Kate
Page 7
Chapter07 - The VFW
Not being VFW members Rita and Julie needed a sponsor to sign them in, causing them to move out of line until Nellie arrived. As the two women waited a weathered looking cowboy entered and was signing in when Julie nudged Rita and nodded toward the cowboy.
"Now there looks like a good 'ol boy tough enough for you, Rita."
Rita gave him a quick up and down look before answering. "He has the looks of a three 'F' man to me."
"Aw, Rita! When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours, one half of the species was made to screw the other half and we should be happy for having the opportunity to be a willing participant once in a while?"
"I don't mind participating under certain conditions, but I have no intentions of being used as mere receptacle."
While Rita and Julie were engaged in their discussion about species relationships the cowboy looked in their direction and held his gaze long enough to flip Rita a wink before moving into the bar area.
"How about that, Rita? Like they say, ah man isn't old until he stops looking and that old cowpoke was certainly doing his share of looking at you."
"It's going to take more than a wink from a worn out cowboy to get my juices flowing."
Suddenly they heard a rock crusher grade voice exclaiming, "There you are! Gawd a mighty, it's good to see ya, Julie." Nellie gushed as she rushed to hug her friend. "This must be Rita you talk about so much?"
"Sure is." Julie nodded. "Nellie, meet Rita."
"I'm sure glad to meet you, Rita." Nellie bubbled. "If only half of all Julie tells me about you is true, you sure lead an excitin' life. She said you've been over most the known world on important jobs."
"I've been anxious to meet you, Nellie and according to Julie, you've covered a few interesting spots yourself."
When introductions and signing in were completed, the three women strolled into the dining room while giving the surroundings a visual survey. They located an empty table next to the wall, two tables back from the stage.
Settling themselves, Nellie began, "What do ya say we have an eye opener before we eat? I never like to deal with meat of any description without taking on a little Dutch courage to cheer me on."
Leaning over Rita whispered to Julie, "Your friend comes across as being a reincarnation of Ma Kettle."
"It's just her way of going native," replied Julie. "Don't pay her way of talking no mind and just go with the flow. You never can tell what this lady will come up with. Rest assured there's more under the Ma Kettle veneer than people are led to believe. A few of those who wrote Nellie off as a hayseed lived to suffered dire consequences from their snap judgments."
"Thanks for the warning, Julie."
A past-her-prime cocktail waitress wearing a cellulite revealing black taffeta skirt and a ruffle-edged scooped neckline designed to showcase the wearer's natural assets was reduced to revealing a pair of bankrupt boobs, made her appearance. She spoke in a monotone voice hardly audible above the clatter of nearby conversations, scraping chair legs and rattling silverware.
"You gals want ah drink before you eat?"
"Bourbon with a splash of water," Nellie said.
"Screwdriver for me," echoed Julie
"Scotch on the rocks," concluded Rita.
"What the hell are you two old broads doin' here in C.J.? Nellie asked.
"Since you've been harpin' about this place for years, along with talking to a few people about it during the summer, I learned this is supposed to be a good place to spend the winter and we decided to give it a try."
Nellie nodded as Julie continued. "We were also told a naked man stood behind every tree. What a crock of shit that turned out to be. All I've see growing above ground in this great sand blown country are cactus or is it cacti? Being stuck by a man is one thing, but when it comes to being pricked by a cactus, you can leave me out!"
"Ya, I hear you. I heard the same crap when I came here." Nellie agreed going on.
"Things have changed a lot since I arrived. A few years ago there was only one paved street in town, the east/west highway. As for men, well you ain't going to find many prize specimens around here. It sort of depends on how particular you happen to be. As for me, when I get horny I take whatever doesn't stink nor drools and can get it up long enough to get the job done. Most times it's better than a wiener or vibrator.
"You do an outstanding job of painting an underwhelming picture of this desert oasis all right," Rita agreed and with a sigh continued. "But what the hell, men and everything else that's made, wear out sooner or later. Like Julie mentioned earlier, I guess we'll just have to go with the flow."
The women's conversation was interrupted by the waitress' return and serving their drinks. Rita pushed out a twenty to the waitress and left a dollar tip in the change tray.
After taking a healthy swig of her drink, Julie chided Rita. "What do you know? It must be the sudden shift in climate contributing to Rita's decision to soften up on men. I've never heard her offer them even the smallest crumb of kindness before. Now she's coming up with excuses. Never thought I'd see the day."
"Could be I've been a little rough on the poor dears in the past, but damn it all, every man I've run into thinks of me as nothing more than a trampoline to jump on. It's my personal opinion, or course; if one was to go looking for a man's mind and opened his head all it would contain is a pulsating ball of pubic hair."
"Gawd you really are a ball cutter!" Nellie exclaimed, before shifting into a more reflective mood. "In my younger years I was a pretty good looker and attracted my share of men and I'll have to admit, in those days I shared some of the same feeling. Then I met a pretty special guy soon after I came to C. J. He was about the only man I ever knew who had more interest in what I had between my ears than I carried between my legs. He taught me ah lot about men and since he passed on, I've been ah little more benevolent. Sure, none of 'em measure up to what I want, but like I said before, I don't cull 'em too thin, else there wouldn't be nothin' left."
When their drinks were reduced to raw ice water? the food serving line had declined to only a couple of people, inducing the women to get up and join the line. Each one paid for her food and they were soon enjoying large tender steaks.
The three women were cleaning up the last of their steaks as musicians began setting up their equipment. Dishes were cleared away and tables rearranged to accommodate extra people drifting in from the bar and those arriving for the dance. True to nature, Nellie was keeping track of men moving in from the bar, seeking a place to sit at mostly empty dinner tables.