He must have stood there with a confounded look on his face. "Well don't just stand there gawpin son! Pull up a chair and pour yourself a cup of coffee." the old man prodded. Another old aluminum lawn chair with orange and white webbing set on the other side of him close to the fire ring. He moved around the fire and pulled the chair back a bit and sat looking at the old man. The old man leaned closer and said, "I hope you don't mind but I like my coffee a bit on the strong side". Then pausing for effect he said, "Just like I like my women" He laughed uproarously at his joke and slapped his knee with one hand while holding his corn cob pipe with the other. He started coughing like people sometimes do during a good laugh. The same nerves involved in laughing are the same as those that are involved in the coughing reflex. He pulled a red paisley handkerchief from his denim jacket and wiped tears from his eyes and blew his nose. He was amused by the old man's antics. He hadn't felt very light hearted in a while and it made him smile. There were two white ceramic coffee cups and an old pot holder setting on the ground next to the fire ring. He carefully filled both cups from the enameled pot setting on the fire grate and held out one to the old man. "Well thank you son..much obliged" The old man had stuck his pipe in his jacket pocket and took the cup with his left hand while forking the bacon off to one side of the fry pan. "You didn't say how you wanted your egg so I'm gonna break the yolk and fry em hard" he said smilingly. "That's fine. I'm not particular" he responded. "I reckon not, what with that beer you're drinkin" and he began laughing again. He broke the two eggs into the hot bacon grease and when they were ready he flipped them over with a tablespoon that he took from his pocket. "What'll ya have? Good old time flavor...Pabst Blue Ribbon beer" he sang as he flipped the eggs. When they were cooked he spooned one into one of the split open biscuits along with three slices of the fried bacon, set it on one of the plastic plates and passed it to his visitor. Then he made one for himself and took the fry pan off the fire and set it on the ground. He had raised the biscuit to his open mouth and was about to take a first bite but noticed that his visitor sat there with his head bowed. "Must be petitioning the lord" he thought and waited respectfully for him to finish. After a few moments he raised his head and they both began to eat. It was the first good hot food that he had eaten in quite some time and the coffee couldn't have been better. "I seen ya come riden into town last night son. You and your little pony looked kinda wore out" "Yeah...we had quite a day" he replied. They both sat silently eating their biscuit and more coffee was poured. "Thankyou, I appreciate your hospitality Mister?" ... "Name's Brumby..Aristotle Brumby. And what's your name son?" "My name's Van..Van Petrenko. It's Russian" "Well, glad you stopped by Van. I don't get many visitors these days" he said soberly. He fished his pipe out of his jacket pocket and tamped it full of Prince Albert tobacco that he pinched from a foil pouch. He reached down and took a small glowing stick from the fire to light the tobacco. "Give me your plate son" and he wrapped the last pieces of bacon in the remaining biscuit. "You need some meat on them bones. You're about to blow away like a tumbleweed" he said paternally. "Thankyou. It is good" and he readily accepted the plate that the old man held out to him. He sat back and started puffing on his corn cob pipe until white smoke hung in the still air. The sweet smell of the tobacco reminded the young man of his grandfather who, he remembered, took pleasure from his pipe also. It was peaceful sitting here in the calm with this unusual old man. He felt safe and that this was someone that he could trust. "That was quite a storm we got a while back" the old man offered. After a few moments Van asked, "You think that what happened was just a storm?" The old man thought for a time, puffed a cloud of white smoke and with a grin said, " Well it sure weren't no April shower! " he laughed. After a few moments of silence he leaned closer towards him in his chair, his brow furrowed and he asked in a low voice, "Tell me son..what do you think it was?"

..to be continued.