Higher Than Hope
Chapter 7
"Since I don't want to drop off the girls until later, let's go get a little taste of cowboy stuff before we go to Calgary", said Ryan dryly.
"Huh, what do you mean?", asked Nail.
"Calgary's a real cowtown, there's a ton of country bars and stuff. That's one of the great things about Alberta, we got a lower drinking age than anywhere else in Canada", said Taylor with a laugh.
"Hey, don't forget Saskatchewan too. It's a prairie thing, there's nothing else to do", laughed Jordan.
"At least Calgary has stuff to do, imagine being stuck on a farm in the middle of Buttfuck", joked Taylor as Jordan flipped him off.
"You guys are like an old married couple, are you sure it's not just a bromance?", teased Ryan.
"No way, Nuge", said Taylor in mock-horror.
"Da, I agree with Ryan", said Nail.
Both Anna and Larissa rolled their eyes at the silliness of the men, acting more like children than adult men. "So Ryan, where do you feel like going?", asked Anna.
"Let's go to the Tin Rooster, that's a fun place", he suggested.
"Yeah Nuge, that place is awesome", exclaimed Taylor.
"What is a tin rooster?", asked Nail.
"It's a roadhouse-type place north of the city out in the sticks, they always got good country bands and it's fun. It's a bit like the place in Roadhouse, but not as rough", said Jordan.
"You're right, my gap-toothed friend. And you can't miss it, it's got a big statue of a chicken outside", said Ryan.
"And don't get too drunk I don't want Dad chasing you guys with the shotgun", said Larissa, a slight note of fear in her voice.
Nail just laughed and put an arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek. "Don't worry, moy devushka myet", he murmured.
"Dude, you gotta be careful around the old man", warned Jordan.
"Ya paneymat, Jordan. Ryan already told me", he said.
Ryan made a right turn at an exit and drove for a bit more before driving about a hundred yards to a large wooden building with an enormous tin statue of a chicken out front. Several pickup trucks were parked near the entrance, many of them with their backs covered with bumper stickers and Alberta flags flying from their roofs. Ryan parked the truck next to a red pickup with both the Alberta and Confederate flags and stickers with the names of popular country singers and heavy metal bands. "That is a real Alberta redneck truck", said Taylor approvingly.
"Yeah, too bad Magnus and Jonesy aren't here. Jonesy's truck is just like that except he doesn't have the Alberta flag, but he does have all the bumper stickers. It's a redneck thing, folks do that in Saskatchewan too", said Jordan.
The group entered the bar and found an empty booth along the walls, Nail looking about curiously. The bar reminded him exactly of the bar in the Blues Brothers with several neon beer signs on the walls along a few scattered dartboards. The floors were of dark wood scarred by age and with dark stains that had long since evaporated, sprinkled with a thin layer of sawdust. The tiny stage was barely two feet high and surrounded by chicken wire, only a few dim lights above that could barely illuminate the performers.
"Yeah, it does look like the place on the Blues Brothers", laughed Jordan.
"Okay, whoever's the loser has to the designated driver", said Ryan as Taylor and Jordan groaned. The men played Rock, Paper, Scissors with Jordan losing.
"Great, I get all the bad luck", he laughed good-naturedly as the waitress came by with a tray of Labatt's and a lemonade.
Ryan took a sip of beer and got up from the booth as he walked over to the jukebox. He flipped through the songs and inserted a quarter into the machine as it played Out of Hand by Gary Stewart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQeteQkG53g
I never intended
To even know your name
Except for the woman waitin' at home
Involved in the same
I've always been true
Except for you
Not even a one night stand
And I never intended
For it to get so
Out of hand
Out of hand, out of hand
I'm a hard-living kind of a man
I need more to keep me goin'
Than this gold wedding band
You're my kind of woman
I'm your kind of man
Maybe that's the reason
It goes so ... out of hand
I never intended
For it to go this far
I don't think I can get off
From where we are
Some time to waste
So just a taste
Was all... that I had planned
And I never intended
For it to get so
Out of hand
Out of hand, out of hand
I'm a hard living kind of a man
I need more to keep me goin'
Than this gold wedding band
You're my kind of woman
And I'm your kind of a man
Maybe that's the reason
It got so... out of hand
Out of hand, out of hand
I'm a hard loving kind of a man
I need more to keep me goin'
Than this gold wedding band
"Sweet, my dad loves this stuff", said Taylor approvingly.
