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Merle and his dumbass ideas.
It’s Saturday and they ought to be out fishing, but no, Merle has decided they should check out the action at the fair. Daryl has objections, “The fair Merle? What the fuck, since when do Dixons hang out at a fair? Whaddya gonna do, try’n win me a stuffed animal?”
Merle’s smiling that big ass smile of his and when he answers in that condescending tone of his, “Aw now little brother, ya don’t gotta be that way. It’s gonna be some good clean fun. We’ll go check out some healthy, wholesome farm girls. I never had me a girl like that. I might wanna give one of ‘em a little spin. An I’m sure there’s gonna be a beer garden or why would folks even bother ta go?”
Daryl’s at the end of his very short rope, “Merle, you simple minded piece a shit. What healthy, wholesome farm girl is gonna want anythin’ ta do with a redneck asshole like you?”
Merle forces it, and sure enough the Dixon brothers end up at the King County Fair. The first big disappoint is there’s no beer garden. Merle promises, “No big deals here little brother, I got a bottle in the saddlebag. I’ma just walk back over where we parked the bikes and get us a little sumthin’ ta take the edge off. Maybe you’ll get a buzz and start havin’ some fun. Just wait here, relax and enjoy the scenery.”
Uh huh, classic Merle. Daryl’sstanding around waiting, watching little kids drop ice cream cones and people power down all manner of deep fried delights. The chocolate covered bacon doesn’t look half bad, hmm But where the fuck is Merle? Shit he could have walked there and back 10 tens by now.
He's about to give up, go get on his own bike and get the hell out of there when, sure enough, here comes big brother with his arm around some hot little mama of a farm gal. Daryl can’t quite wrap his head around it, but the farmer’s daughter is looking at big brother like she thinks he’s just the ticket. What the hell is it these women see in Merle? Are they all completely nuts?
Merle finally sort of looks over to where Daryl’s standing so of course Daryl raises his arm up high so his brother spots him. Merle does and he and the gal come walking over. Big Brother’s smiling obnoxiously, like always, and he's so happy to say, “Hey little brother, this here is Sonia Belle, me an her are gonna head on over ta Charley’s Place an have us a few beers. You have fun at the fair now.” He pulls her closer, she giggles and Daryl knows Dixon day at the fair is over.
Well son of a bitch. That damn Merle. Isn’t that just like him. Now he’s off to have a big time with this Sonia Belle gal, and Daryl’s left standing there in the dirt.
Except, that’s when he finds out a whole new truth. When he raised his arm to get his brother’s attention damn if he didn’t win an auction. Shit, what did he buy? A pig or a cow or something?
Not exactly. The auctioneer calls him up to the small stage. He doesn’t care for being on display and he’s wondering, worrying, how fucking embarrassing can this get? He finds out right away. He has the winning bid on a pretty little blond. Shit. Since when did they start auctioning off women at the county fair? And the bigger question is, now that he’s bought one what the hell is he gonna do with her?
What he knows about women he could write on the head of a pin, in block letters. He sure as hell didn’t plan on buying one to keep.
It turns out her name is Beth Greene and this is some kind of fundraiser for the 4-H. She’s the local coordinator or some such thing.
She’s really pretty, and like Merle was talking, healthy and wholesome looking. A sweet little thing like her, Daryl figures a man like him is probably her Daddy’s worst kind of nightmare.
Well he certainly doesn’t look like the kind of guy she ever expected to see at the fair, much less the one who would bid on her in the auction. He looks to be about 30, he’s got some mighty scruffy facial hair and my gosh, he could really use a haircut. But oh my does he have beautiful blue eyes.
Okay, the truth. He’s just plain handsome. There’s no getting around that. And that body, holy cow, he’s rock solid. But just one look and she'd bet all the money in the world he’s no farm boy.
He looks completely confused and a 100% embarrassed when he asks her, “Um, so what the hell exactly did I buy here miss?”
She’s a little stunned by his question, “You mean you have the winning bid and no idea what you bought?”
Now he’s really feeling uncomfortable about whatever the hell is going on. He shrugs and admits, “Well yeah, it just kinda happened n all.”
She can’t help it, she laughs at his remark, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh but that’s pretty funny. I’m Beth by the way, and you’re...,” She glances at the information the auctioneer handed her, “Daryl, is that right?”
