With the long summer days Tulsa had many rodeo events. The biggest was the Rodeo Cowboys Association National Championship that came to town late in the summer. Mary Lynn and Casey were self-proclaimed cowgirls and they invited me to go with them for the weekend. The rodeo was a three-day competition and Mary Lynn had received free passes from a friend for all of the events. I didn't have to beg Darry much to let me go. He liked Casey and trusted her mom to look after me. Darry's biggest problem was that he didn't have a lot of extra money for me to take to buy food and drinks. I told him not to worry because I had a little money saved up in my room.
The three of us girls headed out to the rodeo late Friday afternoon. Mary Lynn and Casey dressed like twins and looked like the perfect cowgirls in tight blue jeans, a large ladylike belt buckle, cowboy boots and a hat to match. I lacked a few essential items like the cowboy boots, hat, belt buckle and tight jeans. So instead I wore cut off jean shorts, my tennis shoes and a button up white t-shirt, which I had tucked in when I left the house, but tied the shirttails in a knot above my waist once I got into the car.
When we arrived Mary Lynn met up with a group of her friends and told us we were on our own. Then the group of cowgirls went off in search of some real cowboys. Casey looked over at me with a wicked smile across her face. "Come on Scout. Let's go find us a few cowboys ourselves."
I grinned and followed after her. This was a national championship rodeo and all the famous riders were there. The event also had the junior rodeo champions so the fairgrounds were littered with teenagers too. Casey easily found her way to the junior bull riding ring and we found a few seats in the bleachers where we could easily see the young cowboys sitting around wasting time before their rides. I sat in the stands and watched the competition while Casey watched the boys. "Oh Scout just look at'em all. Aint they cute?" I just smiled as she rambled on. "I'm gonna get me a good looking one for the weekend and I'm gonna find a real nice one for you too!"
"Casey what are you talking about?"
Casey looked down at me. "I'm talking about cowboys! Aint you ever dated a cowboy before?"
I thought about the question. I had only dated one boy and that was James, and I was pretty sure he wasn't a cowboy. "No, I just turned fourteen!"
"Oh girl!" Casey drawled and rubbed her hands together with excitement. "You aint lived till you spent the weekend with a group of traveling cowboys. Plus we got to find us some cool dates because tomorrow is the Under the Stars rodeo dance. Come on." Casey stood up and grabbed my hand. We walked over to an area that was fenced off and a hanging sign read 'bull riders only'. "Ok if anyone asks you're sixteen." With that Casey climbed up on a cattle gate, stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled at the boys who were practicing rope tricks and sitting around with their hats tipped low over their eyes. "Any of you boys looking to meet up with a local for the weekend?" Then Casey flashed her charming smile.
A handful of boys walked over to the gate to greet her. One tall dark haired boy in a red cowboy shirt answered her call. "Well there darlin' if you're a local I'd be mighty happy to meet up with you!"
"I am," Casey drawled and giggled at the same time. "This here is my friend Scout. She's a local but she don't know much about rodeos… think ya'll can teach us all ya know?"
"Scout?" Another boy with a face full of freckles laughed. "What kind of Scout is ya? Boy Scout or Girl Scout?" Then he and a few others laughed. For a second I worried about being teased then I thought about Two-Bit, no one could ever tease him because he found everything funny. I wasn't going to let a little comment ruin my afternoon.
In a flash I answered back. "Well with a face like yours you'll never get close enough to find out." I grinned and jumped up on the gate with Casey. The cowboys laughed and made fun of the boy, whose name turned out to be Ralph.
"Well I kind of like the name Scout." A boy drawled from the back of the group. He walked forward and smiled at me. He had a sun kissed face and ocean blue eyes. "My name's Danny Percell and me and my friend Tom Tucker here would be happy to show you two around the rodeo for the weekend." Danny looked over at the tall dark and handsome boy who had first approached Casey. "Wouldn't we Tuck?"
"Absolutely!" Tom tipped his hat and the two of them scampered over the gate to be by our sides. "So how old are you girls?"
"We're sixteen," Casey answered assuredly. "How bout ya'll?"
"Danny there is sixteen and I'm seventeen." Tom through his arm around Casey's shoulder and she soaked up the attention. "So ya'll got last names?"
"Sure we do!" Casey answered.
Danny laughed at her and looked down at me. "Well what are they?" He was so close to me that I was too nervous to speak.
Casey was good at talking and she spoke up. "She's Curtis and I'm Dobbins."
Tuck stopped and turned toward her seemly star struck. "You're Casey Dobbins? Daughter of Duke Dobbins the bull riding champion on the New Mexico circuit?"
She smiled big and proud. "The one and only!"
Tuck stood with pride. "Awe baby! This is going to be a good weekend!" Then he let out a big yee haw!
I couldn't help but laugh and look over at Danny. "So what are you two going to teach us about the rodeo?"
