The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!

[mariez]

Lazy L Farm
Quanah, TX
August 4, 2007
......
“Well, see this other comment…they make ya horny.”

“Ya got a problem with that?” said Jack with a slow smile.

“Have I ever…?” said Ennis, as he got up from his chair.

Snockered and horny - hee hee!    Guess Harry will have wait a while.

...      “I want another vodka...”  She looked straight at Ennis.  “with a twist.  Get my friend a shot to go with hs beer.”  She downed her drink.  

With a twist, huh?

 

....
But then Ennis stirred, and the smile turned into a worried frown.  Tom shook his head and sighed again.  As hard as this place was, he sure got into it deep.

Nothing is simple or easy with Ennis, Tom.

Now, lets' see, cold front, curious, cream....

Marie

[mariez]

Not One for Gossip

Ennis had barely settled himself on the stool when he heard voices from the high booth to his right, the words sending a chill up his spine.

". . . .I mean, there is no way I'd have stood for it.  You have to wonder why she put up with it as long as she did, and her with those two young girls…."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Emma."

"Well, I'm just sayin, Betty.  You know I'm not one for gossip--but I did hear a few things about him –"

Grabbing his hat, Ennis knocked over the cream on the counter and was in his truck before Emma drew her next breath.

"—heard his truck was over at Marjorie Walker's place all hours of the night. That hussy.  Looks like that Tim Johnson got himself a girl on the side." 

~~~~~~~
141 Words

[Clyde-B]

      A petite blond in a blue tube top her pony tail bound in a matching skrunchy burst through the front door.  “Wylie, I missed you so much.”  She threw her arms round the kid’s neck and kissed him full on the lips.  Wylie flailed helplessly.
      “He looks caught between a rock and a hard place, doesn’t he, Ennis?” 
     “Trudy, I got customers.”
     “They’re older, more cosmopolitan, they’ll understand young love.”
      Ennis looked at the table. 
      She set down her glass, touched Ennis’s hand.  “You’re not old, you’re just getting ripe, like a mission fig.”
      “Fig?  Ain’t that like a prune?”


      100 words

      Still behind, gettin caugtht up. 

[ifyoucantfixit]

          He he he   from now on i'll just say im not wrinkled, im figgish.      funny

[Clyde-B]

But then Ennis stirred, and the smile turned into a worried frown.  Tom shook his head and sighed again.  As hard as this place was, he sure got into it deep.
 

Marl,
I like this Tom fella.

 
With a twist, huh?
 

You bet!
The first drink order I was trying to be subliminal, to kinda hint that the kid reminded Ennis of Jack.
This time she's using it as a barb -  'twisting the knife.'

 

Not One for Gossip

Grabbing his hat, Ennis knocked over the cream on the counter and was in his truck before Emma drew her next breath.

"—heard his truck was over at Marjorie Walker's place all hours of the night. That hussy.  Looks like that Tim Johnson got himself a girl on the side." 
 

Marie,
Good compact illustration of guilt and so true to Ennis.

          He he he   from now on i'll just say im not wrinkled, im figgish.      funny

Janice,
 
I'm glad you enjoyed it,.  It's nice to be able to pay back some of the smiles you have given me!

[Cameron]

A New Day

(August 1986)
Tom began to fiddle with the radio again.  As the day came, the voices got farther and farther away.  Finally a station came in clear, the voice was saying something about a cold front coming through.  Unusual for the first day of August.  Tom listened for a little while then shut the radio off.  Ennis was still asleep.

Tom sat there, trying to close his eyes, but they wouldn’t stay shut, there was now too much light.  Finally Ennis woke.  He rubbed his eyes, and looked at Tom.

“Hey, where are we?”

“Same place we were last night.”

Ennis looked all around, then rubbed his eyes again.  Tom smiled and let out a small laugh. “You must have had some damn good dreams.”
 
“Yeah, I guess so” Ennis said not looking at Tom, just looking straight ahead.

“Just curious, you still dream about him?” Tom asked.

Ennis turned to him but didn’t look at his eyes.  “Let’s go find some breakfast, I could sure use some coffee with cream right now.”

“But you never have coffee with cream” Tom said, with a quizzical look on his face.  Ennis quickly turned away and stared at the distance beyond them.

Tom started the truck and pulled back on the road.  He drove for a little while, then he slowed down and turned to Ennis.  “Are you goin' to tell me about those dreams?”

[Clyde-B]

     “Sorry folks, this’s Trudy...”
     “Wylie’s my boyfriend, he won’t admit it, but he is.  We’re gettin married... just as soon as he proposes.  My brother Hogg, his real name is Hector, but everybody calls him Hogg, if you ever met him you’d know why, says if Wylie don’t propose soon he’s gone a get his shotgun and we’re gone a have a real old fashioned Lightnin Flat weddin.”  Trudy smiled without taking a breath.
