Amiville.
This morning I listened from the stage as Bill and Ivan started to argue outside the saloon. It wasn’t long before Bill put his hands to his guns and then Ivan told him that if he wanted to shoot a musician he could go ahead. Peep sipped her coffee and advised them to keep their guns holstered. Jake chuckled and said that she should let them shoot each other before she went after them, and Peep agreed she should finish her coffee first. Soon gunshots could be heard from inside the saloon and I just shook my head at the law’s apathy. I continued to go on with business inside as if the fight outside wasn’t happening, but my curiosity was getting the best of me.
“Sir, I’m sorry. I’ve forgotten your name? All this shooting is affectin’ my memory.”
“Daklugie,” he answered. “You can just call me Dak.”
“Dak it is. I’m Trin Paige.” I shook my head and said, “Frustrates me that the law just lets them shoot and then cleans up the mess afterwards, instead of maybe doin’ somethin’ to stop it before someone gets hurt.”
“It is so easy for people to get guns,” Dak agreed. “And they sell guns to almost anyone who has money. It doesn’t matter if they’re crazy or not.”
Another man came into the saloon and introduced himself as Burke. I asked him where he was from and he said he had a house over in Georgetown. After I’d served them drinks I moved back up to dance on the stage.
“There been a lot of trouble in town this fine day?” Burke asked at length.
“Yes Sir, so it would seem.”
“No surprise there,” he chuckled a bit. “Who’s been banged up?”
“Well... I guess from what I hear it... Ivan was outside readin’ a paper and Bill decided to get rough with him. Wasn’t long before the pistols came out and bullets started flyin’.”
“Good ol’ western life, eh?” Grace chuckled from her table.
“Just the way I like it,” Burke chuckled.
“So Sir, what business do you do in Georgetown?” I asked him.
“I been a lawyer and a banker in the past. Seems I haven’t found a job since I been back.”
“A lawyer, hmm? We could use some good lawyers around these parts...”
“So I hear,” Grace agreed.
“That’s what I thought back in the day,” Burke nodded, “although it seemed no one needs my services. Couldn’t make a living on it. I’m still by law a lawyer so I’m still able to represent individuals, but haven’t had the chance.”
“Well there aren’t exactly many court cases, are there?” Grace asked.
“Oh, you’d be surprised, miss,” I said.
“That’s right,” Burke nodded to Grace. “A lot of people don’t tend to show up to court,” he chuckled.
“True enough, Sir,” I chuckled, “True enough.”
Burke stood after a while and said he was going to see what was happening in town. I asked him to find out what was going on for me and he promised he would look into it. Rose came into the saloon and said that she’d closed up shop since no one seemed to be coming around. She asked Kris if his uncle had found him and Kris said that he’d found him at the hotel.
That afternoon Chane came into the saloon and I greeted him with a smile. “Hey there, darlin’!”
“Ah! Whar’d you come from?” he asked, looking surprised.
“I like to sneak in, darlin’,” I chuckled. “Keep ya on yer toes.”
“Well ya ain’t doin yer job, Trin,” Bravo smirked and pointed his pipe to me playfully.
“Can I get ya somethin’?”
“Well, ya bout gimme a heart attack...” Chane laughed.
“Don’t worry darlin i can do mouth to mouth if I need to,” I winked and then went to get the whiskey bottle and handed it to Chane.
“Thankee sweetie,” he smiled at me and slipped me a hundred dollar bill.
“Really, darlin’? Thank ya so much!” I looked to Bravo and asked, “Bravo, can I get you anythin’ darlin’?”
“Whutcha up to?” Chane asked.
“Oh, just started workin’ again,” I replied. Outside I could hear Bill and Burke going at it and Rosa was trying to step in the middle of them. “Had to step out to try to find out what happened this morning... sounds like Bill’s at it again,” I said.
“Yep, shore does...” Chane agreed.
I went to get the tequila and handed it to Bravo. I caught Chane glancing at me as he made his way to a table and I blushed. “So should I get up there and give you boys a show?”
