posted on July 22, 2014 by Jaycie Cash

Why I Shot My Best Friend the Day We Met

By Jaycie Cash

Stick Em' Up!When I was growing up, despite there being a bunch of kids in the houses all around ours—because an elementary school was catty-corner across the street—I was significantly younger than every other kid in the neighborhood big enough to play outside.

So imagine my delight one day, as I sauntered down the street in my cowgirl outfit, to discover a little girl I’d never seen before, who was obviously my exact age.

And she was sitting on a porch step just three or four houses down from mine.

Now, to fully appreciate the dynamics of the situation you need to understand that while this little girl was wearing perfectly nice play clothes, my costume alone clearly should have given me the upper hand. We’re talking rakishly tilted cowboy hat, bandana, felt vest and matching skirt with genuine plastic fringe and, the piece de resistance, a holster complete with my six-shooter cap gun, which was primed and loaded.

Since I was darned tired of always being the youngest and getting bossed around, I thought it wise to establish the supremacy of my position with this potential new playmate from the get-go.

So, instead of walking up and simply introducing myself to this little girl I’d never seen before, I stopped in front of her, took my cap gun out of my holster, used the barrel of it to push my cowboy hat even farther back on my head and said “Howdy, you’re dead. KAPOW.”

I thought I’d handled things beautifully.

But do you know, she absolutely refused to lie down and play dead! Simply would not do it, after I had shot her fair and square, and at much too close a distance for her to try to pretend like I’d missed her.

The big cheater!

But while she never would play dead, she did end up becoming my lifelong friend. And to this day, despite the fact that we now live almost 2,000 miles apart, when we email or talk on the phone she takes great joy in saying something like, “You know, I told someone just the other day that when I met my best friend she pulled a gun on me first thing.”

old lady best friendsBut does she mention how she wouldn’t even play dead? I doubt it.

In my debut novel, Mrs. Goodfeller, a lifelong friendship between the lead character, Elyse Smith, and the town’s hairstylist, Cecelia, plays a big role in the overall story. Through their relationship, the power of friendship and the importance of keeping your priorities straight and recognizing your real friends in life are explored.

Let’s just say there’s no question Cecelia would have played dead anytime Elyse shot her.

‘Nough said!

HOW ABOUT YOU? DO YOU HAVE A LIFELONG FRIEND IN YOUR LIFE? PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT PERSON HAS HAD ON YOUR LIFE, OR ANYTHING ELSE. A FREE COPY OF MY DEBUT NOVEL, MRS. GOODFELLER WILL BE RANDOMLY AWARDED TO ONE PERSON WHO LEAVES A COMMENT BELOW BEFORE THE NEXT WRITERSPACE BLOG IS POSTED.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest from our Blog

Mahoney & Squire – Military Women’s Fiction – Meet The Characters

Have you met the men and women of Mahoney & Squire, my high-stakes, high-octane military action adventure series? Let me introduce you! Captain Kathryn “Kate” Mahoney, USN Call Sign “Scarlett” Ambitious, strong-willed, patriotic, and assertive, Kate Mahoney is often derided as a “bitch” by the old school naval aviation community. She struggled through dysfunctional relationships,… Read More

Read More