40 Years at the State Fair of Texas

(Whole conversation carried out in earnest seriousness)

“Excuse me, Sir, excuse me… Can you tell me where I can get a dog like that?”

(Shuffles over) “Ysmm’ sir, you gotta go to the empty beer bottle competition booth. It’s a special one. We go there every year.”

“Every year?”

“Yes, sir, we have been coming here every year for forty years.”

“Forty years?”

“Yes sir. And we have collected prizes all that time.”

“So you are pretty good at this bottle game.”

“Yes, sir. We practise year round just for this event.”

“Practise?”

“Oh yes sir. Me and my buddy here, we sit on the porch most afternoons and practise with beer bottles. We are very good at it. Ain’t no one as good as us with the bottle. We win every year. And they are good prizes. We like them. What do you think?”

“Oh yes, these are prizes worth practising for. Do you think if we practised all year we could win something like this?”

“Yes sir, you could winna dog like this. All you gotta do is practise. Ain’t nothin’ to it. Just practise. Been doing it for forty years. Just get some beer bottles and practise. We’ve bin doin’ it for forty years you know. They are quality dogs. Yes sir, you could win one as well. The booth is just up in the carny alley if you want one. Just practise. Ysmm sir, you just have to practise.”

“Forty years?”

“Yes sir, forty years.”

“Well thanks for the advice, we’ll get in some practise.”

“You do that sir. Y’all have a good afternoon.”