the pawn store sign

The lone picture from Saturday night, the pawn store sign, it came up when there a certain song playing, “Are you sure Hank done it this a–way?” Worked all day yesterday, piled into the truck and pointed it back east towards Austin and home. Before we left Midland, though, the Virgo driver suggested food, “Kramer, what was your idea?” We had just been discussing several fast food alternatives, so I piped in, “Drive–thru, just up there, McDo—” Whap! I got hit on the head, two strikes from the Scorpio sitting behind me. A few minutes later, a Dairy Queen comes into view, while I’m nursing a sore spot on my head [she connected successfully with that tiny metal button on the top of the hat I was wearing — real pain]. The Virgo driver asks, “Girls, didn’t you want a blizzard or something?” They both replied enthusiastically, “Sure!” No Mcsomething, but DQ is all right? No Circle K/Stop-n-Go/7-11 chili dogs, but a foot long at DQ is okay? I don’t get it. A little later, the sage Virgo driver suggested this tip: guys, don’t get them those big, diamond rings until the “little woman” is over the hitting portion of a relationship. The pain in my head was gone as we skirted the edge of the storm all night long, a short 300+ miles home. The lightening lit up the night’s sky, Mercury just barely visible on the horizon after sunset, the ominous thunderheads off in the distance. The wheels whining on the pavement. The West Texas highways turned into the low hills of Central Texas. In the wan light of the sunset, the harsh desert was so beautiful, still lush from its biannual rain. Looks like it will be a hot summer.