She Penned my Dreams

Back to Reality

Katie

            “Katie! Hurry up, we’re gonna be late!” Kayla called from downstairs. I just kicked my door closed and continued to relax. I was lying on my back on the carpet of my bedroom, with my eyes shut and my hands under my head. I was thinking up a story.

            Just then, my door burst open and I saw Kayla standing in my doorway.

            “Get up and get dressed! We’re late!”

            “So, what? Fire me,” I taunted, smiling up at her. Kayla and I both worked at her western bar, called Square Toes, advertised as ‘the REAL country club.’ She owned the place with our long time family friend, Tony. Kayla had originally come out to D.C. to be a lawyer, after being accepted to Howard University’s law school. However, she quickly decided law wasn’t for her, and after Tony suggested the idea, they pooled their money and opened the club. It’s been a major success, and all us staff are like family now. It was so fun working there, I even put up with Kayla’s bitching and the sore feet, I still did it. It’s not like I needed the money, my books toke pretty good care of me, I just loved the atmosphere. It was like a little bit of home in the middle of the city.

            “Don’t tempt me,” Kayla warned, threatening to fire me for the thousandth time. She couldn’t, though, and we both knew it. Not on such short notice anyway. I was the entertainment. I sang and played with Tony. Mostly we just covered popular country songs, but on occasion we’d play something of our own. Tony was an extremely talented musician, and it was amazing to add my prose mind to his lyric one.

            I finally pulled myself together, getting up off the ground and crossing the room to my closet. I put on a pair of short cutoff jean shorts and a white v-neck t shirt, shoving my feet into my dark brown cowboy boots. I was half way out of my room before I paused. I turned back and switched boots, putting the light brown ones on instead. ‘These are the boots I met Spencer in,’ I thought to myself. ‘Maybe they’re good luck!’

            Kayla and I pulled up behind Spuare Toes around 7:30. Tony had been playing the set with just the band for a half hour now and one of the newer girls was stuck manning the bar. Management was hectic, but our patrons didn’t notice. They were all dancing, drinking and having a good time. As soon as we were spotted sneaking in through the back door, a wild cheer was raised as our faithful regulars recognized and greeted their favorite singer and barkeep. Most of the cheers were for Kayla, but I didn't mind. She'd always been the beautiful one, and i was fairly certain half the men here today were only here for the chance to hit on my sister. I wasn't often jealous of Kayla, though. I was pretty enough; I did just fine for myself. Although, I have to admit, I didn't like guys i was seeing meeting my sister. After they met her, it was like they always compared me to her. I was always second best after that. I frowned slightly as I considered what Spencer might think of my sister. Kayla noticed my frown and nudged me with her elbow, her eyes asking what was wrong. I just smiled and shook my head. I didn't have to worry about that right now, not here.

            I took a deep breath and immediately felt at home. Why does the smell of beer, smoke and sweat smell like home? I don’t know, it just does. I was in my element here. It’d been hard leaving my hometown in South Carolina for such a different life. I just wasn’t cut out for a small town, farming life. Don’t get me wrong, I am so proud of where I came from. But I just couldn’t bear the thought of waking up and doing the same thing everyday for the rest of my life. Comfortable, yes, but not exciting, nothing new, nothing challenging would happen. So I moved away, started a new life for myself, where I could do whatever and be whoever I wanted. But I still needed to feel at home sometimes, even in a big city like this. And Square Toes was the perfect place for me to be.