Bang Bang

Chapter 1

As the sun rose closer to high noon she came walking into town, one bag in tow, she asked around and found the towns pub but got strange looks after. For all the pub's and watering holes in town she had asked about the one most frequented by outlaws and rough cut men who would start a fight for looking at him the wrong way.

She walked in and the pub froze. Here was this platinum blond woman around 5"4' wearing a dusty long sleeved white blouse torn near wrist of her right sleeve with a dark blue denim vest with a patch of dried mud, a light blue skirt about 4" below her knees with patches of dust, an old beaten straw which looked like is one straw the whole thing would fall off her head, her dirty little duffle bag and her scuffed brown shoes walking to the counter. The only other women in the pub were dancers who had been on stage earlier resting up for their next number and the hookers sitting in the laps of their future conquests and all they were thinking is "what hell could she have come from?" "she looks like she's upper class..." and "those shoes that bag and that vest? Poor thing most be down on her luck..."

She took a seat at the counter and the bartender addressed her. " What can I do you for Ma'am?" She looked up at him from beneath her bangs with her magenta eyes and answered "Bloody Mary...." as she rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. The tender observed her and replied "One virgin Bloody Mary coming up," as he moved to fix the seemingly hung over woman's drink. "Did I say virgin 'Sir' ?" She questioned. The tender looked at her meeting her questioning glare from her one opened eye and the men at the counter looked at her then to the tender. One man beside her finally spoke to cut the silence. "Yeah Ed?! Does this fiiine little lady look like she'd take no virgin?!" He said so loud and boisterous the whole room could hear, which erupted into laughter and the bearing of tables. The tender nodded "My apologies Ma'am.... one Bloody Mary right up..." he turned to go make the drink.

The pub now back to its noisy glory, with the piano man back to playing his song, the women laughing and men's jokes and men just speaking loudly in general, she closed her eye again waiting on her drink when she is addressed by the more than middle aged man sitting beside her. "Now what's a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this honey?" he said looking at her with lusty eyes. She opened her eyes and looked at him with a tinge of interest. He had a big belly before him, muscular arms with a tattoo heart and roses on one hand, a scraggly black and grey beard with a scar like patch running through it on his lower left jaw.

"Gettin a drink like the rest of ya. What's it to ya ?" she finally answered in a somewhat flirty voice matching his look.

"Well it's just that we don't get pretty little lady's like you round here and ya look a little beat up there." He replied hinting at her attire.

"Oh... well I'm not from around here really... and, don't mind the clothes just a little accident earlier on today is a nothin to worry about." her voice somewhat bubbly and goofy near the end.

He smiled and pulled her chair over "well now, what kind a accident? Maybe I could... assist ya." He said placing a hand around her waist. She watched his big hand wrap around her waist and resisted a glare for who was this old fart to be touching her in such a manner.

The tender arrived with the drink and placed it in front of her "Here you go ma'am....." he looks over to the man "Robbing the cradle again Nester?"

Others within earshot chuckle and snicker knowing his less than reputable reputation. He laughs and retorts "if she were that young you'd have turned her little ass outta here before she ordered Eddy!"

He turned to her "Say honey how old are ya ?"

Old enough to be your daughter she though but responded smiling "Don't you know it's impolite to ask a woman her age?" The men laughed except the tender and then one replied "Only women off the calendar use that line darlin !"