When I got into my apartment, I slowly walked through the dark kitchen. Alice was out on a call. I dropped off my purse and keys then grabbed a quick bite to eat. As I was leaving the kitchen, I saw a note on the edge of the counter. As I walked back to it, I made out my name. I picked up the note and started to read.
I'm really sorry Kathy. I tried to get a later flight but I was already booked in. I promise to call you every chance I get down here. I'll miss being with you every night.
Love you,
Stetson
I read it several times over, knowing that it was the closest thing I had of his right then. Dampened about today's events, I crawled into my bed. It felt empty without Stetson lying there next to me. I could only hope he felt the same.
The next day's routine wasn't any different. I got up and drove to the grounds. I worked at the open bar, watched the bull riding, and then worked at the rodeo office and chuck wagons. I drove home as soon as work was over and watched the Texas Rodeo I had pre-recorded earlier. Just as the bull riding event began, the recording ended. I checked our recordings and saw that our memory was full of Rookie Blue, Flashpoint, and some game shows me and Al would tape if we got bored. I deleted the rodeo recording then laid down in bed while I listened to music and caught up on some work. Tons of rodeo and chuck wagon contestants still hadn't given any banking info. It got frustrating as time went by.
It was nine o' clock when the phone rang. Alice was sleeping so I raced to find a phone.
"Hello?"
"Kathy, its Stetson." I could hear him smiling through the phone. "How was your night without me?" he laughed then sighed. "I could barely sleep."
"I couldn't sleep either. Now tell me about your ride today." I pushed him along. I got more excited as he released each word from his mouth.
"Well, I came second today. Not so bad."
"That's great! So how is it, now that you're back home?"
"Well, I wish I could've brought you, that's for sure. My folks want to meet you now. I've told them so much about you." I could hear people chattering in the background. He's probably having a small party down back home, I thought. I didn't bring it up though.
"That's great! Hey, I'm really tired. Can you call me earlier tomorrow?"
"Anything. Get your rest. Love ya."
"Love ya." We hung up. I set the phone on the floor beside my bed, turned off the lamp and fell asleep.
