Gabby and Wes: 7 - Rumors of Revenge

“Hello, good evening.” Wes nodded a greeting to Renn.  He had squeezed himself past a couple people at the bar to maneuver in next to her.  “Please excuse my intrusion, but I come bearing a delicious gift from a friend.”  With a smile, he gestured with one of the margarita shots in his hand before placing it down in front of her.  Renn looked from the glass to Wes with some confusion.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked him.  “And to which friend are you referring?”

“Gabby.  She’s sitting right over there,” explained Wes as he pointed toward the other side of the bar in Gabby’s direction.

Renn’s eyes narrowed as she followed Wes’s direction.

“Gabby?? That bitch?”

Wes responded with a look of shock.  “Excuse me??”

“Surely she didn’t actually tell you we were still friends?” Renn looked quite miffed as she took a sip of her martini, ignoring the margarita shot Wes had set down in front of her.  “I don’t imagine she told you what she did to me?”

Wes was truly uncomfortable.  He had gotten up from his table so quickly that he hadn’t given Gabby an opportunity to tell him anything about this woman or their relationship.

“Ummm, I – well, no.” Completely caught off guard, Wes hated that he was stammering.  He tried to back out of what had suddenly become a bad situation.

“Are we talking about the same Gabby?  I know she can be sarcastic sometimes, but she’s not a mean person.  Couldn’t it have just been a misunderstanding?” he asked hopefully.

“No.  It was quite deliberate on her end.  Very thought out and quite public, I should add.  In fact –” Renn leaned in close to Wes and continued in a whisper. “There are rumors of revenge floating throughout our social circle.”  Renn leaned back and gave Wes a few seconds to process what she told him.  “Just how well do you know her?” she finally asked.

‘Revenge??’ Wes’ mind was scrambling.  ‘Good God, what could Gabby have possibly done to this woman?’ 

“Well, Gabby’s my cousin, actually.”

Renn noticed Wes was fidgeting.  She shrugged her shoulders slightly, appearing indifferent.  “Damn, that’s too bad.  And I thought you were kind of cute, too.  It’s a shame we couldn’t possibly entertain any thoughts now of getting to know one another.”

“Well, wait.  Let’s not look at guilt by association here.” Wes was torn between his attraction to Renn and his loyalty to Gabby.  “I’ve known Gabby all my life; we grew up together as kids.  Granted, I don’t see her as often now that we live so far apart, but this is out of character for her.  She’s just not the type to be deliberately mean.”

“It might seem that way to you, but you haven’t spent the last ten years with her in the city like I have.  Essentially, you’ve only seen glimpses of her these past ten years during brief visits.  Just remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn’t the way they actually are.”  She gave Wes a look.  “Perhaps you don’t really know your cousin as well as you think you do.”

“That’s crazy, it just doesn’t make sense,” replied Wes, shaking his head.  “I know Gabby, I know her.”

Renn picked up the margarita Wes had offered her and held it out to him.  “I think you should go back to your table and re-acquaint yourself with your cousin.  She’s got some explaining to do to you.”  Wes took the drink from Renn and continued looking at her until she broke eye contact and turned away.  With both his mind and heart reeling, Wes had no choice but to do as Renn said.  She had clearly dismissed him.

Angry and confused, Wes stormed back to Gabby, setting the two glasses down with enough force to cause the margaritas to slosh out a little onto the table.  Taken aback, Gabby stared at Wes for a few minutes as she waited for him to calm down.  She reached for one of the glasses and with a napkin, wiped the side clean before taking a sip.  Casually, she asked “So, I take it that didn’t go well?”

“You think??” Wes replied in a surly tone.  “Just what exactly did you do to her?”

“Do to her?!  I didn’t do anything to her.  Why? What did she say?” asked Gabby, both defensive and curious.

Wes sighed heavily and glared at Gabby.  “She didn’t go into detail.  But she did say it was deliberate, and that you had some explaining to do.”

