Chapter 4

ARTER HAD TURNED HIS ATTENTION TO THE BALL GAME, and if the Braves had been at bat, he wouldn’t have noticed the two strangers as they strode into the bar. Sara literally led Beth with long strides into the middle of the table area, and then stopped, suddenly isolated, and slid towards the bar. On the streets she had felt confident, she always did when she travelled, but here inside the gathering place where others were obviously connected she felt anxious and disoriented.
       "Two beers" she yelled.
       What’ll it be sweetheart, was her answer.
       "Bud Light, two bottles with glasses" and she threw four dollars on the bar.
       The music was loud and the natives were obviously enjoying themselves. Every table was taken with pitchers of beer on each. Several waitresses worked the area delivering drinks and food, and in the back a dart match was in progress The two pool tables were occupied.
       The girls seated together at the bar did not look at each other, uncomfortable each in their own way, but unready to surrender to their own insecurities. Carter felt a queasiness inside his stomach and missed the double play.
       "What’s the score?" she said and he only mumbled "one to one."
       "Opening day?", she asked. And he replied "yeah."
       The long silence was interrupted as Jo made the scene and reintroduced herself to the girls. Jo picked up the dollar bills and asked the bartender for quarters, split them among the girls and shouted, "Why don’t you gals pick you out some tunes over there on the Rock-Ola, and let me cover the beers?"
       "Thanks" and as they moved off to the juke box, Jo winked at Carter and he smiled.
       "What’s the score?"
       "Tied one to one." he replied.
       "Well, you’re at bat" she said as the inning ended. When Sara and Beth returned, calm had not to Carter. He was visibly shaken, stricken by the one with dark hair. As he searched for an appropriate introduction, Sara knelt down and tied the loose shoelace on his hiking boot, and when she looked up her face was red, and so was his.

       Carter introduced himself to Sara, and then to Beth, hardly hiding his excitement. "Well", said Sara, "where do we go from here?"
       "Where y’all staying" he asked, "...are you visiting Gatlinburg for a while?"
       Sara told him that they were from Florida and would be in town for a week and were interested in doing some hiking, maybe some camping.
       Carter puffed and said he knew a few good trails, and what were they’re plans for the mornin’ "Let your conscience be your guide," she said, "but right now I feel like a shot of Tequila."
       "Hey, this ain’t Mexico you know," and he looked towards Beth to add her to the conversation. "Well, what do you recommend, maybe a snort of white lightning?" Beth added.
       "Well, maybe if you’re plannin’ on hikin’ tomorrow you should get a good night's rest, besides, moonshine is not sold in any bars."
       "But I always recommend for first time visitors, that they take a drive to Cades Cove, just to get a feel for how pioneers settled the mountains, that’s just a short trip, and maybe we can get together tomorrow evening for dinner. I know a great spot."
       "I’ll drink to that," Sara said, not acquiescing to anything so tame, "but for right now how about a game of pool?" "Put up your two bits," he replied.
       Carter and the two girls played cutthroat throughout the evening, commandeering a table that had obligingly been left vacant by some friends. Throughout the night Carter introduced his new friends to patrons at the bar and Beth and Sara mingled freely, feeling right at home. The Braves took Milwaukee two to one on a error thrown by Matheny.
       "Last call" Jo yelled, and Sara grabbed Carter by the shirt sleeve and said "You know, I’ll be disappointed if I don’t see you again." Carter grinned and asked if he could carry them home. "No, we’re fine, Beth's driving, but you could follow us to make sure we’re okay."
       Carter led the girls from the parking lot out a back road to Highway 321 and then down Pitman Center highway to the cabin they had rented on the Little Pigeon River. Considering that they had been drinking, and the lateness of the night, Carter parked his pickup behind their rental, and fell in love for the first time.

       Carter was up before the crack of dawn and almost out the door when Sara yelled, "Hey, is this any way to treat a lady?"
       "You’re no lady," he shot back.
       "Lucky boy. See you tonight."
       Careful not to raise eyebrows among co-workers, Carter bought a razor and shaving cream at a nearby convenience store and shaved in their rest room. He would put in ten hours of field work before meeting Sara and Beth at Peddlers for dinner.
       Sara awoke Beth with "I’m famished." "I bet you are lover girl," was her reply, "where shall we eat?"
       The girls showered and dressed quickly, anxious to begin their vacation. "I think I can get us back to town," Sara said, and, on the way, they stopped at at The Black Bear restaurant. Each ordered eggs over easy and toast with a glass of O.J.
       "There you go honey," the waitress announced as she delivered their plates, will their be anything else?
       Sara spoke first, "Uh, excuse me ma'am, but is this our order?"
       "Sure ‘nuff honey - two eggs over, wheat toast - sumpin' the matter?"
       "Well, uh..." Beth began. Sara shot back "what’s this white stuff on our plates - Cream of Wheat?"
       "Honey, those are grits, we serve them with every breakfast. They’re good."
       "GRITS!" Both girls laughed.
       Sara tried hers first. "Yuck, needs sugar or something," she said.
       Beth giggled, "Do you eat them with a fork or a spoon?"
       "We’ll have to ask 'Ranger Rick' about these tonight. I hope Carter’s not planning to take us us to the all-you-can-eat grit buffet."
       Sara drove silently all the way to Cades Cove. Beth was a friend and knew better than to bug her - let her daydream, she thought - it must be love.
       They enjoyed the scenery on the way, and just as they entered the cove a hungry black bear lumbered across the road.
       "Man, does he look starved!"
       "Yeah, I bet he’d have eaten those grits."
       The girls decided that today would be "grit day," and giggled throughout their trip to Cades Cove.

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