When he had a chance and an invite
he still went to roundups and brandings for a local northern California
rancher or two, but never to Oregon, never back to the high dessert.
Once he had left he was done there for good except for family
gatherings and holidays. Tess and he had made a life for themselves
on the northern California coast in a medium-sized city by Oregon
standards, and there Dan had made a name. He had even considered
running for state senate when the party pushed him. In fact some
said that if Tess hadn’t died, he’d probably be wearing
his cowboy boots in Sacramento on his way to Washington, D.C.
If he never went into politics, he
was destined to one day lead his firm or another one like it.
He was always popular with the court clerks because he never took
himself or his successes too seriously. The judges liked him fine
when he wasn’t pushing the line on the rules of evidence
or procedure.
Dan still usually won at arm wrestling,
never played golf, and drank his scotch neat if he wasn’t
having beer. Seldom if ever did he miss a 49ers game, and he never
failed to analyze new
players and game plans. Although he bet
only in office and tavern pools his track record at picking winners
and spreads was nothing short of phenomenal.
But Dan had struggled to maintain his
winning approach to life after the loss of Tess. Previously he
had been possessed of exceptional good humor; now he tended to
silently brood while he drank his beer. He always had a sharp
wit, but lately he used it as a sword rather than a foil. Light
furrows of melancholy and little forehead lines cut by the anxiety
of perpetual sadness gave his face a rugged brand of character
that added years.
His life consisted of small things:
parent teacher conferences; sleep-overs for his son Nate and his
friends; helping out his sister Katie, taking out the garbage;
washing the cars; picking up groceries for Pepacita; roping a
few calves and tending his law practice. Every Saturday morning
when he was in town he went to a fried eggs and coffee place overlooking
the ocean and sat alone at the very table where he and Tess had
dined.
