Author Topic: When the Bluebonnets Bloom  (Read 98 times)

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Offline Maggie

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When the Bluebonnets Bloom
« on: September 13, 2016, 03:20:30 am »


Summary: All she wanted was a night out to herself, she wasn't looking for anything special and she sure as heck wasn't looking for anything world shattering. Which, is exactly what Colleen Wilson ended up with after spending a few days with a smooth talking man from Louisiana with honey colored eyes and a soft smile. Problem is, communication is slim to none with him these days and she's not even sure where to look for him. It's up to Colleen herself to set things right and make the most of the lot given to her, after all you only get one go around. Along the way she finds out that families are sometimes not the ones you're born with but the ones that are made during hard times.

Playlist:

*title taken from the Cross Canadian Ragweed song Bluebonnets*




https://open.spotify.com/user/highlandfling22/playlist/2qA9rjnh1zl6IekoNI6Nby


A/N: I recently did a re-watch of Dallas Buyers Club and I just couldn't bring myself to let Rayon go out like she did in the film, so for all intents and purposes both she and Ron are healthy, happy and very much together. Please know that I do not own Rayon or Ron, I'm merely playing with them for a bit. This is a work of pure fiction, please know that I do not make any thing from writing these works. I do hope you enjoy!

1986 Dallas Commerce Street { Inside DBC Salon and Nail Studio }

   A steady din had settled over the tiny beauty salon that was normally bustling with excitement this time of year. June was officially wedding season and in the state of Texas bigger was always better, hair included. But no, bigger was most certainly not always better, at least that was how Colleen Murphy - nee Wilson saw it. At this particular moment in time she had locked herself away in the back room in the even tinier washroom and was in a state of panic. Teary eyed cold sweat inducing panic as she stared at the directions for the tenth time daring them to be wrong. They weren’t. She knew it but she didn’t dare want to believe it. She felt so ashamed, how in the world could she have let this happen? She wasn’t cut out to be someone’s mother, ever. Not the way she lived her life. She enjoyed her freedom entirely far too much and she would be damned if she would bring a kid into the mix, not because she thought it would hinder her spreading her wings, it wouldn’t, she just knew she was too much like her own mother to even consider herself worthy of a child. She looked in the mirror each morning and saw herself slowly transforming into how she remembered Eileen looking before she’d left home. Same high cheekbones, clear cool green eyes and pale skin. She was nearly thirty in less than six months and at the moment she felt positively ancient. She could barely remember her own mother at thirty, those memories were a blotted blur in the pages of the book of her life. The only thing that differed was the hair color and their skill astride a horse. Colleen remembered that Eileen’s blonde locks came care of Clairol and many hours spent locked in the tiny bathroom with a kitchen timer and whatever gossip magazine was on sale at the check out of the local Publix. Her mother’s proficiency in the saddle had always been lack luster and there was always a bit of jealousy when she watched Colleen ride or dance. It honestly didn’t help that Colleen had always been her Daddy’s little girl since the day she’d been born.  Looking back on it now she was sure as she’d grown up her mother had seen her as some sort of competition. The smell of bleaching solution, cheap rose perfume, and Salem cigarettes were three things Colleen would always associate with her Mama. When she’d been small she thought for sure her Mama could have been a movie star. She certainly had the looks and at times the attitude. But Colleen adored her anyway even though she’d always be her Daddy’s little princess. Some days, much like today; she often wondered if her parents knew how much she loved them. She’d told them countless times but Mama had brushed it off and Daddy, was, well, not in touch with his emotions. She still called them every week without fail even if she ended up leaving a long winded message on their answering machine, the very same one she’d sent them two Christmases ago.


   Letting her head loll back against the tiles she thought back to that night that had changed her life.
He’d told her that his name was Shannon before he had high tailed it off back off toward the stock yards. As far as his last name he had mentioned it and said he was listed under the M’s in a tiny town outside of Houston, just moved back from a few years away. He’d gone through a rough patch, ended up in State lock up doing time and that was how he’d found the world of rodeo. It was like he’d found his true calling, his other passion had been music but that was how he’d ended up in Angola in the first place after falling in with the wrong crowd so it was bulls over drum skins these days. There was nothing keeping him around Bossier City anymore anyway; not since his Daddy had died and the farm had gone up for auction. His Mama had moved over seas and his younger brother was a photographer in Los Angeles. He had tried to make a go of things by taking work as a flag man for the county and then working construction but neither of the jobs seemed to take. He had ended up working the team roping circuit before moving on to bull riding, he part timed this go around as a rodeo clown because one of his buddies had gotten gored. He got to travel, had time to himself to think but he did get lonely from time to time. He’d said he would call her as soon as he got back home. He did, once. It had been about a week or so after their long weekend together. From somewhere near San Antonio after a round in Santa Fe but the line had been so full of static the call disconnected after about three minutes.  That was the one and only time he’d called her in eight weeks. Colleen wasn’t going to call it a wham bam thank you ma’am type of weekend but she couldn’t lie, they had spent most of Friday through Sunday in the confines of that motel room only venturing out one mid morning on Monday to restock the condoms that had ultimately ended up failing and by Tuesday evening he was already on the interstate heading toward the stock yards. She had lacked the nerve to dig through his wallet to find a license and commit the information to memory.  He had offered to light her cigarette and commented that he’d always taken a liking to brunettes with green eyes. She had countered back with her appreciation for tall dark handsome men. He had told her that he wasn’t anything to look at and she had said she liked what she saw very much indeed.

 The night went on and they found that they were quite like minded. Conversation had been struck up and the drinks had flowed nicely, he’d been one heck of a dancer and hell of a lot of fun. He’d taught her a new two step and she taught him to line dance. What stuck out in her memory was that he was a bit taller than she was,smelled divinely of a heady mixture of chicory coffee, some sort of cologne that reminded her cypress and oak moss, and sweet tobacco. Chestnut brown hair with warm honey colored eyes to go with a well muscled build and cheerful smile; she had felt herself go weak in the knees. He’d left her with was a rather deep appreciation for the lilting slow pattern of his Bossier City accent. She noted the cadence was warm and flowing like molasses versus the broad strokes of the New Orleans she sometimes heard in the shop during tourist season. God had a way of blessing the south it seemed, there was also the silver belt buckle which he’d received for placing second in the go around, and now, this; a blob of cells that was no bigger than a damn kidney bean.  If her memory served her correctly from the high school health class from ages ago, Junior Bean still had his/her tail at this point.

