Roy and Joni (Chapter 3)

Roy and Joni: When Dreams and Hearts Collide

                   Chapter 3 (Read previous chapters first)

Roy woke up in Larry’s Victorian style house Saturday morning; put down five prize-winning pancakes prepared by Larry’s mother, got his few things together and drove the family’s old rusty Studebaker truck back to his farm. The events of the previous night now seemed dream like; he was afraid he would awaken and everything, especially Joni, would just be erased from his mind, and his heart. Sure, Roy had some girl friends in the past, but Joni was different. The 12 miles from Larry's seemed to evaporate into oblivion.

He arrived just as his Dad was preparing to bale some high quality alfalfa hay in what was referred to in the family as “The Back Field.”. The fast-warming sun had removed all of the dew on the hay, which was cut and raked Friday afternoon. Alfalfa hay was prized hay. It had more nutrients per pound than any other hay. In addition, as a legume, the alfalfa plants put much needed nitrogen back into the soil. It was the ultimate win-win farm crop.

When he arrived home his Dad laid out the coming day's master plan, “Get your work clothes on son and drive the old truck to the back field. I got the wagon back there yesterday. Bill Snyder is bringing his John Deere tractor over to pull the hay wagon and his boy Otis will drive the tractor and you and Bill will pick up the bales and put ‘em on the wagon and stack ‘em in the barn loft.”

“Sure thing, Dad.”

“Did you have a good time at Larry’s?”

“I had a swell time. I met a very pretty girl too.”

“That’s great; today we need to work pretty hard to get the bales in before that rain gets here.” (Roy thought his Dad may have been poking some fun at him by the way he used the word “pretty.”)

Just as Roy's Dad completed greasing the hay baler, and connecting it to the Farmall H model, Bill and Otis arrived.

"Hi there neighbor. Sure glad you gents can help us with the hay," said Roy's Dad as he shook Bill's hand.

"Yeah, the 6 am weather man on the radio said some rain might be coming our way. We'll do all we can," replied Bill.

The caravan of farmers and their equipment resembled an army convoy.  Leading the slow moving pieces of old, but reliable machinery was Roy's Dad pulling the baler with the Farmall H model tractor, followed by Bill and Otis with their John Deere. and Roy in the old pickup truck bringing up the rear. Roy had placed three 5 gallon cans of United Farmers CO-OP gas in the bed of the truck for the Farmall tractor. Bill brought his own fuel for the John Deere. It turned out he didn't need to use it and Roy's Dad only needed one can of the extra gas.

The first wagon load went smooth; with the exception of a still alive black snake that was coming out of one of the bales of hay. Roy didn't notice it until he had the bale about half way on the wagon. When he tossed the bale away from the wagon it broke apart. Roy lived in the country, but he hated snakes, especially those he discovered at a very close range.The loose hay was placed in an an adjoining wind row to be re-baled. 

"Roy, I don't like 'em either," encouraged Bill, who was on the wagon stacking the bales as Roy tossed them to him.

No more snakes were discovered during the remainder of the day. However, a ground hog was seen scampering out of its hole when the baler went by. And a red fox, with a long flowing tail was observed as it raced across the far end of the field near a stand of hickory trees. 

Even though it was mid-September, the weather was very hot. Roy had a hard time recalling how cool it was in Larry's air conditioned home. He had no difficulty remembering how pretty Joni was and how they both seemed to hit it off so well. He never reflected on who asked who to dance and who kissed who.    

Roy’s Mom met the sweaty hay field trio of Bill, Otis and Roy as they were pulling the wagon out of the barn after the second load and she gave Roy a faded brown wicker picnic basket and a large glass jar filled with ice cold sweet tea. She placed a wet towel on top of the basket to be used to clean some hard working hands before eating a quick, but much appreciated, 15 minute hay field lunch. Roy's Dad remained in the field racing some gathering clouds in the distance.

By 5:30 pm all 319 bales had been safely and neatly stored in the barn loft. This sweaty quartet of farmers had just made it to the front porch when it seemed as if the clouds had all been unzippered at once. A big pitcher of lemonade was finished off as the gents watched the rain come down and renew the very dry soil. And just as rapidly as the rain started, it stopped and the sun immediately started shining.

Bill and Otis jumped on the green John Deere and just before starting for home, Roy’s Dad said, “Bill, I owe you one.”

Bill didn’t say anything, he just tipped his Ready-Mix Feed cap and aimed that putt-putt-putt reliable old tractor toward his neighboring farm. Folks in the country help each other simply because it is the right thing to do.  

Roy used the 30 minutes or so rain-delay to go over in his mind---for the seventh time---what he was going to write to Joni. He wanted to be positive, but not pushy. He wanted to be sincere, but not syrupy. He wanted to be definite, but not demanding. He just wanted to have a date with the prettiest, best smelling girl he ever met.

That night in his upstairs bedroom, he started and stopped and started over again, his printed note----this was no time to be misunderstood by his less than perfect cursive handwriting. It was past midnight when he completed his most important note to be given to Larry at church on Sunday morning. Occasionally, a person can be so tired or excited that sleep seems far, far away.  Roy was both.

                                        (To Be Continued)