{"id":2155,"date":"2023-09-13T01:08:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T01:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2155"},"modified":"2023-08-16T10:49:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T10:49:08","slug":"chap-5-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2155","title":{"rendered":"Chap. 5 – Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SECOND PART<\/strong> – Vying <\/em>for Susie’s Attention<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell, college friends,\u201d Patty starts, answering Susie\u2019s question, \u201cI knew Max in college, and we all played softball together on Sunday mornings  (taking a swing to imitate her batting stance)  . . . and we kept on doing that after we graduated, and then Skip started showing up . . . \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYeah,\u201d Huck jumps in (aiming to regain Susie\u2019s attention), \u201cPatty got me playing softball, but the big thing is – we met when my band had a regular gig at the Longhorn Bar back in Minneapolis.  One night she thought I was so good she bought me a drink, and we kept on talking all night . . . and don\u2019t you think, Patty, it was pretty good . . . while it lasted.  You know Susie, I\u2019m a lucky guy \u2013 all my exes are still in love with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cNo,\u201d Patty was quick with, \u201cDon\u2019t make it sound like we might still be rolling in the hay \u2013 not true \u2013 I admit once upon a time<\/em> you knew how to show a girl a good time.  Here\u2019s the thing Susie, Huck loves everybody, if you know what I mean . . . and we all love Huck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cOkay, so who\u2019s single, and who isn\u2019t, on this bus?\u201d Susie asked looking at all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell,\u201d Patty continues, with a smile in Huck\u2019s direction, \u201cit depends upon how you define \u2018single,\u2019 if it\u2019s Huck\u2019s way, then everybody is  \u2013 well, maybe not Max, now that he\u2019s hooked back up with Eloise.  I\u2019ve been married twice, once divorced, and happy living by myself with my 25 year-old daughter . . . \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Susie jumps in, \u201cGeez Patty, kinda like me \u2013 still married, but without a man in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYeah, well, but I\u2019ve got all these guys around me,\u201d Patty replies, looking towards Rocky driving and Skip checking the map to see how far it is to Utah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Rocky looks in the rear-view mirror towards Steve: \u201cThe way it sounds, Steve, I must have known you before you even learned how to kiss a girl \u2013 no, just kidding.  But Skip here, shit, we\u2019ve known each other more than 50 years, starting in college, playing poker, partying, smokin\u2019 pot.  Different college though, than Max and Patty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Continuing his comments in Steve\u2019s direction, Rocky goes on, \u201cSteve, good thing you didn\u2019t know me and Skip back then.  Probably never would have become a lawyer; instead, a drop-out like me, having too much fun doing things like kissing girls the way they want to be kissed.  And then you never would’ve had to been my freebie lawyer getting me out of trouble having too much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cDon\u2019t get the wrong impression, Susie,\u201d Skip interjects.  \u201cYeah, true, Rocky\u2019s always had a great definition for what is fun, but listen — Max is a doctor — Steve\u2019s a lawyer — and I\u2019ve been a legislator . . . so, yeah, well, . . .  we\u2019re all perfect gentlemen . . . well, maybe not Huck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     That got a pretty good chuckle from Patty and Sally, but not Huck.  \u201cWell,\u201d Sally says, \u201cI can vouch for Max at least, but I haven\u2019t known the rest of these guys for very long.  I was Max\u2019s investment counselor.  We both love fishing \u2013 he even took me ice fishing in Canada on his float plane.  A couple months ago we were at the same dinner party and he tells me about this fishing trip he and Skip are planning \u2013 and my husband hates fishing – so here I am . . . and, by the way, we\u2019ve only gone fishing once so far!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYou\u2019re saying, Sally, you never knew any of these guys, except Max, before you got on the bus!?\u201d Susie asks incredulously, \u201cand yet you wanted to come?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cMax told me one of the rules for the trip is that anybody can bail anytime \u2013 and still retain their part ownership of the Land Yacht . . . but, yeah Susie, it\u2019s good to have another female on board  – maybe more nights staying in motels with hot showers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Sally still looked more like the businesswoman she was than the avid fisherwoman she was hoping to be.  Prim and proper at 5\u20195\u201d, always manicured, with jet black hair (probably dyed) neatly pinned down, she preferred V-necked cashmere sweaters over sweat shirts.  It was easy to guess she might prefer bubble baths to out-houses.  Sally also wore a wedding ring, but none of us really knew her story yet.  She was always twisting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

     As storm clouds started showing-up over the mountain tops in the west, Steve continued vying for Susie\u2019s attention.  Lowering his voice, fingering his moustache, turning towards Susie, he starts again: \u201cLong story short, Susie.  Yes, I am still married . . . but like you, right?  Just on paper.  Jodie and I get along okay, but we\u2019re both talking about maybe moving on . . . I\u2019m single . . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cI heard that!\u201d Huck interrupts, \u201cYou\u2019re not single.  You\u2019re still living together, right?  And Jodie\u2019s a real babe, don\u2019t tell me . . .\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cDry up, Huck.  You\u2019re too short for Susie anyhow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Slightly changing the subject, Steve continued his pursuit of Susie: \u201cI\u2019ve known Skip and Rocky a long time.  I was a big reason Skip won his first campaign for office \u2013 was a big donor and the campaign\u2019s legal advisor.  Got to know them playing in the same fantasy football league.  I liked taking Rocky\u2019s money betting on football.  But then, you know, wife and kids came first.  Now the kids are gone, and I\u2019m mostly single again.\u201d  And then very quietly he says to Susie, \u201cYou still haven\u2019t told me about your first kiss . . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cSpin the bottle \u2013 what\u2019s to tell,\u201d Susie said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SECOND PART – Vying for Susie’s Attention      \u201cWell, college friends,\u201d Patty starts, answering Susie\u2019s question, \u201cI knew Max in college, and we all played softball together on Sunday mornings  (taking a swing to imitate her batting stance)  . . … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2155"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2745,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155\/revisions\/2745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}