Lennie Waite
RLA D
January 25, 2000

Lennie was playing with one of Slim’s newborn puppies, so soft and cuddly, just what Lennie liked.
“I know what George would say to me right now, he’d say: Lennie ya better put that darn dog back with it’s ma, otherwise I ain’t gonna let ya tend them rabbits. Ya know it’s only a few days old, put it back with its litter.” Lennie thought to himself.
All Lennie wanted was to sit there all day and stroke the velvet fur of the newborn puppy with his large and powerful hands. Deep down, he knew what was best, and that he must put the silky puppy back with its mother. However, it seemed impossible to Lennie to withdraw from petting the dog. Luckily, he finally listened to his own order and slowly promenaded the newborn back to its mother. He had a sense of happiness and reassurance buried in the pit of his stomach, he knew that if he could show George that he could care for the puppy in a sensible way that George would be proud and let him tend the rabbits. Lennie knew that George was out taking Curley to the hospital. Lennie had not meant to hurt Curley’s hand but his strength had taken control of him and he had injured Curley tremendously.
Lennie had no place to go, and was lonely and lost without George. Walking up and down the corridor helplessly, he ran into Crook’s room. Sneakily, he poked his head through the corner of Crook’s door expecting him to signal him inside. However, Crook was rather protective about his privacy and not too comfortable about letting Lennie sit in his room.
“What er ya doin’ invadin’ a black man’s privacy, get on out now.” Crook yelled harshly.
“ I just, I just wanna sit down an talk, that’s all.” Lennie stuttered in a scared voice.
“Okay, I guess ya ain’t gonna do no harm, so where’s that buddy of yours?” Asked Crook.
“Oh, ya mean George, he just taken Curley to the hospital since I busted him up real good. I didn’t mean to, honest to God I didn’t mean to hurt nobody.” Lennie confessed.
“No one likes that little guy anyway, I be happy if ya bust ‘im up good. I would hit him one hard to if I was ya size.”
“Well, I didn’t mean to, suddenly I jist, I jist couldn’t leggo of his hand. It’s gonna be alright, even George say so.” Lennie said, making himself feel better.
“Why ya so dependant on George anyway, ya all actin’ like he’s ya boss. Why don’t ya jist forget about what George say?” Crook asked curiously.
“George, awe I couldn’t live without him, he like me father, always tryin to keep me outta trouble.” Lennie established
“Say, what gonna happen if George never come back from hospital, what ya gonna do then?” Crook insinuated.
“George coming back awright, he never jist leave me here, he ain’t leavin me is he?” Lennie said worriedly.
“Na, but say he did?” Crook provoked.
“What, he leavin me? He ain’t ever gonna do that. Ya know somethin, George comin’ back right?” Lennie asked with increasing unease..
“Yeah” Crook grunted flatly.
“ Why ya talkin like that then, he gonna be home soon then right?” Lennie questioned, becoming visibly distraught.
“Yeah, jist forget I say anythin’, he gonna be walkin’ through my door any second lookin’ fo’ ya.” Crook reassured him.
Lennie sat there quietly. He was worried inside about George, he wanted him back now, all that talk about him not coming home made Lennie anxious about his arrival back at the ranch. Lennie heard the pitter-patter of footsteps outside. It was Candy, he walked in and started chatting with Lennie and Crook.
“I hear what ya do to Curley, it’s all right he deserve it anyway. Okay, well that aint' what I came into talk to you about. I been thinkin’, and I pretty sure I got everything worked out, me you and George about ready to get our own little place, and yeah, ya can have some rabbits.” Candy affirmed.
Then suddenly, the door to Crook’s room swung all the way opened and slammed against the back wall. All excited, Lennie sprang up from his chair. He was disappointed when he noticed the identity of the person barging into Crook’s room. It was Curley’s wife all dressed up, parading around looking for her husband. She looked more like she was trying to find a date, rather that looking for her husband.
“Say, you boys seen Curly around? I cain’t find him nowhere.” She asked in a high pitched voice.
“No, I ain’t seen him, I think he got his hand stuck in some machine and is out at the hospital.” Candy said covering up for Lennie.
There was a current of nervous electricity in the room. They were not prepared to tell the truth to Curley’s wife in case she blew up and started to give Lennie a hard time. Carefully, Lennie made sure he didn’t make eye contact with Curley’s wife in case she could see that guilty look on his face.