Served her right for thinking she’d find a little bit of happiness with someone. He’d been nothing but a gentleman, paid for her drinks and held the door for her and hadn’t been at all pushy in bed, something Colleen had to admit that she most certainly was not used to. Everything was wonderful until the front desk called and said he’d had an urgent message from one the other riders, calling about a number’s trade. He’d apologized before he left her at the motor lodge off of Route 22 without a way to get back home so she had ended up walking back in the pouring rain to find Rayon waiting up for her much like the concerned mother she had never had growing up. She thought she’d drilled it into her own head that everything was fine, things like that happen all the time. After all, her Daddy had pushed it into her head that ‘Cowgirls don’t cry.’ There was no use crying over it but at the three mile mark just as the building she called home came into view she had broken down soaked to the bone, her make up running down her face and reeking of sweat and his cologne. Eddie Rabbit could certainly suck it with that stupid song that had taken over the air waves. Rainy nights sucked out loud, especially when you had to walk three miles along the highway. Slumped in the tiny living room curled up in a ball in the corner sobbing quietly. Which was pretty much how Ray had found her in the back washroom. Curled up in a ball in the corner sobbing to herself and shaking like a leaf. At the moment the tiny powder blue bathroom looked like some sort of laboratory with tests of every brand lining the counters. It had taken Colleen about two hours to finish every test and a small fortune alone to buy them but as the old adage said, knowledge was power. Wasn’t it? She hadn’t quite had the courage to take them at home, she would have surely keeled over and died had Ray’s man had walked in on her. She loved both of them dearly but Ron could fix one of those stares at her and she felt like she was a kid all over again. She often joked that they weren’t only her best friends but her pseudo parents as well. So she had ducked out and headed to the shop to conduct her little science experiment.  The shop itself had hit a lull earlier this week, wedding season hadn’t quite reached it peak just yet so it wasn’t like Colleen didn’t have the time to have the nearest thing to a break down.

“They’re all **** positive.”

She sobbed into her best friend’s blouse clutching the other woman as if she were her last shred of sanity in the cold cruel changing world that was her life at the moment. Ray and her significant other, Ron, truly were the only people she had left in this world. Her parents as much as they loved her were as straight laced as they could be. Pushed her into the family business and while she had done well on the barrel racing circuit she was never quite comfortable with being confined to the cab of a truck. Her father, a retired bronc rider;  owned a cattle ranch that did well, her Mama had made a name for herself making custom western wear that sold quite well with those on the rodeo circuit and they both knew their daughter had a natural talent in the saddle. There was never anywhere to truly call home when you were on the road and the tiny town she had been born in had dwindled down to a mere 600 people by the time she was 18. She had enrolled herself at the local beauty school over in Terrell and felt a little more at ease. Her Mama had it all settled that Colleen would go on and settle down with a nice dependable older ranch hand by the name of Frank Flannery- she did; against her better judgement; and he’d turned out to be a mean hearted man who wasn’t as sweet as he’d put on. He had died one night after going out drinking over Terrell leaving Colleen a widow at 19. Then a year later came Roy Murphy, one of Frank’s buddies who made who made Frank look like a softie.  Colleen knew she had to make a run for it after two years of being used as his personal punching bag. She had tried to tell her Mama what went on behind closed doors but she had taken his side; telling her that she still needed to learn her place as a wife. Her father had been so busy with the bull breeding side business he’d set up to even notice the bruises on her arms or the fact that her make up seemed to be getting heavier and heavier as the years passed.  So, she sold off her horse, that broke her heart, and her trophies and buckles and bought a one way ticket from the Podunk town of Bitter Creek all the way to Dallas, which in reality was only about an hour away. Sixty bucks could only get her so far. It was still Texas after all but it was a fresh start none the less. Somehow Rayon  had found her, albeit a little more battered and bruised than Colleen would have liked but she had found her just the same and taken her under her wing. Col had fallen in with a rough crowd and was trying to make ends meet by dancing at some club off the strip, on the night Ray found her one of the regulars had wanted a little something extra and she had turned him down, as she had a right to; resulting in the her would be fan following her out and grabbing her down an alley, beating the tar out of her. They were roughly the same age, maybe a year or two’s difference but Colleen was much more closed off around people. All except Rayon and Ron. They were Colleen’s angels and she owed them both so much. They had helped her get back on her feet, track down a lawyer and finally divorce Roy, who for once in his life had actually let her go without so much as a cruel word or a threat. Said he’d found somebody new and Colleen already pitied the girl who saddled herself to him.

“Oh sugar, it’s going to be okay.”
Her honeyed soft drawl came out as she rubbed Colleen’s back and sat down beside her. The two women sat in silence just listening to the muffled street sounds and the steady plinking drip of the faulty faucet at the utility sink that was often used to rinse perm rods and solution bottles.
Colleen often found peace surrounded by those smells, they were familiar and the shop was almost like a second home. But today it seemed like the walls were closing in around her and the only thing that was keeping her grounded was Rayon’s gentle circles on her back and the smell of her perfume. She was often tempted to ask her what it was exactly that she wore but somehow it never cropped up. Colleen would always associate that perfume with safety. It was the second thing she noticed the night Ray had found her beaten and bloody in that alley. The first had been those big blue eyes. Colleen had been half out of it and she had mumbled that Ray was her guardian angel.
The sink plink pinked a steady drip and a pick up roared down the main street. Colleen was first to break the silence.

“He was from some tiny place  outside of Houston by way of Louisiana. He was a bull rider with the Terrebonne Round Up. Didn’t quite make to the big leagues this year but he’d still placed.  God, a few nice words, a smile and a heart to heart at the bar and I was flat on my back…more than once.”

Tears welled up in her eyes again as her voice caught in her throat. She wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands and she sighed. She was about two seconds away from blabbing and Rayon, as patient as she was with her, let her. It seconds it all poured out in one huge jumbled heap.

“I’m not meant to be someone’s mother. I’m anything but stable and I’m almost thirty. I’m not even sure what to call myself. Ray, I’m a mess. The way my Mama raised me…what Frank and Roy put me through. No father. I’d **** it up, Ray I know I would. Oh God. This kid’s doomed.”

Rayon wanted so badly to tell her friend that no, she wouldn’t. Ray knew Colleen had the makings of a good mother, much like Rayon’s own had been. Col had been a pillar of support for both Ron and Rayon when they had gotten Ray off the junk that she had been caught up in. She had taken care of both of them when they had both had The Scare that was popping up more and more in the community these days. A wave of relief had washed over the three of them when the tests came back negative. Colleen was the only one to actually accept them as they were and love them unconditionally. The three of them had become a family, there wasn’t anything else to call it but that. Rayon sometimes found herself wondering what would have happened to the woman she called her best friend had she not stopped to see if she was alright. She hated to think of the possibility that Colleen might not have lasted the night but it would be true. When she had found her Col had been beaten so badly that she was barely conscious and damn near half starved. Ron had just shook his head as he helped Ray get the wayward girl up the hotel steps and check her over, neither was sure she would actually make it through the night but by some miracle she had. The green eyed girl always said that Ray and Ron were her guardian angels but deep down they knew that she was theirs too. Rayon could only give her friend a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay while she sobbed quietly.

