Billy O'Dear Reaches A Conclusion

 

Nurse log with fir seedlings.

🤍🌲🌺🌲🤍

 

            The white van was Billy’s, but he let Frank drive it when they went out on a research trip. It even said O’Dear on the side. Billy was a contractor. Odd jobs, little jobs, stuff big guys didn’t bother with. Billy didn’t say much but he had ideas, and he knew stuff. He was real good at keeping his mouth shut. He was about 48 years old, looked more Salish than Irish and favored denim, top and bottom.
            It's true that Billy O’Dear sounds like an Irish name, but his mama was a Salish Indian. His daddy was a recent Irish immigrant with a yen for the wild. He found all the wildness he could ever wish for on the coast of the state of Washington, including Mary. I suspect that initially she had been amused by his last name.
            In Billy’s opinion Frank L. Dearth was full of hot air.  He wasn’t really a believer at all. Billy believed that Frank loved the sense of drama and the importance of being the leader of a troupe of intrepid hunters. In fact, Billy was pretty sure that if Frank ran into a real Sasquatch that there would be a laundry emergency. So, why did Billy go Squatchin’ with Frank, Jerry, Tim, and Lomo? It might have been from that backhanded sense of humor he had inherited from his mama, Mary O’Dear. Mary was so darn Nate that she could laugh without it showing on her face. There might be a gentle huffing sound. Lest anyone be confused by that, be assured that Mary saw humor in many things. Anyone who has been around real tribal types has seen them do that thing.
            Ah, maybe Billy just wanted to be there when Frank and the boys found a real Sasquatch. That would be worth the price of admission for Mary’s son. A big long dry joke.
            See, the thing is Billy could hear them talking.* He didn’t know what they were saying of course. He hadn’t learned their words, but whenever they were around he could hear them chatting, whistling and hollering away to each other. It might have bothered him, but he also had tinnitus, so he was used to interference. Also, his dad, Sam, had been a big talker.  He was used to turning it off.
            The other four guys worked for Billy sometimes, when he needed help at a job. Two of them were real retired carpenters. Tim and Lomo were friendly goof-offs who would do what he said and not complain. He knew them from around. None of them knew what Billy knew. No.1 they are real, ‘cause his mama Mary said so, and he had proof. No.2 That he knew when they were near.
            So, Billy just let Frank do that dumb thing with the Baby Ruth bars without admitting what he knew, that they were right in the middle of Squatch central. Billy could hear a big male, a female and some kids, maybe two.  One was a baby.
            Frank was so excited by the shots of Twigg they got from the trail camera that he talked all night.  He planned a YouTube channel. He talked about appearances on the news, and videos. He was sure he was going to get rich somehow.  Maybe he could sell this kid to somebody, a rich Saudi or something. As if those were the circles Frank moved in. Of course he didn’t even consider the other five guys. Greedy, self-important Frank.
            Twigg’s disappearing act shook everybody up, even Billy. He didn’t know about that.  It opened up possibilities. What if  he could hear them, but couldn’t see them if they were close? Mary never told him about that. 
            In any case, Billy never let Frank drive his van again after Ralph’s visit.  In fact, he quit hunting with the rest of them. He thought to himself, “stupid is stupid. I better quit.”
            What he did the next day or so was to drive back out there, park in the same spot, get out of his van and walk. He walked to Twigg’s grove and put all his little trinkets and bits of junk back on the nurse log. That stuff, collected by Frank, had been in his truck in a bag.
            With his hands in his pockets, he strolled further into the forest.  He came upon Ralph’s cedar log. He could hear Ralph and Ramona chatting away somewhere near.
            Billy took a seat on the big cedar log. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He’d never tried to reach them himself. But this time he said, “hello. Can we talk? I’m out on the big log. I can hear you. I know you’re there. I’m friendly. I just want to meet you, and I can keep a secret like nobody’s business!”
            Oh, how could Ralph resist? He couldn't. It turned out that they had plenty to talk about, and Ralph even brought him all the way home to meet the family! Ramona liked him. Twigg was a little apprehensive since Billy had helped Frank grab him, but he got over it. Cherry made no comment. Berry and Bob sat and watched  him carefully with shining green eyes and slightly open mouths.
            But of course, Billy was in no danger from the cats, because Ralph, the most Amiable King of Snohomish county was there keeping all in order and running smoothly in his forest kingdom.

* Suzy wants you to know that she can hear them too.