Hey Mister

Hey Mister

Chapter 1

He said, "Hey Mister, please take this picture 'Cause I don't want to miss her anymore Though the corners are tattered and torn She's still the one that I adore Mister, please take this... 'Cause I don't want to miss her anymore.

THE STORY

It's been a long time since Jimmy Hickok cared about living - exactly 12 years ago, when he left Rock Creek and had been utterly alone since then...

The Wildfire Saloon had become a favorite of "Wild Bill Hickok" as he made his way through Kansas territory. He enjoyed the privacy the townsfolk afforded him and he had his own chair at the end of the bar, half hidden in the darkness.

He's been there a few times before and kept comin' back 'cause the barkeep, Joe, is friendly. It was almost empty, just after supper rush and Joe was free to talk... Jimmy heard the church bell chime, "What's goin' on Joe?"

Joe laughed and set up a glass on the counter, fillin' it with whiskey. "Our young Marshal and his girl, they're gettin' married this evening."

Jimmy felt a thin smile on his lips and reached into his jacket.. a daguerreotype picture of a young woman with a sweet smile and luminous eyes held lightly in his fingers. He fought back the feelin' knawin' at his stomach.

Joe reached out his hand to him, "Mr. Hickok? Can I see that picture?" Jimmy looked at Joe and then back at the picture, measuring the man before he handed it over. "Quite a looker there" says Joe.

"Yeah" he drank the whiskey down and dropped the glass to the counter...

"She broke your heart, Mr. Hickok?"

A soft chuckle, "No, she never knew how I felt."

"Never told her?"

"Nope, don't want to talk about it neither," the barkeep shrugged his shoulders and placed the picture back on the bar. He went back to cleaning his glasses. Jimmy tipped his glass at the man who dutifully refilled it. He lifted his glass solemly and gave a silent toast to the woman.

"She married my friend," he began and the barkeep wisely kept quiet, "She loved him, I know that." He stared at the hard wood of the counter top, his long dark hair hung down hiding his face, "I walked her down the aisle myself."

He seemed to freeze in time. "It almost killed me."

Lost in his thoughts he continued. "You should've seen her, her hair was all done up like a princess... white flowers like a crown. She held onto my arm and as we walked, she squeezed it ... like a hug. She was so happy - stars have never shone so bright."

Jimmy looked up at the man, waiting for him to say someting. When Joe just went about washing the glasses Jimmy turned away annoyed, "Well you gonna stand there all night like statue, or you gonna talk back."

Joe didn't rightly know where to begin, "What happened after the wedding?"

He slid the glass across the counter, Joe filled and placed it back in front of him... "I left a week or two later... joined up with the army. A scout don't live too long in a war like that... but I guess I was cursed to make it through and live. " He downed another drink...

He touched the edges of the photo and a piece of paper tore off the edge. "It looks pretty worn there."

Jimmy nodded. "All those nights waiting for the battles, waiting to die... I carried this picture with me. I tucked it tight in my jacket pocket...." he touched his jacket, right where the picture would have been.

"Every night before I laid down to sleep I'd take it out and talk to her..." he looked up with warning in his eye, " No I ain't no crazy man, but it was nice to talk to her... I used to imagine what she'd say."

"Sometimes I could imagine what she'd say, 'Hickok!' she liked yellin' at me, 'What kind of mess have you got yourself into now? This ain't no contest.... they're shootin' at you...' Yeah... but no matter how many chances I took ... no matter how stupid I was... I never got hit with as much as a nick or a bullet through the arm."

"Sounds like she's been lucky for you." Jimmy gave him a hard look, then shrugged his shoulders..

"I guess."

"So how'd you get the picture? She give it to you?"

Jimmy shook his head and downed another shot of whiskey. He motioned for a refill. As Joe obliged Jimmy told him about the picture. "I took her to dinner one night ...in Willow Springs... there was a man takin' pictures of people in the restaurant... she looked so pretty in that dress... we danced in the streets and ..." Another shot down and another. Jimmy was determined to stop the ache in his chest, "and that's all there was." He didn't need to tell him that soon after that dance she was almost killed because of him. Two more shots went south and Jimmy had past his breakin' point.

Now very drunk and very unhappy, Jimmy picked up the picture and held it like he's going to rip it.. the bartender stops him quickly, sayin' "Hey Mister Hickok, if you don't want it... let me keep it... it will be something to remind me of tonight.."