Thanks to my reviewer:
WireWriter
I'm pretending that because I updated so fast you all are speechless…right? You all should get used to it though…that way you all can review as I update more! And I seriously just heard this song and got this idea for a story…warning, it might be a little mushy(and it REALLY shows my country roots)…but that happens sometimes…also this fallows the idea from the 70s show that Joe is a good singer…And I am NOT condoning over use of alcohol, got it folks?
Time Period: Early 2000s
Ages: Frank and Nancy- 22, Joe- 21
Hartley's Bar
Dalhart, Texas
Population: 2,199
The bar was pretty quiet. Besides the bar tender, there were a couple of guys in a booth, a drunk asleep on the bar, a pretty girl in the corner by herself, and three old men trading stories softly at their usual center table.
It was supposed to be karaoke night…maybe that's why nobody had braved the rain. In the dim room, the seven people sat, each one in a world all his own…or her own as the case might be.
The girl in the corner looked out across the empty room, praying for a distraction.
The two boys looked at each other, then back at their drinks, each thinking about what a bad idea this was, dragging the other out to a bar to get drunk and have a little fun.
The old men smiled fondly at the memories being passed around the table.
The drunk snored.
The bartender wiped the same spot on the bar and cursed the weather for knowing out the TV signal, leaving only the locale channel that was playing Pure Country for the third time this week. Everybody loves George Strait, but a body can only take so much of that movie. He sighed and announced in a tired voice, "It is karaoke night folks, so if any of y'all want to fire up the machine…" he waved a and in the machine's direction and shrugged, then went back to wiping the bar down.
"I'll sing," One of the guys announced standing up, "And I'm taking requests."
The bartender smiled, "Go right ahead boy."
The old men stopped talking and exchanged glances.
The drunk hiccupped but went back to sleep.
The other guys grinned slowly and took another sip of his stale beer, instantly wishing he hadn't.
The girl stood up, "I have a request; I want to sing with you."
The guy ginned, flipping his blonde hair out of his eyes, "Alright."
The two walked up to the karaoke machine, flipped it on, and picked the list of songs. They read in silence, one thinking that he knew zero of these songs, the other thinking she wanted this song, to heck with trying to be happy.
"How about this one?" She asked, pointing to one near the end of the list.
"I don't know it," he shrugged.
She flipped a few pages into the book and handed it to him. Across the top of the page read the name of the song, "The lyrics…do you mind if we do it? It's a good, sad drinking song."
"Perfect for a night like tonight, right?" He smiled.
She nodded, "You have no idea."
She turned away without waiting for a reply, clicking the karaoke machine until she came to the right song. She picked up the two mikes and after handing one to her partner, sat down on a tall stool.
The song started out with a soft, slow guitar, then the male vocalist began. The guy read the words and sang along the best he could, the girl joining in around halfway thought:
She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette
She broke his heart he spent his whole life tryin' to forget
We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time
But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind
Until the night
He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away her memory
Life is short but this time it was bigger
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees
We found him with his face down in the pillow
With a note that said I'll love her till I die
And when we buried him beneath the willow
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby
Lalalalalalalalalalalalalala
When it was her turn, she slowly stood up, fingering the cord attached to the mike, singing for a tangible reason that every single person in the bar felt, even the half asleep drunk,
The rumors flew but nobody know how much she blamed herself
For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath
She finally drank her pain away a little at a time
But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind
Until the night
She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away his memory
Life is short but this time it was bigger
Than the strength she had to get up off her knees
We found her with her face down in the pillow
Clinging to his picture for dear life
We laid her next to him beneath the willow
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby
Lalalalalalalalalalalalalala
Lalalalalalalalalalalalalala
When they finished, the entire room was dead silent, but just for a moment. Then the clapping began. Even the drunk attempted a standing ovation, calling out for them to sing again.
The girl shook her head, downing the last of her drink, "I can't, I should get going."
"You are very lucky I am a sleepy drunk, otherwise I might get mad," the drunk said as he fell back onto his stool.
"Can't you just stay for one more drink, I'm buying?" her partner pleaded.
She sighed, "I'm driving, I really shouldn't."
"Just a shot?" The guy pleaded again.
She rolled her eyes, "Coke, please," she called out to the bartender.
She plopped next to her partner in the sticky booth, facing the other guy, the brown haired, brown eyed one. She smiled a thanks at the bartender as he delivered her Coke, but when she tried to pay him he replied with a shake of his head, "It's on the house."
She thanked him again and turned to face her booth mates. They looked a lot alike (besides the hair and eye color), they had the same nose, the same way of holding their head, the same chin.
"That was amazing," the brown hair guy stated in awe.
She started to say thanks, but was cut off the other guy, "I know," he stated matter-of-factly.
"I wasn't talking to you."
She giggled for the first time in days.
"But you have to admit I was pretty darn awesome."
"And oh so modest," the guy rolled his eyes, "I'm Frank Hardy by the way, the clown is my brother Joe."
She smiled again, secretly happy that her observations had been correct, "My name is Nancy Drew, it's great to meet you both," she paused and took a sip of her Coke, "I'm assuming by your accents that you're not from around here."
"New York," Frank supplied, "How about you?"
"Illinois."
"What brings a beautiful gal to a place like this?" Joe whispered as he pointed to the somewhat rundown bar behind them.
"Work," she laughed.
"What do you do…if you don't mind my asking that is?" Frank asked, slightly flustered.
"Frank, you totally suck at being nosey," Joe laughed.
Maybe it was the small amount of alcohol that she had consumed, maybe it was the Hardys' aura, maybe their faces…but whatever the reason, she found herself spilling her guts out to them, "I'm a private investigator."
"No freakin' way. We are too!" Joe exclaimed, slapping the table top.
She looked at Frank for confirmation, "Yeah, for once he's telling the truth. Did someone down here hire you?"
Nancy took another sip of her Coke, then leaned in, "I trust you guys…which is probably pretty dumb since I've know you for what, fifteen minutes…but I really need a fresh eye on this…It all started about three months ago when I got this call from my boyfriend…"
CLIFFY! MUHAHAHA!
I am feeling rather evil. The song is Whiskey Lullbuy by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss…if you listen to it while you read, it really sets the tone…I was listening the whole time…the funny thing about writing for me is that I write better with lots of distractions…I cannot write when it's quiet!
Review please lovies!
~Striker