Riding The Minotaur

"Slim Pickin's playing at The Raging Bull tonight," I said, putting down The Smith County Observer. "I'm going!" I said, "You wanna go?" I asked my brother. "Hell Yea!" he said enthusiastically! "Let's ride the horses in," he said. "So we can get ourselves DRUNK!" "YeeHaw!" I shouted! "YeeHaw!" He shouted back and he left the house to do morning chores.

It was around six at night, when we saddled up two of our best behaved quarter horses. The ones we could count on to take us back home after an evening of drinking, flirting, dancing, drinking some more, shooting pool, then more drinking. And of course riding THE MINOTAUR!!

We rode up before it got dark and situated our horses. They have a tie up for horses on the left side of the bar and a parking lot for cars on the right side. We went left. A lot of the local country bumpkins had the same idea, no driving after drinking. Bring a horse that knows his way home.

The Raging Bull was filling up with friends and strangers. Slim Pickin's was a local band. We knew everyone in that band. Fred Sturg on guitar, Ralph Simmons on bass, Jane and Jesse McCoy on fiddle, bango and back up singing, Leroy Elmwood on drums, his brother Casy Elmwood singer, and their sister Emily Elmwood on keyboards. We all grew up together, helping each other's families with harvest and barn raising. We went swimming and fishing at Cliptou River at the same hole. We knew everyone in the band having partied with them many a time. Me and my brother high five'd and hugged them all. We both put a twenty dollar bill in the tip jar right away. I always brought a hundred dollars with me to blow on our monthly outing. My brother Bob does as well.

"Brian, you riding the Minotaur tonight?" Bob asked me.

"I bet you twenty dollars I can beat your bony ass." I replied.

"You are on brother!" he said and we did our special handshake complete with double back hand slap, fist bump, and pointing wiggling fingers, while making a sort of yodeling sound at the same time.

I went and threw my name into the basket. Meanwhile the band was starting to play, opening with Small Town by Alan Jackson. They played Boot Scootin Boogie, Fishin in the Dark, Louisiana Saturday Night, but they changed that song to Colverville Saturday Night, to the cheers of the local folks here in Colverville. They played mostly classic country western with a few new songs they wrote themselves thrown in.

We always started our once a month drunk with a shot of Wild Turkey. Mom always makes a good dinner for us so we would be better equiped to handle our liquor. "Don't let your horses drink any liquor,” she'd always say. "They need to get you boys home! And dont drink too much yourselves. You always regret it the day after!" We both lowered our heads in shame as we rode away from the house. "Yes mam," we would say in unison and then ride off to have a great time of drinking, knowing full well she was right and we would regret it in the morning. "What's one night of drinking?" I would say as we rode off. "It's a darn good time." my brother would reply.

We danced with a different girl every song. We even danced with the grandma's that came out. We knew most everybody there! And everyone was laughing and dancing and drinking and having a great time!

At the break it was time to ride the Minotaur. The Minotaur was half bull and half machine. If you stayed on the longest you would win all the dollars from all the folks who paid to ride it. If you could stay on past three minutes you would win a trophy. Hardly anyone could stay on that long because by the time the music break happened and the bull riding contest began most everyone was already drunk and either would get sick from the motion or just lost their balance from laughing so hard and fall off.

I was determined. I only had the one shot of whiskey and one beer. My brother took another approach. He thought it best to get so shit faced, (excuse my English), that he couldn't possibly fall off. He lasted for maybe ten seconds on that bull and when he fell off, he fell right asleep on the mat! I had to pick him up and take him outside. You aren't allowed to sleep in a bar. I guess it's a sign you've had too much. They had benches outside where he could sleep while I went back in to win the pot. They pulled my name out of the hat and I put in my ten dollars. There were twenty people riding the bull this night. When it was my turn, I started focusing on my breathing before I even got on. The Minotaur was big like a bull, and once I climbed on, I positioned myself fast cause people think they have time to get situated but as soon as you sit your butt on that bull they turn that bull on and it's already trying to throw you off! No mercy!

A mechanical bull is a bucking machine. A bull without legs. This one had a head on it with horns to make it look like a bull. I pushed my butt on to the riding pad on it's back . No saddle. There was a small knotted rope you could hold on to. I grabbed the rope and continued to focus on my breathing. The Minotaur was bucking and spinning. The crowd was cheering. "Go Brian! Go Brian!" "One minute!", I heard the guy who took the money and kept the time yell.

I held on trying to relax into the unpredicatable spins and turns and ups and downs. "Ride em cowboy!" I heard coming from the crowd!" "Two minutes!" I heard the time keeper say. I kept my concentration. My brother came stumbling back in yelling. "THAT'S MY BROTHER! THAT'S MY BROTHER!" spitting on the unfortunate people in front of him. I looked over at him breaking my concentration causing me to lose my balance and fall over on to the mat. The crowd cheered. " "Two minutes and fifty nine seconds!" I heard the time keeper yell. And the crowd let out a dissapointed "awww", and then cheered some more. People helped me up and were patting me on the back. "Great ride!" they said. " too bad your brother couldnt let you get that last second in." "Awww, I said, I love that guy anyway." and I went over and put my arm around my brother. "I almost had it." I said to Bob. "One more second," I said.

"Lets get another round," he slurred, "to celebrate" and we headed toward the bar to order drinks not that we needed them.

I tried my best to get caught up to my brother's drinking but could only muster a few shots before I was done. There were still plenty of Minotaur riders to go but they had to wait for the next break. The winner would be announce at midnight. That was how they did it.

We danced and flirted and even played some pool. By midnight we were sitting in a booth half asleep but waiting to hear who won knowing full well it was me cause NO ONE had even come close to two minutes and fifty nine seconds on that bull tonight and we were waiting for my payout!

Finally the time keeper came on the stage. "As we all know who tonights winner of Riding the Minotaur is, Colverville's own Brian Higgins!" Those that were still left in the bar cheered! I walked up to the stage and was handed a pile of ten dollar bills. Twenty of them to be exact. And the owner of the bar, who was a long time friend of ours, came on stage and said, "that was the best ride I've seen since Marvin Mickle last year when he held on for three minutes and ten seconds. He patted me on the back and we hugged. "He was a rodeo clown!" Some one yelled, talking about Marvin. “And he certainly was a great rider!" the owner concured. He looked at me and said, "The Raging Bull would like to give you this honorary stuffed bull because we all know that one more second and you would have earned a trophy. So here it is, a stuffed bull in honor of your ride!" And he handed me a giant stuffed bull that was actually about four feet tall! We hugged again. I held up the stuffed bull for all to see almost knocking the owner over it was so big. Everyone cheered. " A round for everyone! I yelled, and every one cheered again.

We were sufficiently, excuse my language again, “shit faced” by the end of the night. I still had a hundred dollars in my pocket after buying everyone drinks. My brother did not. We said our good nights to all our friends, telling last minute tales of the nights adventures. I even got congratulation kisses from a couple of the local young women.

I got on my horse and my brother handed me up my bull which I sat in front of the saddle horn. My brother finally got on his horse after numerous attempts. "Take us home, little doggies!" my brother shouted, gently squeezing the sides of his horse and let the reins drop. I did the same. The horses turned away from the bar and started home. They've done this before and knew the drill. "Home, home on the range,..." my brother started to sing. I joined in, "where the deer and the antelope play..." He howled. I howled. "Really good night brother!" I said. " You tamed the Minotaur." he said. "Better luck next time," I said. "You owe me twenty bucks." I added, and he pulled out his empty pockets. "I know." he said. We continued singing as our horses walked us home in the moonlight.