Ryan just laughed as he put an arm around Anna and kissed her cheek. "Us three are just western Canadian rednecks, that's all we know how to do", he joked.
"Nail, dude. By the time the playoffs roll around, we could make you an honorary Canadian redneck. Do they have rednecks in Russia?", asked Jordan.
"Nyet, we have country people but not like this. Will I be driving a pickup truck and dancing the Watermelon Crawl?", he joked.
"Maybe, we do commercials for a Ford dealership and we all get a good deal from there. Trust me, you're going to need a truck if you live out on the prairies. And this is Edmonton, imagine if you lived way out in the boonies", joked Taylor.
Nail nodded in understanding as he took a sip of beer. An idea came to him as he got up from the booth and walked over to the jukebox, flipping through the selections and inserting a quarter as it played Burn One Down by Clint Black: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX86Bd3N70o
I guess you're off to have your fun
Another ending just begun
And I know what I don't see
Really shouldn't bother me
So, go and have yourself a ball
You'll be at no one's beck and call
And with that fire in your eyes
Another lover's moon will rise
Someone else will take the fall
And that's just the way you are
I've known all along
Some candles always burn
Even when the night is gone
But the strongest of flames
Won't burn eternally
When you find another friend
Who lights your candle up again
You can burn one down for me
So, you don't matter anymore
I'll convince myself, I'm sure
As if I give a damn
That's just the way I am
So, go on and pour yourself some wine
With who'll ever spend your time
'Cause anyone can see
You won't be crying over me
And you never were that kind
And that's just the way you are
I've known all along
Some candles always burn
Even when the night is gone
But the strongest of flames
Won't burn eternally
When you find another friend
Who lights your candle up again
You can burn one down for me
When you find another friend
Who lights your candle up again
You can burn one down for me
Nail wordlessly held out his hand as he led her onto the tiny dance floor, leading her in a little two-step as the others looked on approvingly.
"I listened to a lot of country music in Sarnia, I also learned how to dance", he chuckled.
"Oh really, I would love to see you do the Watermelon Crawl", she giggled.
"Nyet, but perhaps Ryan can show me", he joked.
"Dude, looks like we got another who's gonna bite the dust", said Taylor with a laugh.
"Yeah, but you got game, Hallsy. Use that to get chicks", teased Jordan.
"Huh, what do you mean?", asked Nail.
"Calgary's a real cowtown, there's a ton of country bars and stuff. That's one of the great things about Alberta, we got a lower drinking age than anywhere else in Canada", said Taylor with a laugh.
"Hey, don't forget Saskatchewan too. It's a prairie thing, there's nothing else to do", laughed Jordan.
"At least Calgary has stuff to do, imagine being stuck on a farm in the middle of Buttfuck", joked Taylor as Jordan flipped him off.
"You guys are like an old married couple, are you sure it's not just a bromance?", teased Ryan.
"No way, Nuge", said Taylor in mock-horror.
"Da, I agree with Ryan", said Nail.
Both Anna and Larissa rolled their eyes at the silliness of the men, acting more like children than adult men. "So Ryan, where do you feel like going?", asked Anna.
"Let's go to the Tin Rooster, that's a fun place", he suggested.
"Yeah Nuge, that place is awesome", exclaimed Taylor.
"What is a tin rooster?", asked Nail.
"It's a roadhouse-type place north of the city out in the sticks, they always got good country bands and it's fun. It's a bit like the place in Roadhouse, but not as rough", said Jordan.
"You're right, my gap-toothed friend. And you can't miss it, it's got a big statue of a chicken outside", said Ryan.
"And don't get too drunk I don't want Dad chasing you guys with the shotgun", said Larissa, a slight note of fear in her voice.
Nail just laughed and put an arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek. "Don't worry, moy devushka myet", he murmured.
"Dude, you gotta be careful around the old man", warned Jordan.
"Ya paneymat, Jordan. Ryan already told me", he said.
Ryan made a right turn at an exit and drove for a bit more before driving about a hundred yards to a large wooden building with an enormous tin statue of a chicken out front. Several pickup trucks were parked near the entrance, many of them with their backs covered with bumper stickers and Alberta flags flying from their roofs. Ryan parked the truck next to a red pickup with both the Alberta and Confederate flags and stickers with the names of popular country singers and heavy metal bands. "That is a real Alberta redneck truck", said Taylor approvingly.
