Journey VI

 

Cowboy Mike chats with Sam the woman. Woman Sam & myself are eating a winner, winner chicken dinner. Each are eating half a chicken and enjoying a blues band at Follow Yer Nose BBQ in Emigrant, MT. Emigrant, MT is in the center of Paradise Valley. One of the most sacred places in America.

Cowboy Mike observes the sea change. For the last four months I had been riding hard and fast with a posse called The BBAR Boys. The BBAR Boys is a title reserved for legend in this part of the country. More about this later. So, Cowboy Mike knew me as one of the boys and now I am eating a winner, winner, chicken dinner with one of the girls. Cowboy Mike and I make eye contact.

Ryan Bolger was my bunk mate at BBAR ranch. Across the hall was cowboy Austin and Cowboy Tanner. Down the hall was Jeffie, the disc golf playing mountain man and down the hall the other way was the women, Sam and some others.

Ryan came from Chicago and is a professional photographer. Ryan and I hit it off when he asked me what my dreams were and I told him that I was not a dreamer. From then on we were fist and glove with the cowboys. Down at the Old Saloon we would shoot Pendleton on the bar, thanks to Cowboy Mike, in the name of The BBAR Boys.

The BBAR Boys is a title reserved for the cowboys of BBAR ranch. An age-old ranch in the mountains of Montana. The show Yellowstone is based in this area. My friend Ryan and I were not cowboys, rather hospitality professionals. Ryan and I received the honorary title of The BBAR Boys because we played as hard as the cowboys we were in tow with.

Back to cowboy Mike and myself making eye contact at Follow Yer’ Nose BBQ in a way that meant, “all good things come to an end” and “see you on the other side cowboy.” Meaning an understanding that I was no longer one of the boys because I was kicking it with a woman. He shook my hand and left to walk around the corner of the building to his business, The Old Saloon.

Journey V

 There we are we are in the spot.

We order some steaks and the steaks are hot.

Order a drink and a shot and a drink and a shot and a drink and a shot 

The bartender asks if we are gay

We say we are not

I guffaw at the thought

Joking she was not

My mind enters a plot and a scheme into a knot

And I tell her she is fat

Just kidding, I did not

But it is what I thought

Later on she follows us to a bar down the street

She thinks I will like her 

She thinks she is neat

There is a hott young blonde at the bar 

The one I had been looking for when I went into the steakhouse door

I ponder and yearn and take some more drink then decide I am drunk enough to approach the young mink

I sit down at her table with a smile and a greeting and she lets me know kindly that her and her friend were in a meeting

I tell her that is fine that I will just listen in

She responded with eyes that said i was not listening

They got up from the table and left me with my drink

My friend swooped in with a “what do you think?”

I let him know it was time for another round that things were just starting

However the fat bartender from the other bar was saying that our Uber was departing

“Hurry up or you will miss it.”

As my friend walked out the door, 

I told them I didn’t need an Uber,

That I would like some more.

It was at that moment 

That I looked around at the crowd

And realized I didn’t know where i was

No one I knew was around

Where was I staying?

Who did I know?

I ran out the door.

It was time to go.

I walked back in 

Ready to join the mix

I had updated my bag of tricks

A little more sophisticated 

A little more sly

A little more willing to tell a lie

I found a young Indian 

Who smiled at my words

Then we were running across the street

My hand in hers

I bought her a pack of cigarettes 

Told her I was her man

The bartender let me know 

That she wasn’t a fan

I looked at him with mean eyes and said

“What do you mean?”

He retorted with,

“It’s better if you just leave.”

Angry and desperate I create a plan

To go out with a friend and try again

We go into the bar and buy some coke

Instead of going up my friends nose

It goes everywhere else the poor bloke

He apologizes and says he didn’t know what he was doing

Into the strip club we go and I tell him,

“No worries.”

Out of the door we are ushered in a hurry.

I ask what’s the problem and the man said,

“Your card has no money!”