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TEXAS GIRL
What a terrible day. Sometimes Beth hated her job. It seemed unbelievable that only a few years ago she had been overjoyed to be promoted. How naive she had been, if only she had known then what she knew now. But then, maybe she just felt this way because she'd had a rotten day, it wasn't always this bad.
"Oh, for goodness sake Beth, give it a rest. Think of something else for a while and take your mind off it. Things always look different in the morning," she chided herself.
So she did what she always did to relax, she switched on her pc and logged into the spades room. A few hours of cards with her friends would soon put her right again. At least she wouldn't have to think of work for a while, the people that she played with had no idea of who she was or what she did, and they weren't interested. They all had their own lives and the only thing that they all had in common was that they were all on the same team.
"Great" she thought "there's TEXAS_GIRL. Let's see if she wants a game.
Hi p
She typed in and waited for an answer. It wasn't long in coming,
Hey POISONIVY how's it going?
Bad day at work. Need a spade fix, up for a game?
Sure thing p. Let's go to t7 and blast some poor suckers into oblivion
Beth laughed. TEXAS_GIRL always cheered her up.
Across the miles in Dallas, Texas, MaryAnne smiled too. She enjoyed playing with POISONIVY. She knew she was called Beth and had some high- powered job in a big New York company which was fine by MaryAnne who worked as a waitress in a diner. They had been playing together for a few months now and really hit it off, you wouldn't believe that two women from completely different backgrounds could have so much in common. Beth was rich and powerful, lived in an expensive apartment and wore nice clothes, whereas MaryAnne lived in a trailer, didn't have two coins to rub together and bought whatever she could afford if she ever had to replace her meagre wardrobe. But that didn't seem to matter to either of them, they were both single women, both had a terrific sense of humour and both loved playing spades for The Wanderers.
So the two women settled down for the evening. They had a couple of games, lost one, won one, so they were even. Beth was beginning to relax and MaryAnne had to get ready to go to work soon, she was on night shifts this week.
So p, you gonna make it to the convention?
This from POISONIVY. They had been discussing it ever since they had found out that a convention was being planned. Beth would have no trouble booking the time off work and she was owed a couple of weeks vacation. MaryAnne had been saving for months now and was still to decide whether she could afford to go to Florida.
You know p how much I want to go, but I don't think I have enough saved for two weeks.
Beth knew that her friend worked as a waitress and didn't make such a big salary, but she really didn't think that she wanted to go on her own. She was looking forward to meeting up with her new buddy and a couple of weeks in the sun, lazing on the beach with a girl friend and playing cards at night was, in her mind, the perfect vacation.
Well p. why don't we take one of the discounted rooms that Cappy has organized. We could share, that would bring the price down, and we don't have to go for the whole fortnight. We could just go for one week.
"Wow" thought MaryAnne "that sure was nice of her" but she wasn't sure if she could stand living with some-one that she barely knew for a whole week.
Let me count up my savings. I have to go to work now, but see ya soon?
Ok p .Have a good night. We'll play again soon. Ty for the game
MaryAnne didn't need to count up her savings. She had been saving little amounts here and there for months now and every time she added a few more dollars to the pot on the top shelf in her tiny closet, she counted up the total again. She had never saved so much money in her life before and she was amazed at the feeling that it gave her just knowing that it was there. Her problem was that it seemed such a trivial way to spend an amount of money that had taken so long to build up. Wouldn't it be better to buy something for her run down trailer, or even a new auto, now that would be great, driving around in something other than her unreliable old banger.
That night the subject was brought up, for the hundredth time by her friends at work. There was huge interest in MaryAnne's vacation. None of the girls had been on one before and the thought of one of their own going on a trip to Florida brought mixed reactions. MaryAnne and the other girls were changing into their pink and white nylon uniforms in the grubby staff room, getting ready to start their shift.
"It's a total waste of good money MaryAnne, and you know it." said the head waitress, Judy, a big boned matron of a woman with starched platinum hair.
"How is it ever a waste to treat yourself to something that you really want" butted in one of the others. "When do we ever get the chance for something really special?"
