Chapter 6 – Feed Store and More-1
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Chapter 6 – Feed Store and More
Late Thursday Afternoon, June 12th, 2014
“Hey, get your shoes on. We’re going to take a little drive.”
“What if I don’t wanna?” I asked Mel in response to her sudden command.
“Well, if you ‘don’t wanna’ go and look at puppies and you’d rather hang around here wallowing in your misery, then stay here.” She gave me her million-watt smile.
“Puppies?”
“Yes, puppies.”
“Well, all right then. Give me a hand here.”
Minutes later I’d been unceremoniously boosted into Mel’s pickup truck and we were driving down some dirt road out in the country. “So, are you thinking about getting a puppy?” I looked at the profile of her face as she concentrated on the rutted road.
“Actually, no; not yet. Kris and I both love dogs and we’d already have one if it were just us but, with our schedules we’d have to put a lot of faith in her kids to feed it and care for it. They just haven’t shown that level of responsibility to us yet.”
“Let me get this straight; we’re talking about Beth and Cole, the same two kids who are practically living out at your parents’ farm so they can care for their fair calves?”
“Why do you think they’re out there? The only way to stay on top of them and to have them stay on top of the care of their show animals is to have them stay right there with them. My dad rides herd on them, literally, until after the fair in mid-August.”
“I see.”
“Right now, we’re going to the Amish feed store to pick up calf crunch for the calves.”
“Calf crunch?”
“Feed,” she shrugged. “Anyway, the feed store owner breeds dogs. He’s always got a litter of puppies or two in his kennels.”
“I see.”
“I just thought it might cheer you up to take a peek at some pups right now. Down the road, when we get our own place,” she looked at me pointedly, “we can go back and maybe pick out a dog of our own.”
I latched onto the ‘maybe’ in that sentence. “I’m so glad you’re a dog person. I was raised with dogs. I’ve wanted to have one but my life on the road just wasn’t conducive to that.”
“Well, things are different for you now and it’s not all bad after all now, is it?”
“I guess not.” I smiled inwardly.
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