Desperate times, p.1
Desperate Times, page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Keep Up With Hildred
Desperate Times
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
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Author Bio
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Desperate Times
Hildred Billings
BARACHOU PRESS
Desperate Times
Copyright: Hildred Billings
Published: May 21st, 2018
Publisher: Barachou Press
This is a work of fiction. Any and all similarities to any characters, settings, or situations are purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
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Desperate Times
Chapter 1
The same song played for the fifth time in a row that night.
Sidney looked over her shoulder after taking a sip of her beer. In front of the jukebox far, far away from the bar, was Old Jim counting out coins in his hand. At a nearby pool table, some of the local guys grumbled about the song but politely ignored the town elder.
“He likes that song, ‘cause it was big thirty years ago.”
The bartender, Craig, stood before Sidney. He wiped some glasses before placing them back on the shelf. “Don’t we all like songs that came out thirty years ago?” Sidney cracked her knuckles.
“Some of us a little more than others.” Craig wandered to the other end of the bar.
Another slow Friday night in the world of country living. Although it was the weekend, and this was the local watering hole, the only patrons beside Old Jim and Sidney were men with day jobs and the occasional woman. Most of the people in that area were ranchers and farmers, and even on the weekend they couldn’t hang out late.
Sidney was approached more than once. Although she was not most men’s type – buzzcut, stern looks, and hard biceps – she figured there was such a shortage of available women in that part of the county that the single men sniffed around whomever they could find.
“Hey, you’re the lady who took over running the ol’ Clark House, right?” asked a man. “Nice place.”
Sidney nodded. The man praised the historical house Sidney now maintained, a part of her passion for frontier histories. The Clark House was once owned by the biggest head cheese that town ever knew. That was 150 years ago, however. Now it was the home of the biggest lesbian that side of the corner store. The sacrifices I make to live in a piece of history. That’s what happened when she volunteered to take over the county-owned home as a representative of the historical society. When her boss announced that The Clark House in the tiny town of River Rock was vacant, Sidney didn’t think twice about volunteering. At least for a couple of years. Until she got tired of the loneliness, anyway.
“You take care,” said the man before exiting the bar. Sidney sighed. One month in town, and she swore she knew everyone by name now.
Well, not quite.
She pulled out her phone. After making sure no one was around to pry, Sidney opened the lesbian dating app, left on the profile of the woman she was supposed to meet that night.
Tess was a local. Her profile talked about the ranch she ran with her father, and her pictures looked… dated… at best. The main one featured her in a cute cheerleader’s uniform, big pompoms shaking in front of her chest while she smiled for the yearbook photo. When Sidney took a chance to look for available women in the area, she did not expect to find anyone, let alone this beautiful lady with long black hair and effortless make up. Sidney had such a weak spot for femmes. They often had the audacity to steal her heart.
Sidney was a little early, but her breath tightened as she imagined an older version of this girl sauntering into the bar with her cowboy boots and sexy belt buckle. A hardworking country girl who knows how to get frilly for date night? Sign me up! Sounded like Sidney’s dream woman. What were the odds of finding a cute lesbian all the way out here in the middle of Countryville, USA? Maybe Sidney’s luck had really changed since downgrading her local population size. Maybe. She shouldn’t get ahead of herself.
Minutes rolled by. Sidney ordered another beer. Patrons came and went. The two men sitting at the other end of the bar were replaced by another woman – a butch woman.
“Usual, Craig,” the woman said with a deep voice. “How’s the wife?”
“Doin’ better. Doc says her foot should be healed up before the fair. ‘Bout time, because that gal has a got a real cracker in her ass ‘bout getting on the horse again.”
“Think she’ll be ready for the rodeo?”
“Eh, who can damn well say? I ain’t puttin’ it past her though. She’s on them crutches, yet still whoops my ass.”
They laughed, the woman making a quip about the guy’s wife only a local would know.
“You here by yourself tonight?”
“Nah. Meeting someone.”
“Oh, that so? Well, I’ll leave you to it, Tess.”
Tess?
As the bartender wandered away, Sidney stole a glance at the woman again. That was Tess? Somehow, she doubted there would be more than one woman with the same name in the bar that night. Except she wasn’t ready for… didn’t think she would see… damnit, there went Sidney’s fantasies. This woman was about as feminine as a tom cat. Short hair, no makeup, a flannel shirt and grungy boots… she wasn’t bad looking, but she was far from Sidney’s type.
What should she do? Quietly leave and pretend this never happened? What would she tell Tess online? No woman wanted to be stood up! Especially when they were two of the only lesbians in town!
“Hey.”
Sidney almost dropped her beer. Tess looked back at her, dark eyes highlighted only by a whiff of her freshly-washed bangs. Her posture was atrocious.
“You new around here?” Tess asked. “Haven’t seen you before. Trust me, I know everyone.”