MaryAnne agreed with both of them, that was the problem. "You see it would be such a big thrill to meet all these people that I've been talking to over the internet for years. And they've got discounted rooms all organized to keep the price down. Why, my friend POISONIVY just offered to share one with me so we can share the cost."
There was a guffaw from Louise, "POISONIVY?! Is that her name?"
"It's her nic. Everyone has one. No-one uses their own name, that would be just plain stupid."
"What sort of a name is that? "
"She's from New York City, Louise and she is a rich business woman who works for some big company on Wall Street, so hush your sarcasm."
"So if she's so rich and powerful, how come she's got to share a room?" asked Louise scornfully. Louise was scornful of everything MaryAnne did. She was a scrawny woman with greasy brown hair and a gap between her front teeth and MaryAnne's pretty, fresh face and youthful figure irritated her.
"She doesn't got to. She offered to share with me so I wouldn't have to pay for the room all by myself."
"Sheesh, that was sure nice of her MaryAnne" said her best friend Linda.
"I know." cried MaryAnne. "That's how nice these folks are. They're real nice and I just wanna go to Florida and meet some of them. One guy is going all the way from Scotland and another is coming from Australia!"
"Then you should go MaryAnne, that's what you saved that money for." Said Linda. "And if you don't go you'll regret it for the rest of your life. This is a one time offer girl, it won"t come around again."
Those words whirled around in her head all the next day. A one time offer, it won't come again. A one time offer, it won't come again. And that was the truth of it. That is what she'd had saved the money for, how many times are you offered a chance to go on a vacation and just lie on the beach sunning yourself instead of chasing around a greasy diner with plates piled high with burgers and fries?
"Right. That's it. I'm going to Florida." She finally decided and before she could change her mind again she went to the travel shop and booked her flight. Back at home she e-mailed Joanne, the captain of The Wanderers team and asked her to reserve one of the discounted rooms for her and Beth. Woooo Hoooooo MaryAnne was going on vacation!!
Beth smiled as she stepped out of the taxi in front of the hotel where she and MaryAnne would be staying for the next week. She had been looking forward to this for months and now she would finally get to meet TEXAS_GIRL. Looking around the lobby she decided that although it wasn't quite as sumptuous as she was used to, it wasn't a too bad really. The colour scheme was grey and pink, which made her smile, not what she would have chosen, and the wicker furniture and potted palms were very 1970's. But it was clean and cheap and close to both the beach and the convention centre, which made it ideal. And besides, she was on vacation and had come here to get away from all that. So she checked in and followed the bellhop into the lift and up to the room that she would be sharing with MaryAnne.
The boy opened the door to the room and Beth heard a loud whoop of pleasure from inside and she gasped in surprise as she was gripped firmly by the hands and swung around by a tiny woman with blonde hair and big blue laughing eyes. Beth's bags were in the room, the boy had been tipped and the two women beamed at each other in pure delight. If there had been any anxieties about meeting each other for the first time, they were swept away in that instant as the two looked at each other for the first time.
Beth saw a waif of a girl standing no higher than 4 feet 9 inches in her bare feet. Her long blonde hair was piled on top of her head in such a haphazard manner that it left little wisps and curls here and there. Her shining blue eyes were enormous and ringed with long, dark lashes and seemed always to be smiling. She was dressed very plainly in jeans and a check shirt and wore no make-up that Beth could see, she was beautiful, in the most natural way and Beth immediately recognized TEXAS_GIRL.
MaryAnne saw a tall elegant woman with shiny auburn hair cut into a neat bob that swung beautifully whenever she moved her head. She had high cheekbones and olive coloured skin with deep velvety brown eyes that crinkled when she smiled, and she wore a very expensive trouser suit of cream linen with a delicate gold cross on a golden chain around her neck.
"My my, Beth, we are as different as chalk and cheese." She said, and the two of them erupted into fits of laughter.
After their initial meeting the two women decided to get changed into their holiday shorts and t. shirts and explore their home for the next week, and spent a great afternoon together checking out the beaches, restaurants and café's. That night they were to go to the convention centre and meet the rest of the team, so as they were getting ready in their twin room after dinner there was much speculation as to what everyone would be like.
