Ice Brakers- February Writing Prompt

 

"Oh, I don't know about this place, I feel like I'm in Mayberry," Birdy managed to text her friend Windy back in Council Bluffs. She wanted to text, "I'm so lonely, I could cry."

But she didn't. Birdy did find the only hotel to stay in, in this little town where the courthouse made the square. She guessed she was somewhere in Texas. God, if only she hadn't had that blowout which somehow rammed into another car. The first car pile-up they'd had in Albany in ages.

Why couldn't they fix her car quick enough?

OK, so it was a cheap motel. But they'd invited her to the social at the community center. It was speed dating.

What could that be about?

She'd had enough chicken fried steak and gravy to last a lifetime. Of course, the lady who ran the place told her, "But you haven't had it with over-easy eggs yet."

Birdy cringed at the thought. However, there was a taco bar at the community center so she hurried over to have a different taste of Albany.

Of course, no one seemed to know just how far it was to Dallas. Damn, if there wasn't square dancing the moment she got there. Birdy felt a little underdressed in her jeans, Chuck Taylors, and graphic tee,  but she did a dozie doe for a bit just to get to the concessions. Thank God, Margaritas were plenty. Little did she know she'd need to be a little sloshed to get to those dating tables.

The first guy was Eric who wasn't wearing a cowboy hat and boots, but he did have on a ball cap sporting the Feedstore logo. He asked to look at her teeth.

"My teeth? What in the hell for?" Birdy wasn't going to make it easy. After all, he was blond with a red beard.

"I want to check for cavities," he said.

"Do you do this to all the ladies you date?" Birdy winced hard and flicked her long dark locks of hair behind her back just to show she was the sassy sort.

"Yes, mam, it is the foundation of good health."

He wasn't all that emotional about it.

"What is it that do you for a living?"

"Why, I'm an assistant to the veterinarian here in town," he looked her over ever so seriously and asked her to open wide.

The next table wasn't much better. Ross wanted to know if she could do the Two-Step. He was wearing a big black cowboy hat, tight jeans with snaps on his shirt, and of course, pointy-toe boots.

"You do know how to dance, don't you?"

"I'm afraid I'm from back East, and before that, I was out in California," Birdy told him. She knew all the cool dances trending, but the Two-Step had not been on the agenda. 

Naturally, he got her out on the dance floor to strut his stuff, but it wasn't long until she stepped on his pointy-toe boots. In fact, she stood on top of them and he was still a good foot taller than her. Again, she had not passed.

Birdy shrugged about the matter. No way was she staying in this one-horse town. So she mozied on over to the next stranger, who was all in white. Perhaps, he was a preacher fellow. But he spoke of ghosts, not the holy ghost. 

It felt so messed up. He spoke of all her exes. He knew of Langley from L.A. and how she'd hoped he would have made all of her dreams come true, only Lang was in love with another man. He mentioned she might have been a man in another life. "Have you ever thought of becoming a lesbian?"

Oh, she shook with laughter. She knew he would be no date. Not that she was really wanting one. She was just killing time.

Next was Alfonzo. He looked good enough to eat and smelled spicy and sweet. "No, no, no," he shook his finger at her. Birdy winced hard. What was wrong with these men? Did they know everything she thought?

It felt like a good time for another margarita so she went back to the concessions. Lo and behold was a guy named Gomer, and he said he could drive her to Dallas. She took him up on his offer.