Cowboys, gates and romance

There is an old joke that's been told by everybody from Baxter Black to Michael Martin Murphy that goes something like this...

There are three men in a pickup truck, dressed alike from boots to hat, can you tell which is the real cowboy from where he's sitting?

Well, the answer should be obvious.

The real cowboy is the one in the middle, cause he ain't got to drive and he don't have to mess with opening gates.

I was over at a neighbors a couple of years ago for a cookout. We were sitting in the backyard enjoying the evening when his dad came riding across the pasture on a four wheeler with his wife riding on the back. One of the girls at the cookout said something like "I think that's sweet. It's romantic for them to ride around together like that at their age."

I quickly burst her bubble when I observed, "Actually, he probably brought her along to open the gates."