"You know Beth, this is just the most exciting thing ever to happen to me." Said MaryAnne as she slid into a pretty little black skirt with swinging fringing and silver beads.''
"I know just what you mean." her friend replied.
"No way girlfriend. You've traveled all over the world with your job. How can a trip to Florida even come close to a week in Paris, France?"
"Yes, but that's just it. All those trips are for work, and the most I ever see of those places is the airport, hotel rooms or the company offices. The conversations I have are all about company business and company politics. This is purely for fun, with a great friend and nothing to worry about but how much sun lotion to put on."
"Well, when you put it like that, I guess we're not so different after all." MaryAnne replied, adding a coat of shiny pink lip gloss.
"So let's get down to that there convention centre and have some fun."
"I wonder who's going to be there" Said Beth.
"Well we do know that Cappy and GETUPANDGO are going to be around so we'll know them at least. And WILDROVER and RAMBLINMAN will be there for sure."
"I can't wait to meet everybody."
"So what are we waiting for, come on let's go."
As the two women walked into the convention center, MaryAnne was taken aback by the sheer size of the place. It was an enormous ballroom in the Hilton Hotel and she had never seen anything so beautiful or ornate. It looked liked something out of the movies with chandeliers, thick red carpets that sank beneath her feet, the ceiling was decorated with paintings of cherubs and angels with smiling faces and there was gold plate everywhere. And the noise was unbelievable. There were more people than she could ever have expected and everyone seemed to be talking at the tops of their voices in their excitement at being in the same room as each other for the first time. For a few moments she just stood in the crowd and took it all in, how on earth were they going to find anyone they knew in this mass of people. For the first time since getting off the plane, she wondered if she was doing the right thing and then Beth took hold of her arm and walked straight into the throng.
" How will we find them all?" she shouted "There's too many people." but Beth just smiled and pointed to a huge sign standing on a tall pole far above the heads THE WANDERERS, and she laughed at herself for being so stupid as she followed Beth as she pushed their way forward. Finally after passing the meeting places for another four teams they arrived at The Wanderers place and both girls felt the quiver of excitement deep in their stomach as a small woman in her sixties with smiling eyes, came forward to meet them.
"No don't tell me. Let me guess. You two can only be TEXAS-GIRL and POISONIVY. Am I right?"
"You sure are. How did you know that?" asked MaryAnne.
"You booked a room together with me MaryAnne, so it makes sense that you would be the only two ladies to arrive together."
MaryAnne squealed in delight "Cappy! Is that you?!"
"You should call me Joanne now that we're all real people finally, and welcome to you both, I'm so glad that you could make it."
"And so are we." answered Beth with a smile as they all shook hands and hugged each other. "How many of the others did you guess correctly?"
"Quite a few, but let's see how you get on."
And without any further ado, Joanne led them towards a group of people of different ages and colours and accents and introduced them to the rest of the team.
The rest of the evening was spent in a whirl of introductions and laughter as friends from all over the states and quite a few from different countries around the world met for the first time. There were twenty teams in the league and each team had an average of thirty members, so there was quite a crowd. The girls found themselves at a bar with a group of Wanderers teasing each other and gossiping. Among the gang was WILDROVER who turned out to be a guy called Dave, from Scotland who played keyboard in a band for a living and they all had a great laugh over his accent, which nobody could understand. Well nobody that was except a couple of Australians, one called Pete who turned out to be RAMBLINMAN, and a friend of his called Ed, who didn't play spades, but who had tagged along anyway as the two of them were backpacking across America. Pete was a young man aged in his early twenties, which made him the youngest in the team, and he was taking a "year out" which lots of young Australians do before settling down to work and responsibilities, "Seeing the world" he called it. His friend Ed however was a lot older, in his forties was Beth's guess, but he wasn't so forthcoming as to why he was spending a year away from home at his age. "Each to their own." she thought to herself, "It's a free world, and it's none of my business." Besides MaryAnne and he were getting on just fine.
