Buddies
They met at the river. Or rather, John met Hawk at the river; Hawk wouldn't have come if he'd known John would be there.
"How's fishing?" John asked him, falling to a seat on the muddy bank.
"Better."
John looked at the empty pail full of muddy Mississippi water. "No bites?"
"I'd get more if it was quiet."
"Sorry." John knew what Hawk meant. He was silent. Then: "You doing all right?"
"Better."
"Nice shiner."
Hawk's catlike eyes went to John's wide blue ones staring at the dark spot below his lower lashes. The eyes narrowed; John looked back to the water.
"Hey, buddy, if you need anythin', just tell me," he said.
"I need you to be quiet so I can fish."
"Sure."
Two minutes later: "hey, you got a bass!"
"Sure I did. My daddy, if he didn't do anything else, taught me how to fish."
"Yeah," John said, his voice husky as he eyed the purple bruise on his friend's cheekbone. "Going to be your supper?"
"Better than nothing."
"I brought biscuits."
Hawk turned and reached greedily, before pausing and quickly putting his hand behind him. "Naw. That's ladies' food."
"My mama sent them 'specially for you. She told me, 'Johnny Mills, you make sure Hawkins Cooper takes these biscuits and eats all of them himself.' Told me if I ate a single one she'd smack me for sure."
"You're too big to be smacked," Hawk said, a small smile coming to his cut lips.
"So're you, but—" John broke off quickly with a hasty cough. "Uh, come on, eat a couple biscuits. Need to keep your strength up so you can be as tall as me."
"Sure," Hawk snorted, standing up. "I'm near five inches taller as it is."
"Skinny as a string bean, though. Bet I could push you in the river."
"Bet not."
The deed was done, and Hawk came up spluttering, but in a much better mood than he'd been while out in the blazing heat.
"Lucky I can swim," he said, taking the biscuit John offered and cramming it in his mouth, "or you'd be charged for murder."
"I'd have pulled you out."
"To save your little hide from your mama."
John laughed and grabbed the still-flopping bass, throwing it over his shoulder as they walked back through the woods. At the break in the path Hawk stopped and took the fish back, nodding at his friend.
"Thanks, Johnny, but I'll be gettin' home now."
"Your pa home?"
"No. Be back tonight; he's with some...some friends, I guess." Hawk hung his head so his uncut hair fell over his face, hiding it from John's view.
John nodded in understanding. "See you around." He tossed his friend another biscuit.
"Yep."