"Because Walter's out of town." Terri explained patiently. "You needed someplace to go after work."
"Guys, I'm fine!"
"She's fine," Terri said while glancing toward Jo.
"Obviously!" Jo agreed.
"I don't need a babysitter," Louise grumbled.
"Two babysitters, actually," Jo said.
"Babysitters, whatever!"
"I think she's right!" Terri said. "She doesn't need us."
"She's rock solid," Jo added. "Why were we even concerned?"
"Hey, Lou!" Terri suggested. "Since you're so cool and everything, why don't you finish that Margarita and head back over to the office? Maybe El Guapo will be there waiting for you."
"Waiting with open arms!" added Jo.
"Please!" Louise protested. "I don't need protection from 'El Guapo'. Besides, he's not even that guapo anymore."
"Losing his hair?" Jo asked.
"Losing my interest."
"Hey, we could get some potato skins," Jo proposed in an attempt to steer the conversation away from Louise's crisis of the week. "Or some nachos."
"How do you stay so skinny?" Louise asked.
"Yoga, five times a week," Jo answered. "You should come sometime."
"I hate you."
"Oh, come on, Lou!" Terri exclaimed. "It's just an appetizer."
"Two babysitters, actually," Jo said.
"Babysitters, whatever!"
"I think she's right!" Terri said. "She doesn't need us."
"She's rock solid," Jo added. "Why were we even concerned?"
"Hey, Lou!" Terri suggested. "Since you're so cool and everything, why don't you finish that Margarita and head back over to the office? Maybe El Guapo will be there waiting for you."
"Waiting with open arms!" added Jo.
"Please!" Louise protested. "I don't need protection from 'El Guapo'. Besides, he's not even that guapo anymore."
"Losing his hair?" Jo asked.
"Losing my interest."
"Hey, we could get some potato skins," Jo proposed in an attempt to steer the conversation away from Louise's crisis of the week. "Or some nachos."
"How do you stay so skinny?" Louise asked.
"Yoga, five times a week," Jo answered. "You should come sometime."
"I hate you."
"Oh, come on, Lou!" Terri exclaimed. "It's just an appetizer."
"Says the one who's skinny and curvy at the same time," Louise observed. "I totally hate YOU!"
Yeah, well, so does every woman in this bar," Terri boasted. "Take a number!"
Yeah, well, so does every woman in this bar," Terri boasted. "Take a number!"
"Good one!" Jo exclaimed. She held her hand up, and Terri tapped it in the 'high five' gesture.
"I just don't let it bother me anymore," Terri said proudly.
"As well you shouldn't!" Jo added.
"Okay!" Louise exclaimed in a tone of voice that dripped with annoyance. "Go ahead and order your high-calorie potato skins. I'll just sit back and watch the two of you get fat."
Terri waved for the waiter to come to the table. She beamed her killer smile at him as she placed the order, and he drank in every delicious eyeful.
"That's settled!" Jo exclaimed. "What should we discuss?"
"So, Louise, how was work today?" Terri hinted.
"Okay!" Louise exclaimed in a tone of voice that dripped with annoyance. "Go ahead and order your high-calorie potato skins. I'll just sit back and watch the two of you get fat."
Terri waved for the waiter to come to the table. She beamed her killer smile at him as she placed the order, and he drank in every delicious eyeful.
"That's settled!" Jo exclaimed. "What should we discuss?"
"So, Louise, how was work today?" Terri hinted.
"Miserable!"
"That bad?" Jo asked.
"We had the first project meeting, and of course the guy was insufferable. He was like, 'Louise should be able to help with this,' and 'Louise and I will work together on that.'"
"That sounds arrogant," Terri observed.
"He's full of himself," Louise said. "I swear that he roped me into this project just to torture me."
"Okay, well, just be careful," Terri advised.
"How about you?" Louise asked. "Any trouble with Douglas?"
Terri choked on her drink at the mention of his name.
"Terri, are you okay?" Jo asked.
Terri waved as though to indicate that she was fine. When she regained her composure, she apologized.
"I'm sorry! I just ... You caught me off guard."
"Terri, what's going on?" Louise demanded.
Terri glanced at Jo. "Uh, it's a little hard to explain."
"Oh!" Louise exclaimed quietly.
"What's hard to explain?" Jo asked.
"All right, well, I might as well just put it out there," Terri said. "I started dating Francisco."
"The Ferrari guy?" Jo clarified.
"Yeah."
Jo's face beamed with excitement. "I totally knew that!"
"You did not!" Louise scolded.
"Oh, yes I did! I saw your car there. It was Sunday, like a week ago. Steve and I were there for our riding lesson."
"A lot of people drive the same car as me," Terri argued.
"Yeah, but you're the only one with license plate AG seventy-five QPZ."
"I..." Terri searched for a response, but the words failed to cooperate.
"I think she's got you there!" Louise said laughing.
"Do you want to know what it is backwards?" Jo asked. "It's ZPQ..."
"We get it!" Louise interrupted.
Jo had a photographic memory for names and numbers, and she loved to recite them forward and backward. It was her favorite party trick; she would do it over and over until someone asked her to stop. Terri realized that Jo was telling the truth: she had seen the car that day at Francisco's estate. That much was inarguable.
'The Horse Farm'
Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
