A Woman Named ‘Mudbutt’

When I first met Tina, she wore a beautiful Victorian-style gown with a corset and bustle underneath. I know this because I asked, which is not being rude as Virginia City reenactors want and like such notice.

Tina is her real name, but I only knew her reenactor name, Trixie. Out of costume, makeup, and character, I sometimes don’t realize I’ve already met them.

One early morning Tina stopped by the Sugarloaf Motel to pick up a pack of Marlboros from the mart there. There were four of us sitting around a picnic table conversing.

She took a seat, making it five. I did not recognize her, so I introduced myself.

Shaking my hand, she said, “We’ve met before on the boardwalk. I’m Tina, but most people call me Mudbutt.”

I could not help but develop a wide grin before asking, “Really?”

“Yup,” Tina answered.

“How did you get that?”

“It was given to me in high school after a game of ‘telephone.”

The game of ‘Telephone’ involves creating a message, like a short sentence, and whispering it into the ear of a participant until it returns to the original sender. In this case, the sender was Tina.

“What was the original message?”

“I have a beer gut.”

We roared with laughter.