“I wonder what’s goin’ on,” Henry said leaning over to Jessie.

“Well, I bet that fellow over there could tell us.” Jessie smiled, pointing to a thin cowboy walking toward them.

“My god,” Henry whispered. “That’s Leon Geyser. I’ve known him since we were kids.”

Jessie turned and smiled up at Henry. “I know.”

“Hello, Jessie.” Leon smiled, giving her a brief and friendly hug. He then turned to Henry, and smiling broadly, first shook his hand, and then hugged him, too. “Good to see you old friend,” he said, stepping back and taking a good look at the man he hadn’t seen in almost twenty years. “We’re glad you could make it, Henry.”

“Make it?” Henry was a bit taken aback. “Make what? What’s goin’ on?”

“She didn’t tell you?” Leon smiled.

“Tell me what?” Henry asked, turning to Jessie. Jessie smiled knowingly and shrugged.

Leon laughed. “Hell, it was all Jessie’s idea.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “And when I talked it over with the 4-H people and folks in town, well, they all…we all figured it was the right thing to do.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will,” Leon chuckled, putting his other hand on Henry’s shoulder, turning them both and leading them through the crowd and toward the stage. Leon stopped them at the stage’s edge, and leaving them there, he waved to one of the men on the stage, then pointed at Henry and Jessie and nodded. The man on the stage nodded back, rose from his chair and went to the microphone.

“Could I have everyone’s attention!” he called over the microphone. “Attention please!” Conversations slowly wound down until the place that was buzzing with activity only seconds before became quiet as a church. “Thank you.” The man smiled. He took some notes from his shirt pocket, unfolded them, and placed them on the podium. He smiled down at Henry and Jessie, and then read from the notes. He began talking about the big white building behind him. It was a relatively new 4-H pavilion that was built from funds donated by people in town, and built exclusively by volunteer labor. Many 4-H shows had occurred in the pavilion, and countless 4-H projects had been on display there. It was where the county 4-H held their annual fundraiser dinner/dance, which allowed them to present a sizable scholarship to a deserving high school senior who wanted to go to college and study agriculture. Couples who had met while members of 4-H had used it for their wedding receptions, and it was where the potluck dinner was to be held immediately after the ceremony that day.

The man then went on to talk about the person the building had been named after. Without mentioning him by name, he talked of the boy’s attributes, his smile, kindness, and willingness to help anybody at any time. He talked of all the lives he had touched, both while he was alive, and since his passing, and how the man knew the things he was saying about the boy were true, because he had been a friend and classmate of the boy twenty years before.