DELBERT BRIGGS 18

when delbert and norma returned to the ranch after eating out she looked at the bandaged hand. the bandage was streaked with dirt. she reached over the table and took the hand.she began un wrapping the bandage and pulling the tape loose. when she got down to the bottom of it she realised the stitches had weeped blood and dried onto the bandage. it was stuck . she didnt want to pull on it in fear of causeing some more bleeding. she went to the kitchen and came back with a pan of warm water and stuck delberts hand in it to soak. delbert issued a sigh of contentment. " you cowboys, its a woonder you all survive child hood." norma shook her head. the water in the pan was turning brown and particles of dirt and dried blood were filling the bottom of the pan. after a few minutes norma gently pulled the bandage loose from delberts hand. she took his hand and laid it on a towel and then took the pan full of water and the old bandage into the kitchen. when she came back she carefully dried the hand and looked at the stitches," if you will try not to get this dirty we can leave the bandage off so your hand can breath a bit. but you got to keep it clean." "how you know to do all this? i thought you were a bankers secretary."delbert asked. "i ran out of money and had to take the job at the bank. i was working on a nurseing degree. looks like that has more need today than the bankers job."norma smiled. the next day delbert loaded the pile of ruined hay on his truck and drove out into the pasture where he hoped to catch the remnent of cattle. he scattered the hay out thin over a large area. he hoped the cattle would pick through it and eat the good hay and leave the spoiled behind. when he got back to the ranch he found normas car again parked at his yard gate. when he went in the house she was putting a plate of sandwiches and potato chips on the table a pitcher of lemonade sat there next to a iced glass. "what you doing back here so soon?"delbert took a bite of the sandwich. " i didnt trust you keep that hand clean. and by the looks of it i was right. eat up then ill work on it." she poured a glass of lemonade. when delbert had finished his lunch and norma cleared the table she produced a zippered bag. she brought the pan of warm water back and soaked his hand then drying it she spread a antibiotic cream over the stitches, delbert didnt say so but it felt really good. " a few days and those stitches can come out. but until then you gotta take better care of them."norma was wrapping his hand in fresh bandage then useing tape closed it up. she produced a plastic bag and pulled it up over his hand and taped it in place above his wrist. " well since ime on the handy caped list lets go to town grocery shopping. can i do that?" delbert asked. " you push the cart ill shop. and you pay for it. hows that?"norma was putting her things away in the zipperd bag. " sounds good to me. just get stuff i can cook, nothing complicated."delbert was looking his hand over while he spoke. "ill do the cooking. i dont like your menu. " norma laughed. delbert was likeing what he heard and saw more every minute. delbert couldnt hold a rope in the bandaged hand yet but he did saddle a horse every morning and rode out to look at the cattle. he hoped by rideing through the spoiled remnent he would get them used to seeing a man horse back who wasnt going to chase them. bob had been by a time or two and they talked about different ways of catching these renagades. delbert didnt know it but bob was pleased to see norma at the ranch every time he came.. after a few days of cleaning the house she started rideing along with delbert when he rode through the pasture. she sat a horse well but confessed to not knowing anything about the cattle work. when bob saw that he was even more pleased. the gate to the far pasture that kept getting knocked down was left open. and the cattle tracks came and went through it in a steady stream once in a while delbert would ride up to the ridge where the cattle bedded and ride through them whistling or singing. they showed no fear of him. norma had quetly moved in with delbert. she cooked and cleaned, doctored his hand . but didnt share his bed. delbert had been wise enough to not bring that subject up. for a long week everything was pacific and quiet.