A Girl in the Night

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JakeRivers
JakeRivers
1,059 Followers

Later in the morning she took me aside. "Tom, I hate to ask you but I'd really appreciate it if you could do me a favor."

She had done so much for me after Cindy left that I told her, "Sure, anything."

"Well, don't be too eager, although this isn't really what I'd call hard duty. I've got a friend that's recently gone through a bad divorce and seems kind of lost. She's lost confidence in herself and is so damn lonely it breaks my heart."

A bit confused, I asked, "Well, Annie, just what is it you want me to do?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'll introduce you and you can play it by ear. Try to spend some time with her ... you can show her what you are doing with the javelinas. Maybe chat with her. Anything you can do to distract her. I'm not asking you to do anything after this. If you can cheer her up a bit I'll be forever grateful."

"Sure, Annie. I'll be around – let me know when she gets here."

I hung around the grill area for a while – I was feelin' a bit proprietary about the javelinas. Bobby was also grilling a couple of suckling pigs and two lambs. Annie and some of her friends were taking care of the trimmings.

Bobby's son, Travis, and a cute blond who appeared to be about sixteen stopped by.

"Mr. Ryan, Dad said I was to take over for you. This is Rae Dawn Miller. She lives at the ranch west of here. I think you've met her dad a couple of times. She's my girlfriend," he added somewhat bashfully. She seemed a bit startled by that revelation.

I took off and walked around for a while. It was a hot day with not a cloud in the sky ... just that deep blue Texas sky that went on forever. I saw Annie standing with Kathy and I wondered whether she was the friend Annie was telling me about. Maybe this wouldn't be hard duty after all.

I walked over to them expecting Kathy to say hello or something. She didn't say anything about having met me already so I took my cue from her and didn't say anything either.

Annie introduced us and then – not a surprise! – said, "I'd better get back to the kitchen or things will never be ready on time."

Kathy looked at me with a wry look on her face, and said, "Annie is a sweetheart and one of my best friends, but I'm getting tired of her trying to set me up all the time. If I want a man I'm quite capable of finding my own. Oh, well. Let's spend a little time together pretending to like each other so we don't hurt her feelings."

"Well, excuse me! I actually did like you and I really did want to spend some time with you. But if you see that as such a goddamn burden you can just go to hell!"

With that I stalked off, got in my truck and drove back to my place. Damn, the gall of that woman.

When I got home I ran for an hour around my pecan grove, the neighboring one and down a dirt road behind it. I sweat like one of the pigs Bobby had been roasting, and after taking a cold shower inhaled a couple of Shiner Bocks.

Bobby called later and apologized for both Annie and Kathy, "Jeez, I don't know what it is about a woman that just can't stand to see a man alone and happy." We chatted for a while about the barbeque and he promised to drop some meat off.

I went on to bed early and left the next morning for several days of fishing at Choke Canyon Reservoir. I was mostly doing catch and release for largemouth bass but I did catch some channel cat for dinner one night. I enjoyed just lazing around, sometimes talking with some of the other fishermen. I came here fairly regularly so I knew a few of the guys.

I thought about Kathy, but not too much. I had been interested in her but I didn't need the grief. I guess she must have been really hurt when her marriage failed. Oh, well. Not my problem.

I got home and there was a short message from Kathy apologizing for being rude. I erased it and forgot about it. I guess she was expecting me to call and forgive her or something 'cause the next time I saw her at Willy's she studiously ignored me. I could live with that.

I'd found a brunette that lived over in Uvalde that was fun to be with. I'd read a book about Sam Spade or some such and in describing the girl in the book it said she had "pneumatic thighs." That was Cherry. Nothing serious. She was about ten years younger than me and was out for a good time. She was a good dancer and great in the sack but I didn't think I wanted her around when Davy came up.

Thanksgiving came and went and suddenly Davy was here. I drove him out to Bobby's place each day and picked him up in the evenings or else Bobby or Annie dropped him off. He wanted to learn the breeding business and was going to take a couple of bulls back for his step dad's ranch.

It was great to see him again – he had grown a couple of inches and put on some weight. He was a handsome kid and I knew he was going to have girl problems. Hell, I did too so what could I say.