“You guys sure ‘bout Curley? You sure one of you didn’t bust him up real good. I wish one of yous would, it’s about time he got a beatin’.” She said.
“Yeah, none of us done nothing to him.” Candy said.
“Say you, big guy did you hurt him. I wish you would. I wouldn’t care. Big guy, you wanna come for a walk with me. Sometimes I get real lonely with no one to talk to. When Curley’s around he don’t want me talkin’ to any of you fine boys, but since he ain’t here, I guess I can do what I want.” Curley’s wife stated in a seducing manner.
“No, Geroge wouldn’t want me hangin’ ‘round with ya. He thinks I ain’t to be trusted. Anyway, Curley be back anytime. I, I just gonna stay here and chat with ma buds.” Lennie said apprehensively.
Lennie knew he could never be trusted. Being with a lady wasn’t what he was used to. He could end up hurting her with no reason, his strength could just overpower him again like it did when Curley tried to tempt him into a fight.
“Come on, why you gotta always listen to that bud of yours anyway. Let’s go have some fun, you look like a real nice guy.” Culey’s wife flattered.
“Stop it, ya got a husband already, why ya always trying to come over here and get with us anyway ya know it ain’t the right thing to do. Ya gotta be loyal to ya husband.” Candy said pouring shame upon Curley’s wife.
Slowly, Curley’s wife started strutting towards Lennie’s seat. Quickly Lennie sprouted up from his seat and stood next to Candy hoping for his protection. Lennie would never know what to do if Curley’s wife put a hand on him, he may grab it and crush all the bones in it by accident, or he may stutter and faint. With strong passion, Lennie desperately wanted the company of George to turn to right now. Without George Lennie was a helpless little boy, easily persuaded and easily able to destroy the future for both himself and George. Thinking to himself, all he wanted was George, George would be able to put him right in a situation like the one he was stuck in now.
“Why you guys never want to have any fun. Come on, I ain’t gonna harm no one, all I want is to chat. I get lonesome, none of you guys know what it’s like to be stranded on a farm with men that you ain’t ‘loud to connect with or talk to.” Curley’s wife wheedled, trying to gain the pity of the other men in the room.
“I guess I can take a second to suit ya invite, I knows I wouldn’t like being so lonely every day like that. I always got somebody, I got George to talk to. He like my brother, he always there, I never lonely.” Lennie said.
Suddenly, Candy whispered something into Lennie’s ear, Lennie seemed to shrug off his comment and walked out the door, and trailing behind him was Curley’s wife. Lennie led her through the barn into where his soft, cuddly puppies lay quietly sleeping. He bent over slowly and picked up his favorite puppy.
“Ya see this, I love this dog. Here stroke it. Ain’t it just so soft to touch, I love soft things. George thinks I am crazy, he always telling me to leave things alone, and not to put my hands on anything soft. I just can’t help it though. Like your hair, I can tell it is soft. I would love to run my hands through it, but George would never stand for that, he’d punish me if he’d ever find out I come near you.”
“George ain’t here now is he? Here, you can touch my hair. Why you always so worried what George would say. You’re a man, live like one. I think me and you could get along real good. We seem real similar. Here give me your hand, I’ll let you stroke my hair.”
Lennie heard that voice of George in his head again, he knew that if he touched her hair he probably wouldn’t be able to let go and would crush her skull like he crushed Curley’s hand. He had to resist the temptation of her soft, shiny, silky hair. Right now George would be saying “Lennie ya better leave her alone, ya know she gonna try and get ya wrapped up in all sorts of trouble, then I ain’t gonna let ya tend them rabbits. Don’t trust her, she wants to get ya all wrapped up in her dainty little fingers.”
“What do you think I am, just a big stupid guy who’s gonna fall over ya and get sucked into ya little mind games. I ain’t like that, I got respect for myself and others. I know ya lonely, but you made ya choice, ya stuck with Curley now. Don’t go trying to get me to come and feel pity for ya, I know what ya like. Ya got it written all over ya, wearin’ a little red dress and prancing around like a lady of the town. I better go back with the boys, they gonna be worried ‘bout me, and George will be home any second with Curley, so why don’t ya just go back to ya room and wait for him like a loyal wife should. I don’t wanna see ya coming ‘round to our place pretending to look for Curley, and then wind up with one of us boys outside getting all wrapped up in one of ya sorry stories.” Lennie said strongly.
