A Modern Cowboy's Dream

Gray Hair

It's another day in South Georgia as Doug works in his barn while Sasha and Ana wave off their kids headed to school. The women watch Katya's truck leave and they turn their attention to Doug watching him as he walks out of the barn and around back. Sasha says "he's walking funny." Ana says "yeah he acts like he's hurt." Sasha says "hell that'll make two of us hurting." Ana shrugs "sucks getting older." Sasha sighs "yes very much so injuries I got over in a couple days now take a couple of weeks." Ana chuckles "Oh darling." Ana asks "want me to go ask him?" Sasha says "he'll lie and say he's fine." Ana says "nevermind he's coming to us." Doug walks up to the women with a bucket of fresh laid eggs "Merry Christmas! I like my eggs scrambled." Sasha says "you've already eaten breakfast you big red bearded idiot." Doug chuckles and hands the bucket to her anyway "well in that case sell them." Sasha asks "why are you walking funny?" Doug says "I'm fine." Sasha nudges Ana "told you." Doug makes a face "told her what?" Sasha says "that you would deny being hurt." She scrunches her nose and drills him "What happened to you?! You weren't walking like this earlier!" Doug jumps a bit from the sudden out burst and he says "chill out! God woman." Sasha glares at him and says "Doug." Doug says "alright fine I fell in the barn alright? Happy now?" Sasha says "no I'm not happy! Why didn't you call for one of us!?" Doug says "because I'm fine I pulled my self up and went about my business after I sat on the side of the tractor for several minutes. There's no use making you come out and try to help me with your ankle sprain." Ana says "am I just invisible? I'm here!" Doug says "I helped my self, I appreciate the concern ladies but a man's got to do what a man's got to do. My knee may be killing me but that's what Aspirin is for. Now if you'll excuse me I have things to tend to." He turns around and walks off. Sasha balls up her fist and shakes it at him making a growling sound. "Crazy man!" Ana sighs "he gets worse as he ages." Sasha says "why do you think I'm so mean now?" Ana says "Sasha, you've always been mean." Sasha shrugs "I suppose but I'm never going to mellow out with him." Ana says "you're both going to kill each other with high blood pressure if nothing else." Sasha says "well, you side with me." Ana says "of course, we gang up on him and he leaves." Sasha smirks "yup." Doug climbs into his tractor and sighs "freaking women always picking on me like a bunch of hens picking feed." He starts the tractor and it fires up but then backfires making Sasha and Ana jump on the porch. It billows out white smoke from the smoke stack then stops the engine seizing up. Doug beats on the steering wheel "damn it! What is it now?!" He gets back out and looks in the engine bay and sighs. Unlike the diesel engine that runs the irrigation the tractor is much newer and more complicated than what Doug's back yard mechanic knowledge can handle. He pulls his phone out calling Otto to come fix it. After about 30 minutes the middle aged German rolls up in his mobile mechanic truck. Doug says "well you've got quite the set up!" Otto smirks "of course, nothing but the best." He gets out of the old and ragged white Ford F-250 and opens one of the tool boxes mounted on the flat bed of the truck. Doug thinks back to the story his grandfather told him of a German mechanic that used to work in the Firestone store he ran back in Lake Wales also named Otto who drove a ragged and beat up car. Otto says "try to start it again." Doug does so and Otto listens then says "seized up it won't even turnover. Your starter sounds alright." Doug says "can you fix it?" Otto smirks "of course this is easy." Doug nods and heads into the barn. He pulls the cover off of his old Ford 8N tractor he bought many years ago when he first bought the land. Doug sighs and half smiles looking it over remembering getting it all started. He checks a few things on the tractor and attempts to start it but the battery is dead. Doug says "figures." He grabs his portable jump starter and hooks it on then tries again the old tractor firing up. He lets it warm up as it spits and sputters before settling down to a clean idle. The hay field needs to be mowed so he hooks up the bush hog and heads out there with it. Sasha looks out and laughs. Ana asks "what?" Sasha says "I guess his