Everything's bigger in Texas, except the pony tails

As long as we were in San Antonio, I figured, why not look up my old friend Jim. I don't know why I figured this would be a good idea. Jim, who had once recommended I enter the pimping profession, had always been a bit of a bully. Had I not been so desperate for friends after moving to Northern California I can't imagine I would have put up with his asshole behavior.

There was more to him than the bullying of course. He was a smart guy, and fascinatingly amoral, in an honest and straightfoward kind of way. I guess I figured I'd come far too far to be any bully's victim and I wanted to see how he'd turned out.

So we called Jim and we stayed a night at his house. Jim didn't bully me in anyway, but he was everybit as obnoxious as I'd remembered him. His short round Texas bride just adored him. He'd be dumping her soon he told us. She was just a temporary wife to keep him until he made something of himself. He was in school now, working on making something of himself. The funniest thing about seeing Jim was the way he embraced the ressurgance of cowboy culture. He would get so offended when kids in California asked him if everyone in Texas wore cowboy boots and hats. Now they did, once again, Jim included.

We couldn't wait to get away from him. Back in the bus, driving through buckets of rain on roads that seemed designed to hold water Bryna and I were doing all right. We laughed at what an odd trip we'd had through the longhorn state and we stopped to get something to eat.

I should have been mature enough to ignore the little prick. Why should I care if some highschool kid wanted to show off for his friends by laughing at my wild long hair and my girlfriends very short hair, which by now was mostly blonde again? But I did care. And the longer it went on the more I felt I needed to address. We payed our bill and on the way out of the restraunt I stopped by Mr. Hang Ten t-shirt, knee length shorts, leather sandals' table. I took a hold of his tiny little pony tail and gave I light tug. "I like this. This is cute. A cute little pony tail for a cute little boy." Nervous giggles were offered and I responded with a friendly smile before making my exit.

I can imagine what happened next. Needing to save face the rude little Texan told his friends what he'd do if he saw us again. Of course he had no way of knowing that were crossing back through the restaurant parking lot after having picked up a six pack of beer and some lottery tickets from the store next store. He would now have to live up to his brags. He poked his head out the restaurant door.

"You shouldn't have done that." he squeeked.

"Well, you should be more respectful when in the company of strangers. We just wanted to eat our dinner and piece and because you still dress like it's ninteen eighty three you had to make fun of us and act like an ass."

"Uh. Well, you shouldn't have done that."

"Yeah. You said that."

"Well, what the hell. Why'd you do that?"

"Because you were being rude, as I've already explained."

"Well that was lame. You shouldn't have done that."

"You keep saying that. Maybe you're right. Maybe I shouldn't have. I can't take it back though. It's done. What do you say we both learn a lesson and call it a night."

Maybe he saw this as me backing down. He puffed up a bit and stepped further out the door. "Yeah. You shouldn't go messing with someone you don't even know."

Bryna had grown bored and she could tell I was playing it nice mostly out of concern for her. She took over. "Hey, it's done. Now what? Do you want to step out her and get your ass kicked or do you want to go back inside with your little friends? Either way, do it quick, we've got a long drive ahead of us." I loved that girl of mine.

"You shouldn't have done that." Tex pushed out as he backed up quickly into the restaurant.

We walked to our bus parked around back. The cook came out through the back door. "Hey, what was going on with those little brat kids." he asked in a heavy Mexican accent.

We filled him in and he told us they act like jerks all the time. "Spoiled brats." he said several times. Bryna amazed me by telling him to put a drop of visine in their food.

"They'll spend the rest of the night in the bathroom." she said matter of factly. "Don't over do it though. You don't want them going to the doctor." He thanked us with a big grin and we were on our way to New Orleans.

Tex had his revenge though he'll never know it. We rented a room that night. When you travel with a female you rent a room once in a while to shower, and you even wash your clothes at least once a month. I didn't sleep a wink worrying that we'd been followed and that our bus and belongings would be fucked with.

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