“Oh, I see,” replied Gabby, busying herself with a few more sips of her drink.  She appeared to be deep in thought and Wes studied her, trying to read her.

“Well…..” he looked pointedly at her.

“Well what?” Gabby returned innocently.

“Oh come on, give me a chance here!  I feel something about this girl.” Wes was clearly exasperated.  “I’m fighting for love!”

“Seriously??  You just met her.”  Gabby wasn’t swayed so easily.  “Try fighting with your head for a change.  It's a good one, even if it does resist learning.”

“See Gabby, now that’s just the kind of sarcasm that gets you in trouble.”

Gabby shrugged her shoulders.  “I make no apologies for who I am.” 

Wes slumped over slightly, resting his head in his hands. “Look, I’m really attracted to Renn.  Just what exactly happened between the two of you?  Can it be repaired, or do I need to worry about this?”

“Oh, it’s not time to worry.  Yet,” replied Gabby with a wry grin. 

Wes looked up at Gabby.  She wasn’t looking at him and he turned his head to see what had her attention.  His heart flipped when he noticed Renn, and he mentally braced himself.  She appeared to be looking directly at Gabby and was walking right up to their table.

 

© Dahlia Ramone: July 24, 2016

This was written for Blogophilia Week 23.9

Topic:  Rumors of Revenge

Bonus Points:

Hard (2 pts): use a quote from ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’**

Easy (1 pt): include variances of the lyric

‘I’m a little teapot...’ (I did not)

 

** I used the following three quotes:

“Just remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn't the way they actually are.”

“Try fighting with your head for a change...

it's a good one, even if it does resist learning.”

“It’s not time to worry yet”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gabby and Wes: 6 - Flights of Fancy

“Is this really what you do when you go out?” Wes cupped his hands together and blew into them, trying in vain to warm himself up.  “We’ve been in line for an hour.”

“We’ve been in line for twenty minutes.  And no, I typically won’t wait in line to get into a night club.  But I didn’t realize this was the last night of that abstract art exhibition I’ve been dying to see.”  Gabby turned her head to look at Wes.  “And if I hadn’t spent the better part of last month in the boonies with you, I could have come on a slower night.”

“Only you call it ‘the boonies,’ chided Wes.  “And you like coming out to visit me.  Besides, you seemed to hit it off with Wyatt.”

Gabby turned full body to stare at Wes.  “Are you delusional??  You pushed me into him.  It was all I could do to get through that night!”

Wes chuckled to himself at the memory.  Perhaps tonight was Gabby’s idea of payback – a fancy New York City night club that he had absolutely no interest in.  Resigning himself to an evening of his version of torture, he stepped to the side of the line to count the heads in front of him.  Moving back next to Gabby he said “Well, we’re only fifteen back now.”

“See?” smiled Gabby sweetly, “we’ll be in in no time.” 

“You’re not fooling me with that smile.  You’re enjoying every minute of this,” accused Wes.

“Oh, I don’t deny that for a minute,” laughed Gabby.  “You don’t know anyone here in the city and you don’t have a key to my apartment, so you can’t leave.  My turf, my rules.”

                                                                  
“God help me,” muttered Wes.  Looking around, he raised his arms back and forth, hopping about as he shouted “won’t somebody come and rescue me!?!”

“What are you doing??” asked Gabby as several curious looks came their way.

Wes shrugged.  “If you can’t beat ‘em, mortify ‘em.”

“Ugh!” Gabby exclaimed as she turned her back to Wes.  “I’m just going to pretend I don’t know you.”

“Good luck with that,” laughed Wes as he inched closer to Gabby.  Now that he was inclined to play his favorite game, ‘Get Her Goat,’ he decided he might enjoy his evening after all. 