Half an hour and countless tissues later Colleen felt like she had hit a dry spell. Was it even possible to cry dust? She was certain that was all that was coming from her tear ducts.

“How’d you even know I was here, Ray?”

Rayon gave her a cheshire cat grin, her eyes sparkling with hidden mirth as she wrapped an arm around Colleen’s shoulders chuckled.

“It’s ten AM on a Saturday, doll. I know you don’t get yourself out of bed before noon on the weekend, not for love or money. I figured somethin’ was up when I heard you in the bathroom for the last week or two, so did Ron and you know that man could sleep through the apocalypse. We just thought that maybe you had taken up closet drinkin’ or something. Maybe gotten yourself a stomach bug. Then I did some thinking and thought that something wasn’t addin’ up. Found these too.”

Rummaging through her fringed shoulder bag she chuckled before holding out Colleen’s keyring that held her house and shop key along with a receipt from Dougherty’s Pharmacy.

“You forgot your keys and I found this under them this morning when I got up to have a cup of coffee. How’d you get in anyway?”

Colleen felt a blush creep up in her face as she groaned. It seemed that her mind was on a totally different planet these days and she couldn’t even blame it on the chemical fumes from perms and body waves.

“I climbed through the back window in the storeroom. Y’know Ron really should fix that latch, anyone could get in here after we lock up.”

Rayon gave her an incredulous look before they both erupted into a shared fit of the giggles.

“What the hell did you land on? It’s a long drop down.”

Colleen gave the blue eyed brunette a mock haughty look and smoothed her hair a bit while doing her best upper class accent.

“Why don’t you know my dear Miss Rayon that I’ve got cat like reflexes?”

A rather unladylike snort came from Ray as she tried to envision Colleen busting into the shop and wobbling precariously on the ledge of the tiny storeroom window trying to will herself not to get stuck somehow or fall face first on the cold cement floor. The green eyed woman caught the look and sighed.

“Alright, more like three legged half blind bob tail alley cat but feline none the less. I may or may not have dented a box or two of perm solution on the way down and ripped my shirt but hey, it was a relatively soft landing.”

Somewhere in the front of the shop the bell overhead jingled and Colleen groaned while Rayon looked just the tiniest bit sheepish.

“It’s a force of habit to flip the sign when I walk in first thing in the morning. We could just tell them that we’re closed for cleaning.”

Colleen waved it off as she got up and started clearing away the tests.

“Nah, we could use the money. Didn’t Ron say he was planning on going out to Japan the first of next month again?”

Ray nodded as she got to her feet and stretched before shrugging into the pink smock top that was customary for both of them to wear during business hours. The side business was certainly picking up and as often as they could they obtained the necessary drugs used in blind studies. It had helped that they knew one or two of the doctors that had headed such a study but to know that their friends signed up for such a study were most likely getting dosed with the placebo shook something in them. So, armed with lists of names, locations, and pouring over damn near every study published on treatments they set out to change the world one patient at a time. Colleen had opened her storerooms and back office as a sort of storage and pick up place once the hotel rooms they were once renting became too small and it looked like more real estate was going to be needed by next year. Ray couldn’t help but catch Col’s secretive little smile whenever the subject was brought up and she had to wonder just what her friend had in mind.

“Yeah, he’s still trying to book a flight. Doesn’t want to end up on a Red Eye again, said it was hell the last time and he’ll be damned if he gets stuck next to another gibbering old lady.”

Colleen shook her head as she threw the last of the tests into the trash and washed her hands before pulling on her own smock and pinning up her hair.

“Remind me and I’ll set it up when we get home, I’ve got Delta on speed dial. So, you think today’s the day you finally tackle the wild and wonderful world of hair?”

Arching one finely drawn brow Rayon gave her head a solid shake as they ducked out and grabbed a few fresh towels.

“Not on your life, sweet pea. I’m just the newly licensed nail technician, why do you think I stick to wigs? Hair’s your playground.”

“Oh come on, if you can tackle nails you kick ass at cutting hair. I’ll even let you practice on me.”

Rayon’s eyes bugged momentarily as she ran a hand over Colleen’s brow, feeling for a temperature.

“Oh sugar, those have got to be the hormone’s talkin’.”

For a split second Colleen’s face fell as she was caught off guard again. Rayon wanted to badly to take it back but Col let out a tiny snort and told her that she was probably right but that it was only hair and that would most certainly grow back.  This was the second time Rayon had managed to be so shocked that she was speechless. The first had been when her Ron had told her that he’d loved her and now this. Colleen, whose hair was a strict ‘no touch’ zone, that was trimmed on a color coded schedule, and deeply conditioned every other month with the finest conditioners available. Her friend was changing and it scared the hell of out her. Ray stood there in the shadows for a moment watching the other brunette switch on the sound system and bid the two clients, a mother and what was most likely her daughter, a good morning before ushering the young girl back toward the sinks. She’d even heard Col comment on how beautiful the day was starting to look.

“Now I know it’s the hormone’s talkin’. That lil’ thing’s gone and turned her into a morning person.”

Rayon muttered as she plastered her own grin on her face and went about setting up her station for the day. By twelve the clientele had dwindled from the regulars, both male and female, who came in for touch ups and pick ups to a few older ladies that simply wanted a rinse and a set.

“Now, Miss Velma you know you can’t smoke in here. Ray and I have too many flammable chemicals around here that if you were to drop one little ash the place might just go sky high. Then what in the world would we do?”

Colleen admonished playfully before passing Velma an ashtray and a coy smile before she finished setting the elderly woman’s hair and guiding her over to the dryers and switching it on.

“We’re insured, Col. Ron would have a blue fit if we weren’t.”

Ray commented playfully before nodding her head over toward the elderly woman under the dryer who was undoubtedly nodding off, her Virginia Slim dangling precariously out of the corner of her mouth. Colleen swept over in a flash and plucked it from her lips and snuffed it out before finishing up her sweeping and plopping herself down at Ray’s station beside the other elderly woman who was currently having Ray’s magic worked on her arthritic digits.

“Ooh, I’m liking that shade, Miss Deirdre. I might just have to have Ray fix me up after you’ve all gone on home.”

Deidre Allen was one of Dallas’s more well to do residents and just a tad eccentric which meant she was a perfect fit when she stopped in bright and early one October morning two years ago and exclaimed that just had to find out what shade of lipstick Rayon was wearing.
 She had been stopping in ever since and was one of their best customers not to mention one of their cause’s fiercest supporters, something neither Rayon, Colleen or even Ron was expecting.  When they asked her why Deidre just smiled a small little smile and said

“Why not? I’ve always been a free thinker and I think ya’ll are doin’ some very important work.”

Deidre chuckled and dropped her gaze to Colleen’s hands before shaking her head.

