Cow Patty Win

"Are you ready?" Bobbie asked.

This was their first date. Bobbie couldn't believe Lena had agreed to go out with him. He had asked her to go to the county fair with him. He figured the rides, games, animals, and food would be comfortable enough for the two to get to know each other better.

"Almost," she yelled from a room down the hallway. "Just grabbing a jacket."

She came out of the room and was walking down the hallway to meet with Bobbie in the living room of her parents' house. She couldn't believe that he had asked her out. He was a very out-going boy. He talked to everyone. He was everyone's friend. She, on the other hand, was quite shy. She did not have many friends. She enjoyed her quiet time and her drama free lifestyle. But he had asked her out.

"I'm ready," she said.

Bobby helped her into her jacket. He, then, escorted her out to his car where he opened the passenger door and helped her inside. Once she was safely in the passenger seat, he closed the door and walked to the driver's side and got inside. He started the vehicle. Then they were off to the fair.

Once at the fair, the two got tickets at the ticket booth. Bobbie’s eyes were filled with excitement looking at all the rides, the lights, and the music. "You want to ride some rides?" he inquired.

"Sure. Looks like fun!" she exclaimed as she was just as excited because the fair was in town. "Which one first?"

They jumped into the first line. Neither of them was even sure which ride this line went to. They were excited talking amongst themselves of all the anticipated fun they were going to have. They didn't even realize they had reached the front of the line.

"Oh! Tilt-O-Whirl!" she exclaimed as he was helping her into the car they would be riding. "I love this ride. It really can go fast and make you so dizzy."

"Yeah, it can", he answered. He got a whiff of her hair. It really smelled so nice and clean. "Get ready!"

The ride was a blast. They were laughing and joking and really just enjoying themselves. They rode all the rides that were offered. "That was great! Would you like something to drink?" Bobbie inquired.

"I would. How about a lemonade?" Lena asked.

"That sounds great," Bobbie said as he led her to a food truck.

After getting their lemonades, they strolled about the fair. Bobbie played a couple of the games. He was able to win her a couple of stuffed animals. He was amazed at the gentle and easy air of being around her. She was not a girl trying to impress a boy. She was not a girl that drew drama every where that she went. She was just a girl having a fun time with him. He liked this change. The other girls seemed to be a bit selfish or a little too showy. He found that he was thoroughly enjoying the carefreeness of this date.

"Oh! Look!" Lena exclaimed excitedly. He was looking around to see what would cause this much excitement. "Cow Patty Bingo!"

What in the world was Cow Patty Bingo? He had absolutely no clue. He had recently moved here from a large metropolis from the northeastern side of the United States to this small town in Western Texas. She was tugging and half dragging him to what appeared to be a large pen with an extremely huge bull. "What happens here?" he inquired confusion clearly all over his face.

"This is Cow Patty Bingo!" she cried. "See that bull there. He does nothing all day but eat. People bet on where that bull will poop. See all those squares spray painted on the ground. You go up to that table and place your name on one of the squares within the grid of where you believe the bull will go. Come on! Let's play!"

"Okay. If you say so," was all Bobbie could muster up still as confused as before. Why would anyone play a game where a bull pooping is the main object of the game? Weird. But if it makes her happy.

The two went up to the table and chose two squares. Lena chose 25. Bobbie chose 52. They paid for their entries. Lena then pulled him towards the pen to let Bobbie take a closer look. The bull nonchalantly kept eating his hay. He didn't have a care in the world that he was the object of all the fair goers gawking. He continued eating the hay.

Lena and Bobbie continued to chat amongst themselves. Lena was having a great time with Bobbie. He was easy to talk with, he was fun to be around, and she thought he was so adorable with his northeastern accent. She loved his blue eyes and the way his face lit up when he was excited. She just thought he was just so darn cute.

Finally, the workers took the hay away from the bull. "Why did they do that?" Bobbie asked. "I thought the bull was supposed to eat and then poop."

"That's correct," Lena advised. "They take the food away so the bull will walk around the pin and poop and not just poop there by the food."

"Oh. Well that makes sense."

"Yeah. So all we do now is wait for the announcement of the winner."

"I am getting a little hungry. How about you?" Bobbie inquired.

"Sure. Where do you want to go?" she replied.

"How about corndogs?"

"Ok. And cotton candy?" she asked.

"Your wish is my command," he stated.

He was such a gentleman. He was the absolute sweetest guy she had ever been out with. He wasn't trying to control her or make her uneasy with unwanted gestures. He wasn't trying to get the attention of other girls or try to be a showoff. Bobbie was a very genuine person. She wanted to get to know him better.

Once they had gotten their corndogs and cotton candy, they aimlessly just walked around the fair grounds and talked as they ate their food. He was enthralled by her ability to laugh and make everything seem so easy. He was hoping that she would want to go out on another date with him because he wanted to get to know her better.

All of a sudden an announcer's voice was heard over the loud speaker. "Attention ladies and gentlemen! We have some winners to announce for the Cow Patty Bingo. The winners are #51-Virgil McIntosh and #52-Bobbie Jones. Please head over to the Cow Patty Bingo table at this time."

Lena was laughing and congratulating Bobbie. "Come on! Let's go get your prize!"

"A prize! You actually win something from a bull pooping?", he asked.

"Yes. Come on!" she exclaimed as she was almost running back to the Cow Patty Bingo area.

"Okay," Bobbie said as he began jogging with her after taking her hand and laughing gingerly with her. He was so relaxed and comfortable with her. He was actually enjoying himself for the first time since he moved to this country town. He was in awe of the good time he was having. So much less stressful than all the many people running around in the city he came from. For once, he would thank his father for moving him and his mother to this place.

Once they reached the table, Bobbie learned that he won $50. He couldn't believe he won money for a bull pooping on the ground. He couldn't help but laugh. He thanked the man who gave him the money. He took Lena's hand and they walked away. This was a very fun date. He would never forget the bull. That was just so crazy. "So, how about a second date?" he asked Lena as they were walking back to their vehicle.

"Yes. Of course. I would love it." she replied happily.