I hadn't been to Kingsville in nearly fifteen years. It had grown quite a bit and all the old bars, the ones I used to stop in, were now game rooms. I was down here working again and had a few days off. On my way back to the rig, I made a pass down several of the major side streets looking for a bar. It was Saturday night and I figured there had to be one somewhere.
About halfway out of town, on the third street I tried, there was a place that looked like a bar on my right, a few buildings down a side street. I made a u-turn and ended up parking next door, in a closed gas station parking lot. The place seemed packed from all the cars in the lot. The banner across the front of the building said they had karaoke five nights a week. I wondered if this was one of them.
As I walked through the front door, I realized it was packed and that I was in the minority here. Ninety percent of the people in the place were of Mexican decent. This really wasn't a problem to me; I just hoped they felt the same way.
At the bar, I got another surprise; the place was BYOB, Bring Your Own Booze. I ordered a Seven Up and figured I'd check out the place a little closer before I made a run to the liquor store. There was a five-piece band playing on the corner stage and they were pretty good, as local bands go.
By the time I finished that Seven Up and ordered another, I was having fun watching the people. I'm a people watcher from way back. Drunks are some of the funniest and most fun people in the world to watch. Alcohol seems to make most of them happy and a few lose some of their inhibitions.
Such was the case now, I was watching a young couple dancing, and she was really whirling and twirling the flared skirt, she wore. The skirt was showing flashes of beautiful brown legs and thighs, with a flash of a bare butt thrown in for good measure. The peasant blouse she wore had slipped down on one side, baring her shoulder and threatening to expose her breast.
I was really enjoying the show, when someone roughly bumped into me from behind and spilled most of my drink. Luckily, it went on the floor instead of on someone. When I turned around, I found a rather large Mexican gentleman staring or was that glaring at me. Not wanting any trouble, I sat my glass on the bar and turned back to the couple dancing on the dance floor.
I was shoved roughly from behind and staggered a couple of steps forward. I was in the process of turning around, when the man sitting at the table in front of me stood up and stopped me. "Why don't you sit down over here with us, my friend," he said with a soft Mexican accent.
When I started to look over my shoulder at the guy at the bar, he said, "Don't even go there. He's an asshole and all he wants to do is to start a fight. Come, sit with us and there will be no problems, I promise you."
He sat me down in the chair he had been sitting in and moved over one to the left. My back was still to the guy at the bar and I didn't like that, he could blindside me and I'd never see it coming. Sensing my distress, the man leaned over and said, "Don't worry, me and my friend have your back and the guy at the bar knows it. He won't start anything as long as you are here with us." He grinned and then looked up at the man at the bar.
Looking back at me he said, "My name is Mario and this is my friend Thomas, his wife Mary and their daughter, Carla. This is my fiancé, Angela and her friend Marie."
I said, "Hello everyone, I'm glad to meet you all. My name is Randy and if you haven't guessed, I'm new around here."
Marie, who was sitting to my right, laughed and said, "I wonder what our first clue was, nothing to drink or your lost look earlier, when you came in." Everyone chuckled at her comment.
I looked over at her laughing, she smiled at me, and I sat there smiling back at her, totally lost in her dark eyes. Mario's touching my shoulder, broke the spell I was under. When I looked around at him, he was grinning as he asked, "Would you like a shot of Tequila?"
I shook my head and said, "No, thank you. Two shots of that stuff and I get like our friend at the bar, three and I don't even like me. I'll stick to my Seven Up, if you don't mind." Then I remembered it was setting on the bar and looked around for the waitress.
Mario grinned and said, "If you ask Marie very nicely, she might share her beer with you."
I looked over at Marie, who was pulling a cold bottle out of an ice bucket next to her; she turned and handed it to me saying, "I don't mind sharing."
She smiled again and I was almost lost again. The sound of a quick movement behind me, made me jerk to the side and a beer bottle hit the table very near to where my head had been. Mario and Thomas were up and moving in a flash. By the time, I got myself righted and my feet untangled from the chairs, they and three more men had the big guy from the bar headed out the back door.
I was still standing by the table when they returned. Mario shook his head as he walked up to me. "I'm sorry my friend, I took my eyes off him for only a second to kiss Angela. I'm glad you have eyes in the back of your head and move quickly; otherwise he would have hurt you. You have my deepest apologies; I misjudged just how crazy he was and failed to keep my word about watching your back."
