Javier's Chico

4.

Javier was pretty shaken up the next morning. He grabbed some canned foods that Arthur had left out for him, knowing Javier didn't want to sit around camp. He fed Mateo his breakfast, some canned peaches, and he ate whatever Mateo left. And then, as always, he wandered off to the side of camp and skipped stones across the lake with his son.

Dutch was concerned about him to say the least. Hosea taught him some more words in English, but Mateo got too tired and bored of the English lessons so they were often cut short. It was hard trying to reach out to either of them, but they had to try.

"You need a horse. A strong one." Dutch kinda came out of nowhere while Javier was wiping dirt off his son's face. "Arthur, will you take Javier into Tumbleweed and help him pick out a horse?"

~~~

Mateo was amazed looking at all the horses they rode past, he finally let go from his father to sit on the very front of the horse with one of Arthur's hands holding onto the boy, the other holding the reins. The first week of being in camp, Mateo didn't like anyone. He accepted candies from Arthur and soup from Pearson, but he always had to have Javier hold his hand when he did so. But he seemed to be warming up to John and Arthur a little, that was a relief.

Javier hopped off the horse first outside the stables and helped Mateo down, dusting off his jacket. Arthur thought he was a cute kid, he reminded him a lot of Isaac when he was his age. It hurt to see Javier and his son live a life he wished he still had, but having a kid around camp was helping Arthur get over it. They'd wandered around Tumbleweed and Armadillo when they crossed the desert, he remembered each spot they used to sleep. The outhouse, behind the saloon, and one day, the Armadillo sheriff felt kind enough to let them sleep inside one of the cells.

He got down to Mateo's level to get a good look at him, "I want Mateo clean." Javier stated rather abruptly, combing Mateo's fringe a little.

"He's a cute kid." There was no doubt he was Javier's boy, he had such a sweet little face and two big brown eyes, and Javier always kept Mateo's hair tidy. He looked a lot different from when they first arrived in camp. "You like horses, Mateo?"

"Horse?"

"Caballo." Javier translated for him.

"Yes! I like caballos! They are horses?"

"That's right kid, horses. Well come on then, we need to get your Pa his own horse." Mateo let go of Javier and for the first time, he ran straight to Arthur. Arthur picked him up and carried him on his shoulders, holding onto his hands. He laughed and giggled, kicking his legs as Arthur walked with him.

"He never did this..." Normally Mateo was a very quiet boy, he only spoke to his father and his family, let alone a man they just met. He was beaming with joy.

"I think he likes me."

"Arthur my friend." Mateo babbled. "Me gusta Arthur.."

"I like you too, kid. You gonna help your Pa pick a nice horse?"

"Yeah!" He laughed loudly, squeezing Arthur's hands.

Arthur laughed at the young boy as they approached the stables, and it seemed Mateo did not wanna let go or get down from Arthur's shoulders, even when Javier tried to get him down.

It was certainly a relief for Javier's arms and his back, not having to carry him around. That's all he'd done for weeks. Crossing the desert, Mateo was always on Javier's back, or carried around in a sheet tied around him, to give his arms a rest. It was also a relief that Mateo was learning to trust people. He could understand why a three-year-old only trusted his father, but these strangers had saved their lives, and they needed to be grateful, not afraid. And Arthur, despite his rugged appearance and his attitude, Javier was sure he would make a great father. He never saw Mateo laugh like that around a stranger, Hell, a stranger would accidentally bump into him and he'd burst into tears. But he trusted John and Hosea and Arthur enough for them to hold him.

The smell of horse shit and rotting vegetables filled their noses the moment they walked into the stable, they had to watch where they was walking, Javier didn't want the clothes John had bought him to get covered in crap.

"Lookin' for anythin' in particular?" The stable owner asked Javier. It took him by surprise, and he had no idea what he said.

"He don't speak very much English," Arthur spoke for him, the little boy still perched on top of his shoulders, eagerly looking at all the horses, "He needs somethin' strong and reliable."

"I can guarantee only the most reliable horses here. Maybe a shire is good for you," The man led Javier to the back of the stable, to a white horse, strong and large with a black mane and tail. As beautiful as she was, she wasn't the right fit. Javier was only a small man, there was no reason for him to be riding such a big horse.

"Too big." Arthur said again, to which Javier nodded in approval.

"They're normally used for wagons an' such but if you ain't haulin' one of them around, maybe a Dutch Warmblood is your next choice. Ever owned a horse before?" For some reason, the owner did not seem to understand that Javier didn't speak English and had no idea what he was saying, but he tried anyway.

"Um...horses, yes. In México."

"Alright...you ever rode one on your own?"

"Yes sir. Criollo horse." He had nice memories of that horse, named Libre. He was a reliable old boy, he was great for helping Javier and his family on the farm. A quick little thing too, of course, Mateo was too young and fragile to ride with him so Javier's sister would hold onto him, his big eyes full of wonder.

"We ain't got them here, last one sold just last week. The closest we got is this boy over here." He took him over to a stable in the middle, a gray-black horse with a white pattern on it's face and it's back, Javier loved it already. "This is an American Paint, real quick little thing. He's been here a while and he's a great horse."

Javier approached the stable and reached a hand out for the horse, who immediately brushed his nose against him. Arthur even brought Mateo over to take a look. The horse was gentle with the young boy, which is all Javier needed in a horse. His nose nuzzled against Mateo's tiny body, making the young boy burst into laughter.

"I like him." Javier nodded, still petting the horse behind his ear. The horse immediately seemed to bond well with Javier, a gentle young horse.

"Great, I got his papers right over here. You're gonna need a saddle for him too. Got a name for
him?" Javier froze again, shaking his head. "He's yours. He needs a name." Though, he didn't appreciate when people dragged their sentences out as if it would make him understand.

"What do you think? ¿Cómo se llama?" He turned to his son, still perched on Arthur's shoulders.

The boy hummed for a second, watching the horse. "Boaz!"

Boaz was the name of one of the horses back on the farm Javier worked on, a shire, if he remembered rightly. Mateo made it his goal to learn every name of of every horse on that farm, and Boaz was one of his favourites, he found it to be the funniest name to say.

Javier signed the papers with Arthur's help to translate it, very poorly, and picked out a nice saddle for Boaz before he rode him around the stable. He had a fast trot and didn't get agitated when Javier made him go faster, he was perfect.

"We should get back," Arthur said, trying to pry the boy from his shoulders to give him back to his father, "Clingy little feller, ain't ya?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. Déjalo solo, Mateo." The boy whined and let Arthur take him  down, wandering slowly back to his father. Javier grabbed him under his arms to bring him up onto the front of Boaz. As well-behaved as Mateo was, he certainly had his defiant moments.

"¡Rapido, rapido! ¡Papá, fast!" But, he was such a funny kid, it was hard to be annoyed with him. Javier cracked the reins and made the horse speed up, the boy started laughing even louder now. His curls were bouncing like crazy every time the horse jumped over rocks.

Arthur watched the father and son laughing and shouting as the horse ran around. He was a happy kid, almost as if nothing bad had happened to them. It reminded him so much of Isaac. It still hurt him, but maybe having Mateo around would help him get over it a little more.