The Barstow Girls

I heard this from people I had talked with who had friends and family who tried to make it to the big time. I doubted Susan's life was any different. I really felt sorry for her. Fame and fortune was all she wanted. It seemed so sad.

"I'm starving, Bryan, let's order now. They have the best seafood here in the entire city."

Right then our so called lazy server showed up with Susan's drink and took our orders. I talked a little about my time in the service but I could see it was boring to Susan. She smiled and nodded her head but was probably thinking of her last ten years here in Vegas. She interrupted me and started talking about herself.

"My family had no idea of what it took to survive here. I went months without more than four or five hours of sleep a night. Food was another thing itself. I was always watching every calorie and counting fat grams to stay thin. But it was worth it when you heard your name called at an audition," said Susan. "When you got a part, no matter how small, everything else faded away."

"Are you seeing anyone, Susan? Do you ever think about getting married someday?" I asked.

"I don't know about getting married Bryan. That might get in the way of my career. I have to be free to take off wherever there's a job or if I hear of an opportunity. I have a lot of dates. Mostly famous people; always good for my image."

We talked about what I might do for a job now that I was out of the service until our meals arrived. I explained to her that I didn't have anything specific yet but I left my options open.

"This food looks great, Susan. I'm glad we came here for a good meal," I exclaimed.

"Bryan, no one comes here for the food. They come here to meet people and have people see you," replied Susan.

"Where do you go to just eat then, Susan?" I asked. "The food here is great!"

"Oh, Bryan, you'd never fit in here! The food here is good but would be considered overpriced anywhere else. It's just that a lot of celebrities come here. You're just not cut out for the big city."

She picked at her meal while I ate every morsel. A few tables had people at them that Susan smiled at. They must have been people she knew. She mentioned it was a slower night and most of the regulars hadn't been in. We got ready to leave and I reached for the tab.

"Let me take care of this," I offered.

I was a little shocked at the total but I wasn't going to let on to Susan. After throwing some bills on the table to cover it we walked to the front where the valet already had her car in the drive for us.

"Nice service, Susan. I don't know if I could get used to that," I smiled.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she took off, and soon we were parking back in her reserved space at the club.

"Come on inside and look around, Bryan. See where I work. It's so exciting. You might even meet some celebrities."

Meeting celebrities meant nothing to me. I knew she wanted to show me how far she had come from that little Homecoming Queen. This was Vegas, stars and money and fame. She was almost there, to the top, that big star she always wanted to be. Ten years of struggling, fighting and clawing for every part and line. I actually hoped she would make it.

"Sounds like some of the girls are still here. Let's go see what they're doing," She tugged at my hand as she spoke, her mind already wondering about all the noise they were making.

Five of the dance troupe members were in the huge sitting area that was used for hanging out in. They waved us over to join them and started to all talk at once. One of the girls had an audition in the morning and was telling how she had gotten it. All these girls struggling to be a star. I wondered how many would really succeed.

Susan was excited that the hard work of Nadia, one of her friends, finally paid off. She'd been a dancer about six years and deserved a break. If she was a competitor for the same parts as Susan tried for she might not be so happy, but they were total opposites in looks. The girls were still talking about an hour later when one of them spoke up.

"Hey, Susan, where's that guy you were with? I don't see him."

"He wasn't anyone important." She turned back to the girls and forgot about me.

I heard every word from my spot in the shadows behind the hallway door. Susan was right that I wouldn't fit in out here. I would never understand the world she lived in. Nor did I want to. As the exit door whispered shut I was already regretting my trip to Vegas.

I flew home and was greeted by my parents and my brother, Bob, his wife and son. They had one child now and another on the way. I was happy for them but at the same time a little jealous.

We all hugged and kissed one another and headed for home. I would be living at home with Mom and Dad until I got better situated. There were a few of my old friends and neighbors at the house with a sign that said, "Welcome Home, Bryan".

We put on the old feedbag and then my sister-in-law, Dorothy, said they all chipped in and bought me a surprise. I had no idea what it could be until they opened the back door and I heard him bark. There stood this little ugly dog that was so ugly he was cute. He was a brindle color English Bulldog. I was told that he was six weeks old.

