A Modern Cowboy's Dream

Doug's Ambitious Plans

Doug and Harry head back outside to continue working. Sasha heads down the driveway to check the mail and comes back going into the office to go through the mail. She organizes bills then opens one letter that makes her heart sink. It is a letter from the main buyer of Batson Farms vegetables saying that they can no longer purchase from them due to economic reasons and an oversupply of vegetables. She sits down and slings the letter down and puts her head on the desk beginning to sniffle. To her this means it will be the end of the farm. She sits up and calls Doug on her phone. Doug answers irritated "yes? What is it now?" She speaks with a shaky voice "come inside, please." Doug asks "what's wrong honey?" Sasha says "just come in now." Doug hangs up and looks at Harry "this ain't good whatever this is she won't tell me what's wrong." Doug heads inside and finds her in the office teary eyed. She hands him the letter and he reads it over. She starts to cry "our little farm is done. We'll have to go find stupid regular jobs now." Doug hugs her tightly and she sobs in his chest. Doug says "hey hey easy, no we won't. I still have cotton and cattle." Sasha says "but vegetables is our bread and butter for this farm!" Doug says "I'll grow other things baby. Come on let's sit down." Harry peeks in "uh what do you want me to do?" Doug says "uh, just clean up around the barn for now and then take a break. Sasha and I need to talk." Harry nods and leaves. Doug takes both of Sasha's hands and the look in his eyes is the same look he gave her nearly 20 years ago when he wanted to start the farm. Sasha sighs "oh boy." Doug smirks "what?" Sasha says "you want to do something crazy." Doug says "crazy as this farm was honey." Sasha says "then spit it out." Doug says "I want to build my own food processing plant." Sasha rears back "you what?" Doug says "a food processing plant. I want it capable of slaughtering cattle, chickens and then another section will pack vegetables or turn the vegetables into powders for seasonings." Sasha raises her eyebrow "you're insane. Do you know how much money that will cost?" Doug says "I know it's a huge investment but I think we can make it work." Sasha says "hm." Doug says "what do you think?" Sasha says "I think you're insane." Doug sighs "come on." Sasha says "no." Doug isn't sure what else to say and sighs "well damn." Sasha looks at him then turns to the computer and searches through it until she finds the blueprints Doug had drawn up by a friend who engineers and builds food processing facilities all the time. Sasha looks at Doug "how much did you pay for these blueprints?" Doug asks "where did you find them? I thought I had them hidden." Sasha laughs "I'm better with computers than you give me credit for darling." Sasha asks "how much did you pay for these?" Doug says "a couple thousand, cash." Sasha says "I should slap the shit out of you." Doug smirks "sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Engineers ain't cheap and that was the family and friends price." Sasha looks at the blueprints again. She makes a face then settles down and exhales. "Alright, I'll go along with part of this. We'll build the vegetable packing house and powder making facility. Leave out the slaughter house until the future if it's feasible." Doug nods "if it means you won't divorce me I'll take it." Sasha laughs "I wouldn't do that, not as satisfying as cutting your throat." Doug says "and my cousins down in Florida can come up here to build the plant. They do it all the time." Doug says "I also want to process lemons." Sasha says "but we don't grow them." Doug says "I know, but do you know how valuable lemon oil is per pound?" She shakes her head and Doug says "it's worth more than gold." Sasha nods and says "alright, but I'm not in a hurry to rush into this project. I want more research done before we hop into doing this." Doug nods "understandable." Sasha turns her head sideways and asks Doug "when were you going to propose this to me?" Doug says "well I'd been working up the nerve for awhile, but this letter right here spurred me on to do it. The more I can centralize under us, market directly, and cut out outside distributors the better. Outside distributors are the life and death of family farms." Sasha smirks "where did you learn about expanding business and centralizing more underneath you?" Doug says "I watched my cousins do it with their company going from just a simple welding company to being capable to building entire plants by themselves without outside contractors. I don't see why I can't apply that business model to my company." Sasha says "our company." Doug says "of course my dear." Sasha asks "how long before this is operational?" Doug says "a couple of years probably. Katya will graduate high school when it's nearly done." Sasha nods "alrighty. Well I have another question." Doug nods and Sasha asks "what's our short term solution?" She holds up the letter and Doug says "I'd say set up a farm stand and sell our vegetables directly to people. Savannah does a farmers market once a month. No need to waste what I already have growing.
