Monday, July 30, 2012

Urban Cowboy

The door swung open, and there stood a man, but this was no ordinary man.  Dressed in his finest cowboy boots, blue jeans, oversized belt buckle, tasselled shirt, and black cowboy hat, it was clear to all that he meant business.  Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, all eyes turned in his direction, and he knew it.  There was a long pause, and an eerie silence, as us city-folk aren't used to seeing his kind around these parts.  As if to say “Howdy”, he gave a quick tip of his hat, then proceeded to enter the building.  Ka-chink… ka-chink… ka-chink, his spurs rattled with each step as he moseyed on up to the counter.  “Ma’am” he said, “gimme two slices of your finest pepperoni pizza, to go”.  Without saying a word, and seemingly trying to avoid making eye contact, she went right to work.  He massaged and shaped his moustache while he waited.  Everyone else remained quiet, frozen in place, not sure what to make of this urban cowboy.  Upon being handed the brown paper bag containing his two slices, he nodded his head, and said “Why thank-ya ma’am”, before turning around and making his way to the door.  Ka-chink… ka-chink… ka-chink…, he opened the door and turned around to face me and the other patrons.  “Y’all have a nice day”, he said, tipping his hat once more, before stepping through, and allowing the door to close behind him.  We watched as he walked across the parking lot, opened his car door, and drove off in his blue Ford Taurus.  As the room slowly returned to normal, and people went back to eating their lunch, I overheard others asking one another “Did that really just happen?”  I sat alone, shaking my head, asking myself… “Why do I keep coming back to this Pizza Pizza?”  I know I've said it before, but I seriously need to start packing a lunch.          

2 comments:

  1. in burlington? downtown we have the yelling cowboy. but i don't think he can get a drivers licence.

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    1. I'm thinking he was just passing through. He didn't look or sound "local".

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