He came running up to me and I picked him up. He started licking me with his big sloppy face. I had tears in my eyes as I hugged the little fellow. Everyone smiled as me and my little friend went outside. It was already time for me to teach him where to do his business.

"Bryan," said Mom. "You will need to take him to the vet tomorrow and get his shots. We made you an appointment for noon. We hope you're happy with him. You always wrote home and said if you didn't have a wife you could at least have a dog. Welcome home, son."

The next day I headed to A-1 vet clinic. When I walked in, the receptionist said it would only be a minute as she made over my puppy. A few minutes later the vet came out and looked at me. "Welcome home, Bryan," she said.

I just stared at this woman. She was gorgeous. I mean shoulder length dark hair, green eyes, and I could see a figure that wouldn't quit even though she had on an open lab coat. The prettiest smile I've ever seen on a woman. I couldn't speak. I felt so stupid, I've never reacted to a woman like this before. Talk about a dumb fuck, it was me.

"I'm so sorry for staring at you. I feel like I should know you. I brought my puppy in for shots. I'm talking stupid now. Who are you?" I asked.

"Bryan, I'm the little girl you used to tease when I wore braces. I even wrote you a couple of letter while you were in the service."

"You're Sharon? Sharon Barstow!"

"In the flesh," she replied. "You had the hots for my sister way back when, remember?"

"God, Sharon, I'm so sorry but you sort of surprised me. I didn't know you were the vet and a beautiful one at that." I was getting my senses back. "I brought my puppy to get his shots."

"He's adorable. He's so cute," she said as she picked him up and he began to lick her cheek."

"Lucky dog," I think I said it a little too loud when Sharon gave me a smile.

"Come back in the lab and hold him while I give him his shots," replied Sharon.

We talked about things in general and she told me that she had talked to my mom and knew I was headed home. I asked her if she was married since I didn't see a ring on her finger.

"No, haven't found the right man yet. Care to apply for the job?" she laughed.

I laughed with her. If she only knew what I was thinking, she'd probably throw me out of the clinic.

"Sharon, would it be too forward of me to ask you out on a date. I know we just met again but I have learned to not let chances go by. If you're seeing someone, I understand."

"Bryan, I do have dates but I'm not seeing anyone in particular at the moment. I know Brenda told you about my crush on you when I was a teenager. I don't think I'd want that opportunity to slip away either. What do you have in mind?"

"To begin, how about something simple. Lunch and a walk in the park, you, me, and little Jake. We can all get to know each other better."

"Jake? Who is Little Jake? Do you have a son, Bryan?" asked a concerned Sharon.

I began to laugh. "Little Jake is the little fellow you're holding right now. I just got him yesterday. He's a manly dog so I gave him a manly name after an old friend of mine. He was my best friend in the service till he was killed by a roadside bomb."

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend and I think it's great you named your puppy in remembrance of him. There's a street fair on Saturday. It might be just about right for us. You have to put Jake on a leash.

"Bryan, I'm really glad to see that you made it home safely. Welcome home." She hugged me and then handed me little Jake. "See you Saturday. I work here till noon; you can pick me up here."

"I'll meet you here, but you'll have to drive unless I get a vehicle by then. I'm using dad's old truck and you deserve better than that," I smiled.

I walked out of the clinic a lot happier person than when I went in. Jake and I found a new friend, and a very pretty one at that.

It was now Tuesday and I had a lot of things to get in order. I had a lot of money saved up from the service. I put away all my re-enlistment money and invested it with my brother Bob.

I headed over to the bank and walked in with Jake. A security guard stopped me at the door and said, "Sorry, sir, no pets allowed in the bank."

"This isn't a pet. He's my seeing eye dog," I said as I walked past him and into Bob's office.

Bob saw the whole thing and stood there laughing. The guard started toward us and Bob told him it was alright, that I was his brother and just got back from overseas. The guard went back to his post and I picked up Jake and set him on my lap.

