“Hello Darlin”

“His boots like glass on a sawdust floor, had moves like nothin I’d seen before.”- Ella Hawkins

     “You look ridiculous”, she said.  My feelings weren’t hurt one bit and I knew she was right.  The cowboy hat I was pretending to rock in the store was pigeon-holing me as a bonafide tourist (aka idiot).   A year ago in Arizona seems like yesterday.

    “Hello darlin”, I told her as I tipped my hat proper.  She laughed out loud as the store clerk peered at us over his reading glasses from behind the counter.

     “This time would be different”, I told myself. It was a year later and although it took me twenty five minutes to find the left one,  my cowboy boots were found without too much trouble.  I put them on the counter for inspection.  They were still a little glorious although a bit tattered.  All conservative estimates in my head have last-use at somewhere around 35 years ago. 
  

     Public high school is a unique beast.  Take my word for it as a retired high school teacher with 26 years of service; sometimes kids do weird things.

     Back in my day, for some unknown reason it became popular to wear...cowboy boots.  Was Chugiak High School nestled in a hotbed of ranches, livestock, and rodeos; No. None.

     Regardless, it didn’t take too long for wildfire to spread to the underlings after several of the popular upperclassmen donned this new and strange footwear.   Before long all of my crew were all-in saving up for and eventually rocking the iconic footwear of old....the cowboy boot. 

     These boots, we all found soon enough, weren't particularly comfortable.  The heel rise creates a lot of pressure on the forefoot.  Luckily the unstoppable confidence of adolescence seemed to provide enough dopamine to counteract any manner of foot pain that may have occurred.  Besides, if there was at least a snowball’s chance that these things might turn the head of at least one cute chick, it was well worth it. (....putting out the vibes.) 

     But as they say, what comes around, goes around because now the little lady and myself are headed off to Nashville Tennessee.  There’s no way in tarnation that I'm showing up at Musicville U.S.A. in tennies or loafers; I’ll be Dang-Gone!  I figured that I should try them on first before I work myself up too much.  I tugged on the second one just as she walked through the door after a long day at work.

     “Hello Darlin”,  I announced.  I made sure to heel strike as I approached her.  I was standing at least an inch taller than normal.  I embraced her with a kiss that would have put Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay to shame.

     After the laughter died down and she’d caught her breath she said something like “okay honey”. 

     Lookout Nashville. 

Headed to New Orleans, Memphis, then on the Nashville
with this hot chick.