"Well, how bout roping?" Danny grabbed a curl of rope off a fence post and twirled it above my head. Before I could be impressed he let he rope fall around me and he gave it a quick tug. The rope gathered up tight around me pinching my arms to my body.
Tuck let out an 'Awe Haw' and added. "Then we better teach you something about kissing a cowboy."
I think I blushed at the words, I know I blushed when Tuck took Casey in his arms and kissed her. I turned away so I wasn't staring and I felt a tug at the rope. I stepped close to Danny and could fell the warmth of his body next to mine as he removed his hat and kissed me too. For a brief second I felt my knees go weak. We parted and I looked into his charming eyes and I think I fell in love. At least it felt like love, but I needed to check again so I moved my face close to his and we kissed again while he loosened up the rope and let it fall to the ground.
Tuck and Casey were watching and my friend yelled out. "Come on you two! Save some for later, we got a whole 'nother day!"
Her comment made me laugh and we broke our kiss. The four of us headed back to the bleachers to watch the competition. Even though I knew a lot about rodeos I played dumb and let Danny explain everything to me. We sat together on the wooden bench and talked about the competition. When Casey and Tucker headed to the concession stand for cokes I asked Danny who Duke Dobbins was.
"Ol'Duke's one of the best bull riders in all the southwest." Danny said as he tipped the brim of his cowboy hat up. "Or at least he was till he got kicked out of most of the major circuits."
"Kicked out?" I asked, "What did he do to get kicked out?"
"Darlin' he did the sin of all sins at a rodeo." Danny drawled and looked at me with his trusting blue eyes. "He thought another rider was sleeping around with his wife so he lost his temper and killed one of the man's horses. Duke went to jail for awhile and the R.C.A. fined him and banned him from most major competitions. From what I understand the circuit don't let Duke ride no more neither."
I sat there with my mouth dropped open. "Do you think it was true? I mean that Duke's wife was sleeping around with other men?"
"Shoot!" Danny Percell smiled and his face lit up. "Duke was one to talk, he slept with more cowgirls on the side then he rode bulls… and he's rode a lot of bulls!"
Danny never did answer if he thought the affair was true, I guess it didn't matter. Casey and Tuck returned with Cokes for everyone and Danny and I continued to talk about his life. I learned he was from Montana and his dad was a well known cowboy, Jack Percell. Danny had just stared bull riding in competitions a few years ago and he didn't do too bad.
Tuck heard Danny's comment and remarked. "Scout what he should have told you was he doesn't do to good!" I laughed. I didn't care, if he was good at bull riding or not, I just cared that I met him. He was so sweet and different than anyone I ever remember meeting in Tulsa.
When it was the boy's turn to ride Casey and I sat on the bench and watched our new friends get thrown to and fro on the back of the giant angry animal. Danny went before Tuck and his ride was impressive to me, but his time was short, 6.2 seconds. Tom Tucker rode next and he stayed on for seven seconds and was leading the competition. I had to laugh at Casey as she yelled out to the crowd "That's my man!"
I thought about how easily she allowed herself to become immediately attached to a guy and nonchalantly she would let them go in just a day. Several times she had tried to convince me to be more like her. She said I needed to have fun with guys and that dating for a short time was better than any long-term commitment. In fact she often equated dating to going to the ice cream store. She didn't think you could eat the same flavor every day because you would grow tired of it to quickly. She preferred sampling and she wanted me to sample too. I don't know if it was just my age or the romantic notion of having a life like my parents, but I didn't want to sample. I just wanted a prince charming to ride out of a book and be perfect for me.
After watching the boys ride a second time the four of us headed to a food stand to get some dinner. I thought about the money in my pocket and decided I would leave it there and just eat when I got home. The other three had plenty of money to spend and they loaded their trays up with food and joined me at a picnic table illuminated by the setting sun.
Danny took a drink of his soda to wash away the food he had eaten. "Scout aint you gonna eat anything?"
"No, I'm not hungry." My stomach rumbled loudly unveiling my lie.
"You sure sound hungry." Tucker said as he shoved some french fries into his mouth.
Casey looked over at me. "Did you bring any money with you?"
"Yeah, I just … I'll just eat when I get home."
Tuck yelled out, "Well darling you are with us and you won't be home for hours so go get something to eat."
Casey smiled and leaned on her boyfriend of the moment. "Scout here hasn't had a good go around of things this year. She lost both parents in a car accident and she lives with her older brothers now." I looked over at her as she continued to ramble the way she often does. "They don't have a lot of money, but they are really great folks!"
Danny looked over at me and spoke with concern. "Well now darling you didn't tell me that." Then he hoped up from his seat and went to the concessions window and returned with a cheeseburger, fries and a coke for me. "Here you go! Bon appetite!"
"Thanks Danny." I said with a little guilt because I didn't spend my money on my own dinner. Truth was I didn't have enough money to eat all weekend so I had to be choosy about when I spent my money.
