maybe this wont be too bad" he thought.