The Challenge

My friend Margaret (post: "Meet Margaret Adkins," Jan. 30, 2011 ) ask a favor of me. I do love Margaret and her wish is my command! It was her turn to host the program for the senior group at her church. She wanted to read one of her stories but was afraid her voice couldn't be heard. So, she asked me to read a story she had written recalling an incident from her childhood. The story was called "Challenge for the Boys."

The challenge Margaret refers to concerned the rivalry between the girls and boys baseball teams when she was in school. Margaret and her sister Mildred were both on the girls team. They fought for time on the only ball field at the school with the boys team. Finally, the girls gave the boys a challenge: "play a game of baseball with us and who ever wins gets the practice field at recess."

The girls won. Margaret's sister hit the winning homer with the bases loaded. The boys grumbled but came away from their defeat with a new respect for the girls.

Margaret called me the morning of the meeting and said she timed the length of her story and it took only eight minutes to read. "The program should last fifteen minutes" She said. She asked if I would read a story or poem of mine and I told her I would find something. Before the program, I asked her if I could read a little story that had one possibly offensive word in it. Margaret's eyes twinkled as she said "That would be perfect!"

This was the story I read, and I remind you, Dear Readers, that my stories are creative non-fiction. That means: a seed of the truth, some dialog mixed in and a whole lot of "if it didn't happen that way, it sure should have!" (See Feb. 27 post called "Dead Skunks, Buzzards and Being Honest.")

Dolly and Me

It is bluegrass music night at the Spencer-Penn Centre. The lights dim and band after band play their set. Andy and I are listening as the band plays a Johnny Cash song. I start to drift off into a sleepy day dream state.

I have always wondered if I am "normal." People who know me might laugh and say "of course not!" Personality aside, I am talking about my flights of fancy. I take a ride every so often and really enjoy the trip.

Tonight as the band launches into "The Wreck of the Old 97," my eyes close and I drift away into a fantasy world.

I fantasize that a man walks through the door across the room. He walks up to Andy and me and whispers something to us, we rise and follow him out of the building and into the parking lot. We approach a big, fancy motor home and see a woman standing in the doorway. It is my best friend, Dolly Parton! We run to her, hug and jump up and down, so glad to see each other.

As we walk back into the auditorium with Dolly, the room explodes with applause. We are invited to the stage and Dolly agrees to sing with the band. I am her back up singer (Never mind that I have a terrible voice. This is MY fantasy, isn't it?) The audience screams and claps and we harmonize beautifully as we sing "Coat of Many Colors." Andy plays the guitar. The audience is on their feet. "Encore, Encore!" They cheer as we give them another song.

After the show we drive back to our house. Carl, Dolly's husband, is waiting for us. While Andy and Carl discuss cattle and the price of hay, Dolly and I reminisce about the past. We laugh about working together in the movie "9 to 5" (I played the Jane Fonda part.) I tease her about funny old Burt Reynolds flirting with her on the set of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (I played one of the Chicken Ranch girls.) Burt was always talking about Dolly's "obvious attributes!"

We try on old costumes and wigs, laugh and have a champagne toast to our friendship.

This is so cool! Dolly and I are best friends. Wow.

What? Hey, wait a minute. I feel a nudge. Huh?

I feel Andy touch my hand. He says something and I am jolted back to reality.

Dolly is gone! Carl, the fancy motor home, and my music career are just brief memories. Darn.

The band is picking an old Eagles song, "Peaceful Easy Feeling" while a few couples dance to the beat. After a Creedence Clearwater Revival tune done with a bluegrass twist, the band closes with a gospel song.

You never know what will happen at a bluegrass concert.