Bob and I went over my account to see how much money I had. It was a heck of a lot more than I thought. I opened a checking account and transferred enough money to buy me a vehicle and to help find an apartment. For now I told Mom that I would give her five hundred a month to help with expenses. She told me I didn't have to do that but I told her she deserved that much just for cooking for me.

I told Bob about Sharon and asked him if he knew anything about her. He told me she worked her way through college and had scholarships. She dated but didn't know much more than that.

"She's one of the nicest women in town. Everybody loves her and she's a great vet. I know there are a lot of guys who would love to be with her. Most say they get turned down but she always does it in a nice way. Doubt if you can get her to go out, Bryan. Good Luck to you."

"We have a date set for Saturday. We're going to the street fair," I smiled.

I got some good news when I got back to Mom and Dad's. I had a job offer but it would take a chunk of my savings. There was a beverage route for sale. A friend of Dad's was ready to retire and was selling his route. I needed sixty thousand up front for the truck and I could pay the balance in payments of a thousand a month. Dad said his friend Harry made over seventy-five thousand a year. He told me I could probably do a lot better seeing I was much younger and willing to put in the time.

I called Bob and asked him to run a check and make sure it was legit. He told me he knew Harry and it was a good business but he would still run the numbers for me. He said he would get back with me the next day. I called Harry and told him I was very interested and would be willing to give him a thousand dollar retainer till Bob got back to me.

He told me that his friendship with my dad was all the retainer he needed. They were war buddies together. He said he understood there would be a background check. It's only good business.

On Wednesday I popped in at the hospital clinic. Mom had told me that Brenda worked there. I had called earlier and asked Brenda if she would meet me for lunch, my treat. I had nothing against hospital food, especially after some of the crap I'd been eating for the last ten years.

"Hi, Bryan, good to see you. Sharon called me as soon as you left her office. Where's Jake? She said he's the cutest thing. What's this all about you wanting to see me?"

"Mom's taking care of Jake. I didn't want to leave him in a car and I'm pretty sure the hospital wouldn't let me bring him in. I came to ask you about Sharon. I need to know if she is seeing anyone. I don't want to pry into her personal life but I want to become good friends with her."

"She'd get pissed if she knew I was telling you anything. I don't know what you want to hear. Yes, she dated a lot of people. She was even serious a couple of times but she never committed herself to anyone. Lately she has been seeing Jerry Knudsen. He's serious about her but she hasn't committed to him either. At least not yet. I'm going to tell you something and if it ever gets back to Sharon, I promise you I'll kill you."

"My God, Brenda, what is it?"

"When you came back a couple of years ago, she was pissed she didn't see you. I honestly believe she still has some of that school girl crush on you. Now that you are here I believe she wants to know for sure how she feels. Whatever you do, don't hurt her."

"God, I could never hurt her. I honestly and truly believe that we are meant to be together," I replied.

"There's more, Bryan. She wants to be loved for herself. She's worried that you might still think of Susan instead of her."

"My god, It's more than over between Susan and I. How do I let her know without telling her what you told me?" I asked.

"That's your problem. For what it's worth I'm in your corner. By the way, did Sharon tell you I'm getting married in a few weeks?"

"No, we just talked a few minutes in the clinic. Congratulations! Who's the lucky man, and I do mean lucky man?"

"His name is Mark and he's an intern in this hospital. Are you going to come to the wedding?" asked Brenda.

"Am I invited?" I asked.

"Oh, gosh, I forgot. Sharon is my maid of honor and Jerry Knudsen is the best man. They're supposed to be together at the wedding, and, yes, you're invited. I'll tell Sharon that I saw you and invited you."

"Brenda, I don't want to lie to Sharon. I'll tell her the truth. Good relationships are built on the truth. I'll tell her I stopped by to say hi to you and you invited me to your wedding. She doesn't need to know the rest."

"Okay, but I'm trusting you to do the right thing by my sister. She's not just my sister but my best friend," replied Brenda.

Later that day I got a call from Bob. Harry and I went to the bank and closed the deal. I was now the proud owner of a Coke truck and route #32. Harry agreed to ride with me for the next two weeks till I became accustomed to the route. We would divide the profits during this time.

