Author Topic: I met a cowboy this weekend  (Read 1979 times)

moremojo

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I met a cowboy this weekend
« on: May 30, 2006, 07:09:26 pm »
To satisfy Isabelle's burning curiosity (and that of any others on board here), here is the followup to my Kerrville story. My sister Cathy and I ended up leaving for Kerrville Saturday morning, and upon arrival, went into our grandmother's room to greet her there. A few moments later, our first cousin Jennifer entered the room with her new boyfriend, a man who, to my eyes, looked every inch a cowboy. He had a gray felt cowboy hat, which matched his gray eyes, the Western-style shirt, the blue jeans, and the cowboy boots. He even had a packet of cigarettes in his left shirt pocket...a 'Marlboro' man! I knew that by going to Kerrville, in the heart of ranching country, I was going to be constantly reminded of Brokeback, but this was getting (deliciously) ridiculous!

Cathy and I didn't even know that Jennifer had a new boyfriend until this moment. It didn't surprise me that she had one, but her choice this time around did...I have never known her to go for cowboy or country-and-Western types. Whatever the reason for her selection, the family was entirely pleased by this new development. Her new beau, Michael, is two years younger than me, and exuded confidence and charm in equal measure. He comes from an old Texas family, with a long heritage of ranching and associations with the Texas war of independence from Mexico and the Texas Rangers. Though he has ranching in his blood, he is currently employed in construction work, and is very knowledgeable about historically authentic adobe construction.

Decked out in his cowboy sartorial splendor, Michael was bound to remind me of either Ennis or Jack, and in his case, he brought Jack to mind. He had the dark hair, the light-colored (in his case, gray) eyes, a propensity for chatting, and a genuine curiosity about the people he was meeting. He had a tendency to cross one leg over the other while standing, while inserting his thumbs through the belt straps of his jeans, and this pose strongly reminded me of the scene of Jack resting against his truck. I also noticed that he stood much closer to one while speaking than I am used to in my own experiences of social intercourse, and this familiarity highlighted his warm, gracious manner all the more.

We saw quite a bit of Michael over the long weekend. On Sunday, he and Jennifer went to his folks' ranch in south Texas, so that she could be introduced to them and so that they could hunt for feral hogs in the area (Jennifer's first experience with hunting). Michael showed me his rifle before leaving, and showed me how to hold it and aim it. After having eaten lunch with us, I noted his gentlemanly gesture of kissing all the ladies on the cheek before taking his leave. The night before, he had asked me to listen to a Rodney Carrington CD of his with him and Jennifer, in Jennifer's room, but I begged off out of a sense of fatigue. That Sunday evening, I had just retired before Jennifer and Michael returned from their day trip, and I heard Michael ask where I was. He seemed to genuinely like all of us, and was eager to strengthen his acquaintance with his new girlfriend's relations.

I confess I was rather fascinated by this fellow, as this was the closest I had been to a real cowboy since my great-uncle (a man of whom my mother said Ennis reminded her) died in 1999. Michael was a real salt-of-the-earth type, and made a favorable impression on all of us. So Kerrville did turn out to be the richly BBM-inflected visit I anticipated it would, to a degree I could not have imagined. The day we left for home was a bittersweet time, as I gazed with renewed appreciation, sometimes with tears clouding my eyes, at the Ennis-and-Jack country our car was traversing for our urban home.

Scott
« Last Edit: February 26, 2008, 04:53:53 pm by moremojo »

Offline Sashca1007

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Re: I met a cowboy this weekend
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2006, 08:48:26 pm »
Scott, it sounds as if you had a wonderful and rewarding weekend.  My heart's all aflutter over your cowboy, just from your description!  I especially loved the detail about his tendency to stand with one leg crossed over the other--  I can definitely picture that....   m-m-mmm....  I can only imagine how pleasurable it must have been for you to be that near him (in all his splendor!).  How's this envy lookin' on me?   ;D   Glad you had such a nice Kerrville experience, and welcome back!

Your jealous friend,

Melinda   ;)
"From the vibration of the floorboard on which they both stood Ennis could feel how hard Jack was shaking."

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: I met a cowboy this weekend
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2006, 08:51:56 am »
Hey, Scott,

Thanks for sharing that with us. Your cousin's boyfriend sounds like a real dreamboat. Sounds to me like there's a weddin' in the offing.  :)

Jeff
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.