Bullheaded

“Don’t know what you got to tell me that I don’t already know.”
    Ignoring the kid’s brashness, Cody went on. “First of all, there ain’t a bull that can’t be rode and there ain’t a rider that can’t be throwed.”
    “Whoa! Say it isn’t so! I ain’t never heard that old shit before!” Bobby Blue crossed his arms and scowled in disgust, darting a mean glance toward Travis.
    “Would you shut the fuck up?” Aubrey exclaimed in exasperation.
    “Would both of you shut up! If I wanted to watch you two wave your ropes around, I would just shoot myself,” Tommy said. “Or maybe you.”
    Zane watched quietly but didn’t say a word.
    Bobby Blue opened his mouth to retort but Cody deftly cut him off. “Just so you know. Inevitably even the rankest bull will be topped, just as sure you’ll all be on your faces breathing dust at some point, with the wind knocked clean out of you. Happens to the best of us.”
    “Yeah, I saw you at Toledo when that pussy bull put you down,” Bobby Blue said.
    Johnny pushed off the fence, both hands curled into fists as he glared at Bobby Blue, who ignored him as if he weren’t there.
    Calmly, Cody agreed. “Yeah, I eat the dust plenty of times too. It comes with the territory. Even the greats in our sport spent their fair share of time on their backs with no score to show for it. You can count on being thrown, you just don’t know when, so safety comes first. This morning we’re going to cover equipment. Safety gear, regular bull rope versus Brazilian, what to do if you get hung up dismounting, and how to fall.”
    With a groan and exaggerated roll of the eyeballs, Bobby Blue crossed his arms over his chest.
    Aubrey opened his mouth but Cody stopped him by pushing a hand out. “You’ll all get a chance to tell Sam how much I suck later. Right now we have work to do. My boys’ll each take one of you for a little one-on-one attention.”
    Johnny crooked a finger at Zane, who looked surprised but came over to him. “My name’s Johnny Arrow.” He stuck his hand out.
    With a shy smile, Zane shook. “Zane Winslow. But I guess you knew that.”
    “I guess I did.” Johnny smiled at him. “Tell me about yourself. Where you ride, what gear you prefer. Regular rope or Brazilian?”
    It seemed Zane wasn’t used to talking much; he was a man of few words. Johnny got them sorted and on with the practical before any of the other men. He was down in the dust showing Zane how to roll when Cody called for everyone’s attention.
    “I want you to watch this. Johnny’s going to show you the best way to roll when you hit the dirt, and believe me, you will hit the dirt and hard. It’s all about using your momentum to not get hurt. You try to put on the brakes and breaking something is just what you’ll be doing.”
    Despite the sneer, Cody could tell Bobby Blue was interested. “You ever broke anything?”
    Cody sniggered. “I been riding over twenty years. I’ve broken plenty of bones. Last time, it was my femur.” He chuckled sheepishly. “Shouldn’t be funny, but it kinda was how it happened. And it wasn’t the bull so much as the fence, but it’s a story for another time. If I can keep you boys from breaking something, it’ll probably be better than if I teach you to stay on top of the rankest bull.”
    “Are we going to see an actual real live bull or don’t you have any?” Aubrey demanded.
    “Oh, I got ’em, but you won’t see them until I’m satisfied you’re not going to hurt my animals,” Cody retorted. “Johnny?”
    Johnny went down again to do a small circle roll to his left and came up effortlessly on his feet. “It’s all about using the energy to roll rather than trying to stop your forward motion. There’s a lot of power in these bulls and when they buck you off, that energy has to go somewhere—”
    Cody cut in. “Your first impulse will be to stick out your hand and stop yourself. Don’t. You do that, and you’ll be riding in a cast.”
    “What if I can’t roll?” Tommy asked.
    “Practice ’til you can. It could save a limb or your career. I’m showing you how and you can practice them as part of your workout,” Johnny said.
    Cody horned in again. “Even if you can’t make it look as good as Johnny, don’t tense up when you get thrown. Land like a rag doll if you can and tumble over a few yards to get out of the path of the bull. If you stiffen up, you’ll get hurt. Okay, boys, it’s your turn. Down in the dirt.”