“Hell yeah!” Chane acknowledged.
I moved onto the stage and began to dance, looking from one to the other and making eye contact with both. “So much shootin’ today, darlin’,” I said when Bravo had gone out to see what the shooting was all about outside. “People goin plumb crazy round here.”
“Yep, always some sumbich wantin’ ta kill sumbudy...” he said with his southern drawl.
“That’s enough!” Bravo yelled from outside and I swallowed. “Honestly Chane... I don’t know if I can keep up with it all for the paper. Feel like I miss so much when I ain’t here.”
“Hell, need a damn paper thick as a boxcar ta wrat it all down!” he said and I chuckled.
There were more gunshots and I sighed. “Another front page story, I s’pose. He already shot up poor Ivan earlier today. Whole paper’s gonna be focused on Bill the way this is goin’.”
“Yep,” he nodded and watched my waist as I danced for him.
A woman came into town and I asked her if I could get her anything. “Just hot and cranky, Trin. Tired of the boys shootin’ up the town.”
“Oh I know.. it’s gettin’ a bit out of hand.” I smiled at Chane and said, “Glad he ain’t out there joinin’ ‘em. Can I get ya a cold drink maybe?”
She shook her head and helped herself to some lemonade as I continued to dance for Chane. “Just like to shoot me some of those crazy ole boys.”
Chane flipped a gold coin with a zing across the room and into my tip jar and I smiled at him. “Thank ya darlin’. Mighty kind of ya!”
“Tell you whut... you sumthin’, darlin’!”
“Aww... I ain’t nothin’ special. Just know how to move my body the way boys like...” I winked.
“Trouble is Trin I couldn’t hit the broad side of this here saloon,” Dulci continued about the shooting outside.
“Oh I know,” I nodded to her. My shot ain’t that great either.”
“You must think we’re notin’ but a bunch of heathen round here. I’m Dulci by the way,” she said to Chane.
“Hell naw, I don’t think that... Call me Chane,” he said to her but he was watching me dance, licking one of his gold teeth as he did so. It made me feel the warmth of his stare and I couldn’t help but remember that first night in the hotel room with him, so long ago...
“Chane was my first uh... friend I met here in Amiville,” I winked at him. “Ain’t that right, darlin’?”
He chuckled and tossed back another shot.
“Always nice to have friends Trin. Wanna go try shootin’ some of these dang fools?” Dulci asked.
“That’s mighty temptin’,” I chuckled. “Hmm... At some point today I’m gonna have to go out there and find out what’s goin’ on for the paper...”
“Oh God Trin, don’t give them print space they’ll be doin’ so as they can read bout themselves in the paper,” Dulci protested.
“Ya may be right about that,” I laughed. “The way things have gone today Bill will be on every page.”
“Well he’s the biggest of the dang fool, think he’s shootin’ for a federal pen room and board free,” Dulci said.
“S’pose he is,” I laughed. “Sad part is law ain’t doin a thing to stop him. They just sit there and let them shoot. Then they move in to arrest them after it’s all done.”
“Lawd it’s hot, Trin what’s winters like round here?” Dulci asked.
“Winters? Couldn’t tell ya... I just moved here a month or so ago myself,” I answered.
“They cold as a gold digger’s ass,” Chane put in.
“Maybe I’m askin’ for the worst but sure seems it be better than this heat.”
“Indeed, I’ll agree with ya there,” I nodded.
“Well I do declare I haven’t had that mmm, pleasure,” she chuckled at Chane’s comment.
“Oh darlin’ you are too much!” I smiled at him.
Chane stood and thanked me for the dance and company and said he had to be going. We said goodbye and Dulci said, “Trin I’m thinkin’ of askin’ Miss Fritha if she needs help in the orphanage, we found a baby boy abandoned here yesterday right before the weddin’.”
“Oh my... That’s a shame, Dulci.”
“Think I’ll step outside too not sure if it’s hotter in here or out there,” Dulci said and headed out of the saloon. All alone again, I went to sit at a table and pulled out my notebook to write in my journal.
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