Little Hapis and JJ

July 3, 1922

Orange Mound

Memphis, Tennessee

"Grab his tail!" 10-year-old "JJ," aka Joey Jenkins, yelled out to 7-year-old Hapis Lewis. The latter was circling around the drinking Saint Bernard they were currently trying to bulldog. For the last few weeks, the 2 kids have been trying to get their hands on him so that they could copy the moves they've seen "The Dusky Demon" do on the Cowboy reels at the local movie house, and today, they was their chance. JJ's father, Jerimiah, had brought the dog home for his wife as protection the week after they married since he worked late at night. Yet, "Precious," which his wife named him before she realized he was a boy, was about as helpful and harmless as a rug.

"You got its tail?" JJ asks as she takes the rope she made out of that god-awful dress her mother made her wear to church last Sunday. Her mother had called it a beautiful confection of lace, but JJ just called it itchy and hot.

"Yeah, I got it," Hapis says, trying his hardest to keep hold of the dog's tail and not get a face full of a fart at the same time. "Are you sure this is how we do it?" He asks, looking around the dog's back at JJ, who was now wrapped around the dog's neck, trying to get him to lay down.

"Yeah, silly. Weren't you watching last week when "The Dusky Demon" wrestled that ferocious 1000lb Bull to the ground with one hand? I swear he could probably take down an elephant if you gave him a chance. He's that good!" JJ says with a twinkle in her eye.

If Hapis didn't know any better, he would think that JJ was sweet on "The Dusky Demon," but he knew better than that. Even though she was a girl, JJ was a Wrangler through and through. She had no time for such silly things like the disgusting romances their older sisters read in all those Ranch Romances they were obsessed with. "He's not moving," he says when their feeble efforts prove useless.

"Lay down, Precious," JJ says, trying to use the command her mother used when Precious was following her around. Precious doesn't move.

Laying slumped over the dog's neck, JJ takes a moment to think, "Dag nab it, I got it. You turn left, and I'll turn right, and that should get this little buckaroo down on the ground for this hogtie." JJ says as she does a summersault on the dog's neck, "No, your other left dummy!" she yells at Hapis as they both fall to the ground, and the dog runs off. "Ugh, now look what you've done! Now we'll never get to learn how to bulldog. That was the only calf my daddy had, and it's going to the Ferguson farm later on today." She says, slapping the dirt away from the beloved dungaree vest gifted to her by her daddy. JJ didn't care about the occasion or the day. She was going to wear her "dungarees" with any stupid dress her mother stuffed her in. She had a habit of telling people it once belonged to Stagecoach Mary's niece but only got mad when she found out they had no idea who Stagecoach Mary was. Even her mother, who grew up on an actual ranch, had no idea who Stagecoach Mary was. How someone could make it to the ripe old age of 29 and not know who the most extraordinary negro woman to ever shoot a bad guy was, was utterly beyond 10-year-old JJ's mind.

"Sorry, JJ," Hapis sullenly says. He really wanted to bulldog that calf today so that he could brag to his cousins at the 4th of July BBQ tomorrow. Oh, well, he'll just lie. It wouldn't be a complete lie he did have the dog by his tail, and how would they know the difference anyway? None of them were authentic wranglers like him and JJ. All they were good at was stickball, and what use was that to a wrangler like him.

"It's ok Little Hapis. I didn't have a good strangle on the vermin anyways." JJ said, knocking the dust off the rim of Hapis's hat. JJ loved talking and act like the cowboys they watched at the matinees on Saturdays.

"Hapis...LITTLE HAPIS!" Hathor, Hapis's agitated mother, yelled from the back porch of the Jenkins home. Turning around, he and JJ see both of their visibly angry mothers scowling at them from the porch's shade.

"Uh oh," JJ says as she scrambles up off the ground stuffing the ruined dress into her shirt front, trying to hide the evidence, as she straightened out her seersucker skirt.

"Sorry, mama, JJ, and I were just..." Hapis started to explain before his mother stopped him.

"You better not say bulldogging," Hathor says, cutting Hapis off before he could finish the rest of his sentence.

"No, No, NO!" Hapis and JJ say in unison, shaking their heads and looking at each other for confirmation.

"He's right, Mrs. Lewis, we ain't bulldog nothing," JJ says, blinking her eyes sweetly with her hat to her chest.

"Hmm, Hmm." That is all Mrs. Jenkins says in response to that lie. "Hapis," she says, turning to her wayward son, "didn't I tell you to be home at 2 and here it is 3 o'clock, and I find you not at home. It seems to me that someone doesn't want to go to the bbq tomorrow." She says, tapping her foot, making Hapis eyes blink in time.

"Oh no, mama, I want to go, but JJ and I saw the dog.." This time he was cut off by JJ slapping a hand over his mouth. Like that wasn't a tell.

"and gave him some water." She says sweetly to their mama's.

"JOSEPHINE JANINE JENKINS!!!!!!!" Mrs. Jenkins exclaims as she stomps down the back steps to grab JJ's hand and bringing her reluctantly back up the steps, "If you don't get your butt in this house, just lying. I can't believe you! Did you forget that we have a window in the kitchen where I can see your little lying butt climbing all on that poor dog's neck? And I know that is not the new dress I just purchased from the catalog, is it, young lady? I know it's not." She says, slamming the back door leaving Hapis and his mother staring at each other.

"Now, while JJ is getting her punishment, what do you think should be yours?" Mrs. Lewis says as she guides a verbally stunted Hapis back home to what turned out to be an afternoon of cleaning the floors.

***

1938

Orange Mound

Memphis, Tennessee

"So whatever happened to you once your mama got you in the house?" Hapis asks Joey as they wash the dishes after the grand Christmas dinner their families just enjoyed together.

"Well, remember that year I only wore black?" she says shyly, looking up at him.

"Yeah, you told me you lost a beloved member of your family," Hapis says, placing the dish he just dried in the cabinet.

Turning the water off, JJ turns to the man who has been her best friend her whole life and knew everything about her. "I lied," She says, giggling.

"I was too embarrassed to tell you what really happened." Covering her eyes, she just blurts it out, "My mama made my vest into a doll for Precious."

"That old dirty rag he used to carry around?" Hapis says, doubling over in laughter. "Serves you right for cutting up that dress," he says to a now pouting JJ.

"It's not funny!" JJ says, slapping his arm, "that vest once belong..."

"To the niece of Stagecoach Mary, yeah yeah," Hapis says, cutting her off. "You know that vest never belongs to Stagecoach Mary's niece. That's if she even had a niece," He says, turning back to drying the last of the dishes.

"It could have," JJ says, admiringly watching him, "and besides, you shouldn't laugh at your pregnant wife," JJ says, slapping him with the dishrag.

"You're right. I'm sorry, baby," He says, pulling her in close to kiss the top of her head. "You know we never did get to bulldog a bull now did we." He says softly into her sweet smelling hair "If you want, you can bulldog me later as my punishment," and with that comment, he ran because a cup might have been coming towards his head.