About the middle of December, Davy wanted to visit a friend of his that lived in Uvalde for several days . On Friday night about ten he called me – his buddy's family had a family emergency in Austin and all of them left to drive up. He didn't want to stay by himself so I drove over to pick him up.

On the way back I stopped at Jake's Place, a newish dance hall a few blocks off highway 90. I'd sold Jake a shotgun that had belonged to my grandfather. It wasn't in great shape but it had some old time sentimental value for Jake. When I gave him the gun he didn't have the money with him so as long as I was close I figured I'd stop in and collect.

"Davy, just wait in the truck. It shouldn't take too long but Jake might make me drink a beer before he gives me the money."

It was a Friday night and the place was jumpin'. I saw Jake behind the bar and sure enough, he pulled a beer before he even came over. We chatted for a while and I congratulated him on the crowd.

"Yeah, this place has turned into a real money maker for me. I try to bring in good bands, so that eats into the profit a bit."

When I walked out Davy was standing there looking both scared and excited. "Dad, there's a guy over there trying to push a woman into a truck. It don't look like she really wants to go."

I ran over where he was pointing and just as I got there I guess the guy was tired trying to push this unwilling woman into the truck 'cause he grabbed her arm and pulled her back out. I didn't hesitate. I ran up behind him and placed a kick very carefully, just so the point of my cowboy boots caught him in the scrotum. He lost interest in the woman real fast and just kind of curled up in a fetal position, gasping like a fish out of water.

I looked down at the woman ... damn, it was Kathy. I tried to stand her up but she was out of it. Not really thinking about it I figured it best to get her the hell out of there and think on what I should do later. I threw her over my shoulder and carried her over to my truck.

"Strap her in, Davy."

Without waiting on him I fired up the truck and left. I explained to Davy who she was while I was trying to decide what to do. Her sudden snoring seemed to take away the option of taking her home since I had no idea of where she lived. I thought about taking her to Annie's but it was right on midnight now and I knew they got up early. I finally decided to just take her to my place. If she wound up not liking that ... well, to hell with her. She could find some one else to save her next time. Damn!

I carried her in the house and lay her on the sofa. Her jeans looked tight so I undid the snap at the waist and pulled her shirt out. I took her boots off with Davy's help and covered her with a sheet. It was still around ninety so I didn't think she'd get cold. I hadn't seen a purse so I called Jake and told him what happened. He thought that was funny as hell. The guy had called the police and said three men attacked him. He had her purse in his office so that was one thing Kathy wouldn't have to worry about.

Davy and I went to bed – he had his own room that was always set up. I took a quick shower and slept like a log. I woke once and checked on Kathy and she was in a deep sleep with a slight smile on her face. She really was quite attractive. Her disposition was certainly better when she slept.

The next morning I was up early as usual. Now that I was "retired" I couldn't sleep past six or six-thirty to save my soul. I didn't want to chance scaring her by waking her up so I ignored her and set about making breakfast. I was going to wake Davy up at seven. We were going fishing on the Frio River up by Concan. He liked to do the things he never got a chance to do in Argentina.

I put on some thick ham steaks, got some bread ready to toast and got the eggs out of the fridge. The coffee was ready so I sat at the table sipping and waiting for everyone to wake up. The kitchen was open to the living room but the sofa was facing away from me. Pretty soon I saw a head peak over it, and then it started. I should have expected what her reaction would be.

She jumped up and screeched, "God damn you. What the hell did you do to me last night?"

I looked at her, then turned and poured her a cup of coffee.

She took a couple of steps closer and started yelling, "You sonofabitch. You damn pervert. What did you do to me?"

Two things happened at once: Davy came running out of his bedroom rubbing his eyes, and asking, "Dad, what's going on?" At the same time I handed Kathy her coffee. She quieted down fast when she saw Davy – he looked way too sweet and innocent for me to have done much in the way of being a pervert.

"Kathy, if you would ask politely, 'Mr. Ryan, what happened last night?' I can explain everything."

She looked at me for a minute – she was clearly trying to adjust to the idea that maybe I wasn't a pervert. "Mr. Ryan ... Tom, how did I get here? What did happen last night?"