Sidney cleared her throat. “Yeah. Just moved here.”
“Shit, sucks for you.”
“It’s not bad.” This was getting awkward. Did Tess know who Sidney was?
“Not bad? That’s because you haven’t been stuck here for thirty years. Give it some time before your brain turns to mush.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The cigarette landed in the nearest ashtray. “I’m Tess, by the way.” She extended her hand for a tepid shake. “Me and my pa run Blue Round Ranch. Heard of it?”
“I may have…” It was on Tess’s dating profile. She had mentioned it a time or two in chat, usually when their already sparse conversations dwindled down to, “What did you do today?”
“Good gig.” Tess took her hand back. “You a city slicker?”
Sidney squirmed. In her mind, she came from a small town… but compared to this town, she was from a veritable city. Already Sidney ran into locals who laughed at her for saying she knew what small town life was like. Her old town had 15,000 people in it. People from real cities extended her their condolences or quipped she lived in their favorite summer vacationing spot. They had never heard of River Rock, a hamlet of fewer than 700 people. “Compared to people around here…” she said. “I guess I am.”
“Well, that ain’t hard.” Someone entered the bar. Tess scoffed at it being a man.
Was she waiting for her hot date? Maybe she didn’t know who Sidney was yet. Still time for her to quietly steal away and pretend this never happened. Or that Tess either had no photos of her from the past ten years.
But as she was about to gather her things and leave, Tess said, “You still haven’t told me your name. It’s a law that everyone has to know everyone else’s name around here. Otherwise, we fall into chaos.” She chuckled at her own joke.
Well, shit. How was she supposed to get out of that? Lie? Somehow, Sidney figured the truth would be out before she left. Tell the truth? God, was she up piss creek without a paddle.
Might as well get it over with.
“Yeah, about that.” She needed another drink. “I’m Sidney.”
Neither of them spoke. The tension swelled until Sidney feared it would burst and bring down the whole bar.
Tess scrunched her face. “You’re Sidney?”
“What?” Never in Tess’s life had someone said her name with such disdain. “Is there a problem?” She definitely needed another drink.
“Aw, fuck.” Tess leaned her elbows on the bar and covered her face with her hands.
“By the way, you look nothing like your picture online.”
The hands came down again. “I look nothing like my picture?” Tess pulled out her phone. “Who the fuck is this supposed to be?” She flashed Sidney’s profile pic at he
r.
One glance was all it took. “It was… Halloween a few years ago. My face is the same!”
“Yeah, but nothing else sure ain’t.”
Indeed. In the photo, Sidney wore a long brown wig, judicious makeup, and a “sexy” French maid costume. She looked more feminine than Tess did in her cheerleader getup. “I didn’t upload a picture from fifteen years ago. Who the hell uses a high school yearbook photo above the age of twenty?”
Tess frowned. “I like that picture. All my other ones are of cowgirl bullshit. You can’t see my face.”
“Bet I could see your everything else real good,” Sidney mumbled. She hailed the bartender and got another beer, her third one of the night. Good thing she could hold her alcohol.
“Fancy that shit.” Tess slapped her hand on the counter and waited for Craig to amble away again. “You duped me, and I duped you. Apparently. Or at least I feel stupid as shit now.”
Sidney sighed.
“I mean, no offense lady, but you ain’t my type.”
“You ain’t my type either.”
“Ain’t that a kick in the dick.” Tess leaned her head against her hand. “First woman to pop up online in years looks like you.”
“Hey…”
“I said no offense! Dykes can’t get a break around here.” Tess mumbled that last statement. “Living in isolation with these heterosexual numb nuts. I mean, they’re decent people, but they ain’t exactly out and proud.”
“And you are?”
Tess laughed. “Rather this town not shit their britches over some lesbian drama. Once was a gay band teacher at the high school not too long back… fucker was dumb enough to have pics of his boyfriend on his desk. Guy didn’t last long in the school district after that.” Tess drummed her fingers. “Might be givin’ them kids the gay, yanno.”
“I may have heard of it.” Sidney could relate. Although she came from a larger area, it was still conservative and “family friendly” in the sense lesbians weren’t exactly revered citizens. There was a decent enough underground community that Sidney was a part of, but beyond that? No rainbow flags flying high from any houses there. “Surely you’ve had a girlfriend here.”
“Eh, here and there. They don’t stay long. Truth be told, I didn’t hold much hope out for this meetin’ anyway, ‘cause girl who looked like that picture wouldn’t last long. Helps to have a certain constitution. Both of my exes up and ran off when I refused to move out of town with them. I can’t leave my pa like that.”
“You’re not giving me much confidence in staying here. Especially if it’s as dire as you make it out to be.”
“Like I said, certain constitution. If you don’t mind being alone, then whatever. Most women though, no way, they can’t hack it. Straight ones barely stick around. Assuming they don’t get attached to some guy.” Tess scoffed. Sounded like one of those ex-girlfriends had done that in a tireless bid to have a normal life in a sealed off place like River Rock.
