LMPYITP: The Random Passages

If What You Know is Who You Are then [He's] Everything

            I watched them as Tyler turned the truck around and headed back down the driveway. They were gone in a matter of seconds, the sound of the engine getting softer and softer as they drove off.

            I took a deep breath and turned around to face Fiona. "So why you here?" I inquired.

            She flattened her lips. "You know why." She replied.

            I rolled my eyes. "He checks in like he's supposed-"

            "Now, Jules. Certainly you understand there's more to it than that."

            "Yeah." I sighed flatly. I looked her up and down noticing the high heels she was wearing. "You wanna borrow a pair of barn boots?"

            "No thank you." She shook her head.

            I shrugged my eyebrows. "Too bad! You're wearing 'em! 'Cuz if you fall down and break your ankle just 'cuz your dumbass decided to wear heels, I'm gonna have a really hard time feeling bad for you. Fucking city person! Let's go!" I waved her to follow me into the house.

            I found what I went in for on the porch. "Put on the goddamn boots!" I ordered handing them to her.

            Surprisingly, she listened then followed me to the pasture field while her driver stayed by the car.

            "He's calling them Gallagher Herefords." I told her extending my hand out at the herd of red and white cattle surrounding us. "I suggested he call it Anderson Acres but of course I was quickly shot down."

            Gene was so into beef cattle he wanted more than just a steer to raise and sell come summer. So, he bought a few heifers, breeding cows, and a bull to call his own.

            He liked Herefords and I was glad he chose something other than Angus. His steer was an Angus cross but his breeding stock were totally different.

            I didn't know much about cattle and it was clear Fiona knew way less. She stood there listening to me explain about Gene's fast growing herd trying to wrap her head around it.

            "We've a show to go to next week." I informed her.

            The show was at another county's fair not too far from ours. They had much better barns than we did and it was fun to set up our designated stalls.

            Courtney helped me decorate and before too long the cattle were settled in for a very long week.

            The cattle barns were full of various breeds of beef and dairy. So many head it put our little fair to shame. Gene had eight tied up in the barn ready to show what they were made of.

            The week moved along faster than I expected and before I knew it, it was show day. There was a lot to get done. The cows needed bathed which could be quite the chore at times. But Gene knew what to do.

            We got it done thanks to help from both Courtney and Tyler. They came to help Gene show as well and it was a good thing considering how many entries he had in certain classes.

            Gene had one of the girls in the chute to blow her off and brush her down. He was in his element running the brush over the heifer's paprika colored fur. He glanced up noticing someone nearby. He tutted shaking his head while he focused back on the cow. "I can fit me own cattle." He muttered.

            They guy was a professional cattle fitter and had a good number of clients at that fair. He was from our county and knew us from the show circuit we'd been on since the summer. He could probably tell we were newbies and offered his services to Gene to show him the ropes. But Gene wasn't interested and learned most of his skills from Tyler and his family.