__

A few hours later, Wes was surprised to admit that he was actually enjoying himself.  Not that he’d admit that to his cousin - he’d never hear the end of it.  Though he didn’t care for the art that was being showcased; to him anything that looked like he could have slopped some paint on the bottom of his chickens’ feet and had them scratching across a canvas didn’t seem worthy of such a hefty price tag.  But it did give him an idea and he smiled at the absurdity of it.  He was so lost in thought that he didn’t see Gabby coming up to him.

“Hey!  I’ve been looking all over for you.  What are you smiling about?” she asked.

“Oh, just some farm art,” Wes replied with a grin.

Gabby looked from Wes to the paintings on the wall then back to Wes, not making the connection.

“You’re so weird,” she replied.  “Come on, you need to try these margaritas. This place is known for them.  The first flight’s on me.” Gabby led Wes over to the bar in the main room.

“Ugh.  More waiting?” groaned Wes, eyeing the throng four deep gathered at the bar.  “Can’t I just get a beer from the other bar?  And what’s a flight?”

“No, you can’t just get a beer; you can get that anywhere.  And we don’t need to wait, I’ve already ordered them.” Gabby pointed to a small table in the corner.  Wes looked and noticed two rows of what appeared to be five margaritas each, served in large shot glasses.

 

Margarita La Cava Del Tequila Flight

“Fancy,” he observed as they sat down.

“Exactly,” smiled Gabby as she reached for one.  “These are called ‘Flights of Fancy.’  Cheers!”

Wes chose a glass and clinked it with Gabby’s.  “Here’s to love and peace,” he replied as he sampled the margarita.  “Mmmmm…not bad.”

“Yep,” agreed Gabby.  “They offer these in flights so you can see which one you like best. Then you can order your favorite in a regular size glass.”

“So, for you that would be like a quart?” Wes dodged as soon as he said that, but not quickly enough to avoid Gabby’s hand as she smacked him on the shoulder.

“Fuck you.”

Wes laughed as he reached for another glass.  “I’m just saying.”  He was about to elaborate but he paused mid-thought as his eyes caught a face at the other end of the bar.  “Speaking of love and peace…didn’t expect that to come about so quickly…” he mused aloud.  Gabby turned her head to follow his gaze. With somewhat of shock, she looked back to Wes.

“Renn?” she asked.

“What? When?? Right now,” replied Wes, not taking his eyes off the girl at the bar.

“No, dumbass.  Renn.  She’s a friend of mine.”

Now Wes turned his gaze back to Gabby.  “Seriously??” With a sly grin, he clinked his glass against Gabby’s again.

Gabby rolled her eyes.  “Oh good God, it’s going to be a long night,” she muttered as she reached for a third glass.

“Better order another fancy flight,” Wes suggested as he got up from the table, grabbing two glasses as he did so.  “Or that quart; you’re gonna need it.” Gabby shot him a look as he walked away laughing.  With a sigh, she signaled the attendant for another round.  As she watched Wes make his way to the back of the bar, it was her turn to slyly grin.  “Oh, I’m not making it that easy for you,” she thought to herself as she took out her phone and entered a quick text to her friend.  A minute later, she saw Renn looking down at her phone.  With a satisfied smile, Gabby sat back in her seat to wait it out.  She knew the evening now was just beginning.

 

© Dahlia Ramone: July 23, 2016

 

This was written for Blogophilia Week 22.9

Topic: Flights of Fancy  

Bonus: Hard (2 pts) Incorporate a Stevie Ray Vaughan lyric

(“Won’t somebody come and rescue me” from the song ‘Crossfire’)

Easy (1 pt) Include the words love and peace

 

 

 

 

 

Gabby and Wes: 5 - All the Lonely People

 “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” muttered Gabby for the eighth time.  She pulled her New York driver’s license out of her bag and handed it to the bouncer at the door.

Wes was unfazed.  “Relax, it won’t be that painful,” he laughed as he stepped ahead of her into the bar.

“Easy for you to say.  You’re not being set up.”

“You’re not being set up – that was last week.  This is just….follow through.”