“That frosted pink you’ve got on looks just fine, hun. This beige would make you look too damn old.”

“Oh would you stop? Deidre you of all people know that age is only a number.”
Ray admonished as she finished the clear top coat and proclaimed that the elderly woman was ready to sit herself down under the fans for a good twenty minutes. The service bell jingled merrily announcing the presence of the lanky good old boy Rayon called her very own. Colleen couldn’t help but smile as she watched the pair exchanged a chaste peck to the other’s cheek. The radio crackled, Ron’s taste in music differed drastically from the ladies and Colleen wanted to laugh as Chicago came on over the system before he flopped himself down in one of the styling chairs and casting a look between the two salon owners.

“Somethin’s goin’ on. You’ve got that look.”

“What look?”

The brunettes asked before tilting their heads to the left, a mirrored image of curiosity painted across both of their faces. It drove Ron up the wall when they did that, it had been that same look they had given him when they had planned a surprise birthday party for him earlier in the year and nearly scared him half to death. It was like they were tapped into the same wave length or something and it freaked him out.

“That look. An’ don’t go doin’ that echoey thing. Reminds me of those twins off that movie..”

Colleen caught the little glimmer in Rayon’s eye and they shared a small chuckle. Big bad brave Ronald Woodroof was terrified of The Shining and they had yet to let him live it down once they had found out. Ron lounged, kicking his long jean clad legs out and studied the women with a long hard look. That look sent a tiny ripple of fear through Colleen, why she wasn’t sure. Ron had always been nothing but a friend to her for the past eight years, despite his gruff exterior he really was big teddy bear, even if he would never admit it. His steely gaze shifted as he removed his aviators and settled in on Colleen. The rolling in her stomach didn’t lessen as she shifted in her seat nervously. Somewhere the timer dinged and Velma’s mini nap was interrupted. Thankful for the brief reprieve Coleen scampered off to check the woman’s set before ushering her back toward the salon chair that was quite close to Ron. Who, to his credit was still studying her closely. Rayon was trying to gather his attention and almost at her wit’s end.

“Ronald Dickson Woodroof you tone down that stink face. You look like you went and sucked a bushel of lemons. Does nothing for your features, Lone Star.”

Ray intoned as Colleen shakily removed the curlers and went about shaping Velma’s hairstyle into place. She noted the subtle sheen of sweat on Colleen’s face and her brows rose almost to her hairline.

’Oh hell, he’s got her shook up. Please God don’t let her puke on the old lady.’
Was the silent prayer Rayon sent out up into the cosmos. She watched in curious horror as Colleen’s face drained of all color and her eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. The song switched and crackled as the station tuned into another stronger signal. Country filled the salon with the twang of an acoustic guitar filtered around the space.

’Yup, I can just go ahead and strike Miss Velma right off the Christmas card list.’
Ray thought as she reached for the client address book that was stashed away in the left hand desk drawer of her station. She watched her best friend closely fearing the worst. Picking up the nearest thing to her, a rather large emory board and chucked it at Ron’s head with a bark of his name.  He jumped as the file narrowly missed his head, truth be told he was more startled that Ray had spoken so harshly toward him, especially in that tone. Not that he would ever admit it. She nodded her head toward the store room while giving him a stone dead serious expression. It was then that Colleen looked up at her in the mirror while starting to spray Velma’s hair with her preferred brand of lacquer all the while trying to hold down the breakfast she had hurried through and block out the fumes from the spray. Giving Ray a small curt shake she cast a glance over at Ron.

“I think we’ll be ordering lunch out today, Ron. Would you mind calling it in, please?”

“What do I look like, Colleen? A damn waitress?”
Ron fired back in his usual surly tone before Colleen gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

“Well, no. You’re not wearing one those fancy little aprons or the polyester uniforms but you’re closest to the phone and I did say please. I’ll even let you pick the place.”

Ron crossed his arms for a moment before relenting with a sigh as he got up and sauntered over to the phone.

“Alright, fine but I’m orderin’ from Charlie’s. Ran into Vida and she said they’re doin’ some new promotion with their ribs. Order three pounds gets the fourth free. I suspect you ladies’ll have the usual Cobb salad with dressing on the side or some other froufrou diet type thing?”

Ray shot Ron a pointed look and quirked a brow.
“Cobb salad plate’s fine, Ronald. You’re just inching your way on up my list aren’t you, Lone Star?”

 Colleen let out a thoughtful hum. The possibilities were endless for her it seemed. She’d somehow managed to memorize the menu from Charlie’s these days but she couldn’t give two flying figs about the usual greens she ordered.  Anyone that knew Colleen as well as Rayon and Ron did knew that her thoughtful hums were not to be taken lightly.

“I think I’ll pass on the salad, I’ll go halves on the ribs though. Make sure they throw in extra potato salad.”

Ron gave her an incredulous look before nodding. Rayon bit her bottom lip to keep a laugh in as she went and checked on Deidre and declared that she done and went ahead and logged another appointment for two weeks on the calendar. She wondered how long it was going to take Ron to connect the dots on this little mystery while she saw Deidre out and bid her goodbye. Given the fact that Colleen never ate red meat and avoided carbs like the plague itself it wouldn’t be too long. The thought of the look on Ron’s face almost made her want to go and get her camera.

“Ooh, and ask Vida if they’ve got fresh peach pie.”

Now it was Rayon’s turn to look at Colleen in something akin to shock.
“Did I hear you right? Darlin’ you hate peaches and you always said pie was a stupid concept.”

Colleen merely shrugged and went about combing out Velma’s bangs while giving her wink.

“People’s taste’s change from time to time, Ray. Alright, Miss Velma I believe you’re ready to go out two stepping the night away. A hurricane isn’t going to make this thing budge.”

Velma gave her a wide smile and surveyed Colleen work before reaching into the cavernous tapestry print bag of hers and pulled out two twenties and dropped her smoke burnished voice so only Col could hear her.

“You’re gonna be needing this. I was the same way with my Buford. He came out weighing damn near ten pounds. Good strong strapping boy, I could give him your number if you like, he just got out and he's divorced.”

A startling realization hit Colleen like a ton of bricks, her child needed a father. She’d always thought herself independent but now everything had changed. There was no way she could keep this baby, it needed a loving home with two parents that could give it everything she couldn’t. The pit of her stomach rolled, her mouth went dry and tears prickled in the corners of her eyes as she shook her head before giving Velma a light hug and telling her she’d be just fine before seeing her to the door. Flipping the ‘open’ sign over and drawing the shades she looked at Ron who was still standing there holding the telephone receiver, his eyes wide as saucers. Ray mirrored the look but hers softened as Colleen made eye contact.

“Ron, do me a favor and call the food in. After we eat we’re going to have a long long talk.”

Ron nodded before failing to bite back the urge to ask the question that niggled at his mind.

