Chapter 8

You can imagine my surprise when they did wake me and we really were in Amarillo. It wasn't morning yet, but what the hell. In fact we were at a Holiday Inn, in the parking lot.

"You should go in and get us a room. We all need to take a shower before we go out to the trailer place," Jackie said.

"And we might need to go shopping first too. I think I want some boots and bluejeans, and I might even try on a cowboy hat. After all, we'll be living in Texas now and showgirl casual wear just won't do," Jerrilyn said.

"That's right," Jackie said, agreeing.

"It's fine with me, but do you realize real cowgirls wear either Wranglers or Levis?" I asked.

"Of course, even showgirls know designer jeans are reserved for formal wear in Texas."

I checked us into the best room they had and was glad to see it had both a tub and a real shower, not that crappy thing with a curtain around the tub. It was even big enough for all three of us to get into at the same time, and we did.

You might be surprised, but I wasn't. Even though I was in the shower with two beautiful naked women, no hanky panky came about. It wasn't because either of them were disinclined. I'd often had deliciously naughty showers with each, and even twice with both.

One thing showgirls know how to do is shower and change, in a hurry. We were going to the trailer place for business purposes and they knew how to be all business, even when naked. Of course a lot of their work in Vegas had been done while they were naked, or nearly so, and they were accustomed to it. And, we were going shopping - that's almost always very serious business with any woman.

After we were dry and dressed, I dropped the trailer on the back side of the parking lot. We headed toward downtown and I was hoping we could find an old-fashioned small store or shop. That hope went out the window when we passed a Super Wal-Mart. I tried to dissuade them, but it was no use.

"I know perfectly well they have both Levis and Wranglers in Wal-Mart, and probably thousands of pairs of boots," Jerrilyn said.

I didn't even put up the good fight. I pulled in and made four circuits before I found a parking spot near enough to the door to suit me.

Even in non-revealing casual clothes, Jerrilyn and Jackie couldn't go anywhere without attracting attention. They were tall, beautiful, and astonishingly well built. Men looked at them wherever they went, and Wal-Mart was no different. I'm pretty sure they even raised the flag for the seventy plus year old man who was acting as the door greeter - you know, the one who always wants to give you a buggy as you come in.

The girls were used to things like it though and they mostly ignored it. It was a little harder to ignore once they started trying on jeans, since some men couldn't seem to get over the fact those women were now in the little room, not ten feet away, and taking off their clothes.

It was almost funny, and it upset the poor woman who was supposed to be providing a pleasant shopping experience for the women in this section of Wal-Mart. Or at least as pleasant as Wal-Mart shopping could be. By the time there were a dozen men standing around and obviously not shopping, she called someone on the phone and had a vigorous conversation.

Soon enough there were six more women in Wal-Mart smocks for reinforcement. They began asking every man in the area if they could help them. When one of them approached me I told her I was with the two women who seemed to be drawing the crowd and none of them bothered me again.

They didn't let up on the others though, and I noticed if a man brushed one of them off, another was right in his face wanting to help him thirty seconds later. Soon enough the area was mostly free of unescorted men.

I thought things would go smoothly afterwards, but it wasn't to be.

Jackie came out of the dressing room they were both using, holding her finger to her lips for all who could see. It was the universal sign for quiet and no one misunderstood. Then she pointed to one of the reinforcements the beleaguered clerk had summoned. The woman was wearing one of the red Official Business smocks. Jackie crooked her finger, and the woman came toward her.

Jackie led her around behind the dressing cubicles and through the small obstacle course of clothing racks which was obviously there to keep people from wandering through. I was curious so I followed in the red smocked supervisor's wake.

When we rounded a last corner we saw a young man in the familiar Wal-Mart blue smock, bent at the waist, and peering through what had to be a peep hole he'd installed, no doubt without authorization.

"Bobby Johnson, what do you think you're doing?" the red smocked woman asked, or should I say screamed at the top of her lungs.

Needless to say, Bobby Johnson was mortified, so much so the lump which had been visible in the area of his zipper disappeared almost at once. Unfortunately for Bobby Johnson, he wasn't quick enough to get away. Mrs Festerson, the red smocked woman whose name I learned later, latched onto Bobby Johnson's ear and began dragging him out the way we'd come.

By the time she had him into the normal shopping area of the store again she was berating him soundly and she wasn't shy about what anyone else heard.

She wasn't very creative about it, and I distinctly remember her saying things about peeping on customers while they were changing, several times as she pulled him to the offices at the front of the store. I wondered idly if she would release his ear when they finally made it to the front.

The main significance of her actions was to dissipate the remaining male hangers on who had resisted previous attempts to disband them. There were none in sight now, as if after the dreaded ear hold had been broken out, it might be used on others.

The manager of the store was back to visit about ten minutes after Bobby Johnson was led away in disgrace. The girls were both safely in the dressing room again by this time and I was left to deal with him. He began apologizing at once and wasn't in the least deterred when I told him to think nothing of it. He wouldn't shut up about the whole thing.

"Sir, Mr Morgan, please. Don't worry about it. Go back to your office and write out the text of the letter you'd like me to send to your superiors. I'll pick it up on the way out, write it out long hand, and mention the fine services you and whomever that woman in the red smock was provided in apprehending the culprit. Be sure to include both your name, and her name, and give me the name and address of the person you'd like for me to send it to," I said.

He couldn't believe his luck and he left to get started on his letter right away. Mrs Festerson, the red smocked dynamo who had towed Bobby Johnson to the front offices by the ear came back shortly and before she could start apologizing I thanked her profusely for her help.

I think she felt slightly cheated to be preempted, but she didn't bother me anymore. She did stand guard over the area as long as we were there though, and she glared savagely at two men who looked like they might approach. Her territory had been invaded once and she wasn't about to let it happen again.

Luckily there weren't any men who wanted to peep at Jackie's or Jerrilyn's feet while they tried on cowboy boots. They asked me for advice, but I told them to just get several pairs which seemed to fit right, since I'd be getting some boots custom made for them later.

They were still interested in cowboy hats, but I talked them out of trying any.