“Follow through to what? The Gates of Hell?” Gabby shuddered as she walked through the door and looked around the dimly lit bar.  A bright neon green sign advertising Coors Light hung on the wall behind the bar, along with an odd assortment of license plates and horse shoes.  Gabby couldn’t help herself and shuddered, a movement not lost on Wes.

“Be nice,” he chided.  “Wyatt is looking forward to this.  Besides, by all accounts you looked like you were into him last week.”

“By all accounts I was slightly past tipsy last week.  It was the only way to get through that damn party.  And now you throw this at me?  Can’t you just torture me with your country music and leave it at that?  You have to add disco, too?  I’m surprised people in the boondocks even know what disco is.”

Wes shook his head.  “For the hundredth time, I do not live in the ‘boondocks’ just because we don’t have a Starbucks nearby.  Anyway, where’s your sense of adventure?  It’s Disco Cowboy Night.  I bet you’ve never even been to a Country Disco bar before.”

“Yeah, and there’s a reason for that.  I don’t do country, and I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes.”

“You could have just said ‘no.’”

“I tried, remember?  You threatened to hide my bags if I didn’t come, and I can’t very well fly home without them.”

“Yeah well remember, I can still hide them if you don’t play nice.” Wes side-stepped Gabby just as she moved to punch him in the arm.  She caught him looking just past her and turned around as he shouted out “Wyatt, you made it!”

“Hey, y’all” Wyatt nodded a greeting at Wes.  “Gabby,” he nodded at Gabby as he tipped his hat, holding his gaze on her a few seconds longer than she would have cared for.  Gabby smiled politely in return.  “So, Wyatt, is this where all the lonely people go?” she asked as she gestured toward the bar.  Gabby couldn’t help smirking just a little as Wes frowned a warning at her.  Wyatt, however, was new to her sarcasm. 

“What? No,” Wyatt replied.  “They go down to The Broken Road.  It’s a sad little hole in the wall, though fitting for its name, I suppose.  Here, everyone is just full of life – partying at the bar, riding the mechanical bull or boot-scootin’ on the dance floor.  Come on, I’ll show you,” Wyatt explained as he grabbed Gabby’s hand and pulled her along to the main room before she had a chance to object.  Now it was Wes’ turn to smirk as he followed close behind, making damn sure he didn’t miss whatever was going to happen next.

They all stopped just inside the room, where the dance floor was nearly packed.  Gabby had heard of line-dancing, of course, but she’d never actually seen people doing it.  On this first occasion for her, she had the misfortune to witness the odd synchronized dancing amidst a cringe-worthy array of polyester and sequins, giant belt buckles and black felt hats.  It was like a train wreck that you couldn’t tear your eyes from.  Wyatt mistook her shock for interest.

“You wanna dance, too?  Let’s go get down,” he tried to take Gabby’s hand again.  “That is NOT the way I get down!” she stated emphatically as she jerked her arm away and took two steps back, only to back up against Wes.  Wes chuckled as he blocked her getaway.  “Oh, no you don’t,” he whispered in her ear before giving her a gentle shove forward.  He knew he’d regret it later, but he made sure to put just enough ‘oompf’ into his push to propel her into Wyatt.  Awkwardly, Wyatt grabbed at Gabby to prevent her from falling down.  Wes seized on the opportunity.  “Have fun you two!” he shouted gleefully.  Gabby shot him a death glare as Wyatt release his grip from around her waist, but firmly held onto her hand.

“I don’t have the patience for this shit,” Gabby mumbled under her breath as Wyatt led her out onto the dance floor to the strains of “ride, ride, ride, disco cowboy…”

© Dahlia Ramone: March 29, 2015

 

*Warning* Once you see this video, you can’t unsee it. 

So if you decided to watch it, just remember, you did it to yourself ;)

 

My apologies to people who actually like country music.