“ ‘Bout what, Col?”

“Current events and how they’ve changed.”



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Offline Wolfy

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Re: When the Bluebonnets Bloom
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2016, 06:53:58 pm »
I actually have a lot of appreciation for this, especially as you're bringing something else to the table and knocking aside what actually happened in the film, because I couldn't cope with the overwhelming sadness of it all. I was happy for Ron, for pushing on and living several years more, but Rayon's passing really messed me up, so this is actually a beautiful piece. I like that you've added Colleen into the mix as you have, too. The mention of Flannery set off so many alarm bells again, though, aha. I have such loathing for that man and I'm glad she managed to escaped him, and that other man! I hope that things start to look up for her with a baby on the way now! and that her outlook brightens a bit once the baby is born. It's reminding me a little bit of Waitress in that way! :D

Offline Maggie

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Re: When the Bluebonnets Bloom
« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2016, 05:24:25 am »
Aha! I can't tell you how happy I am that you're enjoying this one! I was so nervous when I was writing it and I kept thinking "what if she doesn't like it? what if I screw it up somehow?" but something in me compelled me to keep going. As I was doing the re-watch I knew that I absolutely could not have Rayon pass away, or Ron for that matter. I can't even begin to imagine how fierce his will to live was and something in that fueled the fire and the muse had a ball shouting at me "Let them live!" I've actually got more to mention about Frank and Roy but it'll be later on and I'm thinking her world will certainly brighten up once Junior Bean makes his/her grand entrance entrance into the world. ( still haven't decided which gender they'll be but if you have a preference please by all means let me know.)  I've actually only seen bits and pieces of Waitress and from what I can remember of what I saw I loved it! I'm honored you thought of that as you were reading this! *hugs*

{Chapter 2.  Sorry it's so short! }


To say that lunch had been an interesting event would have been like laughing in the face of the Lord or the Pope himself. Ray had been quite content with her usual order as she studied her lover and her best friend. Colleen’s manners had gone out the window as they sat in the backroom at the fold out table littered with take out containers and to go cups of sweet tea.

“Jesus Colleen what the hell happened to you? It’s like somebody’s flipped a damn switch.”

Colleen, to her credit, had the good nature to blush as she polished off her third rack of ribs.

“Hush up, Ronald and eat your greens.”

Ron rolled his eyes at his lady and picked at the side of collard greens before setting his gaze at Colleen who at this point was wrecking havoc on a slab peach pie after having just downed what looked like her weight in potato salad. Col, at this particular moment was feeling a bit ballsy as she took a sip of her sweet tea and stared right back at him making Ray chuckle to herself.

“Y’know you could take a picture, it’ll last a hell of a lot longer, Ron.”
The green eyed brunette countered with a sly little smile.

“I could but’d be a waste of film and you know it.”

“Oh those are fightin’ words but I’m in no condition to be fighting you or anybody else for that matter.”

“Now’s as good a time as ever, Slim. What? You too chicken to take me on?”

The use of the nickname he’d dubbed Colleen with made Ray smile. Colleen rolled her large green eyes and sighed.

“I’m not exactly a chicken but I do have an egg or two that’s been scrambled.”

The look of confusion crossed her Lone Star’s face as Ray tried so hard to bite back the laugh. Now she knew she’d made a mistake by not getting her camera. Just so she could add this particular picture to the little ones’ baby book. By her count it took his a good two minutes to figure it out.

“You’re pullin’ my leg, Colleen. What the hell’s this..some sort of immaculate conception or somethin’? You can’t be…you haven’t ever brought anyone home with you! What about protection? I want his name and his address. Rayon got get my…”

“Your **** kickin’ boots are up in the closet and that’s where they’re stayin’ Lone Star. Now cool it. Listen.”

Colleen gave her friend a nod of thanks and went about retelling her story.  Ron sat back and tried to pick up the pieces as he watched his green eyed friend’s seemingly strong facade crumble as tears welled up in her eyes again.

“Oh damn it, I thought I was done with this crying thing…so there you have it. Met him down at Cactus Jack’s. It was the weekend you and Ray took that trip to Grady to visit Eve. I didn’t think it was right to bring him back home, besides he had a room paid up for the weekend.”

For a split second Ron’s hard mask slipped and his gooey center slipped through.

“Didn’t feel right bringing him home? Colleen, It’s your home too.”

Colleen shifted slightly before answering indigently, almost like a child, craning her neck away while something up on the ceiling caught her eye for a moment. Most likely it was the water spot shaped like an armadillo. Well, at least it looked like an armadillo to her.

“I know. It’s just. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a space thing, maybe it’s hang up I’ve got? Anyway, by Tuesday he was back on the road and you two were already home. That was the night I got caught in that storm…”

An undignified sniffle and a shudder came from Colleen as she wrapped arms around herself  willing herself not to break again, she was already conscious of the fact that she rocking herself slightly.

“He called once from somewhere near Santa Fe but the call got cut off. It was from some pay phone and he never called back..”

A few moments ticked by as Ron and Rayon both took stock of their friend’s situation. A thought crossed Ron’s mind as he pushed the remains of his meal away. He was familiar with the lifestyle and knew that most riders didn’t stick around the same town for more than a night or two depending on where they were going. Sighing he rubbed his temples for a moment. He had remembered that night. They’d come home early that morning to find the place quiet as a tomb and their girl gone. Not entirely unusual they had reasoned until they had checked the answering machine. A few messages from Colleen telling them not to worry she’d be spending the holiday weekend with a new ‘ gentleman friend.’ Ray had stayed up until after twelve watching the rain coming down in sideways sheets, lightning crackling in the sky and thunder rumbling like something out of the bible. At first Ron had thought Colleen was laughing, hell  he’d thought maybe she’d gotten drunk, but no, the sound of hitching sobs filled his ears. He’d come out of the back bedroom to find Colleen a rain soaked mess, smelling of the storm and men’s cologne, her long dark hair a rat’s nest of glistening pitch, her heart in pieces as Rayon tried to put her back together again. Part of him wanted to ring that Cajun’s neck, ask him why he hadn’t just given her a lift home? But then again he’d been a rider, time was money especially when he’d heard Colleen mumble something about him switching numbers with another rider. Time was Big Money.  The other part of him saw the source of fear that Colleen had probably felt. Not wanting to truly tell him where she had called home in case he’d ended up being some unhinged monster. She’d already married two of those, no need to strike out a third time. These days going out and having a good time was a double edged sword.

“Have you tried calling the stock yards around here? Maybe give them his name and see if they know him. You know the circuit’s close knit, Col. If worse comes to worse…I could always call Duke.”

He shifted his gaze from Ray to Colleen and back again. Shrugging slightly he painted a truly innocent look on his face.

“What? It was just a suggestion. Besides, remember my cousin Duke? He’s working the circuit out in Amarillo. I could always have him ask around if all else fails.”

