Carl Conley - Ranch Roundup Family Style

"Look, man, they're fucked-up people. But doing the same to them isn't going to prove anything. That will just cause a war," Rob said intelligently.

"I'd love to slice that kid's balls off," Carol said.

"It couldn't have been him alone," Russell added," there was kerosene poured around the entire building. Anyway, even if he acted alone, it was the hatred of all of them that did it, that caused him to do it."

"What are we going to do, forget it?" Carol asked.

"Let's show the bastards we're not going to take this," Dave muttered.

"How?" Jerri asked.

"Maybe we should go, maybe we should move," Tracey said. "If this is a preview, then the house is going to be next. How can we live among all this hatred?"

"We can. We have thus far. We bridged the hatred-or almost hatred-of Jerri and Dave's parents. Why can't we make this work?" Rob sat on the piano bench in front of all of them. "Rob, how? Tell us how? There's no way," Russell objected.

"Yes, there is, dammit!" Rob shouted. "Look, they're expecting us to retaliate. They want us to fight back, then they will have reason to hurt us more. They would win that way, and if we ran they would win. So we stay and we fight back with love. That's something they can't take. They're not prepared for it."

"What?" Carol exclaimed, looking at Rob as if he had just stated the impossible.

"Yeah, fight back with love," Rob said. "You know the story about the hippie in San Francisco who, when a cop busted him over the head with his club, handed him a flower? You hit them with something they don't expect, something they can't understand. And that way is the ONLY WAY you'll get any understanding out of them."

"You tried, Rob," Russell argued," you tried to get understanding out of them and they spit at you."

"Bullshit, man," Rob said," that wasn't understanding I was asking for. I was mad that day and I was merely stating facts. I'm talking about ACTION, not words. We have to do something, as they did something. They don't understand words-they understand physical actions! Why do you think Tex wouldn't answer that day? He couldn't, he couldn't relate! So he spit! Well, well hand them love instead of spit."

"Christ, maybe you're right," Russell said, leaning back against the chair. "Maybe you're right."

"What'll we do?" Jerri said.

Rob sat still for a moment, thinking. Then he lifted his head and started giving orders. "We have to get going right away, when they're the least expecting it. Carol, how many pies do you have in there?"

"Three… no, four," Carol answered.

"Okay, heat them up, wrap them up, hurry!" Rob said, pointing to the kitchen. Carol jumped up and disappeared into the room and turned on the oven.

"Jerri," Rob said," do we have any gifts left?"

"Yeah, about ten or so, but we were planning to save those for the mission tomorrow."

"Well, we'll have to make more," Rob said, thinking. "What's there?"

"Mostly adult things-leather belts and a purse, and some headbands-oh, hey, there's a woman's silver belt," Jerri responded.

"Great," Rob replied," Mrs. Tex Whatever-her-name-is will get the belt. Go get the stuff from the van and label them."

Jerri got up and put her coat on and went to the van to fetch the gifts.

"I'll get a jar of cider," Tracey said, walking to the kitchen.

"Hey," Russell said," I can burn in a Circle-T emblem on a wallet."

"You have some extra?" Rob asked.

"Yeah," Russell responded.

"Do it!"

Russell went to his room to get the wallet. Dave stood up and looked at Rob and shook his head. "I hope you're right," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"I am, believe me. "Rob was confident. He hit a note on the piano and then jumped up. "Hurry up, everyone, let's get going!" They parked the van in front of the main gate of the Circle-T ranch and, loaded with pies, gifts, and cider, they began their long walk to the main house, where lights blazed in every window.

As they neared the porch, they could hear laughter and music playing. Their feelings were mixed-frightened, hoping, worried-but Rob led them with fierce determination. Jerri stood at his side as he rang the doorbell.

Jack opened the door of the house. He stood there in stunned disbelief as he stared at the group gathered on his porch.

"May we come in?" Rob asked, holding a steaming pie in his hand.

"I… I don't know…" the boy stammered.

A voice from behind the door called out as the music stopped abruptly. "Jack, who is it?"

"It's the…" He was cut off by his mother's presence in the doorway. She stood there, like her son, staring at the young people on the porch.

"What do you want?" the woman said sternly.

"It's Christmas…"

She cut Rob off. "I know it's Christmas!" Jack backed away, leaving his mother standing in the cold air.

"It's Christmas and we have some gifts for you and your family and friends," Rob said gently.

"We have no use for your gifts and we certainly…"

Tex appeared next to his wife now and she stopped talking and looked at him. "What's going on here?" Tex asked.

"Here," Rob said, handing him the pie he was holding.

"This is for you," Carol said, handing the other pie to Tex's wife. The woman put out her arms, too stunned to say anything.

Russell stepped into the house. "Here, this is yours," he said, handing a wrapped gift to Jack, Then he turned to the mother again and gave her the box containing the silver belt. "Here's something we made. Merry Christmas."

The group was inside now, passing out presents in the midst of the shocked family and a few friends, all people they had seen behind Tex when he had spit at Rob.

"Hear, peace and love," Tracey said, giving the bottle of cider to an elderly man who took it from her, not knowing if he should smile or frown.

Then Carol spied Jim, hiding himself behind the corner of a bookshelf. "Jim, Merry Christmas," she said happily as she handed him the wallet.

The gifts had all been distributed and the tribe gathered at the door. Everyone looked at them dumbfounded, struck by silence.

"We're sorry we got here so late and interrupted your party," Rob said.

"Yes, we had an accident on our ranch," Jerri added.

"But everything's okay now. We just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas-and a peaceful New Year!"

Rob opened the door and led the group as they walked out of the house and down the path to the van. They said nothing as they opened the doors to the vehicle, getting inside. Suddenly they heard a shout from the ranch house and they turned to see Jim running toward them. The boy hopped the little fence and stopped suddenly near the van, almost losing his balance. He was panting and his eyes were full of tears. "I'm… I'm…" he couldn't bring himself to say it. He just stood there, breathing heavily, tears falling down his cheeks, and then turned and walked slowly back to the house.

Rob closed the door of the van and started the engine. He also took a deep breath, and turned on the headlights.

"Hey, Rob," Dave said as the van began to move down the road.

"What?"

"You were right," Dave said, admitting that his reservations had been wrong.

"No, Dave. WE were right"

There was nothing more to say or do. There would be enough to do in the morning.

It took them a week-with the help of many hard-working friends-to clear away the remains of the barn. They planned to construct a new one right away, but the cold weather made them wait.

During the month that followed, never once was the tribe bothered by the people from the Circle-T ranch. Never once were they accosted in the streets of Santa Fe or Taos, and never once were they told to get out of the area. They were left in peace, which was what they wanted.