Red’s Hot Honky-Tonk Bar Read Free

sometimes be caughtletting her guard down, remembering long-ago times in a distant farmhouse near the town of Piney Woods. She almost allowed herself that memory, then she jerked herself back into the present with a start. She didn’t want to look back. She refused to remember.
    Instead, she sipped her coffee and speculated on the future, dismissing all rumors of change for the area. She foresaw the years ahead as not much different than here and now. She’d continue keeping her customers coming in. The younger bands would bring in younger patrons, and once they got accustomed to the place, they would gradually take their parents’ places in the booths and at the bar. Her absentee landlord had surprised her last year with a new lease at a higher price. She had put him off, refusing to sign anything and paying month to month. She was determined to extract some repairs for the higher price. The place looked okay at night, but in daytime, the building seemed neglected and almost sad. She really wanted to paint the exterior. How much could that cost him? Maybe they’d find a compromise. If he just bought the paint, she could get Cam to do the labor. It was her experience that musicians were always excellent and experienced housepainters. Of course, she didn’t know how long Cam would be around. But if she got the paint, a man couldn’t leave in the middle of a paint job, could he? Especially not a guy who played the fiddle.
    Red was still pondering this question when her cell went off again. She straightened her legs in order to pull the phone out of her jeans pocket. It was the same strange number that had called before. With a sigh, she decided that they’d never stop calling until she told them she wasn’t interested.
    “Hello,” she said.
    “God, I thought you were never going to pick up,” afamiliar voice on the other end of the line blurted out. “Hey, Red, it’s me.”
    Immediately she sat up straight in her chair. “Bridge?” Just saying the name aloud gave her a strange buoyant feeling. “Are you back in town?”
    “No, I’m calling from Kabul,” she answered. “I don’t expect to be back until Christmas. I told you that.”
    “Yeah, yeah, you did,” Red agreed. “I just…I guess I just didn’t expect to hear from you. Are you all right?”
    “Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied. “But Mike’s mother isn’t. That’s why I called. She had a stroke last night.”
    “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. Is she going to be okay?”
    “She’s pretty bad off,” Bridge said. “But she’s hanging in there. The report I got is that, assuming they get her stabilized, they’ll move her to a rehab facility for several weeks. They say you can’t tell at first who is really going to benefit from therapy and who isn’t. She’s pretty strong and only sixty-six, but, of course, her diabetes is a big complication.”
    “Is Mike with her?”
    “Mike’s in Korea, remember that?” She sounded half-annoyed that Red might not be keeping up.
    “Oh yeah, of course I remember.”
    “He’s working on getting a week of compassionate leave, but it may be a few days before he gets a hop to San Antonio.”
    “Well, do you want me to go by and see her?” Red asked. “I’m not exactly a friend, but I could sure put the fear of God in the nurses if it’s needed.”
    “That would be nice, Red,” Bridge answered. “But what I really need for you to do is take the kids.”
    “Take the kids?” She repeated the words as if their meaning was unclear. “Take them where?”
    “Mike’s mom can’t really move or speak. She may fullyrecover, but it’ll be a long time before she can even care for herself, much less my two kids.”
    “Who has them now?”
    “They’re in the Family Services office at Fort Sam. I talked to Olivia about an hour ago. She and Daniel are pretty scared, but you know they’re like me, tough inside and out. Family Services can’t offer much in the way of temporary care for kids that age.