Rayon shook her head and laid a slender hand on her temple as she set her drink down.

“How the hell could I forget him? The man looks like a haggard long haired version of you, Lone Star. Man drinks like a damn fish. It’s a wonder he’s sober enough to make his feet work. Let alone form a coherent thought.”

Setting her sparkling blue eyed gaze on her friend she sighed before reaching out to pat her hand. She noticed that Colleen was lost in her own thoughts as another bought of tears welled up again.

“I can’t..I can’t keep it. At least I don’t think I can. I’d only turn out like my mother and Lord knows the world doesn’t need another Eileen Wilson on their hands. ”

Tears slipped down her face once more and Ron shared a look with Rayon. They both knew of a place over in Fort Worth that could take care of Colleen’s situation for a flat fee of four hundred dollars no questions asked if she wasn’t past the cut off date. Plenty of women did these things every day and they sure as well weren’t judged for it, why should Colleen be?

“Now, I know I’m the last one to say a damn thing regarding a woman’s body but there’s a place out in Forth Worth that’ll take care of you if you’re not past the cut off date. It’s four hundred cash when you walk in and they don’t ask any questions. Ray and I can even go with you…”

Colleen studied Ron’s face and drew in a shaky breath. Could she go through with it? She’d known girls back in high school that had had abortions and some of the girls down at the club she used to dance at. If she remembered a blonde who went by the name of Chastity had had at least seven of them, or so she’d said. It was an option but for some reason it made Colleen’s stomach flip. There was always adoption, plenty of good people out there looking for children to share a name and be part of their family. That option made Colleen heart ache. For the first time in her life, the girl that thought she had all the answers to life’s mysteries didn’t have a clue how to sort out her own life. She felt like she drowning.

“There’s always adoption…and you know Ronnie and I are with you no matter what you decide on doin’.”

Rayon offered as Colleen sighed, cradling her head in her hands trying to will the world to stop for a second so she could get her bearings.  Ron was the one to break the silence first.

“I almost went down the adoption route with a girl I knew back in high school. Damn near killed me to say goodbye. We got to meet the ‘new’ parents and I can say that we were less than impressed with’em. Had the makings of their own baseball team right then and there, littlest one had bruises and was caked in dirt. Looked like dust cloud with feet. We knew we couldn’t let the baby go to them. In the end Alice ended up keeping the baby. Last I knew they were livin’ somewhere near El Paso.”

Colleen caught the little glimmer in Ron’s eye as he sighed before Rayon reached for his hand, giving the same gentle reassuring pat she had given Colleen. Colleen had seen the christmas cards that always made their way to the apartment right around the holidays and smiled. They were always signed ‘Love Annette’. in curly whirly writing with a heart at the end. There was always a phone call around New Years and on April 18th, without fail. A rugged and rough and tumble as he was, Ron Woodward was a good man. Now she knew why Rayon loved him so much. Deep down Colleen knew she most likely would never have that but she was happy to see at least two people in this world that were happy to be together. They gave her hope. Maybe just maybe if she was able to track down Shannon they could give it a go. Long shot, yes, but why not? But then again why should she get her head all caught up in a notion that wasn't going to happen. She'd have a child to raise and single Mama's didn't have time for romantic notions and declarations of undying love.

“I’ve still got time to figure things out. I mean, it’s not like it’s planning on popping out any day now. I’ll figure something out. I’d be all alone if it wasn’t for the two of you you know? You’re the only family I’ve got and family…sticks together. Which is why I’ve got a surprise for you both.”

She ventured before gathering the takeout containers and tossing them into the trash bin by the ancient washer that was used for towels and salon capes. Standing on tip toe she reached up into the cupboard and pulled out a portfolio she had slowly built up. Setting the leather bound binder down she slid it across the worn out table toward Ron and Ray with a sly little smile.

“I’ve been working on it for about a year now. It’s still in escrow but you know we’l be needing the extra room for the business. I’ve taken a look at the place myself and had it checked over and it’s in peak condition. The basement’s finished and would make prime office space. The second parlor’s already a waiting room.”

The rambling place was off toward the southern part of town where their business would go unnoticed. Many locals would think Colleen had opened a second shop, as most beauticians were one to do when business was good. The old victorian had once been a doctor’s office, then had changed hands and become an equine clinic with acreage and stables to boot. Most of what was once the ‘nicer’ part of town had been sold off and was now vacant so privacy was a plus. More than enough room for the three of them to ramble around in and a tiny carriage house could be fixed up quickly.  **’It’s four Colleen. If that’s what you’ve got your heart set on. Deep down you know you’re keeping this kid.’ The little voice in the back of her mind whispered, she shushed it and studied Ron and Ray’s faces. Her stomach flopped again as her brow creased in worry.

“You went and bought this place? Colleen, sweet pea, why?”
Ray asked quietly as Ron sat flipping through the photos Colleen had taken and the pages and pages of notes.

“Because I know you two were thinking of expanding and this place is perfect for it. It’s got proper storage and more than enough room, even has two exam rooms in case you two decide to bring Eve in on this. Let’s face it this place is getting cramped and we keep getting phone calls from people from all over and I…I can’t bear it when we’ve got to put them on that waiting list…”

Tears welled again, but not for herself. Only last week she had spoken to a man from outside of Tulsa who was so desperate to be put on the list he had offered her triple their usual rate. He had sounded so alone and scared that it had broken Colleen’s heart.

“We need more room because you and I both know we’re going to need more product. I’ll even go on a pick up run if I have to. Who’s going to suspect the pregnant woman of smuggling something in across the border? I can’t…I can’t take putting someone else on another list knowing that they’re living on marked time, Ron. I can’t. It’s just not fair.”

Ron’s hand dwarfed her own as he gave it a gentle pat, something he rarely did.

“Life’s not fair, Slim. We’re doing all we can with what we have.”

Colleen reached for a napkin to wipe her eyes. She knew she had one last favor saved up and she was planning on cashing it in.

“I know life’s not fair, but I’ll be damned if another person dies because we’re back logged. The other Buyers Clubs are charging an arm and a leg for crap that's not even working and more and more people are dying. We've got a main line to the good stuff and if we had more room we could save more lives."

Colleen rubbed her eyes for a second before letting her long hair out of it's clips. She felt a headache coming on as she cradled her head for a moment. There was one person that could help and she even if she resisted Col knew that she had a few favors she could use to ensure her help.

 "Do me a favor and hand me the phone, Ron.”

Rayon studied her friend as Colleen took a few deep breathes and reached for the beat up looking beige hotel desk phone. Dialing a number that looked like it had been well practiced over the years. A steady ring and a slight crackle and they waited. Somewhere down the line someone on the other end picked up.

“Hey Merle, is she there?. Oh, good. Tell her it's the buyer from Dallas, she'll know who it is.”