I put my hand on his arm and smiled, "No harm done. I'm just glad to see him go; he was putting a damper on what appears to be a really nice time and place. I wasn't going to stay long but I think I've made some good friends, so if you don't mind, let's sit back down, and go back to enjoying ourselves."
Mario grinned and stuck out his hand, which I shook, as he slapped me on the other arm. "Let's party," he said and the three of us sat back down at the table.
Marie asked if I was all right. I answered, "Sure," but my hand shook slightly as I took a long swallow of my beer. I took a deep breath and tried to relax, my adrenaline was still pretty high, so I knew it would take some time for that to happen.
Marie reached over and put her hand on top of mine where it was laying on the table and gave it a gentle squeeze. When I looked at her, she smiled and said, "Good." The band started a two-step and she asked, "Do you dance?"
I grinned and started to stand up, as I replied, "I'm a little rust but I think I can handle this; that is if you take it easy on me."
I turned to Mario and asked, "Do you mind if I dance with Marie?"
He laughed and replied, "I'm not responsible for her tonight, and you look old enough and big enough to handle her. I thank you for the courtesy of asking but since she asked you, it's your problem." He laughed again.
I took Marie's hand and we made our way to the dance floor. It took me a few seconds to find the right order for my feet and then we were on our way. Marie was an excellent dancer and very easy to dance with. Near the end of the song, we tried a couple of turns. I have done them better in the far past but at least I didn't trip her or step on her feet.
When the song ended, we clapped for the band and then she said with a grin, "Not bad, we'll just have to scrap off a little more of that rust."
The band started a slow waltz and I grinned back at her, "How about right now?"
She smiled and moved toward me. As my arm went around her waist she said, "I thought you'd never ask." We both laughed and started across the floor.
This was more the dance of my youth and I was in my element. After about the third spinning turn Marie laughed and asked, "Are you trying to make me dizzier than I already am? You don't seem to be as rusty at this type of dancing."
I explained that I had danced this way all my life and had, had plenty of practice, even if not much of it was lately. I slowed the pace and just enjoyed dancing with her and holding her. She danced close but not quite touching me, very properly.
Back at the table after the dance, she opened us a fresh beer and eyed the bucket for a moment. "The bucket, it's getting empty," I said and grinned. When she chuckled and looked at me, I asked, "Where is the nearest liquor store, I'll make a run for us."
She glanced around at the clock behind the bar. "They all closed about halfway through that last song, but don't worry, I know where there is a new supply. All I have to do is to sweet talk Thomas into selling me some. He has a spare refrigerator on his side porch that he keeps stocked for emergencies. If this doesn't come under that heading, I don't know what does?"
"A lady in distress is always an emergency," I said and chuckled. Then I added, "Ok, you know the source but it's my turn to buy and I hope I can be your chauffer when we go get it."
She looked thoughtfully at me a second and then smiled, "I thought you'd never ask." Then she laughed.
We ended up dancing to about five or six more songs and as we were close to finishing Marie's last two beers, she leaned over and held a short discussion with Thomas's wife. Mary glanced at me a couple of times and although she didn't frown, she didn't smile either. They were talking softly and speaking Spanish, so I didn't understand but a couple of words of the conversation.
Finally, Mary did grin and then she shook her head. It wasn't a shake of negative but more of a "You're crazy or you should know better" type of shake.
Mary turned and talked to Thomas. Thomas looked from Marie to me and then back again all during their discussion. In the end he shrugged and said in English, "Hey, she's of age and knows her own mind, who am I to say anything."
He grinned over at Marie and said, "You know where the key is and where to put the money." He glanced at his daughter, who was sitting next to him, looking bored. He looked over at me and asked, "Could you do me a favor and drop Carla at home, her boyfriend left to go to work and she's bored."
"That will be no problem, Thomas, and thanks for solving our beer problem." I replied smiling.
He grinned and looked over at Marie, "Beer is the least of your problems, my friend." Then he laughed as Marie said, "Hey!" sharply and his wife hit him on the arm.
When I looked over at Marie questioningly, she just smiled a shy smile and looked at me from under her long lashes. "Thomas just loves to tease me," she said with a glare and then a laugh in Thomas's direction.
Thomas's wife took his hand, grinned, and said, "You'd better come dance with me before she hurts you." He laughed and winked at Marie before he stood up and followed his wife to the dance floor.
