Read Whirlwind Love: Libby's Journey for Free Online Page B

‘em coming.”
    Libby turned to face the waitress with a puzzled look. The waitress bobbed her head in the direction of the brothers, raised an eyebrow and smiled. Libby turned to speak into her ear, “How about a ginger ale?” she smiled. The waitress nodded and disappeared.
    Libby turned her attention back to the music and to shooting pictures. She moved around the crowd trying different angles and shooting faces in the crowd. She only occasionally used the flash so as not to be annoying. She enjoyed being an observer. She watched Joe work the crowd, playing to the audience. He didn’t look anything like the angry man she’d seen on the phone earlier that day.
    Just as Joe finished a song, the sound of a gunshot was heard loudly over the adoration of the crowd. Libby looked around the room for the source.
    “Uh oh...y’all know what that means!” Joe enthusiastically called to the audience. The energy level of the audience magnified as waitresses entered with trays of shots.
    “Somebody’s called us out!” Joe looked back at Chuck. Libby’s waitress presented a tray with two shots to Chuck. After he took his, she passed the tray to Joe. He took the glass and a piece of paper from the tray. The audience grew lively as waitresses began circulating with trays of shots.
    “A SHOOT-OUT! All you daring souls, lock and load! [Reading from a small paper] Paul and Rosa are celebratin’ their second anniversary everybody. Paul’s called for...Alamo shots! Oh, shit...those’ll knock you on your ass for sure! For those of you that may be new ...a shootout can be called by anybody—just see your bartender. Anybody who wants to duel-just pay the lovely ladies with the shots as they come around. Let’s see...the Alamo has what...Turkey, Tequila, rum, right?”
    “151 rum,” Chuck added as he absently checked his tuning. “And some heat too, I believe.”
    Joe looked sternly back at his brother. “Yeah, you would know that now, wouldn’t you?” Joe laughed and looked back at the crowd. “This man lives for just five things: playin’ guitar, singin’ and writin’ songs, drinkin’, and well...ladies I guess I don’t need to tell ya about the rest, do I?” The women in the bar screamed and cheered as Chuck surveyed the patrons with a wicked grin on his face.
    “You say that, like it’s a bad thang,” Chuck spoke up, looking at Joe. With a knowing look and faint smile on his handsome face, Chuck slowly nodded as he looked across the adoring faces of the young ladies at his feet, which fueled their enthusiasm. Catching the eye of one particular giggling, bouncing young lady, he shot her a wink. She squealed in delight as she bounced even more. Chuck proudly grinned at her easy response as he nodded his head. “Let’s do this!” Chuck insisted to Joe.
    “Everybody locked and loaded?” Joe asked as he raised his shot glass to the audience. Glancing again at the paper, he looked thoughtful for a moment.
    “OK...I got this.” Joe acknowledged to Chuck. Holding his glass high, he waited for the audience to quiet.
    “Never forget -- true love is a must. May every day end with a bounty of lust! Start each day with words of love, Rosa and Paul. As for the rest of you posers, jus’ keep ya damn paws off, y’all! SALUTE!”
    Chuck added, wiping his brow, “That’s right! They’re taken! Rosa and Paul, may your lust be as hot and kickin’ as this Alamo shot fifty years from now, whew!”
    The crowd grew rowdy as the shootout went around the room. Libby looked pensively around the room as the cheers surrounded the obvious couple celebrating their anniversary. With a set jaw, she turned her attention to her camera and reviewed her last few shots, trying to block out the crowd.
    Joe again strapped on the haggard guitar and turned to the microphone.
    “Time to pull out pappy. Have y’all met pappy?”
    The crowd screamed and clapped.
    “Well, for those of you who haven’t…this guitar…this worn out, old