No, that was an understatement, MaryAnne was flirting outrageously. Beth watched her friend in admiration as she laughed with Ed, giving him extra, knowing looks, touching his arm every now and then ever so slightly. She wondered if any of the others had noticed. She was a master at work, and Beth appreciated that there nothing as much fun as a good old flirt with a handsome man.
Later that night as they weaved their way back to their hotel arm in arm, giggling like a couple of schoolgirls, MaryAnne confided to Beth,
"He sure is a good looking fella Beth."
"Yes he is, and you couldn't keep your hands off him!"
"I know," she laughed. "Fancy me, little ole MaryAnne, carrying on with a man from Australia! The girls at work will never believe it."
"Carrying on?" Beth snorted with laughter. "And don't give me that little miss innocent act, that was the most impressive piece of flirting I have ever seen. MaryAnne you are an expert."
"Yup." MaryAnne agreed, "I sure am good at it. And it paid off. Ed and the boys are meeting us at the beach tomorrow and we're going to have a full day of sun, sand and doing nothing. All in the company of three young men with weird accents. How about that?"
"Young men! Your Ed must be in his forties."
"Well he'll do for me." Replied MaryAnne.
"And don't think you're gonna dump me with the baby of the bunch." Beth was laughing, she hadn't had so much fun in years.
"Oh Beth, you don't mind me inviting them along do you?"
"Of course not. That's why we came isn't it? To meet new people and enjoy ourselves."
And so they arrived back at their hotel with a great first night behind them and the whole week's vacation stretching ahead.
The next day found them bikini clad, lying on sun loungers on the beach, covered in Beth's expensive sun cream, sun glasses on and books in hand.
"I don't remember having so much to drink last night that I should feel this way today." Complained Beth.
"Who are you kidding, we were throwing it back like there was no tomorrow. If I'd known I was going to be this thirsty today, I'da drunk more last night!" joked MaryAnne. "It's all Dave's fault. Them Scottish folks like to drink, so I heard."
"Well he wasn't the only one last night."
MaryAnne felt a shadow cast itself across her and she shaded her eyes and looked up to see Ed standing in front of her with a big grin on his face and three cold bottles of beer in his hands.
"G'day ladies. Thought you might be in need of a cold beer."
"Ed!" squeeled MaryAnne. "You found us, that's great. Where's Pete?"
"Aaw, he had to go to the convention center today, he's in some big card game and he's signed Dave up as his partner, which leaves you two lovely ladies landed with just me." Ed replied as he handed the girls a bottle each and sat down on the sand.
"I don't think I could face a drink just yet." Said Beth. "I don't feel so great this morning, thanks Ed."
"Naa, the best way to get rid of a hangover is with another drink."
The two girls looked at him uncertainly.
"You have got to be kidding me." Said MaryAnne.
"Trust me, I'm an Aussie, I know what I'm talking about. Now get your laughing gear around that bottle and you be feeling better in about half an hour."
Not knowing anyway around it, they followed his instructions and sure enough within forty five minutes, they were feeling much better and the three of them spend a fabulous day at the beach, drinking the occasional beer and telling jokes, splashing around in the sea and throwing Ed's frisbee. MaryAnne and he carried on with their flirting game, but Beth was never left to feel awkward and noted to herself that Ed was a great guy. He was fun to be around and was obviously totally besotted with MaryAnne. In fact the three of them got on so well that they agreed to have dinner together that evening before going on to the convention. Ed accompanied them to the Hilton to meet up with young Pete and Dave who had spent all day there, winning the first tournament of the convention, much to the delight of all The Wanderers and especially Joanne, the team captain. Everyone agreed that it was cause for celebration, so another evening of excess ensued. Led of course by Ed, Pete and Dave.
The next morning Beth decided to stay in bed for a while longer, nursing another headache, which left MaryAnne at a bit of a loose end. So not wanting to go to the beach alone, she decided to head on over to the convention center to see who was there, and maybe even grab a game of spades. She was smiling to herself at the thought that neither she nor Beth was taking the card playing very seriously. They were too busy enjoying themselves. Who would have believed that the two of them would have made such firm friends.
As she walked into the lobby of the Hilton she saw Ed waving to her from the bar and she was relieved to see that he was sitting with a newspaper and a cup of coffee instead of his usual bottle of beer. He smiled at her ruefully.