As glowing as this review of the community was, Sidney had a sour feeling in her stomach. That’s what she got for getting her hopes up. A lonely bed in Clark House awaited her. A house in downtown… a downtown that consisted of the post office, a bank, the grocer’s, the schools, a salon, and this bar. And however many churches a few hundred people needed on one block. Sidney had yet to count… or care.
“So, sorry about what happened, I guess.” Tess downed her drink with a clink of the bottle. “I mean, no offense, but you really ain’t my type.”
“You said that already.” Like Sidney needed a reminder.
“Sorry. What can I say? I like ladylike women.”
Sidney didn’t know if she would put her predilections that way, but she could certainly concur on most counts. When she thought of a beautiful woman – or at least the type of woman she was attracted to – she thought of feminine ladies with long, soft hair and the ability to rock any look they chose, be it a skintight dress with lots of cleavage or a sweatshirt and jeans. Femme women were her weakness. Undoubtedly, they were Tess’s as well.
“Eh, maybe we can be friends.” Tess raised her empty bottle into the air. “God knows it would be good to have someone around here I can vent to about certain things.”
Sidney shrugged and lifted her bottle. She needed friends around that town, but her disappointment was heavy in her heart… and in her groin, where disappointment was akin to wanting to cry. No, she didn’t think she was going to get lucky on a first date, but she was at least hoping to make a special connection with a woman from the area. Never getting my hopes up like that again.
They clanked their bottles together and sat in silence, Sidney mourning the what-could-have-beens and Tess staring at the bar top. When she spoke again, it was with heaviness. “It’s a fifteen-minute drive to the ranch. Seems a shame to go straight home again. Play some pool?”
Sidney was already halfway off her seat. “Not tonight. I think I’m gonna head home.” She grabbed her light jacket and swung it around her shoulders. “Sorry again about… well, guess I’ll go change my profile picture.”
“Yeah, me too…” Crestfallen, Tess remained on her stool.
“See ya.”
“Bye. Nice meeting you.”
Before heading out, Sidney stopped off in the women’s restroom, an oasis of privacy since the only other woman in the bar was Tess. Probably don’t get much pussy in here. She leaned against the counter and sighed. Not even straight pussy.
What a disappointment. Tess was probably a nice woman, and maybe they could be friends, but that’s not what Sidney wanted. No, she wanted a lover who could get her heart fluttering and her loins aching. So long since she last had a proper girlfriend. Sure, she hooked up with the occasional girl back in her old town… but things were different here, and she didn’t have many other chances. Looking at her region on the dating site only gave her Tess, a young beauty in her cheerleading outfit.
Sidney took a paper towel and dabbed off the minimal eye makeup she wore that night. I guess I do look a bit different from the picture. Super short hair, lean muscles, an angular face… the only thing feminine about Sidney’s appearance was her tits poking out from her shirt. A far cry from that Halloween photo she used online. She guessed she could see where…
The door opened, and Tess wandered in.
“Oh, hey,” she said, staring at Sidney. The door latched shut behind her.
Sidney crumpled the paper towel. “Hey.”
Tess stared at her for a few more seconds before disappearing into one of the stalls.
Now was the time to get out of there. Assuming Sidney wanted to avoid a very awkward moment again when Tess came back out. But she wasn’t quick enough, and soon Tess was there once more, waiting for Sidney to get out of the way so she could wash her hands.
“Oh, sorry.”
Tess said nothing as she turned on the sink and pumped some soap into her palm.
It wasn’t fair. Not really. The only other gay woman in town wasn’t into her. Nor was Sidney into her. She didn’t think so, anyway. When Sidney checked her out, Tess was fine to look at, but hardly her “type.” Those legs, slender in blue jeans… sturdy arms moving beneath the cozy comfort of a flannel shirt… set face tanned and in the mirror… and that ass. Firm as fuck thanks to riding horses and hauling hay. No, no. Tess was definitely not her type. Not even! Yet did that stop her from feeling… some sort of attraction?
Oh my God, I’ve lowered my standards already. Sidney experienced the squeeze of a lonely life in a small town. Only instead of bemoaning the lack of decent men who lived the kind of life she liked, she begged the cosmos for one woman willing to fuck her. Times were getting desperate in the town of River Rock.
The sink stopped running. Tess dried her hands with a paper towel. She caught Sidney staring in the mirror.
“Can I help you?” Tess tossed the paper towel into the wastebasket and looked at Sidney with sour eyes.
“Sorry…”
“Are you, now?” Laughter echoed in the otherwise empty women’s restroom. “What are you sorry about? Saying that I’m not your type?” She leaned back against the counter, her flannel shirt pulling against her muscular body. Sidney had to avert hers once more. I must look like some desperate pervert. “Or for staring at my ass?”