      “I’m just curious,”  She regarded Trudy with all the warmth of an Alaskan cold front.   “are you considered the cream of young womanhood in these parts?”


      100 words

[mariez]

. . . .
      Ennis looked at the table. 
      She set down her glass, touched Ennis’s hand.  “You’re not old, you’re just getting ripe, like a mission fig.”
      “Fig?  Ain’t that like a prune?”

You're use of the prompts is always so great, Clyde.  I'm enjoyng this!

          He he he   from now on i'll just say im not wrinkled, im figgish.      funny

  Good one, Janice.

A New Day

. . . . .
“But you never have coffee with cream” Tom said, with a quizzical look on his face.  Ennis quickly turned away and stared at the distance beyond them.

Tom started the truck and pulled back on the road.  He drove for a little while, then he slowed down and turned to Ennis.  “Are you goin' to tell me about those dreams?” 

Their conversations are always so cryptic and leave me wanting more. 

...      “I’m just curious,”  She regarded Trudy with all the warmth of an Alaskan cold front.   “are you considered the cream of young womanhood in these parts?”

Whoa......I can feel that cold front right through my monitor!

Thanks,
Marie

[mariez]

Hope y'all had a great weekend.  Here are some Monday prompts:

• junk drawer
• accumulate
• clean as a whistle

Marie

[ifyoucantfixit]

             






           " I write these and they accumulate in the junk drawer before i post them, and then its clean as a whistle."

 
          The two women stopped their horses on the grassy area a few yards before the place where Ennis was laying on the ground.   His hat as always covering his eyes, and shading from the sun.  He heard the approach, and opened his eyes in a squint in order to make sure that he could see they were indeed returned.  He started to raise up onto his elbows, when Annie said, "don't get up, we are going to just sit down and join you.  Have you eaten yet, or did you wait for us?"   "No maam, he replied, I waited for you ladies."   "Well thats fine but you didn't have to do that."  "You could have gone ahead and eaten.  We are fully capable of fixing our sandwiches ourselves."  "But I must say this looks real good.  I guess I didn't realize I was hungry until I saw the food laid out there."

          "Lets get to it then he said."  "I hope you like the stuff I brought, didn't really think too much about it.  I always bring pretty simple stuff when I am out here."  "Well it all looks wonderful.  Thank you very much."

          "I have really enjoyed this trip Ennis, and I want to thank you for helping us do this."  "Well maam, I don't know how much I did, but you are very welcome."  "Me and my friend, really did like this place when we were here.  It was such a long time ago he said, without much thought, yep a long time."  "Do you two still come here sometimes Ennis?"  "Not anymore maam, no."  "Where do you go then, some new place, she asked?"  "No maam we don't.  We don't go nowheres no more."  His reply being followed by the slow exhale of air, that belied the feeling of frustration and regret.  "You and your friend have a falling out, she asked?"  Before saying "sorry I have a big mouth, its none of my business, and if you don't wish to say its your business." 
         
            "No maam"  He replied, and she interrupted, "you can call me Annie, you don't have to keep calling me maam.  It makes me feel old as these mountains."   "Sorry, m' Annie" he said.  "No ma'  Annie we didn't, he died."  "Oh no i am sorry to hear that Ennis. What happened, some kind of accident or illness?"   He just kind of slumped down into himself, and said. "Don't rightly know what happened, his wife said it was some kind of accident with the tire."  "You didn't believe her explanation of it?"  "Don know really, just don know."  He made another hugh sigh, and made to stand up, when he was on his feet, he looked at the women, and had the terrible look of extreme pain or anguish on his solumn face, and just said,  "think I will just take a bit of a ride whilest you ladies finish up with yer lunch."  "Kinda need to stretch my self a bit."  "Let off some steam."

             He climbed on the back of his horse and took of at a gallop.  The two ladies turned to each other with looks of consternation on their faces.  "Wonder what happened to his friend? "  Mary said.  "Didn't seem to really know.  That was rather odd really.  Don't you think?"
"Yeah odd for sure."  "It sure did seem to upset him to talk about it."  "Yeah his mood changed from friendly and warm, to dark almost.  And depressive.  Sad even."  "I don't know, but sure would like to," Annie remarked  "Sure would like to know what happened to him."