“Yeah, Daryl Dixon.” Shit, what’s he supposed to do now?
She looks down at an index card and reads him the rules, “You bid to take me on a date tonight. No extra ‘benefits’ of course, that's definitely not part of the deal. You get that right?”
The more she explains things the more baffled he is, “Extra benefits? Like what? No, I don’t get it.”
“You know, like fooling around or something, none of that.” She feels the blush come up in her cheeks, but dang if she doesn’t see color come up on his face too.
He’s mortified, “Oh yeah well no, uh I hadn’t thought nuthin’ like that.”
For a strong, rough looking kind of guy he sure is awkward. “So Daryl Dixon, where is it we’re going on our date?”
“Shit I got no idea. Do ya wanna go drink beers or sumthin’? Are ya even old enough ta drink beers?”
She tries to give him her best smile of encouragement, “Well yes I’m 21, but Daryl, it’s supposed to be like a date. You know, something more like dinner and a movie, or dinner and dancing. That type of date.”
Like he knows about dating. Shit, “Oh, sorry I ain’t ever been on a date. I got no idea what to do.”
That can’t possibly be true, “You’re kidding me, what are you, like 30?”
Well shit, “Yeah, I’m kinda like 30, I’m 31. And no, I ain’t ever been on a date. I know some chicks, I mean women, that hang out down at Charley’s Place an such as that and we, umm, hang out. They ain’t the kind a guy takes on a date first.”
Oh my gawd, is this high school? High school with drinking in bars and hanging out with chicks? “Oh, um, I see. Well if you don’t want to do this we don’t have to, but I don’t think they’ll give you your money back.”
Well that’s no good. He wouldn’t mind spending a little time with this pretty woman, “Nah, I’ll do it, ain’t got nuthin’ else ta do tonight. Ya just gotta tell me what I'm supposed ta do Beth Greene.”
She can’t help laughing again. “You certainly are the romantic type, aren’t you Mister Dixon?”
He may not know about dating, but he knows when he’s being teased. He’s not really pissed about it though, she doesn’t seem like much of a bully, “You makin’ fun a me now? Cuz believe me girl I already know I’m a dumbass. Ya shouldn’t laugh at dumbasses, it ain’t nice.” Then he kind of smiles. Kid of.
She apologizes, “You’re right and I’m sorry. I’ll tell you what, I’ll write my address down here and you pick me up at 6:30. We’ll go somewhere casual for dinner. I’ll think of a place, how’s that?”
He looks at the paper, says, “Yeah okay, I’ll be there at 6:30 an I ain’t gonna be all pushy ‘bout them benefits an stuff. I ain’t that way.” Damn she’s so pretty and sweet. She’s definitely not the kind of girl who would normally give a guy like him the time of day, but shit, she is and now what‘s he going to do? He doesn’t even know exactly what’s expected of him. Hopefully she’ll tell him.
She can’t help smiling, oh my God he’s so funny and handsome and oh man is he built. And he’s just about as smooth as a porcupine. She has a feeling this might turn out to be the most interesting date of her life. Not that she’s any kind of big dater, but the few she’s been on have been pretty disappointing.
He thinks he should probably shower up and try to find a shirt he hasn’t ripped the shit out of one way or another. He never realized how limited his wardrobe is. Oh well, she’s seen him and she probably already figured out he isn’t the stylish type.
Oh shit, and he should probably bring a helmet for her, she doesn’t look like the kind of girl that has a helmet lying around the house. Luckily he still has his old one. He’ll use that and she can wear his new one. Yeah, his helmet ought to fit her just right. pfft
When he gets close to her place he panics, flowers. Is he supposed to bring flowers? Is that what guys do on date? Yeah probably. So he stops at the grocery there by her house and buys a big bouquet of something he thinks looks pretty.
He’s nervous and feeling mighty glad about the fact he put his deodorant on twice. He can’t quite believe how anxious he is to see her, but he almost chickens out. His finger is kind of hovering over the door buzzer but he can't quite make himself push the button. He gets a grip, he can’t be a complete asshole and not show up. Anyway, it probably won’t be a long evening. She’ll be over his ass in no time. No doubt she'll give him the bum’s rush as soon as he pays for dinner.
