A tree-hugging Colorado woman I once worked with got all het up because I was stupid enough to let on to her that I generally carried a gun in my purse.  I told her everybody in Texas had a gun, but she wouldn’t believe me.  After a while it all got so blowed up that she started acting like I was a criminal or something.

“I tell you what,” I finally said. “I’m going to set us up a little bet just to show you that everybody ‘round here does so tote. I bet you the next person to come in here has themselves a gun.”

She took me right up on it-she was that sure of herself.

Well, as luck would have it, the next person to walk in the door was ole Miss Carry.  Now Miss Carry was one of the sweetest, gentlest and just plain girliest women in that part of the country.  She was raising three youngsters all by herself with one hand and running boyfriends off with the other, all on top of working with us there at the hospital.  I figured I was sunk when I saw her pretty little face come peeping ‘round the door, but a bet was a bet, so I went on and asked her if she had herself a gun.

“Me, a gun?” she said. “No way.”

The way my coworker’s face lit up at that gave me to know that I was in for some serious ribbing if things kept on the way they were going.  I knew the bet was long gone, but I felt like I needed to give it one more go, so I said, “Not even a shotgun or anything, Miss Carry?”

Little Miss Carry looked at me like I was stupid or something. “Well of course I have a shotgun!” she said.  “Everybody has a shotgun! I thought you meant an Uzi or something like that.”