THE GRAND TOUR OF OKLAHOMA

Chapter Eight

Rose was thankful the Doctor had the idea to stow their backpacks in the TARDIS because she felt better without the added weight on her back. The Doctor quickly checked the TARDIS and patted her side when he found that all was well, then they walked back to the art museum. They stopped on the way in to the building when they noticed a huge glass sculpture in a bay window that rose to three stories. The structure was made up of blown yellow glass that had been twisted into a snake like shape and inserted into a steel base so it resembled a tree like structure. Rose had her digital camera with her and she took a photo of it and then took a photo of the Doctor standing in front of it. Then they went inside. They paid the admission and walked out of the lobby into the first gallery that had renaissance era paintings in it. Rose walked over to a landscape painting and studied it while the Doctor walked to the othe side of the room.

"Crap. Crap. Crap," the Doctor said, moving from one painting to another. "Crappy, crap, crap, crap, Crapola. Eh, this one's not too bad but a bit on the crap side."

"Doctor, will you behave?" Rose said while the Doctor gave her a cheeky grin.

She went back to looking at her painting and noticed the Doctor coming up beside her. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his spectacles and put them on. Then he leaned in and scratched his chin while he stared at the painting with an intense look on his face.

"Okay," Rose said, "that's enough of the whole snooty art critic bit."

"There's a painting error just right here," he said pointing to a random spot on the painting.

"Yeah, sure there is," Rose said, moving to the next painting.

The Doctor followed her and took her hand while they studied the paintings together. When they got to a portrait of a severe looking woman in puritan dress, the Doctor pointed to her.

"I know this woman," he said.

"Oh, you do not," Rose said.

"Yes, I do. Her name is Agatha Freewell."

Rose was about to protest when the Doctor pointed to a small plaque beside the painting. Rose walked over and examined it and was shocked to see Agatha Freewell listed for the title of the portrait. She glanced at the Doctor and wondered if his keen eyes had spotted the name but she decided to play along just in case he was telling the truth so he walked back to him.

"So...who is Agatha Freewell?" she said.

The Doctor pointed to the portrait.

"I mean, who is she to you, ya git," Rose said while he snickered.

"Well, I once traveled to the 1700's and I got out of the TARDIS and ran right into this woman and I said, "I'm sorry, Miss..." and she said, "Agatha Freewell," and I said, "Sorry," and went on my merry way."

Rose waited for more of the story and gave him a withering look when she realized that was it.

"Wow, that was riveting alright," Rose said.

"I didn't say it would be exciting. I just said I met her and you asked me how I knew her and I told you."

"Anyway..." Rose said, taking his hand.

The Doctor ruffled her hair affectionately while they continued on through the galleries. Most of the galleries had paintings but they had more of the blown glass too by Dale Chihuly who was famous for the blown glass artwork. Rose was admiring some blown glass that resembled big blue bowls and giggled when the Doctor made breaking glass noises behind her.

"You would, wouldn't you?" she said, looking over her shoulder.

"Would what?"

"Break all these glass sculptures."

The Doctor gave her a cheesy grin and made more breaking glass noises while he walked up to her side.

"Nah, wouldn't do that. It takes alot of skill to blow glass. I've tried it before and you have to have the lungs to do it."

"Well, Motor Mouth, you'd probably make a fortune doing it then."

She giggled and ran when the Doctor tried to grab at her hair. He caught up to her and they finished the tour of the art museum before going back outside. Rose gasped when they hit the hot air, not it was sweltering.

"Rose?"

Rose grinned.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Why is my flesh melting off my body like candle wax?"

"This will be a running joke with you, right?"

"Right," the Doctor said.

"Okay, well, where do we catch this trolley?"

"They told me we could do that at the bus station."

They walked back over to the station and went inside to get out of the heat. Rose went into the lavatory while the Doctor waited for her by the entrance. While he waited, a drunken black man stumbled up to him.

"Hello, G," he said, extending his hand.

"Hello," the Doctor said.

"Haven't seen you around here before, G."

"Um, no, my friend and I just arrived this morning."

"Whoa, G, you from England or something like that?"

"Yeah, something like that," the Doctor said, recoiling a bit at the smell of liquor on the man's breath.

"What your name, G?"

"Um...John."

"John G, I'm G, G."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Nice to meet you...G," he said.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too, G. Welcome to Oklahoma, G."

"Yeah, thanks."

G looked at Rose as she was coming out of the lavatory.