She gets home and takes her shower and when she applies her makeup she keeps it light. She keeps her hair simple too, a ponytail seems perfect. She promised him this was casual. Now, what to wear? She can’t imagine Daryl Dixon is the kind of man who will be showing up in a tie. Yeah, extra casual is probably her best bet.
She goes with a pair of tight jeans rolled up to mid-calf, boots and a yellow blouse. She’s as ready as she’ll ever be, and surprised she feels so excited to be going out with this man.
When the doorbell rings she feels the butterflies in her tummy take flight. That’s a surprise too, it’s never happened with any other man.
She’s so touched when she opens the door and he’s standing there with a bouquet of flowers. How sweet, and it’s another first. She’s never had a guy show up for a date with flowers. She’s always thought that only happened in movies and books.
He hands them to her and when she takes them from his hand she lets him know, “How thoughtful Daryl, thank you very much. Come in for a minute while I put these in water.”
“Yeah, sure okay.” Yep smooth. He’s sure she’s impressed by that.
As she’s putting the flowers in a vase she asks, “Do you like Italian food Daryl?”
He shrugs kind of nervously. “Um yeah, I guess. I ain’t real picky ‘bout what I eat.”
She wants to laugh but she checks herself. Everything about this man is honest, “Well there’s a nice little Italian restaurant not too far from here, Gino’s, have you been there?”
“Nah but if ya like it then we should go there cuz I got no fuckin’ idea where the hell ta take ya. Ooops, sorry, I didn’t mean ta cuss, uh I’m sorry.”
This poor guy, “Okay, don’t worry about it. When we get in the car I’ll tell you how to get there.”
Now he’s talking fast and nervous, “Well I ain’t got the car. I mean I don’t have a car. I got a pickup, maybe I shoulda brought that but I didn’t even think about it. I rode my bike.” Fuck.
“You rode your bicycle?” Now she’s super confused.
It happens then, for the first time she hears Daryl Dixon laugh. “Nah I ain’t rode a bicycle since I’s a kid, I mean my motorcycle.”
That’s when he panics for what seems the 100th time that day, “Ya ever been on a bike before, I mean a motorcycle?”
She’s a little scared but she answers, “Well no, but gosh, it sounds fun.”
He puts the helmet on her and her poor little head practically disappears, “Sorry I didn’t have your size. This is my new one though.” Then he gets on the bike, tells her how to get on and says, “Hang on tight.”
“Hang onto what?”
“Hang onto me.” She can tell he’s embarrassed again because everything that isn’t covered up by his shirt or his helmet has turned red. He’s not alone, she feels like her own face is on fire. He tries to clarify, “Ya know, like around my waist is what I’m sayin’.”
It feels just fine to her, and it feels real good to him too.
When they get off the bike at Ginos’ she’s all hyped up, “That was so fun and so exhilarating. I just loved it Daryl.”
He doesn’t know for sure why that makes him so crazy happy, but it sure does, “Well after we eat maybe ya wanna ride around s’more.”
“Definitely!”
The restaurant is small, old school Italian and not too fancy. He's relieved. The host shows them to a booth in the corner, and asks, “Wine?”
She can tell her date doesn’t know what to say so she jumps to the rescue, “How about a couple of glasses of your house Chianti. Does that sound good Daryl?”
“Yeah, yeah perfect. Sounds good.”
Beth’s starting to wonder pretty hard, is it possible she’s falling for this guy? There’s not one phony or put-on thing about him. And he’s trying so hard to do everything right. And he’s so sweet.
They get their wine and she asks him, “So Daryl exactly what happened today at the fair? Why did you bid on the date if you weren’t even sure what it was all about?”
He hems and haws for a minute but in the end Daryl Dixon’s a truthful man. He admits how it all came about and he’s worried. Will she get up and walk out on him when she knows? But instead she starts laughing. Hard. She reaches across the table, rests her hand on his and says, “That is the best story I've ever heard. I thought you wanted to go out with me.”
He keeps being truthful with her, “Well once it happened then yeah, I did wanna go out with ya. I know I ain’t exactly the kinda guy girls like you go for, so I know you’d never wanna have nuthin’ ta do with me any other way.”
Maybe not, but now that she’s here with him she has a deep appreciation for the kind of man he is, “Oh I don’t know about that Mister Dixon. You’re handsome, thoughtful – why you’re the first man to ever bring me flowers, and you’re possibly the most charming person I’ve ever met.”