Rayon felt Ron look toward her an expression of confusion painted across his face. ‘Who the hell is Merle?’ He mouthed as she shrugged and shushed him at the same time. Another heartbeat and Colleen’s face changed for a split second.

“Mama, it’s Colleen. I was wondering would you mind if I brought a couple of my friends to stop in for a visit? I wanted to talk something over with you…that favor. If you don’t mind. Oh? Alright, two weeks? That sounds wonderful. I think you'll like'em. Tell Daddy I said hey and give Jolene a kiss and an apple for me. Ok..see you then. Love you."

Ron felt the vein in his forehead twitch as his blood pressure steadily rose.

"Oh stop it, Ron. You're turning purple. We leave for Bitter Creek in two weeks time. Sunday okay with you two?"


Rayon let out a squeal of glee at the prospect of a mini road trip and Ron slumped and groaned. This was not how he'd envisioned spending the day after his bi monthly trips from Mexico. In a car with two chattering gossiping hens. As much as he loved the girls, and he did he really did, he wished that they were both rendered mute for the trip.

Two red splotches appeared on his high cheeks as he heard snippets of their conversation. Something about snacks and mix tapes and playing the license plate game.

"Lord, give me strength."







Offline Maggie

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Re: When the Bluebonnets Bloom
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2016, 04:02:07 pm »

*A/N Finally my fickle muse decided on a FC for poor Gil. Couldn't help myself with this one and something tells me we'll be hearing more from the Gil/Col pairing in the near future. I should also say that I've got something in the works for a Col/Shan centered piece in the future. :-D*



Three Weeks Later { September }




        In the space of roughly just under a month Colleen’s life had seemingly imploded right before her very eyes. Shops all along the street were closing up it seemed. Yuppies were coming in and making the place more and more tourist friendly. Thankfully for her and Ray the salon still held fast. While they didn’t own the building per say they had managed to buy the apartment space above it when they first opened, as a just in case measure. The escrow on the house that she had thought was going to be theirs free and clear had fallen through once the other siblings had been clued in on how much their brother had been asking for the property. She had been given a full refund but that was that. Two days later after a particularly hellish day at the salon she and Ray had come home to find Ron sitting on the curb with boxes and suitcases containing their belongings and a notice from the their former landlord that the city had come in and shut the place down because it wasn’t up to current code. It had been his third strike and they would need to find another place to live. They had tried to set up living quarters in the space above the shop but with three people it soon became too cramped so she had let Ray and Ron take the place while she stayed in the motor lodge down the highway, how ironic that this was the place she was bound to end up a second time.

If panicking were an olympic event I’d be getting the gold.

Colleen thought to herself as she bit her nails to the quick. Morning sickness was still kicking her ass at all hours, the bed in the hotel they were paying for weekly had left her with a permanent crick and now she had to deal with her mother. Eileen had called a few days after she’d placed that phone call back home to say that she’d just looked at her schedule and that Colleen’s visit would just have to wait. Business had picked up and she had just been swamped with orders. But Eileen had cleared a week out the first part of December so she could stop in and visit. That was when Colleen thought her heart was going to leap out of her chest as her vision tunneled. She could have come up with some excuse saying anything but her mind blanked and she heard herself putting on a false cheery voice and exclaiming that she would be delighted and that there was no way she was going to let her Mama spend a week in a hotel when her place was right there. It wouldn’t have been so bad had she said all of this in the privacy of that dingy little low ceilinged room with the half assed kitchenette but no, she’d said all of this from the telephone behind the bar at Gatlin’s Inn, another one of her favorite haunts she had frequented before her life had decided to throw her a baby shaped curveball. When she had first set foot in Dallas she had split her time between waiting tables here and dancing on the weekends. Now that dancing was well behind her and she could no longer partake in a beer or two like she used to she still stopped in, more so now out of necessity for use of the phone since her room at the motor lodge lacked one. Well, that and to keep up on the town gossip that circled around this place. Virgil Hollis, the weekend bartender was a staple in the trio’s life and close friend of Ron’s for years. He’d worked with Ron on a few commercial wiring jobs through the city. In all her time waiting tables there Colleen hadn’t met Gil, as he was called at all. She joked that they must be like two ships passing each other. Ray, seeing that both he and Colleen were single and free had done her best in trying to get them together but neither of them could find the time between their schedules so they had settled on staying friends. Truth was, they only knew one another through the Ron and the hub of the working class that was the bar. They’d had deep talks just before closing time but outside of that nothing.  This place with it’s sawdust floors and smoke hazed atmosphere seemed like home.

“Shoot me now. Somebody, anybody. Just put me out of misery please.”
She’d groaned as she let her head fall face first into the gleaming water stained oak of the bar top. A few solid thuds later and the bartender gently took the receiver from her hand, hanging it up back in the cradle and caught her head before she could get another solid thunk in.

“I could give you a coaster - might help soften the blow a bit. C’mon Colleen you keep that up you’ll end up with a flat face.”

Colleen let out a snort as she propped her sagging head up with her left hand.

“Maybe I deserve a flat face. After all the crap I’ve done in my life.”

“Now I know that’s a bold faced lie and you do too, Colleen. You haven’t done anything worse than anyone else that walks in here. If anything you’re a step above most of’em. Now, you still want that coaster?”

Colleen managed to reward the bartender with a small watery smile as she rolled her eyes. Maybe he was right, after all he’d said the exact same thing Ron and Ray had. Perhaps she was being a bit too hard on herself? After all it wasn’t just her doing alone that got her into this situation.

“The only way you’d get me to use that coaster is if there was a coke to go with it.”
Fishing a twenty out of her purse she slid it across the bar.

“Coke’s only a buck around here, Col. You know I’m going to have to break that somehow, right?”

“Buy Smokey Lonesome over there a shot and a blue plate special. Looks like he hasn’t eaten in a few days. Then take the rest as a generous tip, Gil.”

Colleen said softly as she tilted her head toward the older gentleman at the opposite end of the bar. Little was known about him but many of the patrons took turns paying his tab, buying him meals, and making sure he got back to his tiny little apartment in one piece. Her attention was now flicking over the ‘for rent’ section of the Daily Gazette.

“You always were a soft touch, Wilson.”

“You know it and I’m damn proud of it, Hollis.”

With a shake of his head Gil went about jotting down an order for one special for Smokey and turned to get her a can of coke and a glass. Colleen turned her attention back to the ads and weighed her options. There was a room for rent downtown in the rough section of Mission and Warren or a three bedroom trailer up for grabs at the Shady Grove Trailer Court. She’d already given Ron and Ray half of the money she’d gotten as an escrow refund and she still had about twenty thousand left over. Not counting what she’d had socked away in savings and bonds. If she lived carefully and the salon did well she and the little one could live nicely.

“Hey Gil, you know anything about the places over in the Shady Grove Court?”

