Old friends. They know everything about you. They've celebrated the best of times with you. They've been there with you when the "shit train" rolled in. They challenge you to be the best version of yourself. And, sometimes, they just plain challenge you.
Nancy, Cathy, and I have been friends for over 30 years dating back to when we were in our late 20's and teaching together in Homewood, Illinois. We worked hard together and we definitely played hard together. Happy hours, ball games, Super Bowl parties, and any other excuse to hang out. We pictured ourselves in nightgowns rocking on the front porch together in our old age. Maybe that will still happen. But, the amount of time we spent together dwindled when both of them decided to take their talents elsewhere. Now Nancy is in Arizona and Cathy resides in Michigan. The three of us haven't been under the same roof in over three years. Yet, as fate would have it the three of us enjoyed a night of fun together while one of us was thousands of miles away.
Jacqui and I were in Fort Worth, Texas. Nancy lived nearby at the time and we were meeting up to go to a rodeo and to hit up Billy Bob's, the largest honky tonk on the planet. And that's when the shenanigans started. As we waited for Nancy to arrive we watched the folks on the floor line dancing in their cowboy hats and boots
under the majestic disco ball, a bedazzled saddle. I was thinking about Cathy and wishing she could be with us so I texted her. Her text back was a challenge...a three part dare actually. And it turned our evening into an absolute hoot. Here's how it went:
Well I've always liked a good challenge and we didn't waste any time getting started. That text came in at 7:51 and Nancy hadn't even arrived yet. Minutes later she did and by 8:08 we had completed one task and sent the photographic evidence. I had snagged a security guard and coerced her to thumb wrestle. She obliged with a smile.
I won by the way!
We had about 20 minutes before the rodeo and promptly ordered a beer determined to accomplish challenge number two. Plenty of time. By 8:23 our evidence was sent. Our very understanding waitress was happy to oblige. I did ask her if she was concerned about Covid and she said, "Oh we don't give a fuck about that 'round here!"
Cathy's response:
And then she decided to up the ante.
I guess I have some 'splainin' to do here. I have always been a fart lighter. It dates back to my youth and having brothers a few years older than me. In college I won an award on my floor in the dorm. I was "Frances Fart Lighter". In Canada years later I discovered they call them blue darts and they turn the lights off for effect. Inevitably at get-togethers throughout the years after a few drinks I would be asked to perform. I gladly did whenever possible. Some people were perhaps appalled. Most thought it was funny. I did it after my college roomie's wedding reception in front of my dad and watched his jaw drop. Anyway, it is a known talent I possess. Now back to our story.
We headed off to the rodeo which kicked off with the lights dimmed and a blonde chick on a white horse waving the American flag while The Star Spangled Banner played. It was perfect. Nobody lasted very long during the bull riding but we were thoroughly entertained by it and we were impressed with the lassoing skills on display. Near the end the youngins' came out and chased calves and sheep around trying to get ribbons off their tails. It was just what we had hoped for in our first little rodeo.
Then we headed back to Billy Bob's with one more task to complete. We had to dance on furniture. This one was worrisome because that security guard I thumb wrestled had told me that anybody who did so would be booted. Yet we persisted. We had a beer or two and people watched for a while. Then we went outside to have a smoke. There was a picnic table and we plopped down and waited for the right guy to walk out. We needed a partner in crime to dance with us. We knew Cathy would appreciate that. Many guys came and went until this one guy stepped outside and I said, "I think we found our man."
That's him on the right along with a buddy of his. We engaged in conversation and found out he was from Louisiana but here in Texas working in the oil fields. He did that for a good chunk of the year, traveling all over the country. He was away from his family a lot. It happened to be his wedding anniversary and his wife had come to Texas for it. She was inside and we never got to meet her. Interestingly, when he was home he ran duck hunting trips. There are all kinds of ways that people make ends meet in this life.
I told him about our challenge and asked him if he was indeed our guy. He asked what was in it for him. I told him just the satisfaction of helping us. He climbed up on the table and we followed suit.
Challenge Number 3 was in the books! What followed, though, was one for the ages. We stayed in the smoking area for most of the night. There were a couple of conventions in town and we started noticing that there were a lot of people coming out solo. We would ask them to join us. Before long we had a raucous table and we were all getting to know each other, acting crazy, and BSing. We were strangers united by smoking, basically, and we laughed until our guts hurt. And...nobody was left behind.
We had to prove our feat. We had a text to send to Cathy.
By now it was the wee hours of the morning and Cathy was long asleep. But the next morning she came through with her end of the bargain...with a little help from her hubby.
And there you have it. The story of old friends helping you make new friends...from thousands of miles away. Some bonds can't be broken by distance. Old friends are the best. Just a little piece of advice. If they triple dog dare you take them up on it!
The Tail End by Lou Lou the Travel Dog
All I know is my mamas came back that night smelling kind of like moo-moos and smoke. And, they were laughing a lot. I am pretty sure they fell asleep with smiles on their faces. As for this part of the trip, I didn't get to do much. Just my usual walks. But, my mamas sure seemed to enjoy it.
Follow more of our adventures @openroadchats
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