"Aww gee" he said in the worst American drawl he could muster, "you caught me half naked."
"What on earth do you mean, half naked?" she asked, puzzled.
"Well, here I am, sitting at a bar without a beer."
"I did wonder if you were sick. Drinking coffee instead of Bud." She joked.
"Truth be told, I'm having trouble keeping up with young Pete. Must be starting to show my age, but I can't drink as much as I used to." He replied.
"I know what you mean there. And it takes longer to recover nowadays too, doesn't it?" She laughed. "Beth is still in bed and refusing to get up for a while yet."
"So you're all by yourself?"
"Yup, all on my little lonesome."
"Well that can only be a good thing for me. To catch you all alone. Fancy a walk? Maybe a little fresh air is what I need."
"Sure, why not." She said as she noticed the tingling sensation of little butterflies in her stomach, which was happening more and more around Ed. This hadn't happened to her since she was a girl and it was more than a little disconcerting. She had always enjoyed flirting, hell she was good at it, but this was different. She really liked this big, handsome Australian, and it made her nervous. As they stepped into the sunlight Ed took her hand and looked down at her, smiling.
"Where too?" he asked.
"I don't mind, lead the way."
The two of them spent a wonderful day together, just wandering around the town, browsing around the many tourist shops, sitting in café's watching the world go by. Ed was a real easy guy to be with. She noticed that there was no awkward pauses in the conversations, if he had nothing to say, he was happy to say nothing, which she found relaxing in an odd sort of way. He laughed easily and made her laugh a lot. He told her about life in Australia and she told him about her life in Texas. About her little trailer home and her job at the diner and all the girls she worked with. She told him about The Wanderers and her love of the game, and when he admitted that he didn't know much about it, she explained the rules and the strategies. Finally when he was getting more and more confused, she popped into a little store and bought a pack of cards and they spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on a park bench playing cards.
It was late afternoon before either of them had noticed that the day had nearly gone. And realizing guiltily that she had been gone all that time, leaving Beth on her own, they left the park and headed back to her hotel. But they needn't have worried. Beth had left her a message at reception to say that she'd gone to the convention center and gotten involved in the day's tourney and not to expect her back until much later. She said that she was sorry to have left MaryAnne in the lurch and if she was looking for her, she would be at the Hilton. MaryAnne was amused that Beth had been feeling guilty too, they would have a good laugh at that later on, but for now it meant that she and Ed could spend the evening together. Which they did, at a lovely restaurant eating shrimp and crab and sipping a delicious Australian white wine which Ed promised was as good as any made in Europe.
"So you never told me what you're doing traipsing around the world with a guy young enough to be your son." She was unable to keep from asking any longer. The question had been hanging between them all day. He took a long time before he answered and she was afraid that she may have ruined everything by asking, but finally he looked at her and said
"It's a long and boring story, really but if you want to hear it I'll tell you."
So he told her the age-old tale of a failed marriage and a bitter divorce with two young children caught up in the middle of it. He and his childhood sweetheart had married too young when she found herself pregnant. They had set up a business cleaning offices and it had been pretty successful, giving them a good life, but privately they had drifted apart over the years until he had discovered that she had been having an affair for six months with one of the guys who worked for them. He retaliated by having a string of affairs, not caring if she found out or not, almost flaunting it in front of his wife. Finally it all ended in a bloody divorce with the house and business sold, the proceeds divided between them and the children in the custody of their mother, who was now living with her lover, and him seeing his children at weekends and holidays. He hadn't known what to do with himself and found himself getting sucked deeper and deeper into a depression, when finally Pete had suggested that he join him on his trip across America. He had nothing better to do, money to spare and it seemed like a good idea at the time. He had always liked young Pete, who he had met at his local bar in Sidney and when he had told Ed about his plan to travel across The States for a year, he had leapt at the chance.
They had been on the road for four months now and although he had thoroughly enjoyed the experience, he was starting to feel that it was time to go home and put the pieces of his life back together again and start a new business. Whatever that business might be though, he had no idea, but he knew that he had had enough of living in hotels and hostels and just drifting. Obviously the treatment he had decided upon had cured his depression and now he was well enough to get back on with the business of living.