“Charmin’? Me? Damn girl I been called all kinds of shit in my life but never charmin’.”
The highlight of the evening so far comes when their dinner arrives. She’s ordered a cup of minestrone and a Caprese salad, he on the other hand ordered spaghetti and meatballs with extra bread. After all he’s a man with a man’s appetite. But she has never seen anyone eat with such gusto.
It’s almost like he’s shoveling the food in. He takes the biggest bites she’s ever seen anyone put in their mouth. Then he picks up his glass of wine, takes a big drink and swishes it around in his mouth. It’s not polite to stare, but she can’t help but watch.
He realizes she is watching him and asks, “Sumthin’ wrong? Did I do sumthin’ wrong?”
Uh Oh. “No not at all, I was just going to ask you how the spaghetti is here, I’ve never ordered it.” Phew.
“Seems real good ta me but I ain’t Italian or nuthin’, but yeah, I like it, wanna taste of it?”
“Oh no thank you, you eat it, I have plenty.”
“Don’t seem like plenty ta me, seems like a snack ya have before ya eat yer real dinner. You should order sumthin’ more.”
Yes, he’s definitely the nicest man she’s ever been out with, a true diamond in the rough. They haven’t even finished their dinner but she’s already worried he might be a too shy and awkward to ask her for another date. She decides this is on her.
“So what is you like to do for fun Daryl?”
“Fish. Hunt. Camp. And ride my bike, that’s mostly it.”
“I love to fish, maybe you’d like to take me fishing tomorrow.”
Well fuck him, she wants to go out again? He never saw that coming. “Well yeah we can. Ya got a pole n stuff or ya need me ta bring everythin’?”
“I’m afraid I don’t have anything. Would it be too much trouble?”
“Nah don’t worry I got everythin’ ya need. But I usually like ta start early, is that okay?”
“Sure, I grew up on the farm I’m used to getting up early.”
They ride around on the bike after dinner and she can’t help holding onto him just a little tighter than is probably necessary, and she can’t resist laying her head on his back. He doesn’t ask her not too.
There’s no denying her arms around him feel better than anything he can ever remember, but when she lays her head on his back, man. He’s thinking he’s already in deep with this girl. She must feel something for him too, otherwise why did she want to see him again? And to go fishing? He didn’t think women cared much for that stuff. He smiles to himself thinking, she smells a little too pretty to be a fisherman.
He picks her up at 6:00 the next morning and she has coffees for both of them. And it’s damn good coffee. She’s pretty, she smells pretty, she’s sweet as sugar and she knows how to make a damn fine cup of coffee. He still can’t figure out what she’d want with a dumbass like him, but he isn’t gonna question it anymore.
It’s clear she’s been fishing before but she has a little trouble with the knot tying and baiting the hook. He doesn’t mind helping her at all. In fact he’d help her do just about any damn thing she wanted his help with.
They’re sitting there on the bank together, a whole lot closer to each other than a couple of fisherman usually sit, and that’s when she looks at him and says, “You know what I think Daryl Dixon.”
He smiles that little smile of his and answers, “No. I’m sure I ain’t got a clue, whaddya think Beth Greene?”
And it’s a good damn thing he’s sitting because she smiles and says, “I think it’s about high time you quit being so darn shy and just kissed me. I can't wait much longer.”
Her cheeks are pink and she’s smiling so pretty and he’s wanted to kiss her since he first laid eyes on her. He can’t quite believe this is happening to him, but he’s sure not going to argue with her or ask questions. He sets his fishing pole down, takes hers and sets it down, and then does what she told him to do.
He gently lays her back as he cups her cheek in his hand and begins to kiss her. Softly and tentatively at first, but it soon gets awfully warm on the bank.
They’ve been enjoying themselves and each other, kissing and holding each other close, and neither has any kind of complaint about any of it. When he comes up for air and looks in her eyes she smiles at him and explains how things will go, “You’re going to fall in love with me Daryl Dixon, I can already tell I’m falling love with you. We’re going to get married someday very soon and live in a little cabin in the woods. We’ll have two kids, a little boy, a little girl and a dog named Lucky.”
He's sure he never smiled any bigger or more happily when he responds, “Yeah sure Beth, whatever ya want. It all sounds just right ta me. Now c’mere and kiss me some more.”
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