 

This was written for Blogophilia Week 6.8.  It is actually something that I started for Week 7.7 (from sometime last year?) but never got around to finishing.  So instead of scratching it completely, I just worked this week’s prompts into it.  Below are the topics and prompts for each ;)

Blogophilia Week 6.8 Topic:  All the Lonely People

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2 pts)  Incorporate a lyric from a Linkin Park song

That is not the way I get down / You did it to yourself /

I don’t have the patience – All from the song “Lies Greed Misery”

(Easy, 1 pt) Use the term "twitter-light" (I didn’t)

Blogophilia 7.7 Topic: Slightly Past Tipsy

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2 pts):  Quote Hunter Thompson

(“I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes”)

(Easy, 1 pt):  Incorporate a snack machine (I didn’t)

Gabby and Wes: 4 - The Cat Drug It In

 

As Wes was putting together the final touches to his costume, he marveled at his good fortune.  He hadn’t seen his cousin Gabby in a few years, and he couldn’t believe he had talked her into another visit to the country.  He knew when she agreed that she hadn’t thought about the time frame because if she had, she wouldn’t have agreed to come during Halloween.  Once she did realize her error and tried to postpone the trip, Wes wouldn’t let her.  He knew crazy Halloween parties were big in the city, but he would show her that they could party in the country, too.  ‘Yeah, good luck with that’ he thought to himself, and couldn’t hold back a chuckle.  Lost in his thoughts, it was forty-five minutes before he looked up at the clock.  “Oh, crap!” he exclaimed as he jumped up.  “Gabby’s going to kill me if I’m late.”  Not even bothering for his jacket, Wes grabbed the keys to his truck and headed out to the airport.

Fortunately for Wes, Gabby’s flight was late.  As he was nearing the Arrivals curb, she was just walking out of the terminal.  Wes noticed with surprise that Gabby was only pulling one rolling suitcase behind her.  But as he got closer he noticed a man stop behind her, struggling with two oversized bags.  Curiously, Wes watched as Gabby took a couple bills from her wallet and hand them to the man, who unceremoniously dropped the bags at her feet, took the bills and went back inside.  Wes shook his head in amusement as he climbed out of his truck.

“I’d tell you that you over-packed again, but I know better than to start that argument” he teased as he held out his arms. 

“Ah, all this fresh air’s finally cleared your head” Gabby teased back as she went in for the hug. 

During the drive back to his house, Wes mostly listened and nodded as Gabby chatted away.  Mostly, he was trying to get up the nerve to spring something on her, and finally decided to just hit her with it.

“So, guess who’s going to be at the party tomorrow night?” he asked her.

“No one I would know,” Gabby tossed back.

“Well, no one you’ve met,” Wes continued.  Gabby looked sideways at him and arched a brow.

"What?” asked Wes.  “Don’t give me that look.”

"I’m sure you deserve it.  What are you up to?”

“Remember my friend Wyatt that I told you about?”

“The one that you mentioned every time we talked on the phone?  Your new best bud that you’re constantly raving about?”

“I don’t rave about him,” muttered Wes.

“You do.  But whatever.”

“Well, whatever, the fact is that guy has done amazing things so far in life and he’s not even thirty-five yet – even you would be impressed.”

“I’m sure I would be,” replied Gabby.

Now it was Wes’ turn to arch a brow.  “Sarcasm?” he asked.

“No,” Gabby said.  “How could I not be impressed by someone so amazing that you hold him to the same level as Zechariah?”

Wes turned to look at her.

“Sarcasm,” she stated.

Rolling his eyes, Wes turned into his driveway.  Turning off the ignition, his hand went to the door but he stopped and looked back at Gabby before he opened it.

“Zechariah?  Really??”

“Hey, I used to go to church, remember?”

“Used to?  You don’t go to church or worship anymore?”

“Yes, I do” replied Gabby as she opened her door.  “Every morning at the House of Latte.”

Muttering something about Hell and hand baskets, Wes jumped out of his truck.  Laughing, Gabby followed and helped him bring her things into the house.