“Why, I never hear you speak so much before, and boy am I glad about that. I thought that you would understand, and help me feel better, I thought we could get to know each other. But I guess I’ll be leaving know.” Curley’s wife said defensively
“Good, ya better go otherwise I tell Curley ya ‘round here trying to seduce all us men with ya flattering words. Go home now.” Lennie demanded.
Lennie was proud of himself. Learning to say no was always hard for him, he used to get sucked into trouble easily, but not this time. He could smell it in the air, he knew that she was up to something and that it wasn’t anything that he ought to get into. Proud of himself, Lennie walked, high and mighty, back into the room with the boys.
“Hey Lennie, why did ya go outside with her?” Crook asked.
“To tell her off but good, I set her straight, learned her a lesson!” Lennie said poking his nose in the air.
Lennie ran his eyes across the room hoping that George would be back by now Luckily, right before Lennie was about to break down, George loped into the room with Curley. Curley came in with his hand bandaged up; he looked like a child paranoid of ever getting a scrape on his hand.
“Doc said they could never get all them broken bones straight, the best they could do was bandage it all up and hope. They says he probably gonna be crippled in his right had for life, they may get a couple of the bones straight but there is just too many out a place.” George said trying to keep himself from smiling.
“Ah, that’s too bad.” The boys said in sarcastic voice.
“How ya ever gonna work on a ranch with a crippled hand? Maybe ya best leave us all and go find new work if ya can’t help out here no longer.” Candy said hoping that he would never have to wake up and see Curley again.
Curley got the impression that he wasn’t wanted with the others and walked out mumbling something beneath his breath. There was a look of satisfaction throughout the room, they had gotten rid of Curley, maybe once and for all. Also, they no longer had to put up with the seductive ways of his dissatisfied wife.
When the men woke up the next morning, they were filled with a feeling of joy and delight at the realization that Curley was no longer part of their ranch life. After Curley and his wife had departed, life at the ranch was much more enjoyable, and their pay was increased. At this rate, Lennie, George and Candy would be out and living at their dream house with rabbits in no time.
“Say George, ya think if you me and Lennie scrape up our money we can go and buy our own place.” Candy said with a look of hope on his face.
“Let’s give it one more week, then we got enough money to care for the place after we buy.” George said
“George, tell me what its gonna be like, I mean the new place where we gonna go, what’s it gonna be like?” Lennie questioned hoping once more to listen his favorite story, their dream.
“Its gonna be a little house, we’ll have a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs. We’ll live off the fat’a the land, and we’ll have a little ol’ vegetable patch, and we’ll have a cage with rabbits and if you be good I’ll let ya care for ‘em. “ George explained.
“This is really gonna happen. We ain’t just some man who dreams about getting’ their own place, because I got you, and you got me and we both got Candy and each other. We gonna take care of each other, we really gonna have our own place.” Lennie recited proudly.
The three men worked hard for their last week until finally it came time for them to say their good-byes. Though sad to leave there friends, there were no tears shed due to the excitement of the prospect of living without a boss.
“Goodbye everyone, I sure am going to miss working with ya, I hope some day that ya build up the courage to leave and become ya own boss and have to rely only on ya self. I hope life turns out good for all of ya. I’ll try and write once we find our own place! George said.
“Same goes for me.” Candy and Lennie beamed simultaneously.
Then, the long walk out to their self-sufficient world began. They walked for a couple of days then took the train down to a little village where the land was a reasonable price and the people were friendly. They bargained their way down to what they could afford and their dream started to become reality. It took a few months for them to build their home, but when it was done, it was near perfect. They managed to persuade a petite middle aged lady who stayed down the street to sell them two rabbits so that they could breed them and Lennie would be able to tend to them and pet them all he wanted. It was just like their dream, the vegetables began to sprout within a few weeks after planting them and the livestock was soon getting plump enough to eat. Also, without failure, Lennie fed the rabbits every day, and managed to pet them without squeezing them to death. Their new beginning just showed that believing in oneself and following a dream could lead to a better life.