It's Only 8 Seconds

Chapter Twelve

It was around one in the morning when I got back to the hotel, I parked my truck next to my trailer in the parking lot and walked into the lobby. There was no one in there except the lady behind the desk and a man who stood with his back to the door as he stared at the photos from past rodeo events. My stomach was grumbling with sounds I hadn't heard before and I realised I hadn't eaten all day.

''Excuse me, where can I get something to eat around here?'' I asked the lady behind the desk. She pulled her glasses off her face and gave me a small smile before she spoke.

''There's a 24-hour diner about two minutes up the road.'' Her voice was thick like she had smoked packets of cigarettes a day and had a bottle of whisky by her bed. She seemed like the type of lady who'd been around a lot, travelling as such. 

''Thank you.'' She smiled at me once more before I turned around and walked towards the door.

''I'll take you if you'd like?'' The familiar figure of Austin walked up beside me with his warm grin rested upon his lip. 

''I'd like that.'' 

As I climbed up into Austin's truck I reminded myself of everything I just went through with Ryder. Austin's truck was much nicer than Ryder's though, it was a brand new charcoal silver  Dodge Ram. It was in immaculate condition and I had a feeling that Austin had worked really hard to get it.

We pulled up at the dinner, Austin made me wait in the truck while he went in to get us food. He came back a short while later with two burgers in a bag and a container of fries. ''Gotcha food.'' Austin climbed into the cab and passed the bag of food to me. We just stayed in the parking lot of the diner as it wasn't too far away from the hotel.

''What do you do?'' I asked Austin. He ate a few fries and then looked over at me.

''I'm a calf roper, do a little steer wrestling on the side. Nothing too serious though.'' When he said this I felt some kind of weight lift of my shoulders that he wasn't a bull rider. There was something now that turned me off from bull riders, I think that it might just have something to do with the terrible past that I have had with them. 

''How long have you been doing that for?'' I was so interested in the life he had, he was kind and caring and he had lured me in. 

''Learnt to ride when I was about five and then as a young boy I just fell in love with roping. Guess that you'd be the same with what you do.'' 

''Yeah, your right. It was exactly like that.'' I gave him a warm smile and we began to drive back to the hotel.