By this time Davy had his coffee and with youthful exuberance took over. "Ma'am, we stopped by Jake's place last night around 11:30. Dad went inside to see Mr. Jake and I stayed in the truck. I saw a man trying to force you into his truck." He added, a bit delicately, "Ma'am, I think you had a couple of beers too many.

"Anyway, when dad came out I told him what was happening and he came over and really kicked that guy in the balls." Blushing, he continued, "I mean he kicked him hard. Then dad thought there might be trouble, like maybe the guy had friends or something, so he threw you over his shoulder and carried you to his truck." He looked at her, as if measuring her, "Ma'am, he picked you up like you weren't nothin'. I didn't know he was so strong with you not being a small woman or anything.

"We couldn't take you home 'cause we didn't know where you lived and you were snoring like crazy. So we brought you to our place, put you down on the sofa and we went to bed because we were really tired."

I was smiling by then. It's not quite how I would have told it but I think she got the picture. While Davy was talking she blushed, then turned really red and then I swear she started almost glowing. She staggered over to the table, spilling a goodly amount of her coffee and collapsed down on a chair. She put her face in her hands, holding like that for a long time.

Raising her head, she meekly whispered, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. For some reason I always do the wrong thing with you. Do you know how to poach eggs? Two with dry toast and some water. A lot of water. Damn!"

I poached a couple of eggs while frying some for Davy and myself. Deftly serving everything up I sat down to eat. Davy had cleaned up her spill and refilled all the mugs.

"I don't know what happened. I was feeling sorry for myself – my life seems to be a mess right now. I know I had a couple of beers. There was this big guy that kept trying to get me to dance with him but I didn't want to. Finally I danced one with him then he sat down and wouldn't go away. I tried to ignore him and I guess I had some more beer. Then this jerk showed up with a gin and tonic. I must have had a couple of them.

"I don't remember leaving the bar. My purse! Did I have my purse?"

"Jake has it in his office. There won't be anyone there until around noon. Davy and I are going fishing this morning. Why don't you go with us? I can pack some beer ..."

"No! No more beer. Nothing alcoholic. I can't anyway. I ... I'm not really dressed for fishing."

"You have jeans and boots. That's pretty much what Davy and I are wearing. Besides, we're going and I doubt you want to stay here by yourself for several hours."

In the end she agreed to go with us as long as we didn't take any beer. Since I hadn't been planning on taking any it made no difference to me. I was planning on going up the Frio River south of Concan. There was a place that both Bobby and I went to occasionally. It was in a bend of the river where it was narrow and overhung with trees, giving some shade from the Texas heat. We mostly fished for Guadalupe Bass. They were real fighters and provided a challenge when fished with light tackle.

This was strictly fun stuff this trip. The plan had been to get Davy alone with me so we could chat for a while. They had good trout fishing in Argentina and mostly used dry flies. I wanted Davy to get some good experience fishing for what was in our rivers.

I could see Kathy was worn out so I spread a blanket in a spot where the sun was filtered down through the trees and she immediately conked out. Davy and I fished, not getting much action in the heat of the day. If we stayed until sundown it would pick up a lot. We did get a couple of sunfish.

Kathy woke up about three and spent a while talking to Davy about living in Argentina. He was shy at first but as she asked him questions he opened up and became enthusiastic. Kathy really did seem interested and for some reason that pleased me ... a lot.

I dropped her off at Jake's place to pick up her purse and car, station wagon really. I didn't really expect to hear from her again but one evening in the middle of the week, I got a call from her.

"Tom, I'd like to invite you over for dinner on Sunday. I guess I was a little bitchy the other day and I want to thank you. Can you and Davy make it?"

A little bitchy? And did she really like Davy that much or was she afraid to be alone with me ... pervert that I am.

"Just a minute?" I put my hand over the mouthpiece and asked Davy, "Do you want to go to Kathy's for dinner Sunday?"

"Uh, dad ... ask her if I can bring a friend."

"Kathy, you still there? Davy has a friend he would like to bring. Is that okay?"

It was okay, so the plans were in place. Davy kept on working at Bobby's ranch the rest of the week and Saturday for missing some time the previous week. He seemed to be spending a lot of time on the phone but I assumed he was calling his mom so I didn't say anything – or ask.

