Just Once: The Ford County Sociable Story
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, they belong to CBS, VIACOM or some other big gafloey that don't know what to do with them.
He was going to make it this year, he had to. Though it was beginning to seem to Kitty Russell that after knowing him for the past four years that United States Marshal Matt Dillon seemed to always have something come up before the one big social event of the year in Dodge. The one special social event that Kitty always looked forward to going to with him, only to be gravely disappointed when something came up that took him to Topeka, Hays, Wichita or some other far of place. Why there were times when it could be perfectly quiet in Dodge for the whole week leading up to the social and then BAM, the dreaded telegram, gunslinger or other catastrophe would arrive and she would watch Matt pack up his things and ride away.
Kitty opened her closet and looked at the four dresses that hung there, four different dresses that she had had specially made for the sociable, four dresses that had never been worn outside the dressmakers fitting room. Those four dresses represented a lot of heart ache to Kitty but this year was going to be different, it had to be. He had to make it, just once. Just once he had to be there to escort her in, just once he had to be there to dance with her, just once.
Matt was going to be there this year, he had even taken the day off to ensure it. Why that had never occurred to him before he wasn't real sure but this year he wasn't going to add to that already lengthy list of disappointments that he knew Kitty had where he was concerned. He was feeling so confident about the fact that he would be there that he had even went to the length of going over to Jonas's store and buying a new white dress shirt and coat--both things that he knew Kitty would approve of highly.
The day of the sociable dawned bright and beautiful and as Matt prepared to sneak back down the Long Branch's back stairs he smiled to himself. The day was here and so far so good, nothing bad had happened yet.
He kissed Kitty's bare shoulder as was his ritual before moving on to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "Morning." He said softly.
The red head rolled over and threw an arm over her eyes. "Someday Matt, I'm going to teach you to sleep until a decent hour."
Matt chuckled. "And someday I'm going to get you up early enough to show you the wonders of the early morning." It was the same thing they said to each other each morning that he was there with her, which had been plenty as he hadn't been sent out of town in almost two weeks. He kissed her lips again and then said, "I'll see you later Kitty, for coffee."
Her voice came out mumbled, "Alright cowboy."
Stepping down the back steps of the Long Branch, Matt took a deep breath. He always enjoyed this time of day, the air was fresh and cool and it made a man forget that later in the day the air again would reek of stale dishpan water that had been thrown out, privies, horse manure and people living in close proximity.
Walking to the jail he quickly made his way inside where he started the stove and put on the coffee before Chester woke up. He liked Chester, he didn't like Chester's coffee. That chore done he sat down at his desk and began to go through the wanted circulars there, as was his habit. You never knew when a wanted man was going to show up.
Matt had been busy with going through circulars and paperwork for almost an hour when Chester woke up and came wandering over in his long underwear. "Oh it's you Mister Dillon." His assistant observed.
"Well of course it's me Chester, who'd you think it would be?" was Matt's reply.
"Well it's just that I didn't hear ya come in last night and I didn't hear ya get up this morning." Chester said. It wasn't that he didn't know where Mister Dillon went each night that he was in town but he wanted to make sure Mister Dillon didn't know that he knew. Moving back to his own cot, Chester said, "So tonight's the big Sociable Mister Dillon, are you goin'? Cause you know it ain't right for the Marshal to not be present and you have missed the past four years runnin'."
Matt tried to interrupt Chester. "I'm goin' Chester. I even bought a new white shirt and coat for the event."
Chester however had just kept talking. "Ya know you should escort Miss Kitty, Mister Dillon. I know that ole Doc don't mind takin' her but it just ain't right for a young, pretty girl to have to go with an old timer like Doc."
Again Matt tried to interrupt his friend. "I am goin', with Miss Kitty."
Chester suddenly hearing Matt, stopped where he was in buttoning his shirt. "You're goin'? You don't think you'll get called outta town?"
"I'm plannin' too and if I got called out of town now, I'd be surprised. It's been pretty quiet around here the last few weeks."
Chester studied on Matt's words for a moment before he said, "That's fine Mister Dillon, just fine."