startled Maryann out of her reverie. She glanced down and saw a new message.
TXCowgirl: BritChick, you there?
A bittersweet feeling struck Maryann. Robert was wrong. These people were her friends. They cared about her. It didn’t matter if they were across the ocean and that they’d never met. She shoved the sleeves of her pajamas up and placed her hands on the keyboard.
Yes. Sorry. I’m here. Maryann sent that message and then, after an idea struck her, she began typing again. What’s the exact date of that Texas event? I think I want to come .
TXCowgirl: OMG Really? Could you come? You can stay with me!
She wanted to see a rodeo, live and in person, and she wanted to meet her new friend. Maryann had a bad feeling if she didn’t do both before she married Robert, she’d never get to. With newfound determination, she responded, Yes. Definitely, yes!
As the sounds of Robert’s snores filtered out to her—apparently he could sleep with all of her racket—Maryann decided she wouldn’t mind meeting a few cowboys either.
*****
“This is the most asinine thing you’ve ever done. Flying to Texas to watch a bunch of men play at being cowboys. And that bull riding you were watching the other night, that’s not a sport. What kind of skill is required to get your head stepped on by a big dumb creature? Polo. Cricket. Rugby. Now those are sports.”
Maryann sat and listened to Robert’s diatribe in silence. She’d thought the free ride to the airport would have been worth what it cost her in mental anguish. That was up for debate at the moment, but she had to grin and bear it considering she’d already paid a small fortune for the airplane ticket and didn’t have much money in reserve to hire a car.
Of course she’d lied to Robert and told him the flight had cost her half of what it actually had. He’d still complained about her spending the money. Not that it was any of his business. It was her money.
He’d insisted they maintain separate bank accounts and share the bills for the apartment 50/50 even though as a solicitor he made double what she did as an administrative assistant. She figured as long as she paid her share, the rest of what was in that account was hers. After all, her name and hers alone was on it.
When she got back from this trip she had some serious thinking to do about a lot of things, such as her future and Robert’s place in it.
He pulled up to the curb and looked down at his watch with a frustrated huff of breath.
When he glanced up, Maryann asked, “Will you make your meeting in time?”
Robert shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe if I get going right now, I might.”
“I’ll just grab my bag from the back and let you get to work.” She gathered her small carry-on and reached for the door handle. Looking back, she realized Robert wasn’t getting out of the car. She leaned across the car. “Thank you for driving me. I’ll call when I get to the States.”
“All right.” Robert leaned in enough to allow her to plant a quick kiss on his lips, before he pulled back and glanced down at her feet with a frown. “Are those new boots?”
Maryann’s guilt had her laughing. “These? No, luv. I’ve had them since school. Just dug them out of storage for the trip.”
“Oh.”
As Robert continued to study her shiny new footwear with suspicion, Maryann hustled for a distraction. “I better go and you need to get to that meeting. Love you.”
“Love you too.” He pulled his lips into a small smile that didn’t last, before his focus was back on his wristwatch again.
She’d been dismissed, which was probably a good thing since she wasn’t quite sure she’d remembered to peel the price sticker off the sole of her new purchase. Maryann managed to wrestle her bag out of the back seat herself, and then said goodbye to Robert before she slammed the door. With mixed emotions she watched him pull away from the curb and then turned toward the entrance to the airport.
The trip of a
TXCowgirl: BritChick, you there?
A bittersweet feeling struck Maryann. Robert was wrong. These people were her friends. They cared about her. It didn’t matter if they were across the ocean and that they’d never met. She shoved the sleeves of her pajamas up and placed her hands on the keyboard.
Yes. Sorry. I’m here. Maryann sent that message and then, after an idea struck her, she began typing again. What’s the exact date of that Texas event? I think I want to come .
TXCowgirl: OMG Really? Could you come? You can stay with me!
She wanted to see a rodeo, live and in person, and she wanted to meet her new friend. Maryann had a bad feeling if she didn’t do both before she married Robert, she’d never get to. With newfound determination, she responded, Yes. Definitely, yes!
As the sounds of Robert’s snores filtered out to her—apparently he could sleep with all of her racket—Maryann decided she wouldn’t mind meeting a few cowboys either.
*****
“This is the most asinine thing you’ve ever done. Flying to Texas to watch a bunch of men play at being cowboys. And that bull riding you were watching the other night, that’s not a sport. What kind of skill is required to get your head stepped on by a big dumb creature? Polo. Cricket. Rugby. Now those are sports.”
Maryann sat and listened to Robert’s diatribe in silence. She’d thought the free ride to the airport would have been worth what it cost her in mental anguish. That was up for debate at the moment, but she had to grin and bear it considering she’d already paid a small fortune for the airplane ticket and didn’t have much money in reserve to hire a car.
Of course she’d lied to Robert and told him the flight had cost her half of what it actually had. He’d still complained about her spending the money. Not that it was any of his business. It was her money.
He’d insisted they maintain separate bank accounts and share the bills for the apartment 50/50 even though as a solicitor he made double what she did as an administrative assistant. She figured as long as she paid her share, the rest of what was in that account was hers. After all, her name and hers alone was on it.
When she got back from this trip she had some serious thinking to do about a lot of things, such as her future and Robert’s place in it.
He pulled up to the curb and looked down at his watch with a frustrated huff of breath.
When he glanced up, Maryann asked, “Will you make your meeting in time?”
Robert shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe if I get going right now, I might.”
“I’ll just grab my bag from the back and let you get to work.” She gathered her small carry-on and reached for the door handle. Looking back, she realized Robert wasn’t getting out of the car. She leaned across the car. “Thank you for driving me. I’ll call when I get to the States.”
“All right.” Robert leaned in enough to allow her to plant a quick kiss on his lips, before he pulled back and glanced down at her feet with a frown. “Are those new boots?”
Maryann’s guilt had her laughing. “These? No, luv. I’ve had them since school. Just dug them out of storage for the trip.”
“Oh.”
As Robert continued to study her shiny new footwear with suspicion, Maryann hustled for a distraction. “I better go and you need to get to that meeting. Love you.”
“Love you too.” He pulled his lips into a small smile that didn’t last, before his focus was back on his wristwatch again.
She’d been dismissed, which was probably a good thing since she wasn’t quite sure she’d remembered to peel the price sticker off the sole of her new purchase. Maryann managed to wrestle her bag out of the back seat herself, and then said goodbye to Robert before she slammed the door. With mixed emotions she watched him pull away from the curb and then turned toward the entrance to the airport.
The trip of a
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