"Hi!" he said, stumbling up to her. "What's your name, G?"

Rose was startled when he got right in her face.

"Um...Rose," she said, inching towards the Doctor.

"My name's G, Rose G. You with John G?"

"What?" Rose muttered while the Doctor held in his laughter. "My name isn't Rose G."

"It's cool, G. It's all cool. I just call everyone G and I call myself G. But gotta go, I got a bottle of Night Train calling my name, G. Catch ya later, G."

"Bye, odd man," Rose said while the Doctor laughed silently.

"G!" G said to someone else on the other side of the station, "What's up, G? Guess what! I just drank three bottles of Night Train, G!"

"What's Night Train?" the Doctor said.

"It's whiskey, Doctor, you do see how pissed the man is, right?"

"Yes, but I don't drink often enough to know brand names of booze," the Doctor said. I do see that he's pissed, a blind man could see that."

"MORNIN' HOUSE!"

The Doctor and Rose jerked their heads towards the front door when a tall, gangly elderly black man stumbled inside. Rose sighed when she noticed he was also completely drunk.

"G!" G said when he saw him. "How's it going, G?"

"Is everyone G to this bloke?" Rose said while the Doctor sniggered.

"I am drunk, that's how I am," the man said.

"J.J.!" someone else called to him.

J.J. stumbled over to a young black man and they talked loudly. The Doctor tapped Rose on the shoulder and jerked his head towards the door. Rose nodded and they went outside. The Doctor led her across the asphalt to a bus bay and they stood and waited for the trolley.

"That lady described it to me," the Doctor said, looking around. "Looks like a San Franciso trolley on wheels."

Rose saw someone coming up to her out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw a slightly disheveled Indian man smiling at her. She looked at his bloodshot eyes and drunken smile and sighed.

"Is everyone in Oklahoma City drunk or something?" she said while the Doctor looked at the man.

"I'm not drunk," the man said. "I just wanted to say hello."

"Hello," Rose said quickly but the man extended his hand to her.

"I'm Suri," he said.

The Doctor took his hand and shook it.

"I'm John, this is Rose," he said.

"You invaded my country," the man said with bleary eyes.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said.

"You're British, right? I'm from India. You invaded my country," he said.

"Oh, Christ," Rose muttered under her breath while the Doctor gave him a stunned look.

"Um...that wasn't me. I didn't invade India."

"No, but England did. They invaded my country and took it over."

"Yes, well, we're not there anymore," the Doctor said.

"I know I'm just saying," Suri said with a shrug. "So, where are you going? Up to First Church for Friday Night Alive?"

"Uh, no, we're taking the trolley to Bricktown," the Doctor said.

Suri snorted.

"Fuck that, come with me to First Church and meet Mary," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Mary?" the Doctor said.

"She runs the bible study. You listen to it and get a free meal. Wanna come?"

The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other.

"No," Rose mouthed to him after she turned so Suri couldn't see her mouth.

"Come on, we can kill some time by getting something to drink," Suri said, tugging on the Doctor's sleeve.

"I think you've had enough to drink, mate," Rose muttered under her breath.

"Come on, you have to meet Mary, she's lovely," Suri pleaded. "Come with me to First Church."

The Doctor sighed.

"What time is this bible study thing?" he asked.

"You gotta be there by 6:10 but we can kill time by doing something else."

The Doctor checked his watch and noticed it was 4:30.

"How long is it?" the Doctor asked him.

Suri shrugged.

"Maybe till 7:30 or 8 tonight?" he said.

"No," Rose mouthed to him.

The Doctor held up a finger and led Rose out of his earshot.

"Doctor, I haven't been to church since I was small and had to go to a cousin's wedding," she said. "I don't go to church and neither do you."

"Yeah, but it might be interesting."

"Doctor, he's drunk. You wanna go to bible study with a man who's completely sloshed?"

"Look, let's humor the bloke and meet this Mary of his because I have a feeling he might keep on if we don't. If it gets out at 8, we can go ahead and go to Bricktown and ride the boats."

"Okay, what do we do until 6 then?" Rose said.

"The bombing memorial is up the street. We can take a look at that and then come back later and see the chairs in the dark. Is that okay?"

"I don't know why I'm agreeing to this but I know you love mingling with people so I'll go if you're by my side."

"Why wouldn't I be at your side? Besides, you and I can have a giggle at anything, right?"

"Right," Rose said, smiling.

The Doctor playfully punched his arm before taking her hand and walking back towards Suri.

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