A Modern Cowboy's Dream

Father Figure

The next morning Doug wakes up and finds him self alone in the bedroom. He sits up and can hear commotion downstairs as a vacuum cleaner roars to life. He hears laughing outside and looks out the window finding Caroline running from her brother. He shakes his head and gets up going into the bathroom finding Sasha in there cleaning it. "Don't! I just mopped in here! Use the guest bathroom." Doug says "good morning to you too." Sasha sighs and half smiles "I'm sorry, good morning sweetie." Doug says "why'd you let me sleep late?" Sasha says "you needed the rest." Doug says "fair enough." He leaves and goes downstairs to the guest bathroom to get ready for the day. He looks in the living room seeing Katya in there vaccuming. She smiles at him and he just waves at her going to the bathroom. Once he's ready he walks into the kitchen opening the fridge and finds a plate of food left for him with an I love you note from Sasha. He half smiles and takes it warming it up and eating it quickly before headed outside. He sees Little Doug running the tractor with the grappling hooks on the front as he moves large quantities of storm debris making a huge pile in the middle of the pasture. Willie is sitting on a bale of hay with Michael talking and Caroline is watching Little Doug add the final bits of debris. She gives a thumbs up and walks back towards the barn foundation. Suddenly Michael tackles her and Willie ties her up making her furious. "What the fuck you two?!" Michael laughs "finally got you!" They leave her between hay bales and Doug shakes his head. He watches them run inside Ana's house then he walks up and says "you look a bit tied up there." Caroline rolls her eyes and sighs "I guess I had it coming." Doug half smiles "unfortunately you can't win them all sweetie." He cuts her loose and he says "I shouldn't even cut you loose after what you did to me last night but you're welcome anyway." Caroline says "thanks I guess. Forgiveness is appreciated." Doug says "you and your brother have pit my sons against each other I see." Caroline smirks "well Doug choose the winner." Doug says "yeah you're winning alright with that gum in your hair." Caroline says "huh?!" She feels and finds a huge wad stuck in it. "Ugh! I'm going to kill those two!" She runs to her house yelling for her mother. After awhile Michael and Willie run up to Doug as he makes marks to start rebuilding the barn. Michael says "where did she go?" Doug says "who?" Willie says "the red headed devil." Doug says "which one?" Michael says "come on you know who." He smirks "I cut her loose and she is getting the gum out or her hair. I wonder how she got that?" They both shrug and Doug says "well don't over do it pranking each other we don't need another hospital trip." Willie says "why'd you cut her loose? She deserved it!" Doug says "because I didn't want her getting sun burned. I saw what y'all did." Willie says "are we in trouble?" Doug laughs "I don't care as long as nobody gets hurt I think it's hilarious." Caroline returns and Doug notices her hair is shorter now. She grabs them both "you assholes I had to cut off my pony tail! Now my hair is fugly!" Doug laughs "y'all messed up now." Michael frees him self grinning proudly "revenge is a dish best served cold." Mama Ana stands on her front porch and screams "Michael and Caroline Davila! In the house now!" Doug says "ooooooooo y'all are in trouble!" They both walk towards their angry mother. Willie looks up at his father and Doug says "get your brother." Willie finds Little Doug and brings him over. Doug says "two things, one I need your help working today, and two I have this to say. I suggest distancing your selves from Michael and Caroline's endless sibling wars, I don't like seeing you two pitted against each other. Now it's only a suggestion I'm not telling you what to do, but I don't want you two hating each other for no reason. Your brothers you know." Little Doug smiles "it's alright Dad it's all just for fun. Besides one of these days Willie and I are gonna pull something over on them two anyway." Doug raises his eyebrows "I will warn you that is a very difficult thing to do to a Davila, I never tried anything on their Father for a reason but more power to y'all." They both nod and Doug asks "did the power get fixed? I don't hear the generator." Little Doug says "it did a lineman replaced the transformer this morning and Mama gave them a pie of some sort. Apple I think" Doug says "well that's good. Alright well let's get to it, good job piling up the debris." Little Doug says "Caroline wants to have a bonfire with it tonight." Doug says "I'd say it's safe, I'll disk around the pile so the fire stays put." They work through the day Doug disking around the debris pile before parking the tractor. He makes his final plans for the third barn that will be overall a much stronger and better built structure. Sasha yells for them to come eat dinner so they head inside. Doug looks around and says "Ana and them not coming?" Sasha says "not tonight, she told Caroline no bonfire either." Doug says "oh well, I'll burn it tomorrow then." Doug's Mom says "well I guess one day y'all can take me back home." Doug says "once I know the roads are finally cleared we'll take you home. I don't think Lake Wales got it as bad as us." His mother says "I hope not." Sasha half smiles and says "we'll help you with anything that's wrong don't worry." Katya says "hey Granny." She says "yes sweetie?" Katya asks "will you teach me how to make the pecan pie?" She smiles "of course darling." Doug says "was that a pecan pie y'all gave the lineman?" Sasha says "yup, I didn't make it actually I was cleaning still." Doug says "ah." Doug takes his final bite of Stroganoff and he sighs "I'll always love you." He points at what's left of the stroganoff and Sasha half smiles lovingly. Doug looks at his boys "find you a woman that can cook like your mother and grandmother and you're all set." Sasha says "most girls now expect their men to cook." Doug's mom says "I said that when Doug was a teenager." Doug says "I lucked out." Sasha grins "yes you did." Katya says "Mikey and I cook together." Doug says sarcastically "yes sweetheart because Mikey is so wonderful and great." Sasha says "Doug stop already." Doug says "chill I'm just giving her a hard time." He then asks "where's Elvira and her son?" Sasha says "she went to town to see if anything was open. I assume she found a place. Wanted an evening with Daniel to talk." Doug says "ah I see." They finish dinner and everyone heads to the living room. The cable is still out so the kids play a card game while Sasha reads on the couch and Doug's Mom reads her own book. Doug hears the dishwasher swishing and humming in the kitchen as he watches Katya win against her brothers. Doug half smiles then gets up and heads outside sitting on his front porch swing. He hears a ruffling noise in the bushes and Doug says "Caroline come out of there." She stands up "Well I'm obviously not stealthy enough." Doug says "and you glow in the dark like your Mama." Caroline says "well you're a bear basically as hairy as you are good God." Doug laughs "well that makes me perfect for your Aunt Sasha huh." She laughs and Doug says "what's on your mind sweetie?" Her face turns immediately like she's about to cry and Doug says "what's the matter?" She hands him her phone and he looks through all the hateful messages she's gotten from others saying they hoped she died during the storm or calling her carrot top. Others call her a slut followed by unwanted pictures. Doug says "Wow." She sniffles "everyone hates me and they've started so many fucking rumors about me at school and keeping them alive even while we're still out." He sighs "well I see why you put up one hell of a front now. God if your father was here he'd be furious at these dumbass horny boys trying to sext you I know I am." She says "because they think the rumors are true." He takes a selfie of him self pissed off and sends it to each idiot boys saying "this is Caroline's Uncle, loose this number NOW." Doug says "have you told anyone about this?" She shakes her head "I don't want my brother fighting at school I know he will if he finds out." Doug says "come here." She sits next to him and he hugs her "you're like my second daughter and you can tell me anything. I'll kick some asses for you if needed." She says "thanks." She sighs "this is what I get for humiliating the school bully I guess." Doug says "no it's not, this is going to stop. Did he start all this?" She nods. He says "Tell me where this bastard hangs out." Caroline says "downtown Savannah at night. He frequents Leapolds ice cream shop about this time." Doug pulls his keys out. "Let's go." Caroline says "now?" He nods "just come and watch." They both jump in the truck and he tells Caroline to send a message to her Mother and Aunt about what's going on. The Blue Ford rumbles to life and Doug makes his way towards town.