Sunday about two, I followed as Davy directed to the ranch bordering to the west to Bobby's place. I remembered that was the Miller's place. All of a sudden I had a bad thought.

"Uh, Davy. Isn't that where Rae Dawn lives?"

"Yeah, do you know her?"

"Well, I met her at a barbeque at Bobby's a few weeks ago. She was with Travis. He said she was his girl friend."

"Well, she ain't! He says that and it pisses her off to no end. I met her last year and we've been writing. She comes over most days; Bobby is teaching her how to do barrel racing."

I looked askance at him for the "pisses" part.

He blushed and said, "Sorry, Dad. It's just he won't leave her alone. I think we're gonna have a fight about her."

I didn't say anything. Sometimes fighting was part of a boy becoming a man. I wasn't gonna tell him not to do something I did all the time at his age.

I drove down the road leading off from the highway. The place was kept up quite nice. The name on the mailbox was Miller, all right. I remembered they had moved from Chicago a few years ago when they purchased the ranch.

Davy went in and was just a couple of minutes when he came out with the pretty blond I'd met at the barbeque. They walked right up to the truck and he opened the door for her. She hopped in while Davy introduced her, even though I'd just told him I'd already met her.

"Dad, this is Rae Dawn. She's my friend." They both blushed at that so I assumed they were good friends. I took a quick look at her before I turned the truck around. She was probably sixteen and cute as all get out. She looked almost as tall as Davy but it was hard to tell with the cream colored Stetson she wore. Under the hat, her long blond hair streamed down covering her shoulders. She also had on a colorful red checked shirt and form fitting blue jeans. The boots seemed expensive and she looked like she was on her way to do some dancing.

She was quiet at first as I turned onto US 90 towards Sabinal where Kathy lived. After a couple of minutes she opened up and chatted like she'd known me for years. Davy seemed shy with her and he wasn't a shy guy at all. When she reached over to hold his hand he looked like he won the lottery. She and Davy talked some in Spanish to each other – it turned out her family had lived in Spain for six years. They weren't rude about it, just quick questions or comments. I didn't know if Davy remembered I was fluent in Spanish. Oh, well. Better not to embarrass him. But, yeah, they were good friends.

When we got to Kathy's it turned out she wasn't a bit surprised that Davy had bought a girl with him. I guess I was the only one out of the loop. Kathy turned out to be a gracious host and a great cook. She made Osso Buco and had a great Italian wine with it. She had an older house in a nice neighborhood, with a large patio out back. It looked like they had done a lot of entertaining before their marriage broke up.

We ate on the patio under a trellis that provided plenty of shade so it was comfortable. The conversation was lively and covered a wide range of topics. The time got away from me before I realized it was nine and the kids had school the next day.

"Kathy, it was really nice – you are a great cook and we all enjoyed it."

"Well, after I got home last Saturday I realized you had done something quite nice and then I tore into you, with no justification at all. I can only say I was mortified, waking up in a house and having no idea at all of where I was. I guess we haven't got on very well and it's my fault. Annie swears you are a great guy. Bobby even said you were okay."

Bobby just said I was just okay? I'd get him for that.

"Well, you have more than made up for it."

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and we left. I noticed when we dropped Dawn off she gave Davy a much bigger kiss than I got.

I thought about calling Kathy to see if she wanted to do dinner and dancing but I kept putting it off. I was convinced she was just being polite and had no real interest in me. Which, I guess, begged the question ... did I have an interest in her? Being honest with myself I'd have to say that I did. That, indeed, I had since that first night I saw her sitting alone at Willy's Tavern – a girl in the night, sitting alone and lonely but not admitting it to herself.

Davy came out back one night after we finished dinner. I was just sittin' there watching the sunset and the pecans growing. "Dad, when are you going to ask Kathy out for a date?"

"Well, I took her fishing and we went to her house for dinner."

"Dad! That's not a date. If you think taking a woman fishing is romantic ... well, it's no wonder mom left."

Well, hell. I'd thought she had always enjoyed it! Was I really that much of a stick in the mud?

"Okay, okay. I'll call her. But she really doesn't like me."

"Dad, where have you been? She likes you a lot. She is just scared of men because of her jerk of a husband. Look, I'll bet you she will accept right off."

JakeRivers
JakeRivers
1,059 Followers