Of course that requires someone to work those stands." Sasha nods "and you want Ana and I to run them." Doug says "you can get the kids too. Besides you two are a hell of a lot better looking than my ugly self." Sasha smirks "you're not ugly." Doug makes a face and Sasha says "but you could loose a few pounds." Doug says "yeah that's always the case, this time I'll blame you because you make amazing meals." Sasha laughs "sure, blame the wife." Doug says "it's only fair you blame me everytime one of the kids gets hurt." Sasha says "I do not!" Doug rolls his eyes. There's a knock at the door so Doug gets up and walks out opening the front door and he finds a package. The delivery driver honks the horn as the box truck leaves and Doug waves "Good ole Jimmy Glisson." Sasha says "he's crazy." Doug laughs "he is the funniest old man I've ever known. Even in Church." Sasha asks "what is it?" Doug sets the box on the table and cuts it open with his pocket knife. Doug pulls out shirts and hats that read "Batson Farms Inc." The hat has a cowboy on a horse chasing after a cow with a rope and Doug smirks "well my stuff finally arrived." He gives a hat to Sasha and she half smiles then puts it on. Doug grins "I'd definitely buy a bushel of white acre peas from you." Sasha half smiles "well I'm just flattered." Doug says "no you're not that was the most sarcastic thing you've said today. Crazy woman." Sasha balls up her fist and shakes it "I will knock the fire out of you." Doug says "I don't doubt that." He then asks "what's Ana doing?" Sasha says "I told her take a day off. She's catching up on chores." Just then Ana peers in the kitchen "hello." Doug says "well good afternoon Dragon Lady." Ana says "I'm going to the grocery store. Need anything?" Doug says "yeah a new wife, this one is mean to me." Sasha shoves him making Doug laugh. Sasha says "bring me a new husband that doesn't say stupid things to his wife or about her." Ana says "I'm sorry honey they all do that. It's that Y chromosome you know." Sasha says "yeah I know." She looks up at him "Looks like you're stuck with me." Doug says "nah Ana is gonna find me another wife." Ana says "nope." Sasha says "I will kill that bitch and you." Doug laughs and hugs her tightly "lighten up Sasha." Sasha tries to get away but Doug says "nope." He kisses her and then picks her up. She puts her arms around his neck and Ana says "I'm off to the store." Sasha says "bye darling." Doug smirks "I can haul you upstairs and we can make some love right now." Sasha says "nice try, but no." Doug sighs and Sasha winks "later my dear." Doug perks up a bit and Sasha says "after you buy me dinner." Doug says "I can do a date night." Sasha then realises the kids will be hungry. "What about the kids?" Doug says "Katya can get a pizza for everyone. She'd be happy to." Sasha says "I don't know though I feel bad leaving them." Doug says "don't. They'll be fine! Trust me." Sasha sighs "ok then." Doug kisses her again and this time she pulls him in. Katya now back from school walks in "Hey Mama...oh shit." Sasha breaks the kiss "oh hey sweetie." She blushes and Doug sets her down. Doug says "I'm taking your Mama out tonight." He pulls out his wallet and gives Katya money "get your selves a Pizza." Katya half smiles "well isn't that lovely." Sasha asks "what were you going to ask me?" Katya asks "do you want to hit up the make up store in town with me later?" Sasha giggles then says "yes baby! We can go now!" Katya smiles "alright I'll be in my truck." She walks out and Sasha says "I want you to take me to the new French restaurant in town." Doug nods "as you wish darling." She says "alright baby I'll be back." She kisses his cheek and walks out. Doug looks at his reflection in the microwave glass and winks "you still got it." Doug then thinks "I hope that French place is actually decent."