All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)

A Mirage

It is two past noon, we've been walking at a quick pace for an hour now, according to Mick's watch.
"At least there's shade" he says.
"yeah, still my head hurts like a bitch," I complain.

"Do you want me to carry you my love?" asks Joe with a smile and a mocking tune.

"You'll break your back,"

"You consider me so weak?"
"I know it," Mick and I laugh.

To prove us wrong Joe comes up behind me to lift me bridal-style. A small grunt escapes his lips, "No big deal."
"Carry me instead, I'm tired too ey"
"Don't get jealous Mick, Joe's mine."

"Ah so you're not mad at me then?"
"No, just sore as fuck,"

"But you liked it, didn't you?" he asks smiling naughtily.
"I loved it" we kiss.
"He left you bite marks all over, I would bust his balls if I were you"
"Oh I did!" I assure Mick and then Joe lets go of me as he points at the side of the road, "look!"

We face the direction his index finger pointed and there it was, a mirage, a miracle in the middle of nowhere, a ranch. We looked at each other, all of us with the same excited expression painted across our faces and ran across the road. There was a corral-looking gate with a wooden sign hanging from horse shoes, "Beckett Ranch" written across it. 

Joe opened it, "'Ello?"
A horse whuffle replies. We laugh, it feels like walking into Tombstone, into a spaghetti western like the ones we used to watch back in London when we were too lazy to go nightclubbing. 

Then we spot someone sitting under the shade, the brim of his cowboy hat covering his face. He wears boots and jeans faded from working in the sun, no shirt. He looks up with dark eyes and smiles, he appears not much older than us. "What've we got here? Visitors?" His accent is American South, It confirms this must a weird illusion of mine caused by the sun.

"Hey man, our car ran out of gas a couple miles back and we're looking to get to Sheffield before sundown, could you uh maybe help us out?" Explains Mick.

He stands up, he's tall and buff, kind of intimidating. He explores the three of us, probably as mesmerized by us, punks, as we are by him, a cowboy in the UK.
He nods at me holding the tip of his brim and continues, "Sheffield, that's 25 miles from here...let me talk to my ol' man, I'll see if we've still got some gas stored."

Mick thanks him, Joe just stares, his eyes squinting to keep the sun out, his brows frowning. 

After a couple minutes out comes an older looking man, he greets us and says his name is Mr.Beckett. His son hands us each a water bottle, I smile and thank him and he takes it as an invitation to start a conversation with me as Joe and Mick got gas from a storage with the old man. 

"What's a pretty girl like you doing with two Londoners?"

"What's a redneck family doing in the middle of England?" I ask slightly annoyed. He laughs, "you'd be surprised by how much more we earn here." 

"Come on babe, we've gotta hurry back" says Joe coming out the storage carrying a small portable gas tank. He gives the cowboy a dirty look. Afterwards comes Mick shaking hands and laughing with the older man. We thank him once again. 

"How are ya fellows getting to the car?" Mr.Beckett asks.
"by foot"
"Y'all don't know how to ride a horse?"
Joe laughs, "No, but I'd love to try."
"Well then its your lucky day, I'll let you borrow some of my horses, so you don't walk in this heat."
"That's too much sir" assures Mick.
"Bullshit" the man laughs, "come on." 

He takes out three horses, one for him, one for Mick and one for me and Joe. I feel nervous but I smile nonstop, so does Joe. With his help I hop on the brown haired horse, he gives me his hand so I'll help him get on. "Ride with Mick" I say jokingly.
Mick laughs, Joe looks at us serious faced waiting for me to hold out my hand. I laugh, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding" and help him up. He accommodates himself behind me on the horse, puts his arms around my waist and holds the thing we use to direct the horse. We start heading back to the bus.
Suddenly Joe places his head over my shoulder to bite my cheek, "ouch!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding" he laughs imitating me. I smile at him, "you cheeky fucker" and we kiss feeling like Butch Cassidy and Sundance, except of course I'm the female version of Sundance.