Western somthinor other

He had to be there. Light was still washing the
garden, where he said he's meet her. Surely
he would wait, he just had to. She picked up
the pace as she walked along the dusty trail.
Of all the places he had to pick.

She fell over a amber colored bottle that
someone had left in the path. Pretty odd, she
thought. This wasn't exactly a place to be
drinking. "Are you okay ma'am?" SHe turned
around to find a
very authentically dressed cowboy looking at
her curiously. "I'm fine, thank you," she replied,
brushing the dust off her legs. "What
happened to your dress?" he asked. "What?"

She looked down at the denim shorts she had
on, except for the dust they were the same as
they had been when she put them on. "I don't
know how they dress where you're from, but
'round here you better cover up them legs.
Women don't wear britches." "Excuse me,"
she said, backing away. What was with that
guy?

The street was empty except for a
storekeeper,an apron covered his seemingly
oldfashioned outfit, he was sweeping the
dusty boardwalk in front of his establishment.
Funny how she hadn't noticed him before.
Maybe they were trying to bring this town back
to life, although it
didn't really make sense. No one had lived
there since the depression came in and
forced everyone down into the valley. However
there was paint that looked new in the window
that read Carlilse Mercantile. Funny how that
was her last name.

As she headed toward where the garden
would be, she thought about how the last few
months had been. Noisy, chaotic, stressful,
they never seemed able to end a conversation
in any way other
than a fight. She would work it out, she knew
she could. Maybe she did wear too much
makeup. That could be her starting point, and
she could bite her tounge more when he said
things that she didn't like. She could change,
they could make it work....

SHe heard a noise that sounded like
someone crying behind one of the stores. She
cautiosly crept around to the back of where
she had heard it, and found a young woman
who appeared to be about her age, curled up
against it as though trying to hide. "What's
wrong?" she asked. "I'm just fine, thank you,"
she replied. "You seem pretty upset to me."

"No offense ma'am, I just feel weird talking to
someone whos dressed so funny." "I have to
ask, what on earth is wrong with what I'm
wearing? You people act like you've never
seen a pair of shorts in your life." "No offense
ma'am," she said with a sniff. "Women 'round
these parts don't show there legs. Not even
the saloon girls my beau Jake is keepin, has
a hemline that high." "What year is this?"
"1845." "No seriously." "1845." "You're
serious?" SHe wanted to freak out, yet she
could tell this woman was in pain by the way
she flinched when she mentioned her beau.

"Is he the one that hurt you?" "Who Jake?"
"He's your beau right?" "He didn't hurt me. The
shove was an accident." "The shove?" "Yes
m'm, he shoved me into the wall, but it was an
accident. I shouldn'tve made him so mad.He's
done worse, but he's been better lately."
"Can I ask what you did to make him mad?" "I
just mentioned I didn't like him sleeping with
the saloon girls, and he just got mad . I
shouldn'tve said anything." "Why do you put up
with it?" "Cuz he's my promised one. That's
why." "Surely he's not the only gentleman in
town. Why don't you dump him?" "Dump?"
"Ugh, not marry him?" "We have our fights, it's
true. I just need to change, so he'll like me
better." Like her better....where had she heard
that familiar phrase? "Listen to me," she said.
"You don't deserve a life with a man who is
going to hurt you. Don't choose someone who
will sleep around with saloon girls and shove
you. Marry someone that isn't going to make
you afraid" she said helping the girl to her feet.

They walked around to the main boardwalk
area . SHe wanted to get back to where she
had tripped. Maybe the clue would be there."
She noticed a young man peeking shyly at
them out of the mercantile window. "Who is
that?" "That'd be John. I can't let'm see I've
been cryin'. He don't like it none that I'm
marryin Jake. We've always been real close
though." "Don't marry Jake. I'll come help you
break things off if you want me to!!!" "Nah, I'll
do it. I just need to do it on my own." "Are you
sure you don't want me to come with you for
moral support?" "No. I'll be fine. Thanks." And
with that she was gone

SHe made her way back to the spot. The fear
starting to creep in . How on earth was she
going to get back? Once again she tripped
over the amber colored container. "Drat!" she
cried as she hit the dusty path. She looked
back through the settling dust to shoot a nasty
glare at the innocent object.

She looked around in confusion. There
reamined no trace of the town that had
exsisted only moments before. It had been
there, it wasn't a figment of her imagination.
Her imagination wasn't that good. Had she
really..?? SHe shook her head to clear it. THe
fall had probably knocked her out. Maybe it
was a dream.

"it's over," she told him, her voice low and
even. "No it's not. If you think you can do better
then me, you're wrong. No one will love you
like I do," he said sweetly, grabbing her arm.
"Now I know this isn't about me. It's about your
issues. The biggest one you have is how you
dress, right? You know how I don't like shorts."
He reminded her of a cobra, just biding it's
time lazily, until it came after you with it;s long
deadly body, and quick sharp teeth.

"Let me go," she hissed. He dropped her arm,
confused. This wasn't his girlfriend. He didn't
understand it, that made him angry. "I'm not
going to let you go, do you understand," he
yelled, his grip getting tighter. She pushed him
away with a fierce push, and pulled out her
cell phone. "Don't think I won't call the police,"
she said challenging him. "Not it you're dead,"
he said. "Nope, you're not worth the minutes<"
she said walking away.

He jumped up, and ran after her. "Well. I'm
willing to forget what you said, if you'll come
with me. I won't teach you a lesson this tme, if
you don't pull this again." "What part of "It's
over don't you get?" she asked him, looking
into his eyes. THey were eyes of steel, tiger
eyes they had once been called. SHe got into
her car, and drove off.

"Mom, did we have any ancestors who lived in
a place called Rosenbird?" SHe asked. Her
mother thought for a moment. "We did. Your
great great grandparents, John and
Guineveree. SHe was who we named you
after. The story has it that she was originally
going to marry someone else, but I guess
your grandpa just came in and swept her off
her feet. He owned a mercantile, his
inheritance from his father."