Yesterday I told you I would tell you about Daisys girlfriend, Girly. Well, back when Daisy was down & out in a depressed funk, mourning the loss of her family and drinking too much, Daisy was headed across state to visit her mom because they were worried about her dad (a coal miner) who had just had something wrong with his lungs (which turned out to be pneumonia and it cleared up quickly) They were all so relieved and it turned out to be a good family reunion for them for a few days. On the way back to her home, Daisy stopped to get fuel and use the rest room. The needle was on E and she had been afraid of running out and being stranded in the middle of nowhere. She had just found a service station in the nick of time, and as she pulled in to the single gas pump, the she began to worry about what kind of situation she had just drove into. The place looked like something out of a psycho movie and she couldn't resist humming the "Dueling Banjos" theme from the movie "Deliverance". Much to her relief, instead of Bubba from the farm, the attendant that burst from the store was an apparently hyperactive little Asian woman with pigtails, who let the screen door slam behind her with a crash. The girl trotted up to the car and sighed "What'll it be Honey"? This girl was full of life and energy, but clearly bored to tears with the station and the little town. It must have been a slow day (if there is any difference there). Fill it up with regular please. We only HAVE regular, so you'r in luck! My name's Girly, do you need anything checked Lady? Like what? Engine, tires Girly exclaimed rolling her eyes, figuring some blond stereotype might be on target in this case. Ok, just be careful and is there a rest room available here? Inside to the left, but please be mindful, I keep it up. Daisy paused for a second, sizing Girly up, memorizing that exotic face, wondering how on earth this hot Asian chick wound up working at a service station in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee. Girly froze, staring back, assuming Daisy didn't understand her and pointed "Insi".... Got it, Daisy piped in and scurried into the building. Passing the counter the clerk (Yep it was Bubba, but not the rough dumb hick she imagined) who raise a finger "Please be mindful... Ha ha Daisy chuckled with a wink, "Yeah I already got the lecture". Dang these people are uptight she thought, opening the door. Wow! The rest room was immaculate and slightly overboard on the lighting. Now quickly to her business, she was a bit self conscious about any water drops or fingerprints on the chrome at the sink. But she quickly wrote a thank you on a post-it and reached out to stick it to the wall. Suddenly the door opened without any warning and Girly poked her head in, exclaiming "Dan said there was something wrong with your wheel" You mean my tire. No, your wheel. Ok, Daisy thought to herself. Here comes the scam. Worried about what these yokels were up to, she followed Girly out to her car and there was Bubba posted by the front left tire; arms crossed with a scowl on his face. With a "good afternoon" Bubba extend his hand and introduced himself as Dan. Then stepping back and crouching down to point, he explained that the places where the inside and outside pieces of the wheel were welded had rusted so badly that you could see right through, and they could break apart at any time, and that it was just luck that she hadn't had an accident yet. Examining the seam, it was obvious what he was saying and she was shocked both at how close it was to failure and that she had not noticed it her self. Three out of four are bad, Ma'am, but this one is the worst. Must be from road salt. You from up north?  No I'm not, but this car was..a gift. Do you have any in stock? Stupid question. Of coarse he doesn't. No, I'm afraid not, but it's early; if you want, I should be able to have some by around eleven tomorrow morning, and you should be on your way by noon, if you let me prep the car today so it's all set up for when they arrive. Seeing this though, I'm worried about the breaks. Let me think a minute Daisy said. How much do I owe you for the gas? I haven't pumped it yet because I saw this and got involved in that. May as well wait till the morning then, you'll have less weight to work with. Ok Ma'am, if you'll just look at which ones you want, I'll make the call and place the order. She liked the looks of the ones she picked and these had no seem. Daisy was surprised at the price. Dan said the list was wholesale and they will be ten percent more, but there is no shipping. Still, she was happy about the bargain at least. Please wait a minute and I'll check those brakes to see if we might be needing any more parts. There was a card table in the corner and Girly plopped down in one of the chairs with a huge plate of rice and something on the side. Grab two cokes & some chips and have a seat she said, my treat. Daisy extracted two glass bottles from a legacy Coke cooler, and sat down carefully opposite of her hostess at the little table. Looking at first at the mountain of rice, then she noticed how surprisingly large Girly's breasts are. Girly giggled and they jiggled as she interrupted, "cat got your tongue"? Daisy blushed trying to hide the brief ogling by exclaiming, "That's a lot of rice"! Now Daisy was staring at her eyes, equally hypnotizing. She was just at a loss for words, but Girly started in chatting like they were old pals. Daisy asked her if she liked working there. Heck NO! was the reply, but I'm stuck here because my brother and I each own half of it. Does he work here too? Sure, you already met Dan. Well, you see Dad had Dan and Dan's mom didn't make it through the delivery, so later Dad met mom when he was stationed at Clark Air Field in Luzon before his stroke. Mom is back in Cebu running our book store while we are here minding the store for now. This was dads place, but it's just going down hill because the town dried up. I expect to take some classes in the fall or next fall, depending on the 3 schools I applied. My niece makes it complicated. My uncle works on drilling rigs in the gulf, while she goes to a boarding school and stays with us in between the school year. Wow, Girly is a trip, talking a mile a minute eating rice like a machine. It seems like she's telling me her life's story. But it's interesting, and I'm mesmerized. She laughs as I wipe my mouth. I don't usually drool, but I was so relaxed and these salt&vinegar chips have my mouth going overtime...I'm distracted, an unguarded moment... but embarrassing, yet ice breaking. We chuckle about it and I'm feeling more comfortable around my new acquaintance. Those brakes are in excellent condition Ma'am. No worries there. I was startled because I had forgotten about Dan. I hope I haven't kept you too long. Have you put any thought about what your going to do between now and tomorrow? I had originally meant to ask when we were ordering the wheels, about where there was a place to stay, but then forgot about it. Girly chimed in; she'll have dinner with us and stay in Amy's room tonight. Ok, I suppose that will work perfect, Dan agreed. But he then pointed out that the store paperwork had set him back on other repairs and he probably would't be able to close till around ten. Girly informed him that she would make sure their guest was entertained and turned to ask me if I like board games. Just about anything but Scrabble, I told her. Mahjong? I returned a blank stare, but was assured she would teach me. Dan returned to the last of his accounts entries while the girls finished lunch break and then stocked some shelves together while chatting all the time. Dan announced that he would close the shop and get back to the repair work stating that he would see them around ten. Locking up the books, Girly waved goodbye to him as we started walking down the road that leads, I'm told, to Dan's and Girly's house. It was so scenic and there was a frog pond on the way. Girly told me it's about a ten minute walk, and she slipped her hand in mine, which surprised me, and hand in hand, we had a stroll that brought me back to summer vacation as a little girl when our family was on a camping trip. 

We'll return to Daisy and Girly's stroll tomorrow.

Cheers,

C.S.