Danny wrapped his arm around me. "Your welcome sweetheart. It just isn't fair your parents being gone and all, it's the least I could do."
The food was good and it filled an empty spot in my belly. As night fell we walked with the boys to a campsite set up behind the fairgrounds. There were some campers there but most of the young boys were set up in tents in one of the hay fields. The site was full of young cowboys and cowgirls all hanging out together, drinking, laughing and playing cards. The four of us joined the group of kids chatting around a bonfire. I looked around, but didn't recognize anyone. I didn't actively join the conversation like Casey did, she was a whiz when it came to socializing. Instead Danny and I shared a conversation between us.
"I love how bright the stars are in the country." I tilted my head way back to look into the sky. "In the city the stars are never bright enough with all the lights."
Danny looked over at me, "hey you want to go for a walk?"
"Sure, where too?"
"I don't know, just away from here." Danny said and he stood up and pulled me to my feet. We walked past Tucker and Casey and Tuck gave his friend two bottles of beer. I told Danny I didn't drink and Casey was happy to have my share.
The two of us walked off into the darkness of the hayfield a few hundred yards from the tents and other kids. "So …" Danny started conversation as we strolled. "How did your parents die? If you don't mind me asking."
"They were killed together in a car accident." I shared the story with him and he took my hand. His skin was warm and his hands were calloused from riding in the rodeo all summer. "Their car slid on some ice and collided with a train."
"Oh wow…." Danny said stunned. "So you live with your brothers?"
"Yeah," I was not well versed in keeping a conversation going.
"How many brothers you got?" Danny stopped and we laid down together in the green hay and looked up at the starry sky.
"Three. Darry is the oldest, he's twenty. Then there's my sixteen year old brother Sodapop, and yes that is his real name." I looked over at Danny laughing. "If you think that is a weird one my twin brother's name is Ponyboy."
"Ponyboy? Yeah that is a different name." Danny smiled at me and thought about my family. "You said you're a twin huh?"
"Yeah." I said not realizing I had blown the fake identity Casey had set up for me.
Danny rolled to his side, propped his body up on his elbow and looked down at me. "Well, correct me if I am wrong, but if your older brother is sixteen I bet you're not."
I looked at him in the dark and bit my lip then told him the truth. "Yeah the age thing was Casey's idea. I'm really fourteen and a half."
"Fourteen! Oh darlin' you really stretched the truth!" Danny laughed and fell back on his back to stare into the night sky.
I defended myself. "I didn't stretch the truth at all! You just made the mistake of believing Casey. I never said I was sixteen." I laughed.
"Well that's true." Danny looked over at me and grabbed my hand. "If you are only fourteen I bet you are past your bedtime by now."
"Maybe I am." I smiled and dared to be reckless. "It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you." Then Danny rolled over and kissed me sending sensations through my body that asked me to kiss him more, so I did. His kisses were warm and smooth, and he was respectful of me. His hands never dared to stray anywhere I didn't want them too. Danny Percell was a real gentleman, and I love being able to trust him.
"So will you accompany me to the dance tomorrow night?"
I looked up at his eyes that were shining like the moon. "You bet I will! I know Casey and I were planning on coming back here tomorrow." Then I laughed. "That is if I get home in time for curfew."
"Well what time is that?" Danny strained to see the time on his watch.
"Midnight."
"Darlin' we best be getting you home then, because I definitely want to see you tomorrow!" Danny and I strolled back to the bonfire together hand in hand. When we got there Casey was nowhere to be found. A few of the other cowboys said her and Tuck headed off to do a little 'bronc riding' and we knew what they meant. I started to get antsy about getting home on time so Danny offered to drive me home.
We headed to another section of the fairgrounds where his dad had the horse trailer and camper. While we walked I wondered what it was like, sex that is. I wondered if I was missing out by not seizing the moment like Casey. Then I thought about Mary Lynn pregnant at my age and I decided again that I wasn't missing anything I couldn't wait for.
Danny talked about his father's habit of heavy drinking and bar fights. We were lucky that his dad didn't take the pickup truck out to the nearest honky tonk bar so Danny drove me home. I sat next to him in the cab and he kept his arm around me tight. When we arrived at my house the cowboy held the truck door open for me and walked me to the front door.
Seeing that I wasn't with Mary Lynn or Casey, Darry flew to the front door to find out what was going on. Before my brother could yell or ask questions Danny used his charming manners and introduced himself. He said it was a real pleasure to meet him and he was looking forward to seeing me again in the morning. Then in front of Darry he kissed me goodbye, on the cheek of course. I watched him drive away and sighed. I couldn't wait for the morning.
Note: The Character of Danny Percell is not mine. I have borrowed him from a television show called Tour of Duty. Danny's physical description is based on the actor who portrayed Danny Percell (Tony Becker). Percell's background and family life are also creations of the show Tour of Duty.
