Line Dance Club Finals 01
Hello there, I'm Owen, Owen Owens, I'm 21, a very recent 21, I don't know it all, but I know enough to always try and help out when my rich ass Auntie Anna makes a request of me. I mean, judge me if you want to, but I will be remembered down the road. And to be clear, sheesh, that feisty woman will most certainly out live me anyways, but there's always a chance, right?
And, and, and, if there must be a little judgment along the way, one of the characters within my story, Mrs. Clarke, well, if you read her story, then there will be plenty of room to direct your judgment her way and then on to her ex-lover and my old friend, Andrew. Or that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Anyways, here is how my wonderful Auntie Anna explained it to me. And to clear the judgement slate from my Aunties side, damn, she had it all right because if there is one thing my family is known for, it's for owning and hauling trailers of all shapes and sizes. Landscaping trailers, boat trailers, covered trailers, utility trailers, ATV trailers and just about any other kind of trailer that you can think of.
"[Fiddles with polo shirt collar] all I told them, Owen, is that you have been hauling around trailers since before you got your driver's license and the Line Dance Club way over spent on the decorations for the Line Dance Finals for it all to fit into anyone's vehicle, not to mention the sound equipment, so, I may or may not have volunteered you to trailer the umpteen boxes of decorations, shelled peanuts and sound equipment down to the Split Tree Resort, so?"
"[Re-ruffles polo shirt collar] but Auntie Anna, I've been doing the math and since my truck already only gets average gas mileage as it is and then with the extra weight of the covered utility trailer, I mean..."
"[Re-fiddles with polo shirt collar] hush, Owen, you can take my credit card for gas and highway snacks. Besides, it's not every year that the Line Dance Club holds their finals offsite at a resort and on top of that, I promise to not embarrass you at all during the entire weekend at the resort, so, shush, sweetie. And that's an adult conversation promise with a win-win outcome, Owen, so?"
And to read in between the lines of that, folks, your uncle is not attending the Line Dance Finals, so, shut it and turn a blind eye while we're at the resort, my loving nephew! Which was fine, just as long as someday I hear the line "and I bequeath to my loving nephew....", right?
"[Pats down polo shirt collar] and since we're having adult conversations now, Owen, I'm sure that you're smart to realize that you can't run around all weekend at the resort spraying your man juice into a couple of 40 something lonely line dancers, who might still be fertile or have limp dicks at home, I mean, just pack a couple of extra condoms for your favorite auntie and hush your tender mouth, okay, sweetie?"
And yeah, sometimes you don't have to read between the lines.
"Auntie Anna!"
Alright, fine, so, maybe at 21 adult conversations still need a bit getting used to. Like another time because that adult conversation had me realizing that Auntie Anna was still quite a frisky fifty and I was out of the door. After I snatched her credit card and cheek kissed her goodbye anyways.
But it was the only time that the Line Dance Club was holding the dancing finals at an offsite resort and since I had a cabin for the weekend too, I mean, alright then. Especially since I knew about half of the families that were going to be in attendance since apparently, ex gamer hosts take up line dancing after the kids reach 18. And I mean, there must be some type of handoff ceremony or something between being a gamer host and transitioning into the Line Dance Club scene, right?
So, a few days later, I had hooked up our best covered utility trailer and made my way to the rear of the Line Dance Club where somebody, ahem, had better be there to load it up because that was never ever stated to me as my job. My job was to haul the loaded trailer for the two plus hour drive to the Split Tree Resort and that's it.
[Vroom, vroom, vroom, pulls around to the rear of Line Dance Club and spies the rear double doors and parks the truck there]
And the place was crawling with people, but I quickly got how people who travel together have a tendency to congregate at one central location to form their caravan. I guess.
"OMG, Owen, Owen Owens! Tee he, I should have known that woman would have volunteered you to drive our ridiculous stash of decorations and sound equipment down to the resort!
[Pins the two of them in the somewhat private opening of the truck door]
"Tee he, it also makes sense now why she gave me this thick envelope of cash to stuff into your pocket, since, tee he, she couldn't do this herself because she's your Auntie!"
[Open front jeans pocket, stuff, stuff, rubbing as much as stuffing, stuff, play a game of pool, shoot the eight ball in the corner pocket, check the length of the pool stick, retract, ahh]
"[After a long pause] Mrs. Debson!"
"Oh, shush, Owen, especially since you grabbed and poked at me for so many years during your gaming days at my place! Now were just even, so?"
Well, folks, that's not exactly true. I was more of a "bump, hump & run" kind of gamer guy back in the days of gaming at the Debson house.
"Anyways, Owen, tee he, we're even now and that's over with, so?"
I mean, I couldn't speak.
"And if you're wondering why Ned and Jed are not hauling the decorations and the sound equipment down the resort, I mean [gently points at Ned and Jed] with Ned's right eye pointing sideways and then with Jed's left eye pointing sideways the other way, I mean, between the two of them, center tunnel vision is the best those two 'good ole boy' bad moonshiners can pull together, so?"
Huh, I never noticed that before until they stood side by side. Also, ewe.
"So, Owen, this is your last chance to say something back to me since I just evened up the score between us and I mean, this is your last chance because my underperforming hubby is making the trip because I had no idea that you would be gracing our line dancing finals this weekend, so, if you have something to say back, now is the time, Owen, so?"
"Well, damn it, Mrs. Debson, you can't just say stuff like that! But I feel very compelled to say that our weekend at the Split Tree Resort seems as neutral territory as it comes, so?"
"Hmm, neutral territory, huh, Owen? Your observation is so noted as an opportunity, but with caution since it's not like this weekend represents a secret get-away for anyone. Is there anything else you would like say back to me before we lose this moment of semi privacy, hmm?"
[Thump, thump, thump go the muffled sounds of Ned and Jed loading up the trailer in the background]