One Foot On The Porch
He knew that he was just another cowboy in a Texas full of them on that summer's night.However, he was the only one that had been invited to supper by Sue Ann Walsh - the prettiest girl this side of El Paso. He had taken a bath and shaved and shined his scuffed up boots and ridden his Buckskin right up to her door expecting...what?.He didn't know.Normally he would rather play poker on a Saturday night than try to negotiate the maze so full of pitfalls that stood between a town girl and a cowboy,but this was Sue Ann Walsh and that said it all.
He and Sue Ann had grown up together from grade school all the way through high school graduation. He had been a hoss on the football team and she had been a cheerleader, but that's as close as they had gotten.He had had a crush on her like every other young male in the county and he hadn't pursued it knowing he was like that snowball in hell with no chance of success. So he had become a cowboy on his daddy's ranch and she had gone on to college down in Alpine, Texas, and become a budding veterinarian with a practice here in their hometown.
As she had expected, the supper with just the two of them had gone well. It was the first time in their lives they had been interested in each other to the point of finding out who the other actually was.To both their surprises they liked what they learned and the flame was lit.Silently they agreed to take this new found interest as far as it would go.However, that agreement left him not knowing where the boudaries were this early in their romance. He decided to try to kiss her goodnight and leave further developments for another day. He reminded himself that he had pledged to never embarrass her with his cowboy ways.
When it seemed like the proper time to say goodnight, they walked out onto her porch where his Buckskin had been tied with a little oats and water.He fumbled around trying to find a proper way to kiss her good night and before he knew it he had one foot in the stirrup and one foot on her porch. He remained like that for quite some time trying to figure out how to untangle himself for that one kiss.
Just when he thought he might have it figured, a stray dog chased a cat right under the Buckskin's nose. A bark, a hiss and the hoss was off at a run. The cowboy's one boot was stuck in the stirrup and he was dragging along in the dusty road in pursuit of the dog and cat.He bounced and rolled for two blocks before his boot came off and left him lying in the middle of the dirt road. As he had passed the mayor's house, he noticed hizzoner and wife watching him from the porch. The sherrif lives two houses down and he, too, was taking in the night air and pointing his way as he tumbled down the road.He was sure that half the town had witnessed his predicament - a top hand with his foot stuck in a stirrup!
Well, so much for not being an embarrassment to Sue Ann Walsh. He was pondering whether to try and get up or to just lie there to see what was broken. About that time Sue Ann strolled up casual as could be. She said, "Cowboy, you are a mess! Let's see if you can walk back to my house. You can spend the night with me and we'll find your horse in the morning. You really need to find a better way to sleep with me than being dragged down our city streets!"
He thought of life's twists and turns and chuckled to himself...there are some things it just don't pay to analyze.
Larry Bradfield
12/2/2016
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