Deciding to save the unpacking for later, Gabby chose to first kick back on Wes’ couch and relax with a glass of wine.  “You know, I might actually get used to the simple quietness of this place,” she said.

“It grows on you.” Wes smiled at her as she closed her eyes for a moment and sunk back into the couch.  Her peacefulness was short-lived, however, when a sharp screech startled her enough that she nearly spilled her wine.

“What the fuck?!” she asked as she quickly sat up.

“Oh.  Blue jay,” explained Wes.

“Where?  In the house?”

“Yeah.”  Wes shrugged.  “The cat drug it in.”  He chuckled at the look of disbelief on Gabby’s face.  “I caught Sam with it in her mouth last week.  I thought it was dead but when I took it away from her, I saw that it was just in shock, and hurt.  So I bought a little cage for it while it healed.”  Wes paused as the bird screeched again.  “He seems to be doing better,” he noted.

“And the bird is where?”

Wes held back a smile.  “In the guest room.”

“Which is where you’re sleeping,” Gabby replied dryly. 

Wes laughed and stood up.  “I’ll move the bird,” he said as he started upstairs.  “Oh hey!  While I’m up here, I’ll get my Halloween costume to show you.”

“Who are you going to be? The Bird Man?” Gabby shot out after him.  Shaking her head, she reached to the coffee table to refill her glass.

Wes moved the bird to the back of the house, covered the cage and went back to his room to change.  After a few minutes, he walked back out toward the front room and stopped in the doorway.  Gabby looked up and nearly spit out her drink.

“You’re going like that??  What the hell are you even supposed to be?”

"You can’t tell?” asked Wes in surprise.

“All I see is a lot of corduroy and patterns that don’t match, and some weird hat thing on your head.”

“Hey, I made it myself,” Wes said proudly.

“Clearly,” replied Gabby.

“Well, I’m not going to tell you what it is, and you’ll be the only city girl at the party who doesn’t recognize a classic costume when she sees one.”

Leaning back into the couch, Gabby pointedly stared at Wes’ outfit.  “You know, being unmarried can shorten a man’s life by ten years.”

Wes stared at Gabby.  “What?”

“I’m just sayin’,” she replied.

Wes looked down at his costume.  “Are you implying that if I were married I wouldn’t go out like this?”

“Oh, I’m not implying,” said Gabby sweetly.  Then she couldn’t resist adding: “Instead of worrying about fixing me up with your friends, maybe you should be looking for yourself.”

Wes studied Gabby for a moment, and she saw that familiar look come across his face that used to always get them into trouble when they were kids.

“What?” she asked warily.

“What are you doing for New Year’s?” he asked her.

“Pffft!  Not spending it here.”

Wes just leaned against the door jamb. 

“What??  I’m not,” she said a little more firmly.

Wes laughed.  “I didn’t imagine you would.  But… I haven’t taken any trips in a while.”

“Go on,” Gabby prodded.

“You go to the party tomorrow night, meet Wyatt and – ”

Gabby rolled her eyes.

“ – mind your manners,” Wes gave her a level look.  “Then I’ll come out and spend New Year’s with you and your kind.”

“My kind??”

Wes snickered.  “Yeah, what do you call yourselves?  Divas??”  He ducked just in time to miss the pillow Gabby threw in his direction. 

Gabby leaned over and placed her glass on the coffee table.  “I’ll have you know, there is nothing wrong with being a diva.”  She sat up straighter and refilled her glass before reclining gracefully back into the couch.  Nodding, she thought aloud: “Yes, this will be good for you.  Now you will see that you are out of touch in the country, and you need a good city girl to set you right.”

“Oh, I need a good city girl,” Wes agreed, “to set you right.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A good city girl,” Wes went on, “that isn’t close-minded to make you see there are options ranging from Manhattan high rises to simple country homes.

“What, you think you’re going to convert a city girl to the country?” Gabby asked incredulously.

