This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us
The grizzled cowboy ambled out through the saloon doors, squinting against the high noon sun as he tipped his chin to acknowledge the square-jawed lawman framed in the center of the dusty street.
They sized each other up as the cowboy strode to the center of the road and stopped ten paces away.
The cowboy spit over his shoulder and the street cleared of people.
The sheriff called out, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us!”
The cowboy’s hands moved to rest on his belt. “Whadya suggest we do about that?”
“I suggest,” the sheriff’s right hand shot to his side and he pulled out a scroll of paper, “we both sign this petition requesting the mayor enlarge the city boundaries by annexing Chester’s meadow on the north of town. The extra space will provide excellent recreational opportunities like nature walks for the local schoolchildren and maybe we can even start a community garden.”
The cowboy spat again, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “I reckon I can support that.”
An idea suggested by my nine year-old son.
The Good Greatsby 
carl dagostino
March 26, 2011
Any opportunity for financial gain at the expense of citizen taxpayers brings together the most ardent enemies who transform into the most amicable of bedfellows. How does your 9 year old son know exactly how things have been run in Miami Dade County all these years?
carldagostino
March 26, 2011
Any opportunity for financial gain at the expenses and disadvantage of citizen taxpayers brings together the most ardent of enemies and transforms them into the most amicable bedfellows. How did your son know how things are done here in Miami Dade County all these years?
Calhoun
March 26, 2011
Man, I wish i had kids to exploit their genius ideas.
Instead I’m just stuck with my dog, who’s surprisingly not very helpful in the idea department.
ajg
March 26, 2011
I love this.
ajg
March 26, 2011
Short-sleeve stories for spring weather!
Renee Davies
March 26, 2011
Everytime the cowboy spits over his shoulder, I imagine him not projecting far enough to miss his Wranglers shirt.
japecake
March 26, 2011
Needs more aliens.
The Good Greatsby
March 27, 2011
I was cheered to see your comment because I wondered if success would change you and you’d forget the little people who predicted you were going places.
japecake
March 27, 2011
Ha. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. Hope you got some click-through traffic–it looked like it! Did the guy looking for a Buddy Holly impersonator for his kid’s bar mitzvah give you a call yet?
The Good Greatsby
March 28, 2011
Odd that I would be the first comment on your hipster post with my hipsterish picture prominently featured. I did get a lot of click-through traffic, but unfortunately it was all people who hate hipsters.
spilledinkguy
March 27, 2011
*ching ching ching*
I knew I wore my spurs for some reason…
🙂
analejandraleal
March 27, 2011
Yeah!!
It is a funny story, but what would happen if there is no other land to “buy” ?
You can asked to your son, bacause kids always have something interesting to say, and many times we did not take much care about what does kids are saying.
Bella
March 27, 2011
While we’re at it, tack on a recreational center for senior citizens, a dog park, a welcome center to promote tourism, an “infant-friendly” playroom where new moms can bring their newborns plus socialize with other new mothers, and a new Starbucks cause everyone needs WIFI and coffee!
zmanowner
March 27, 2011
Great post with a funny ending…..you had me going like it was going to be a GBU showdown….imagine if Angel Eyes, Tookie and blondie shook hands at the end and split the money and then did each others hair and nails….funny stuff…i love old westerns……zman sends
The Hipster
March 27, 2011
Apparently, your children are brilliant.
The Good Greatsby
March 27, 2011
If only their mother would let them drop out of school and work full-time on post ideas for me to steal.
japecake
March 27, 2011
Home schooling: The New Sweatshop
lifeintheboomerlane
March 28, 2011
I would say I wish my kids were still little and could contribute brilliant and pithy items for my blogs. But they would probaably just sit around, picking their noses.
Binky
March 28, 2011
Real cowboys shoot each other first, and then sign contracts later.
bschooled
March 29, 2011
This might just be my favorite story ever.
I say that a lot, but this time I mean it.
(I say that a lot too. But mostly because I have a limited vocabulary.)
The Good Greatsby
March 29, 2011
Thanks. That might be my favorite comment ever.
I say that a lot, but this time I mean it.
Sandra Bell Kirchman
April 4, 2011
I saw this on Ken Broad’s site as a reblog. Very funny story. I notice you have a pic of Gary Cooper in High Noon. I loved that movie. It was Grace Kelly’s film debut, I believe. (*walks away, humming “Do not forsake me, oh my darrrrrrrling…on this our wedding dayyyyyayyy…”)
The Good Greatsby
April 4, 2011
High Noon is one of my all-time favorite movies. I loved it from the very first shot of a cowboy coming over a distant hill as the drums sounded the intro to “Do not forsake me, oh my darlin’.” For some reason I feel a strong affection for the story of a man who was too proud to run, although I’ve always been proud of my ability to run away at the first sign of danger.
TheBigSIL
May 13, 2011
I love that when the cowboy spits, everyone clears out of the way.
So would I.