Page 54 - Homestead By Ann Newhouse

I tipped my hat in reply. Liz showed us to a seat by the window, then came over to ask what we wanted. We, again, ordered two loaded breakfasts. The pile of pancakes, with syrup and crispy bacon. We ate in silence. Josh only paused from eating to give Liz the eye. I looked out of the window to pretend I was not aware of their flirting.
With our appetites satisfied, and enough coffee to last till evening, we left to do our chores. Josh promised we would come back later, and Liz smiled in approval. After a couple of hours shopping, we were done. As it was still early, we decided to go for a beer in the bar of the Hotel Rancho, one of the few places to stay in Truth. We sat on two high stools drinking our well-earned cool beer. We decided to have a second. I called the bar man, but I was interrupted by a rather boisterous elderly man. Although he had just arrived at the bar, he appeared to be drunk.
“Hey, get t. t. .me. . . a drink. . . s. . . s,” he spluttered.
“Sorry Bob, go home, you’ve had enough. Shelly will be on the warpath,” the barman warned.
“Ah Shelly. . . She, e. e . . .don’t love me, no more.” Bob wavered on the high stool.
The barman asked his young bar hand to take Bob home. He duly did, with a smile. It seemed to be a regular occurrence.
Josh decided to do a little shopping of his own and selected a couple of light weight shirts and two pairs of jeans from a general store in the main street. I got the impression he was planning to stock up for his forth coming dates with Liz. He also bought a bottle of expensive looking perfume. He seemed serious about her. My thoughts went back in the Homestead, especially about Sofie. I had never bought her a gift, so I also selected the same perfume for her, although I had no idea which perfumes or scents Sofie liked or disliked. Josh was delighted with his gift for Liz and suggested going back for a meal before setting out on our return journey.
This time the café was bursting with people. Liz was showing signs of stress as we entered, but gave us a wave when she spotted us, and pointed to a table in a corner by a door marked ‘Private’, which led into their staff room. Although it was a little too cosy for me and Josh’s long legs, we were glad to get seated. We ‘people watched’ as we waited. Amongst the hustle and bustle, I made Josh aware of the man snoring in a nearby corner booth. He seemed oblivious to all around, even the staff, which now consisted of an older woman, who entered from the door marked ‘Private’. Liz eventually came to take our order. Writing down our choices she smiled and asked if she could join us at the table, much to Josh’s delight.