"Yeah, too bad Magnus and Jonesy aren't here. Jonesy's truck is just like that except he doesn't have the Alberta flag, but he does have all the bumper stickers. It's a redneck thing, folks do that in Saskatchewan too", said Jordan.
The group entered the bar and found an empty booth along the walls, Nail looking about curiously. The bar reminded him exactly of the bar in the Blues Brothers with several neon beer signs on the walls along a few scattered dartboards. The floors were of dark wood scarred by age and with dark stains that had long since evaporated, sprinkled with a thin layer of sawdust. The tiny stage was barely two feet high and surrounded by chicken wire, only a few dim lights above that could barely illuminate the performers.
"Yeah, it does look like the place on the Blues Brothers", laughed Jordan.
"Okay, whoever's the loser has to the designated driver", said Ryan as Taylor and Jordan groaned. The men played Rock, Paper, Scissors with Jordan losing.
"Great, I get all the bad luck", he laughed good-naturedly as the waitress came by with a tray of Labatt's and a lemonade.
Ryan took a sip of beer and got up from the booth as he walked over to the jukebox. He flipped through the songs and inserted a quarter into the machine as it played Out of Hand by Gary Stewart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQeteQkG53g
I never intended
To even know your name
Except for the woman waitin' at home
Involved in the same
I've always been true
Except for you
Not even a one night stand
And I never intended
For it to get so
Out of hand
Out of hand, out of hand
I'm a hard-living kind of a man
I need more to keep me goin'
Than this gold wedding band
You're my kind of woman
I'm your kind of man
Maybe that's the reason
It goes so ... out of hand
I never intended
For it to go this far
I don't think I can get off
From where we are
Some time to waste
So just a taste
Was all... that I had planned
And I never intended
For it to get so
Out of hand
Out of hand, out of hand
I'm a hard living kind of a man
I need more to keep me goin'
Than this gold wedding band
You're my kind of woman
And I'm your kind of a man
Maybe that's the reason
It got so... out of hand
Out of hand, out of hand
I'm a hard loving kind of a man
I need more to keep me goin'
Than this gold wedding band
"Sweet, my dad loves this stuff", said Taylor approvingly.
Ryan just laughed as he put an arm around Anna and kissed her cheek. "Us three are just western Canadian rednecks, that's all we know how to do", he joked.
"Nail, dude. By the time the playoffs roll around, we could make you an honorary Canadian redneck. Do they have rednecks in Russia?", asked Jordan.
"Nyet, we have country people but not like this. Will I be driving a pickup truck and dancing the Watermelon Crawl?", he joked.
"Maybe, we do commercials for a Ford dealership and we all get a good deal from there. Trust me, you're going to need a truck if you live out on the prairies. And this is Edmonton, imagine if you lived way out in the boonies", joked Taylor.
Nail nodded in understanding as he took a sip of beer. An idea came to him as he got up from the booth and walked over to the jukebox, flipping through the selections and inserting a quarter as it played Burn One Down by Clint Black: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX86Bd3N70o
I guess you're off to have your fun
Another ending just begun
And I know what I don't see
Really shouldn't bother me
So, go and have yourself a ball
You'll be at no one's beck and call
And with that fire in your eyes
Another lover's moon will rise
Someone else will take the fall
And that's just the way you are
I've known all along
Some candles always burn
Even when the night is gone
But the strongest of flames
Won't burn eternally
When you find another friend
Who lights your candle up again
You can burn one down for me
So, you don't matter anymore
I'll convince myself, I'm sure
As if I give a damn
That's just the way I am
So, go on and pour yourself some wine
With who'll ever spend your time
'Cause anyone can see
You won't be crying over me
And you never were that kind
And that's just the way you are
I've known all along
Some candles always burn
Even when the night is gone
But the strongest of flames
Won't burn eternally
When you find another friend
Who lights your candle up again
You can burn one down for me
When you find another friend
Who lights your candle up again
You can burn one down for me
Nail wordlessly held out his hand as he led her onto the tiny dance floor, leading her in a little two-step as the others looked on approvingly.
"I listened to a lot of country music in Sarnia, I also learned how to dance", he chuckled.
"Oh really, I would love to see you do the Watermelon Crawl", she giggled.
"Nyet, but perhaps Ryan can show me", he joked.
"Dude, looks like we got another who's gonna bite the dust", said Taylor with a laugh.
"Yeah, but you got game, Hallsy. Use that to get chicks", teased Jordan.