Have Gun Will Travel!

Yesterday was strange, but it turned out to be a great day after all! It started with a wake up call to Kinky at 5:45. I woke up hearing Tony talking on the phone—he was trying to wake up Kinky. When I came into the kitchen, Tony told me that he had phoned Kinky three times, but Kinky never answered his calls. “I am fixin’ to go to town,” Tony said. “Do you mind calling Kinky?”

Five minutes after Tony left to go drink coffee with the old timers, I dialed Kinky’s phone number and he answered the phone. “Nance, I’m up,” Kinky said, groggily. “Tony just came by and woke me up. Thanks for calling. I will see you later this afternoon around three-thirty, when I get back to the ranch.” Little did I know—it would be sooner than later.

Around one o’clock, Tony and I went to Kerrville to eat lunch and to run a few errands. We decided to eat lunch at Luby’s cafeteria. We went through the line and I chose to get their three vegetable combo, and Tony picked fish and two vegetables. After checking out with the ‘meal ringer upper’ and getting our ticket for our meals. Tony followed me to a table with his tray of food. We unloaded our trays, put them away and then sat down to eat.

I had just taken my first sip of water with lemon juice, when Jewford suddenly appears at our table, and says, “Welcome to Luby’s! I hope you enjoy your meal.”

I was startled to say the least. “Well hi, Jewford,” I said. “Did you get a job here?” Then I laughed. “Why are you here?”

“Because of the food,” Jewford shot back. “I drive down everyday from Austin to have lunch here.” Then the three of us burst into laughter! Then Jewford lowers his voice and loudly says, for everyone to here. “Actually, I am here, having lunch with Kinky. He’s sitting over there.”

I turned around in my chair, and Kinky waved at us. “I thought y’all were in San Antonio for a gig.”

“We were. This morning The Navigator broke down on the pass, and Kinky was able to make it to the YO Hotel—and his car died in the parking lot, before sun up. Sitting in the dark, inside the Navigator, Kinky calls Dylan and asks him to come and get him. Dylan drives over to the YO, picks Kinky up, and then they drove to Dylan’s school in Comfort.”

“Jewford, are you kidding me?” I asked.

“No,” Jewford said. “Dylan drove to the school, and lets Kinky borrow his car, so he can get to San Antonio. After the gig, I followed Kinky to Dylan’s school, so he could return Dylan’s car, and then I drove him here.”

“Where is The Navigator?” Tony asked.

“Kinky called some dealership in town to pick it up.”

As I am devouring my vegetables, and Jewford’s story—Kinky appears at our table. “Nance and Tone,” Kinky said. “This morning before sunrise, The Navigator’s dash lights all came on at once, flashing and blinking all kinds of warnings...”

Since I still had the pinto beans to eat, and Tony was halfway finished with his meal, we let Kinky tell us the same story, that Jewford had just told us. By the time Kinky finished his story—our plates and bowls were empty.

Kinky told us that they were headed to Wolfmuellers. And, we told Kinky that we were, too. Kinky and Little Jewford left the building and so did we.

When we arrived at Wolfmuellers Books, Jon, Sandy, Kinky and Jewford greeted us! Then Jon comes up and hands me a box, that Mari, had dropped off last week—for me. “Mari told us that she is always reading, on your blog, about y’all dropping by here, and all of the fun we have, so she decided to drop by—hoping to catch y’all here. She was sick, that she had just missed y’all.”

I opened up the box, to find the cutest stuffed turtle and some pages, copied off of the internet, a fact sheet about Richard Boone, who played Paladin, in the classic television Western series, “Have Gun Will Travel,” which aired from 1957 to 1963. I loved that show! It was in black and white, and thirty minutes long. My entire family was hooked on it—we never missed an episode.

“Mari, wanted you to see this. There is a picture in here, that Mari and her mother—think looks just like Kinky,” Jon said. “Here let me show it to you.” Jon turned the pages and found the picture. “Here it is with Mari’s note written below it.” I read Mari’s note and then looked closely at the picture.

“Oh my gosh,” I said. “It sure does look like Kinky—hat, cigar and all! How cool!” Jon agreed with me, and then we turned around and joined the groups roundtable discussion.

Little Jewford was hilarious, he had us cracking up the entire time, as Jon helped Kinky find the phone number for a car rental place in town. I told Tony’s joke about ‘Thirteen’ and everyone thought it was very funny. After about thirty minutes in the book store, Jewford announced they were leaving, so he could drop Kinky off, on his way out of town, at the car rental place—to pick up a mini-van. We all burst out laughing—including Kinky!

Someone said, “Kinky’s a soccer mom, now! He’s got to go pick up the kids!” Someone else said, “Are you taking the team to Chuckie Cheese after school?” Tony said, “Maybe it will come with a bumper sticker that reads, “Visualize a five pound bass!” We were relentless. Finally, after the last wisecrack—Kinky picked up his guitar, said goodbye to all of us, and then he and Little Jewford left the bookstore to go get his mini-van.

Tony and I left five minutes later, after a few more funny wisecracks.

P.S. Mari, I love the little turtle and plan on hanging it from the tin ceiling, in my Space Ship— right next to Judy’s personalized metal art hanging—a metal short story—of a Flying Gabrielle! Please come out and see us, and I promise the next time we are going over to see Sandy and Jon—we will give you a call! Thank you! We love you, and those famous NoMads!