Pickup Cowboy

The cowboy sat at the light in his pickup. He felt like a horse all gussied up for the State Fair. Black tuxedo, white shirt, even a new black Stetson on the seat next to him. His boots were old, but they were Luccheses, and freshly polished.

His collar was uncomfortable, and he tugged at it as he thought about how he got into all this. The girl — woman, he corrected himself — he had to stop that — had seemed like everyone else in the bar, just there for a good time. It had turned out she wasn’t quite like anyone else he’d ever met. A lawyer. Smart. Strong. And the daughter of a Senator. Crap, he hadn’t even voted last time.

The light changed, and he pulled away. His mud tires made a humming sound on the pavement. There was no time to get his truck washed, and it would be interesting to see the valet guy’s reaction. Mercedes, Acuras, and a well-used F-150.

He smiled as he thought about it.

What was he supposed to say to her father, anyway? Nice work on that highway bill, sir. Hell, he didn’t have any idea what Congress had been working on. He’d stopped watching the news a long time ago. He remembered something about immigration, but he didn’t know what side the Senator was on. Should he say something about the farm problems, or just nod and smile?

He figured Ann would drive the conversation anyway. It didn’t take long to figure out her position on some of the world’s controversies. She had a rainbow sticker on her car and grumbled about old white men changing abortion rights. He had a warm feeling that she cared for people. It made him feel safe with her, even though he would never articulate that.
He thought it would be interesting to see how the Senator interacted with her. All he really knew was that with a daughter like her, he couldn’t be too much of a jerk. She wouldn’t let him.

What had she said? “Don’t let my Dad fool you. He’s smarter than he looks. Not much gets past him.” He thought the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

While he was thinking of old sayings, he remembered one that his Mom used to say: A bull in a china shop. That’s how he felt tonight. There was a definite excitement about going to his first black tie event, along with a little anxiety. He wanted to avoid looking like an idiot.

He stepped into the ballroom, and almost didn’t recognize the beauty before him in her floor-length gown. He preferred her jeans, he thought. “Howdy,” he said. They got drinks, and then some Ivy leaguer who was an aid to the Senator laughed at his hat. That’s when things got uncomfortable.

Continued …