Those 70ish Girls

Lav has written a (tongue in cheek) accounting of the tour group’s final days in Murdo, SD. They were there to attend the all school reunion…Hey, Wait! They were only there for 48 hours. Oh well, to those who hung around with us, I mean them, I’m sure it seemed like much longer.

MHS/JCHS Reunion stuff they didn’t teach you in school

After a stunner of a day with Dianna and Sherri with burgers, rhubarb, chocoholic, butterscotch, you name it shakes, showered with gifts, crowns, and attention, MG was flying high. Then after the check-in at the Range Country, where the group was enlightened by an orientation given by the motel hostess, Get moving! Aye, aye, the group went to their rooms for naps.

After napping there was hair, makeup and dressing up for MG and Lav. They were off to the 1962 class dinner at the gun club, where they were guests of Billy. Lotsa food and small talk. Oh what a day, what a night!

Later that same night…or as some might call it…Part 2

Back room not Restroom (That’s what Lav calls it.)

It was past midnight at the Buffalo. We saw two guys at the end of the room who were just holding their beers-barely. They were looking us up and down. MG turned to the left in front of them at the restrooms.  She couldn’t figure out what the restroom signs meant :  Jackasses on one door, Jenny’s on the other. Which was the girls’ side? I couldn’t help her. I got distracted.
She yelled over to me, “I started to go in the Jackass room because a jackass told me that was where the back room was.” Those darn jackasses. Why don’t they stay on the farm?
Desperately I turned to the beer holders and said, “Where’s the back room?”
“Huh, the restroom?”
“No, the back room!”
“Oh, through there,” beer guy pointed to the right.
“Come on, MG. We gotta find Bill and Gus. It’s way past their bedtime.”

We kept walking way in back, past the bar, past the pool table and past the younger crowd.

There they were. Bill and Gus were having a high old time at the last table.
There should’ve been a sign that read, “70 ish and oldsters only”.
The young-looking-old-guy Ralph was there and a few senior alumni and I don’t mean senior class. Eddie, who is always in Senior Athletic Coyote Mode was talking to Bill.

We got over to their table. The guys looked two sheets to the wind, a strong tumbleweed prairie wind, dry, hot and unforgiving. They had been hit hard by that wind. They were zonked, in a galaxy far, far…you get it. We had to get them back to the motel. There were lots of doings the next day and we needed sleep.

The School Reunion celebrations had taken a lot out of us, not to mention sapped our energy. MG was fading fast. I looked like I had been pushed through a knothole. But Bill kept telling stories like a dog owner dishing out kibble and Eddie ate it up. What happened next was a miracle. Gus got up and walked away. Bill topped off his drink then topped off his story.  MG said, “It’s time to go. We need to be in our place at the parade lineup tomorrow  by 9:30 am. Bill and Gus are you leaving with us?”
“Sure.  I can drive us back,” Bill said.
“And I have a brand new California drivers license hot off the press,” Gus blurted out.
“ I can drive on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays before 8:00 pm in months ending with Y! Just tell me when to turn.” (Okay, this is MG putting pictures to Lav’s hilarious story. I’m laughing so hard, I’m crying.)
Ralph piped up, “And I can take you kids back to the motel in my Mercedes VW but you’ll have to answer a short quiz.”

(Who is Ralph?)

Sheesh. At least we avoided a showdown. It was more like a slowdown.  I would tell you about the quiz and the drive back to the motel, but that’s another story.