"I'm glad you're getting over it Ed." Said MaryAnne when he'd finished his story. By this time they were walking hand in hand along the sandy beach.
"There's nothing so sad as a broken marriage, but it happens and you just have to get on with it, I guess."
"You too?" He asked.
"Me too." She replied. " Same ole story you hear a thousand times a day. I married a bully. I didn't know he was a bully when I married him, but it didn't take me long to find out."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Said Ed.
"Well don't be. It lasted two years. I thought I could change him. After every beating he was sorry and said it would never happen again. But it just kept happening. Soon he didn't even bother to say he was sorry and started threatenin' to kill me if I ever left him." She looked up at him sadly.
"It's a vicious circle and it's nearly impossible to see anyway out of it. But a girlfriend, helped me see him for what he was and she helped me get out of that marriage."
"What happened?" He asked.
"I ran away, in the middle of the night." She answered with a sad smile. "I snuck away as if I was doing something wrong. But I had no choice, I knew if I stayed he woulda killed me. My friend drove me to a women's rescue place where they let me stay for a while and helped me decide what to do. I wanted the quickest divorce, so I came away with nothing. I had to move to a new town where no one knew me but where he couldn't find me. I live in a trailer and I work as a waitress in a diner. But I'm alive and I'm safe."
There were tears in her eyes but a defiant smile on her lips as he bent his head towards her and kissed her as softly as he could. She tilted her head up and kissed him back. And as he walked her back to her hotel they both realized that something more than casual flirting was happening between them.
The rest of the week flew by, the way the best vacations do. The little group spent most of their time together and by the time the week was up they had made firm friends. None as firm however as MaryAnne and Ed who were beginning to dread the day they had to part. MaryAnne was going back to her life in Texas while Ed would be staying for another week while Pete competed in the rest of the convention tourneys. On their last night together they all met up at the Hilton, they way they had all week. Only this time there was an air of finality. The whole group had witnessed the blossoming romance between their two friends, they had all encouraged it and now they all began to see how upset the two were to be parting, but what could be done. That's the way life was sometimes.
The following day at the airport was a subdued affair too. Beth and MaryAnne had checked in and said their goodbyes, promising to meet up on line that very night. Beth could see that MaryAnne was putting a brave face on things and trying to hide her feelings, and her heart went out to her as they said their farewells with hugs and tears. She thought about her friend all through the flight home to New York and all the way from the airport to her apartment. She was still worried about her as she turned on her pc and logged into the spades room that night, hoping that she wasn't too down about saying goodbye to Ed. It worried her even more when TEXAS-GIRL hadn't signed in as arranged, but there was nothing she could do from New York but wait and see. But MaryAnne didn't sign in to the spades room all that night.
The next night when she got home from work Beth hurried to turn on and log in, hoping that MaryAnne would be on line. She couldn't get into the room quick enough and swore under her breath at her computer for being so slow. But she smiled to herself when she saw her friend's nic as on line.
Hi p.
She zoned.
Hi back at ya POISONIVY. Where you been I've been waiting for ya?
Came the reply.
Beth smiled with relief. "She sounds just fine." She thought to herself.
I've been at work. But where were you last night? We had a date.
Sorry p. I was real busy, I had a date of my own.
That was quick. What about Ed?
There was a bit of a pause before the answer came back, and when it did Beth felt a blush of pleasure for her friend.
The date was with Ed! He surprised me and followed me down to Texas on the next plane! He's still here.
Wow p. that's great. How long is he planning on staying?
Hi Beth. It's Ed typing now. How are you?
"This is unreal" thought Beth as she typed
Just fine Ed. Good to hear you down there with our girl. How long are you gonna b there?
We think about a week should do it.
Do what?
Give me time to pack everythin up here p
Now I'm getting confused Beth was thinking until the penny finally started to drop.
Omg. Do u mean what I think you mean?
She typed. And the answer came back.
Yes. My job, my trailer, everything. I'm going to Sidney. Imagine that lil' ole me off to Australia with the man I love!!!!
THE END
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