Instrument

Cowtown

The horizon in the east was beginning to glow as Sam gently nudged Lori awake. She opened her eyes and recognized the skyline of Fort Worth, and smiled broadly at Sam. She gave him directions to her home, and began to ask Sam about who he was, where he was from, where he was going, and why he'd bothered to help her. He gave her a wry smile and said simply, "I'm Sam." She looked at him expectantly. He saw she was expecting more, but he also knew he didn't want to gain any attachments in life just yet. So, he put his thumb back towards the rear of the car, "I'm from back that way," he then pointed over the hood of the car, "I'm going that way, and I helped you because you needed it. It's just that simple." She stared at him. She wanted to know more about him, but it was obvious he wasn't going to tell, so she just sighed a little, then mouthed a silent "oh" and sat back in the seat. As the sunrise began to stretch across the rooftops, Sam pulled the car up to park in front of the two story house Lori identified as home. No sooner did he shut the car off than the screen door opened and a distinguished looking man stepped out on the porch. The resemblance was unmistakeable. He was obviously Lori's father. In the shadows of the doorway was a slim woman a bit too young to be her mother. As Lori stepped out of the car, the woman slipped out onto the porch beside her father, and Lori ran straight into her arms. Sam sat and watched the homecoming for a moment, wondering who the lady was for a moment, then he heard Lori call her 'Aunt Judy', and began to notice the similarities between the Lori's dad and his sister. He felt as if he had started well on his prayer, and prepared to pull away from the curb when he saw the man beckoning him to step out and come in. He thought about how he would feel if Lori was his daughter, and some stranger had just brought her home. Sam figured the man was entitled to some explanation, if for no other reason than for him to understand how desperate Lori had been to get home. Sam shut the engine off, and sat for a moment listening to the slight popping noises coming from the car as it sat still in the early morning cool. Sam stepped out and introduced himself as Samuel, and the four of them went inside.


The front room of the house seemed to be a well-ordered and neatly arranged collection of every floral pattern ever imagined in fabric. It took Sam a moment to take it all in. Lori's father said, "It's something, isn't it?" with a big smile on his face. Sam nodded and mirrored the man's smile, "It sure is. I don't think I've ever seen such stunning patterns before." Aunt Judy beamed proudly, then urged Sam to sit at the dining room table for coffee. The two men went into the dining room, and Lori's father looked over his shoulder to make sure his sister was out of earshot. "Sam, your parents certainly did right by you. I appreciate you not telling her how it really looks in there. She fancies herself a designer, and I just don't have the heart to tell her she should be a florist." The older man smiled a conspiratorial smile and offered his hand, "You can call me Jim." Sam shook his hand and the two of them sat down.