an eye.
There was plenty of time to eat, shower, and rest before my date with Mikayla. I was so glad I bumped into Ray yesterday afternoon and found out about the get-together to meet Tyler’s cousins. That had been the first time I went to a party and actually had fun. I couldn’t wait to discover why she was so feisty. Bantering with her almost seemed like foreplay. I grinned at the memory of how hot she looked walking home in the moonlight, her curls bouncing and her sexy ass shaking in that little jean skirt.
I snapped out of my daydream when my dad came toward me. I scowled. It looked like he was carrying an apple in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He threw me the apple from twenty yards away. I caught it and took a crunchy bite. It tasted good, but it didn’t even begin to take the edge off of my hunger.
“Good catch, son.” He slapped me on the back. I almost choked on the large bite of apple in my mouth. “You got a good eye. I would’ve been disappointed if you’d missed that. Not to mention your breakfast would have landed in the dirt.” He laughed.
“This is my breakfast?” I grumbled angrily, staring at the half-eaten apple. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” I swore I heard the horses in the barn whinny. I called out over my shoulder, “Sorry guys, no offense.”
“It’s all I got.” My dad shrugged his shoulders, as if to say it wasn’t his problem I had such a large appetite. “Anyway, your mom’s too busy this morning to stop and make you something to eat. She has work to do. So do you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, finishing the apple. I threw the core as far as I could.
“Not a bad arm either. You sure got talent, kid.” He stamped his cigarette with the toe of his farm boot. “I need your muscle power right now. The tractor has a tire that needs changing.”
“Okay,” I agreed quietly. I knew there was no way out of it. It would be faster in the long run to help him now and get it over with. It wasn’t even 9 a.m. I couldn’t call Mikayla yet anyway because she was probably still asleep.
We reached the field where the tractor sat, along with his pickup truck. “What exactly do you need me to do?”
“I need you to help me get the tractor up in the air, so that I can take the tire off. Get the jack.” He pointed to the pile of tools. I carried the heavy jack and placed it under the tractor frame near the flat tire. I cranked it according to my dad’s instructions. I thought my arm might snap in two; I had to use all of my strength just to get it to budge a few inches. Sweat poured down my back, soaking my shirt. My dad loosened the lug nuts and it took both of us to get the old tire off. Tractor tires weren’t light. I sighed with relief when we placed it in the back of the pickup truck.
“Hey, where’s the new tire?” I looked around, but I didn’t see it. “In the barn?” I was anxious to finish this job.
“Get in,” my dad said, closing the tailgate of his truck. I did as I was told. My dad got in too and started the engine.
“Where are we going? I thought the new tire was in the barn?” We weren’t headed in that direction.
“No, I never said that.” He laughed and lit another cigarette. The smell suffocated me in the small confines of the cab. “The new tire’s at the store. You didn’t actually think I kept spare tractor tires hanging around, did you?” He chuckled. I never found any humor in my dad’s comments.
“We’re going to the supply store? Now?” I shouted. I was pissed. How could I have been so stupid to think anything my dad involved me in would be quick and easy? “Can’t you go by yourself? The guys at the store will help you unload the old tire and reload the new one. Then I’ll help you put the new tire on when you get back,” I reasoned.
“Sorry, Jimmy, I’m not turning around.” He pulled out onto the main road. Like most places, the farm supply store was at
There was plenty of time to eat, shower, and rest before my date with Mikayla. I was so glad I bumped into Ray yesterday afternoon and found out about the get-together to meet Tyler’s cousins. That had been the first time I went to a party and actually had fun. I couldn’t wait to discover why she was so feisty. Bantering with her almost seemed like foreplay. I grinned at the memory of how hot she looked walking home in the moonlight, her curls bouncing and her sexy ass shaking in that little jean skirt.
I snapped out of my daydream when my dad came toward me. I scowled. It looked like he was carrying an apple in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He threw me the apple from twenty yards away. I caught it and took a crunchy bite. It tasted good, but it didn’t even begin to take the edge off of my hunger.
“Good catch, son.” He slapped me on the back. I almost choked on the large bite of apple in my mouth. “You got a good eye. I would’ve been disappointed if you’d missed that. Not to mention your breakfast would have landed in the dirt.” He laughed.
“This is my breakfast?” I grumbled angrily, staring at the half-eaten apple. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” I swore I heard the horses in the barn whinny. I called out over my shoulder, “Sorry guys, no offense.”
“It’s all I got.” My dad shrugged his shoulders, as if to say it wasn’t his problem I had such a large appetite. “Anyway, your mom’s too busy this morning to stop and make you something to eat. She has work to do. So do you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, finishing the apple. I threw the core as far as I could.
“Not a bad arm either. You sure got talent, kid.” He stamped his cigarette with the toe of his farm boot. “I need your muscle power right now. The tractor has a tire that needs changing.”
“Okay,” I agreed quietly. I knew there was no way out of it. It would be faster in the long run to help him now and get it over with. It wasn’t even 9 a.m. I couldn’t call Mikayla yet anyway because she was probably still asleep.
We reached the field where the tractor sat, along with his pickup truck. “What exactly do you need me to do?”
“I need you to help me get the tractor up in the air, so that I can take the tire off. Get the jack.” He pointed to the pile of tools. I carried the heavy jack and placed it under the tractor frame near the flat tire. I cranked it according to my dad’s instructions. I thought my arm might snap in two; I had to use all of my strength just to get it to budge a few inches. Sweat poured down my back, soaking my shirt. My dad loosened the lug nuts and it took both of us to get the old tire off. Tractor tires weren’t light. I sighed with relief when we placed it in the back of the pickup truck.
“Hey, where’s the new tire?” I looked around, but I didn’t see it. “In the barn?” I was anxious to finish this job.
“Get in,” my dad said, closing the tailgate of his truck. I did as I was told. My dad got in too and started the engine.
“Where are we going? I thought the new tire was in the barn?” We weren’t headed in that direction.
“No, I never said that.” He laughed and lit another cigarette. The smell suffocated me in the small confines of the cab. “The new tire’s at the store. You didn’t actually think I kept spare tractor tires hanging around, did you?” He chuckled. I never found any humor in my dad’s comments.
“We’re going to the supply store? Now?” I shouted. I was pissed. How could I have been so stupid to think anything my dad involved me in would be quick and easy? “Can’t you go by yourself? The guys at the store will help you unload the old tire and reload the new one. Then I’ll help you put the new tire on when you get back,” I reasoned.
“Sorry, Jimmy, I’m not turning around.” He pulled out onto the main road. Like most places, the farm supply store was at
Similar Books