A shrug of a shoulder as his lanky frame hunched over through the order window in the back behind the bar revealed all he knew.

“Rent’s cheap but a lot of those trailers need some elbow grease. Walt Pacey retired as their handyman ‘bout six months ago so you’d need to bring somebody in to help you.”

If it was one thing that got Colleen’s hackles up it was someone insinuating that she couldn’t do something she set her mind to. She’d been raised with a strong sense of self and her personality was one that pushed her on to persevere. Gil’s eyes flicked toward hers and he held up his hands. A shake of his head and a rogue sandy curl swept over his forehead giving him an even more innocent boyish look.

“Hey, I didn’t mean that you couldn’t do it, just meant that you might need a little help. Y’know with the lifting and lugging and bending is all.”
Spatula waved toward her mid section as he flipped a burger on the grill.

“ ‘Specially with your little helper there, heard those bumps can make it tough to move once you start to show. You know there’s a pool going around the bar taking bets on when you’ll finally pop and start showing to the world.”

Colleen stuck out her tongue and rustled her papers in slight distaste before a sly grin spread across her face.

“Where in the world did you hear that?"
Without missing a beat she followed up with a rapid fire of
"What are the odds up to?”

“Last I checked everybody was betting on December, right before Christmas. I don’t think I can let you in on this one, Colleen. I'll have you know I do in fact have a sister, y'know. Nettie Jean. She's got a brood of her own and after having dinner with the family back home every Sunday I picked up a few tid bits.”

“I'll have to keep you in mind the next time I've got a new ache or worry then, now won't I? Damn, well, what if I gave you some inside information then? Make it an easy win for you, Gil? Remember the Super Bowl. ”

Gil considered her offer for a moment weighing his options. Now about two years ago the bar had taken to putting together wager for the Super Bowl odds and he’d ended up missing out by a touch down. It still steamed him that he’d lost out on a two thousand dollar pot.

“Alright, fine. But, we keep it on the down low.”

“Got it. You’ll be the first person I call.”
Raising her coke to him she toasted to their deal and settled back in with her paper trying to scour the rest of the classifieds for a crib and changing table she knew she’d need. No harm in being prepared. She noticed the Juke had started up as more and more working men came in for their nightly beer and pool games. Just as she was about to circle one promising ad one of the regulars, Delmer Holt ambled in, his coveralls covered in engine grease and what looked suspiciously like Cheet-O dust.

“Hey, anybody here drive a dark green Nova?”

Colleen’s ears perked up as she swiveled in her seat eyes wide and panic flooding in her gut. Delmer had known her for the past four years and he knew damn well what she drove, he'd only puked in the back twice when she'd offered to be his designated driver. Delmer could fix a ping or a leaking gas tank but common sense was never his strong suite.

“The four door parked on the left with the Braxton Bulls ltd. bumper sticker?”

Delmer nodded as he scratched an itch under his arm before digging around in his pocket for his can of Copenhagen.

“Yup, that’d be the one.”

"Damn it,Delmer you know that's my car!"

Glowering she got up from her spot in a flurry of movement as her boots kicked up sawdust. Granted she hadn’t taken into consideration the shock her eyes were in for as they were met by the setting afternoon sun. They adjusted just in time for her to see the car burn rubber out of the parking lot leaving nothing but a slowly swirling hub cap, a small oil slick puddle, and a set of tire marks on the pavement. She had been so shocked that she was rooted to the spot as she watched her car set off toward the off ramp toward parts unknown. When the breath finally came back to her she let out a frustrated howl of rage as her fellow bar patrons, as well as Gil stared on in horror at what had just occurred in the parking lot. That car was the last thing in the world she found she could depend on besides her friends and now it was gone. She had inherited it along with her boots from a friend she had grown up with back in Bitter Creek. Hank had been passed about three years ago and what little he’d had he’d managed to leave to her. He didn’t have to but for some reason he did and now a part of him was gone.

“Christ on a Bike that car sure can move!”

Delmer exclaimed as he took a long swig of his beer before turning to go back into the cool air conditioned bar, the rest of the bar flies followed leaving just Colleen and Gil in the rapidly fading light of the Friday night. It was only then that Colleen realized that the high pitched wheezing she’d been hearing for the past two minutes was her own breathing. Her mind couldn’t even form the right words as a deep sob left her lips. It was at that moment that the skies burst open with the rain that had been forecast all week. Casting a scathing look skywards she let out a bellow.

“What did I do, Huh?! What’d I do to deserve that one?!  The baby I can understand, the being alone - you got it. The rain - sure why not?  I can even forgive getting screwed out of that house and getting booted by the housing authority! But jacking my car?! WHO DOES THAT?! You apparently! Have a heart would ya!?”

 After her tirade she was soaked to the bone, long dark hair sticking her face in a wet sheet. Her makeup running down her face even thought it was supposed to be water proof. She was barely aware of an arm wrapping itself around her shoulders as she was lead back into the bar and sat back down. She finally put two and two together that it was Gil that had maneuvered her through the crowd and sat with her until the cops got there. Statements were taken and cards were left for her to call in case she had any questions, the officers swore that they would do their best to get her car back in one piece and all she could do was nod. Hanging her head in defeat she wished she’d had a tissue. A split second later a clean bar towel courtesy of Gil popped up into view from her left. In a quiet moment she looked at her seat mate was startled for a second. He was beside her versus in front of her. Strange indeed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you anywhere but behind the bar, Gil.”

“You’d be right. So this is what it feels like sitting up here instead of standing behind it. God these chairs are uncomfortable. No wonder you’ve taken your fair share of nose dives off’em.”

A momentary scowl passed over Col’s features as she gently took the bar rag and wiped her eyes hoping that she’d cleared the caked remains of her smudged eye makeup.

"You and I both know that's not true. The last time my boot got caught is all."

“Yeah, and about about all the other times? Legs just went and gave out on you, huh. Y’know my shift’s over in about two hours need a lift back to the lodge?”

Colleen groaned and nodded as she bit her lip. Ray and Ron were a on a run down to Mexico for another shipment before the influx of customers hit mid month for September. If she didn’t want to walk back in the dark Gil was her only hope. A slight blush settled in on across her cheeks, Lord she hated to impose.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I’ll cover your gas.”

Gil waved it off as he pulled a second beer for Delmer. Shaking his head with a slight smile.

“Don’t worry about it, Col.”

“Well I do. It’s probably in the opposite direction of where you’ve got to go and I’ll be damned if I put you out. Take the money, Gil.”

“You’re a head strong one ain't you?”

“You know that’s one of my best qualities and you know you love that about me.”
Colleen answered with a tiny smirk of her own before she settled back into her chair as she watched Gil turn an even deeper shade of red than she had moments before. Something told her that this was going to be an interesting ride back to her temporary home.

 

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