Flash Friday 4-11-14 A country lane, neither narrow nor wide, but ill defined. in Flash Friday

“… It’s like them revival tent bible thumpers in, say, Kansas, somehow the bible turns out to be all about Kansas, you know? Like if there’s bugs in the crops it’s just like revelations predicted ‘And lo, there shall be bugs in the crops to smite Democrats’ It’s just like that …”

“What is?”

“Awww shit, hey Shell, how they hanging?”

“They hang fine bubba, how does your lone amiga hang?”

I nodded. Jimmy grinned, he had a thing for shell, went all dopey mute when she came round. Charlie touched the brim of his hat, he thought it looked cool, and it does when someone cool does it. Charlie, we’re tight, but he might be the least cool mammal on the planet.

“Amigo, darling, amigo. Shit, Mi amigos. Hanging fine; on course.”

She spread her hands, all that silver jangled.

I poured her a cold one from the half pitcher. Charlie whistled and made that lasso motion towards the waitress, next to the come hither finger wiggle the lasso hand is probably the number one culprit for spit in the pitcher. Least. Cool. Mammal. Ever.

“We were talking about Robert Johnson,” Jimmy started and tripped over his lower lip, not literally, but close enough for government work.

“Yeah,” I carried on for him, “I was just getting at how everyone knows the story, and are positive the devil is always making face to face deals on account of how hard it is to find natural born sinners … and everyone is convinced no natural man could play basic blues progressions …”

“But?” Shell said wiping foam from her lip.

“But,” Charlie said, even his voice was uncool, “ ask a motherfucker where those crossroads are or what they look like or just the name of one of them roads, and …”

Shell nodded. “Like revival tents” drank the rest of her beer, slid the glass towards me “Crossroads” I filled it. “Or chivalry” She frowned.

I leaned across the table, knocking over empties and pushing the ashtray close to the edge. She met me halfway. Jimmy fell out of his chair. When the kiss broke she spoke-sang low and sultry;

“Take my rider by my side”