Of course I had to go to the Coke distributorship and sign all the necessary papers. Starting Monday I would become a Coca-Cola route driver. Now I needed to surprise Sharon. I sure hope she would be happy about it. I called her that evening and said I had some good news to tell her and asked her if she could take me shopping for a vehicle after she got off work the next day.

I rode on the truck with Harry the next day. I knew it wasn't mine till Monday but I was eager to start my new job. I had him drop me off at the A-1 Vet Clinic at closing. Sharon laughed when I got out of the truck.

I asked her if she wanted a Coke and she asked for a diet Coke. She didn't need a diet Coke any more than the man in the moon but I guess women are always worried about their weight.

I said goodnight to Harry and told him I would see him the next day. He honked the horn as he drove away.

"What do you think of the truck?" I asked Sharon.

"What do you mean? I guess it's a nice truck. Especially if you like red," she laughed.

"I bought it. It's my truck and my route. I take over the business Monday. Do you have a problem dating a Coke dealer?"

She smiled realizing the dual implication. "As long as it's the liquid kind and I get lots of free samples," laughed Sharon. "I'm so happy for you, Bryan. Are you ready to go find that vehicle, and where is my friend Jake?"

"Mom's watching Jake. I have to read the company policy and see if he can ride with me on the truck. I think he might be able to ride but not go into all the stores. I might take him once in awhile. He's my best bud, you know."

Sharon owned a sports car. The car was spotless, classy, elegant, and beautiful, just like her. She took me around to a couple of dealerships. Never raising her voice, always patient in traffic, and so gorgeous. We talked about what type of vehicle I should get and I mentioned a nice pickup truck. We checked out a couple of more dealerships and we found a nice truck a couple of years old. It suited my purpose and Sharon and I took it for a test drive.

"I need a woman's opinion. What do you think?" I asked Sharon.

"Bryan, whatever makes you happy. If this truck makes you happy then I say, buy it!"

That's was the kind of woman Sharon was. It was hard to believe she wasn't married. Of course I knew she dated, going to dinner or the theater. Sometimes maybe even to a club. It was odd that I could fall for a woman so easy. I was considered a man of the world. I traveled dozens of countries and had sex with a great variety of women, but this one woman got to me.

We drove the truck back to the dealership and I signed the papers and they said they would have it ready for me the following day. We got back in Sharon's Corvette and took off. It was warm out this evening, pleasant and sunny. It was a convertible and we had the top down. She decided to take a drive down the highway so we could talk.

"Sharon, there's something I need to tell you. I know I've only been back a couple of days but I like being around you. I know I dated your sister and she's a star and all but I don't have feelings for her. Of course I'll always have memories but that just what they are. In the last few days it's you that I think about. I'm sorry if I'm coming on too strong but I thought you should know."

Sharon pulled off the road into a rest area so she could talk to me.

"Thank you for telling me. You need to know that I'm not my sister. I love her with all my heart but we don't think the same, or want the same things. I'm a small town girl. I want a family, live in the country, lay on the grass and watch the stars at night. You know I love animals and I want to enjoy the little things life has to offer."

"I feel the same way. I'm a little jealous of my brother, Bob. He has a nice wife and kids to come home to. I've been around the world and have seen war, death and poverty. I want to settle down with the right woman and just enjoy the piece of the good life. I think I've earned it."

I leaned over to give her a kiss and she put her hand against my chest. "Not now, Bryan, I want to thank you for being honest with me but I need to think things over too. As you said, it's only been a few days. Besides, we have a date the day after tomorrow," she smiled.

She started up the car and drove me home. My parents were sitting on the porch when we got to the house. Sharon got out and we all sat on the porch and talked for a good hour. Mom went in and brought us all out some lemonade. Sharon told us some of her stories about the different pets that came in. Of course I was holding Jake most of this time. I put him down and he ran over to Sharon and tried to climb on her lap. She reached down and picked up the little fellow and he fell asleep almost instantly on her lap.

She heard me say, "Lucky Dog," again and just laughed.

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On Saturday I drove by the clinic with Jake. Sharon closed up and climbed into the truck; instantly my dog went to her.