CABIN WITH A BALCONY

Day 2, Chapter 4

Judy Lane appreciated the beautiful flowers on the tables as she and Betty Lou, along with their “dates” for the evening walked into the low-lit dining room.  It seemed Judy appreciated a lot of things since Bull came along.

“Oh, look Fred, there are Betty Lou and Judy Lane…and they are with those two gentlemen we met today, Ed and what’s the other one? “

“Hmmmm? Oh, I see.  Don’t know Mae.  I’m sure you will find out though.” Fred replied, fussing with an appetizer.

“Wonder if we can get them to sit at our table….YOO HOO…”

Betty Lou said “Oh look Judy Lane, there’s Fred and Mae.  Should we go over there and sit?”

One look from Judy Lane was all Betty Lou needed to immediately point to a table for four and say “Oh, here’s a lovely table; look at the centerpiece!”  As they moved toward the table Mae was disappointed, saying to Fred, “darn, they must have missed us.”

The two couples settled in.  “Oh Bull, this is perfect” cooed Judy Lane.  Betty Lou could tell this was really something special since she had never heard Judy Lane speak to anyone in that tone; well, maybe to her dog.  While the cooing continued, Betty Lou looked sideways at her escort.  He seemed like a nice enough guy, and she thought it would be a good evening, that is, unless Robert is upset…oh pooh, she can explain it to him after the show.  They were to meet again at the Blue Room around 10:00 since Robert is off at 10:15.  Uh, oh…here comes Mae Walker

“Hi everyone…just wanted to say hello.  I tried to get your attention, but you probably didn’t hear me.”  Judy Lane smiled and started to make introductions, but Bull and Bud stood, shook hands with Fred and Mae, and Bull said “Oh, I think we met our first day out…plus didn’t we converse at the pool this afternoon?”

“Oh, yes,” Mae replied.  By her flitting eyes going from one couple to another, she was itching to find out more, much more.

After a few  pleasantries and unanswered questions, Mae, leading Fred, skittered away from the table.  “Wow, she sure gets around good for an older lady” observed Bull.  Several minutes passed while discussion surrounded grandparents, great grandparents, and getting older in general.  Everyone except Judy Lane had Diet Coke, (OMG, he will think I am a lush), dinner was served and Bull asked the girls about their careers.  Both ladies spent dinner expounding on work stories, not realizing that both Bull and Bud hardly uttered a word.  Bud, however, listened intently to Betty Lou’s stories.  She was a lovely gal, with personality to match.  Too bad she was meeting someone else after the show; he somehow wished he could hear her more.  She had such a way with words, he thought, especially the way she made Mae seem like just a sweet little old lady.  He chuckled to himself, thinking that Mae was nobody’s fool, but possibly could be a sweet little old lady.

After dinner, sitting in the balcony of the show was Judy Lane’s idea, and Bud could now understand why she wanted to sit way up; the acrobat extravaganza was comparable to a show he saw in Vegas, and they were tumbling from higher and higher heights.  He was keenly aware of Betty Lou’s perfume and her sweet southern voice emitting “Oohs” and “Ahhs” at the skills of the performers.  He settled in to watch the show, sometimes letting his mind wander.

“Bud”, what a nickname.  How many other people carry that, he wondered.  Born to a middle class family in Fort Wayne, Indiana 34 years ago this May 6, of 2014, he wondered why the rest of his siblings all had normal names; Sally, Robert, and Victor.  As the oldest, his name was Benjamin Reginald Yarburough, III.  The playground group had their own way of bringing him to common ground.  No way could they have called him Ben, or even Reggie.  Anyway, “Bud” stuck, and by the time he was a teen he liked the association with “Bud”weiser.

His siblings also had normal careers.  From Nurse, to CPA to Banker, they followed the norms.  Father was and is a stockbroker who has done very well, even with the ups and downs of the market since ’87.  None of that ordinary work would do for Bud.  No, he wanted excitement, and he wanted to really make a difference in the world.  Watching what happened to his best friend sealed his decision.  Friend Arthur was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy.  Always friendly, always wanting to help others.  When Arthur started seeing a gal who had some, shall we say, undesirable friends, it was like watching a train wreck.  Bud tried to get Arthur to see, but he was too in love to see, and only wanted to please her.  Actually, so much so, that he died for her…of a drug overdose at the tender age of 20.

It was then Bud decided the DEA was where he wanted to be.  He would like to think that he has, indeed, made a difference.  But no matter how much he might pat himself on the back, he will always regret not having saved Arthur.  He replays that time in his life often, wondering what he could have said or done differently.

Betty Lou grabbed his arm and said “Wow, did you see that?”

“Oh,yes, that was something wasn’t it?”  Bud smilingly replied as Betty Lou’s sparkling eyes had already returned to focus on the entertainment.