As Uncle Bob and Blaine move inside. There are girls sitting on the right taking the cover of the charge.
"Five dollars." One of the girls said.
"I got it." Uncle Bob takes out his money and pays for Blaine.
Blaine grins and nods. Bouncers at the door. He looks into the room. He is amazed. The place was huge, the biggest honky-tonk in the world, as big as the MGM Grand Hotel or St. Patrick's Cathedral. It has about forty pool tables, which makes it roughly equal to forty bars under one roof. On a busy night, this capital of the urban-cowboy culture has a population greater than most state capitals had during the heyday of the Old West. It is crowded tonight. impressed once again.
"Jesus Christ" As Blaine continues to look around.
"This is the place, Blaine. Biggest honky-tonk in the world. Three-and- a-half acres of concrete prairie." They move into the bar. Blaine is truly impressed.
"Shit, the place is bigger'n my whole home town"
"Sure is, they've had as many as seven thousand at one time in here" Blaine looks at the cowboy and cowgirls. Uncle Bob moves up and buys some beers. He turns and hands them to Blaine.
"I've never seen anything like this! Damn!"
As they move down to the front along the side of the dance 23 floor. Blaine stares at the dancing. Texas two-step. Blaine loves it. He grins at Uncle Bob. They move down to the crowd that stands and sits listening to Mickey Gilley sing.
"That's Mickey Gilley himself, he owns this place with Sherwood Cryer"
At the piano playing great, as Mickey Gilley does. He sings lookin' for love.
looking up, listening, moving to the music, looking around, grinning at the boys.
Well, I've spent a lifetime lookin' for you;
singles bars and good time lovers were never true.
Playin' a fools game hopin' to win;
and tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again.
I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places,
Lookin' for love in too many faces,
searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces
of what I'm dreamin' of.
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover;
I'll bless the day I discover
another heart lookin' for love.
And I was alone then, no love in sight;
and I did ev'rything I could to get me though the night.
Blaine is enjoying himself tremendously. He drinks. Uncle Bob is smiling, pleased to make him so happy. Several people started speak to Uncle Bob. Blaine looks out onto the dance floor and what he sees takes his breath away.
His eyes landed upon the most gorgeous man he had ever seen, he had the most creamy white skin which was spot free, with long eyelashes, soft brown hair which were perfectly styled and pink lips. He looks over and sees Blaine grining.
"Oh, my gosh" he whispers to him but loud enough for his uncle bob to here.
"What?"
"I just fell in love."
Uncle Bob looks up and over. "I'd be careful if I was you these cowboys are mean as hell"
The song finishes. Gilley goes right into another one after the applause. Blaine whistles through his fingers, looking over at the mysterious boy. Uncle Bob spots someone he knows and motions to the person over.
"Blaine, like you to meet Sam Jones.Sam, this here's Blaine. My nephew from Spur. Sam works here at Gilley's."
"Glad to know you, Blaine." They shake hands. Sam is in his thirties and is dressed all in black.
Winking "He just got in town, tonight's his first night, take care of him, Sam."
"Hey, boys!. Come over here! I want
you to meet somebody! What are you
drinking, Blaine?"
His eyes closed, passed out. He opens his eyes. Cans of beer, bottles everywhere. The radio is on. 'Cowboy Church' program. Blaine's lying on a bed with a terrible hang-over. He is stunned to find two guys in the bed with him. He looks over and sees a drunk cowboy lying passed out nearby.
"Where am I? What happened?"
John, a very beautiful guy, is making coffee. Sam Jones sits at the kitchen table sipping a beer. Blaine moves
into the doorway with his pants in his hand.
"Hi, Blaine 'morning' " Blaine is pulling on his pants, staggering around, falling against the door jam. John looks down appreciatively.
"Where'd you learn to do all that?"
"Where's my pickup? The thing's brand new." Blaine said ignoring the boys comment.
Aunt Corene is on the phone. Uncle Bob is reading the Sunday paper. The TV is on. A religious program. Willie and Lou Sue are in the house.
"No, Ethel, you can't talk to your
little boy just now. Because he ain't
here. Must still be at church." She looks at Uncle Bob who raises his eyes to the heavens. There is the sound of Blaine's truck arriving.
"Wait a minute, I think he just
drove up."
Blaine drives up. He gets out of the car in pain with his hang-over and heads for the house. Willie fires at him, but Blaine is in no condition to play dead now.
Blaine moves inside. Uncle Bob stares at him and grins.
"Get out the alka-seltzer! Get out of here with that gun Willie! Where you been, Blaine ?"
"I don't know. I don't remember anything."
Corene covers the phone "It's your mamma. I told her you went to church."
taking receiver Blaine took the phone "Hi, Mamma -- what? No, I'm fine. What? What? No, I don't have a job yet. I just got here yesterday. I'm going to the plant tomorrow morning. Yes mama --"
Blaine opens the door, moves inside and sinks down across one of the twin beds. Aunt Corene appears with a bottle of beer.
"This works better for me than alki selser. you going to live?"
"I hope so" he grins "so I can do it all again"
Plants as far as the eye can see. Blaine and Uncle Bob arrive in the parking lot. They get out and move toward the administration building.
"Sure does stink" Blaine scrunched up his nose.
"The pay don't. Come on, I'll introduce you to the boss, sure you feel all right?"
"I'm recovered." He says and his eyes wonders of to a boy in a hard hat.
