After I had had my say, Grandpa stood looking down at the ground. There was a deep frown on his face, and a hurt look in his eyes. His quietness made me feel uneasy. He finally raised his head and looked at me. What I could see in his friendly old face tore at my heart. It seemed that there were more wrinkles than I had ever seen before. His uncombed, iron-gray hair looked almost white. I noticed that his wrinkled old hand trembled as he rubbed the wire-stiff stubble on his chin.
In a low voice that quivered as he talked, he said, 'Billy, I'm sorry about all this. Truly sorry. I can't help but feel that in a way it was my fault.'
'No, Grandpa,' I said, 'it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. It just happened and no one could help it.'
'I know,' he said, 'but if I hadn't called Rubin's bet, nothing would have happened. I guess when a man gets old he doesn't think straight. I shouldn't have let those boys get under my skin.'
'Grandpa,' I said, 'Rubin and Ramie could get under anybody's skin. You couldn't help that. Why, they get under everyone's skin that gets close to them.' 'Yes, I know,' he said, 'but still I acted like a fool. Billy, I had no idea things were going to turn out like they did, or I wouldn't have called that bet.'
Wanting to change the conversation, I said, 'Grandpa, we won that bet fair and square, but they took my money anyway.'
I saw the fire come back to his eyes. This made me feel better. He was more like the Grandpa I loved.
'That's all right,' he said. 'We'll just forget the whole thing.'
He stepped over and laid his hand on my shoulder. In a solemn voice, he said, 'We won't talk about this again. Now, I want you to forget it ever happened because it wasn't your fault. Oh, I know it's hard for a boy to ever completely forget something like that. All through your life you'll think of it now and then, but try not to let it bother you, and don't ever feel guilty about it. It's not good for a young boy to feel that way.'
I nodded my head, thinking if people would just stop questioning me about Rubin's death, maybe I could forget.
Grandpa said, 'Well, the accident wasn't the only thing I wanted to talk to you about. I've got something else- something I think will help us both forget a lot of things.'
The twinkle in Grandpa's eyes reminded me of what my father had said: 'Seems like that old man can cook up more deals than anyone in the country.'
I didn't care how many deals Grandpa cooked up. He was still the best grandpa in the whole wide world.
'What have you got?' I asked.
'Come over to the store,' he said, 'and I'll show you.'
On our way over, I heard him mutter, 'I hope this doesn't turn out like the ghost-coon hunt.'
On entering the store, Grandpa walked to the post office department, and came back with a newspaper in his hand. He spread it out on the counter.
Pointing with his finger, he said in a loud voice, 'Look, there!'
I looked. The large black letters read: CHAMPIONSHIP COON HUNT TO BE HELD. My eyes popped open. Again I read the words.
Grandpa was chuckling.
I said, 'Boy, if that isn't something. A championship coon hunt.' Wide-eyed, I asked, 'Where are they having this hunt, and what does it have to do with us?'
Grandpa was getting excited. Off came his glasses and out came the old red handkerchief. He blew his breath on the lens and polished them. He snorted a time or two, reared back, and almost shouted, 'Do with us? Why it has everything to do with us. All my life I've wanted to go to one of these big coon hunts. Why I've even dreamed about it. And now the opportunity has come. Yes, sir, now I can go.' He paused. 'That is, if it's all right with you.'
I was dumbfounded. I said, 'All right with me? Why, Grandpa, you know it's all right with me, but what have I got to do with it?'
Grandpa was so excited I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel.
Talking excitedly, he said, 'I've got it all fixed, Billy. We can enter Old Dan and Little Ann in this championship hunt.'