“Stranger things have happened, Gabby,” Wes replied as he sauntered into the kitchen for a beer.  Grabbing one, he came back into the front room, twisted the cap off, took a long swig and said straight to her: “it’s on.”

Wes turned and studied himself in the mirror, making sure to do so in a somewhat exaggerated manner because he knew it would get Gabby’s goat.  “Hmmm, I don’t think I really need to pack much at all,” he said as he ran his hand over the length of his corduroy jacket sleeve.

Gabby knew what he was up to.  Damn cousin loved to get her riled.  She wasn’t sure if he was bluffing about packing that crazy outfit, but she didn’t really care.  She had a plan and wasn’t worried at all.  She would simply have her cleaning lady “misplace” that suit and Wes would have no choice but to let Gabby take him shopping for new clothes.  And she wouldn’t take him anyplace where he could buy something as ridiculous as what he was now wearing.

“I think I’m going to pack this costume.  With a few revisions, it would make quite a suit.  That’s alright with you, isn’t it, Gabby?”

Gabby smiled and replied “Of course it is.  Pack whatever you like.”

“Don’t worry, I will.  Oh, and I have some extra fabric.  I’ll have time to make something that matches for you, too” Wes said as he turned toward his room to change back into his jeans and t-shirt.  He wasn’t stupid, he knew Gabby too well to fall for her sweet dismissals.  He wouldn’t let her suspect anything, of course, let her have fun with her little schemes.  But he had a few tricks up his sleeves, too, and he was packing them in his suitcase.  He heard Gabby’s heavy sigh from the front room.  Now, he wasn’t sure which party he was looking forward to the most.

 

© Dahlia Ramone: January 5, 2014

 

 

This was written for Blogophilia Week 46.6

Topic:  The Cat Drug It In

 

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2 pts):  Mention a person you hold on a level of Zechariah

(Easy, 1 pt):  Include an odd useless fact (Being unmarried can shorten a man’s life by ten years)

 

 

 

 

Gabby and Wes: 3 - Flipped Upside Down

“You know, Gabby, if you came out to visit me more often, you’d have a fighting chance to get acclimated to life out here,” Wes explained as he handed Gabby her dinner.  He sat across from her at his kitchen table, grinning as Gabby shuddered in response. 

“And you know, it wouldn’t kill you to come out and visit me,” she replied as she toyed around with her soup.

Wes watched her in amusement.  “We tried that once, remember?  Your fancy city life is way too opulent for me.”

“Oooh, ‘opulent’ – Big word for a country boy,” teased Gabby. 

Knowing his cousin, Wes just stared at her with a carefully blank face so as not to egg her on.  But as usual, it didn’t work.  Gabby continued, “in case you weren’t sure, that was sarcasm.  Here, let me spell it out for you,” and she started to dig around in her soup.  Wes couldn’t contain a smirk any longer, and it played at the corner of his lips as he watched Gabby’s brows come together.  “What’s the matter, cuz?” he asked.

Gabby put her spoon down in frustration.  “I can’t find what I’m looking for.  I never knew there were no punctuation marks in alphabet soup.”

Wes laughed.  “Have you ever had alphabet soup before, Gabby?”  She just smirked back at him in response.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” Wes chuckled.  “Well, hurry and finish your dinner, because I have another ‘first’ planned for you tonight.”

Gabby eyed him suspiciously.  “What are you up to?” she asked.

Leaning back in his chair, Wes smiled broadly as he said “Bullesque.”

Gabby crinkled her nose.  “Bullesque?  What the fuck is that?”

“It’s only the most high-end dining, drinking and bull-riding bar around here.  Pure country opulence,” he teased.

“Bull riding?” Gabby repeated in disbelief.

Wes shrugged.  “Well, mechanical.”

Gabby rolled her eyes.  “God help me,” she muttered. 

Wes threw his napkin at her.  “Better get dressed, if we get there too late we’ll be hard-pressed to find parking.”