argument for keeping that old small tractor for a backup was proven right. I wanted him to sell it." Ana says "you won't hear the end of it." Sasha says "I'll kick his bad knee." Ana laughs then says "you're horrible!" Sasha smirks "I don't care, he isn't going anywhere anyway and he won't listen to me." It takes most of the day to fix the tractor Otto rebuilding the entire motor in the Massey Ferguson. Doug puts the small Ford tractor away and walks over to Otto who closes the hood of the old red Massey which is twice the size of the much older Ford. Doug cranks it up and it runs like a brand new tractor that just rolled off the assembly line. He puts it in the barn and gives Otto a thumbs up. He gets out shaking his hand and Doug says "you can send me a bill." Otto says "I'll give it to Hanna next time she comes over here." Doug says "when is that?" He says "tomorrow. She told me her and Willie are doing some school project." Doug says "nobody tells me anything." Otto smirks "I doubt your boy has said anything to you or his Mother." Otto says "when you can, buy a German tractor. They're much better than American." Doug says "no offense but those are way over engineered and high priced. I'll stick to what I know." Otto smirks then says "suit your self. Well I'll see you around." Doug says "thanks again for coming on short notice." Otto says "no problem, things are slow right now for me anyway." Otto leaves and Doug goes back into his barn. The kids return from school all jumping out and heading inside to hurry up and finish off their homework. Sasha yells "no running inside!" The kids slow down as they head upstairs. Doug walks around throwing feed out for the chickens then puts the feed up to head inside. Once inside he steps into the kitchen finding it empty so he helps him self to the sweet tea Sasha made earlier. Sasha steps out of the office and into the kitchen hearing him come inside. Sasha asks "how's your knee?" Doug says "iffy." Sasha frowns "you're always getting hurt." Doug smirks "so are you." Sasha is still limping her self although she doesn't need crutches anymore. She sits next to him at the table and runs her fingers through his hair. She pulls a gray hair and he grunts. Doug looks at her "what are you doing trying to make me go bald faster?" Sasha giggles then runs her fingers through his hair again. "You're turning gray on the sides." She looks at his beard finding a few gray strands in it also. She giggles again and Doug says "what's with you?" Sasha runs her fingers through his beard "I'm just admiring you that's all." Doug says "oh so I'm funny looking I get it now." She lightly slaps the back of his head "hush you! You're turning into my sexy silver fox." Doug laughs "now that's hilarious. Me sexy." Katya who was going to grab a drink makes a face "Oh God why?" She turns back around and hurries upstairs to raid her brothers secret stash of sodas. Willie says "hey that's ours!" Katya says "if you give me any more problems I'll tell Mama where you keep this stuff." Caroline rushes in and also helps her self to the soda. Katya and Caroline clink the aluminum cans and leave as Caroline sticks her tounge out at Willie "sucker!" Willie yells "get out!" Sasha hearing the commotion yells upstairs "shut up and do your homework! All of you! Don't make me come up there!" She storms back to the kitchen where Doug says "listen to Mama bear here." Sasha sighs "I love them but they irritate the hell out of me sometimes." Doug smirks "like me?" Sasha says "yes like you but not as bad." She sits down next to him and he puts his arm around her kissing her. "I love you." She half smiles "I love you too." Doug asks "what's for dinner?" Sasha says "you only love me for food." Doug says "no sweetie I love your food yes but there's more to you than that." She pats his cheek grinning "I know, I'm teasing." Doug says "well I'll take the hint, we'll go out tonight." Sasha gasps "wow! You actually got it!" Doug says "don't get used to it." Sasha kisses him then smiles rubbing his back. Doug puts his head down on the table and sighs "yes right there don't move your hand from that spot." Sasha says "this muscle always knots up." Doug says "mhm." Sasha says "come on and lay on the couch in the living room. I'll work out these kinks before dinner." Doug gets up and says "I love you so much." Sasha simply smiles "I love you too. I'll always care for you."