Saturday, March 26, 2005

Scene from a movie John Wayne never made

Setting: a blistering hot and dusty stagecoach station in the Arizona desert. The Ringo Kid is loading a very sick, unconscious woman onto the empty stagecoach. The stationmaster comes through the door and is startled to see him preparing to leave with the suffering woman.

Gabby: Ringo! What are you doing with that poor woman? She’s in no condition to travel.

Ringo Kid: She bought a ticket to Tucson, Gabby, and the Pinellas Express company pays me to deliver their passengers. That’s exactly what I intend to do.

Gabby: But Ringo. The trip will kill her.

Ringo Kid: Jeeze. If I leave her here I’ll have to fill out paperwork in Tucson trying to explain why. Besides, you know she’s gonna’ die from this fever either way.

Gabby: I know that. But we have shade here. And plenty of water. She’ll be more comfortable here. That hot dirty stage is no place to die.

Ringo Kid: Dead’s dead. I don’t want the hassle.

Gabby moves toward him as the Kid slams the stage door.

What are you planning to do? You aren’t fast enough to try me. Besides if you shoot me the sheriff will come looking for the stage and how will you explain it to him? And don’t forget this stage carries the mail. That means the U.S. marshal will come after you. And for what? The woman will be dead by then.

The Ringo Kid climbs up on the stagecoach as a furious but paralyzed Gabby glares at him.

This ain’t like you Gabby. But no hard feelings, OK? Tell you what--why don’t you ride into town later and I’ll buy you a drink. After that we can go to the sporting house. They have some new girls. I hear those Lebanese chicks are really hot.

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