Gabby arched a brow.  “Seriously?  Parking there is a problem?”  Wes gave her a leveled look.  “I mean, ye-haw!” she tossed back at him, then bolted out of her chair as Wes made to come after her.  Laughing, Gabby ran upstairs to change as Wes stood in the kitchen shaking his head at her.

After a bit, Gabby came into the front room calling out to Wes.  “I’m ready to go!  When will you – ” She stopped short when she saw her cousin sitting on the couch.  Looking him over, she asked “Really? Is that what you guys wear to go out around here?”

“What?” asked Wes as he stood up and slowly spun around in front of her.  “What’s throwing you off?  The belt buckle?  The boots?  The hat?  Surely I don’t look that alien to you.  Under this garb, we’re perfectly ordinary Americans.”  He flashed Gabby his most rakish smile.

“Perfectly ridiculous….” Gabby muttered under her breath.

Wes feigned insult. “What was that?” he asked.

Gabby smiled sweetly at him in return.  “Nothing, dear warped cousin.  I’m always game for an adventure.” 

Wes was the one rolling his eyes this time.  “Never one to miss an opportunity for sarcasm, are you?”

“You know me,” replied Gabby lovingly.  She grabbed Wes’ keys from the coffee table and tossed them to him.  “Ready to rock n’ roll?  Or boot-stomp, or whatever it is you do out here?”

Wes caught the keys and chuckled.  “Oh, you are so going down tonight.”  Gabby merely smiled at him in response as she breezed past him through the front door.

Thirty minutes later, after claiming one of the few remaining spots in the parking lot, Gabby and Wes walked into Bullesque.  Gabby paused just inside the door as her eyes strove to take in her surroundings.  “Oh my God.  The whole world here is flipped upside down!” she mused in astonishment.

“What do you want, Gabby?  Cherry blossoms in winter?” asked Wes with a smile.

Gabby looked at her cousin with a wry glance.  “What, you’re a poet now?  All this fresh air has finally done you some good?”

“Amazing what a little unpolluted air will do for a person.”  Wes gave her a pointed look, which she ignored.  Instead, she was focused on the commotion to her left.  In the center of a large, roped-off platform, she watched as a man whipped back and forth on the back of a mechanical bull, waving his hat steadily in the air with one hand and holding on tightly with the other. 

“You weren’t kidding??  People really do that?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes,” replied Wes.  “They do it because they’re ‘game for adventure’.”  Gabby didn’t miss his pointed retort, and she glanced sideways at him. 

“You are going to ride the bull, aren’t you?” Wes teased.

Gabby gave him a startled look.  “You can’t be serious?”

Wes shrugged.  “I’m afraid I’m still naïve enough to believe the impossible can’t be done.”

“You’re impossible,” Gabby replied.  Looking around the room at her options, she zeroed in on the only one that made any sense to her - the farthest side of the room with all the liquor bottles lining the shelves.  She turned to Wes and said “I’m just going to hang around the bar.  I don’t want to look conspicuous.”

Wes eyed Gabby as she walked away, her long red skirt swaying with each step and her crystal heeled stilettos clicking across the wooden floor.  ‘Don’t want to look conspicuous’?  Yeah, good luck with that,’ he laughed to himself as he stepped in line behind her.

 

© Dahlia Ramone: December, 2013

 

 

This was written for Blogophilia Week 46.5

 

Topic:  Flipped Upside Down

Bonus Points: (Hard, 2pts): Incorporate a quote

of the original Batman TV series from the 60's**

(Easy, 1pt):    Include 'cherry blossoms in winter'

 

**  I used the following Batman quotes:

Robin:  I never knew there were no punctuation marks in alphabet soup.

Robin:  Under this garb, we're perfectly ordinary Americans.

Barbara: I'm afraid I'm still naive enough to believe the impossible can't be done.

Batman:  I'm just going to hang around the bar. I don't want to look conspicuous.