Kat stared out the window, pinning her dark hair behind her ear as she gazed out into the corn field. Warmth touched the window pane, sunlight splashing the hillside and making everything become awash in a yellowish golden hue. A cool breeze blew and the stalks tilted, like waves on an ocean of plants. The corn wasn't ready for picking just yet, but the heads were beginning to sprout, and soon the harvest would begin in August. Her dad would call her out, and she would drive the tractor as her dad picked the heads and tossed them into the bins. Then he would leave, shipping them to markets below the mountains and being gone for weeks at a time.
She wondered if that would happen this year, since her dad's old semi was broken down. The engine rarely kicked in, but then it would sputter and give in, releasing a black cloud. Her father tried many time to get it to work, to no avail. Parts were expensive, and her dad was a farmer. There was no way he could afford rebuilding it. The semi was past its time, and would never drive again. That was in April. Now it's June, and her dad had long since given up on trying to make his old semi work again. They had been driving around in his Oldsmobile, the paint peeling and the leather coming undone at the seams. Her dad was going to teach her how to drive it when she turned eighteen. He said "Kat, when you learn how to drive and you get your driver's license, you'll get this car." And Kat was okay with that. She liked the old car in all its hidden splendors and obvious disrepair. It ran well, and its A/C worked. That's all that she needed.
But Kat was worried about the harvest. The corn was their money, and their money was the food they got all through the year. They had wheat and strawberries, and a couple tomato plants and a peach tree in the backyard, but those would never support them for an entire year. The neighboring farms had enough on their plates. And payment for the house was difficult enough. She frowned, thinking deeply about the situation. She hoped she wouldn't have to get a job.
Her dad walked in, wiping sweat off his face with a towel. He looked at her with the same brown eyes she had, and tucked the towel away. "Old Duke says he's got a new truck for us, Kat," he said. "You wanna come with me to check it out?"
Kat nodded and hopped off of her bed. Her dad passed through the doorway and disappeared into the hallway. Kat grabbed her sandals and put them on, then grabbed a ponytail holder off her dresser on the way out of her room. She closed the door behind her and rushed after her dad, who was already outside charging the Oldsmobile. She heard the engine come to life as she stepped out the front door, her hands fiddling with her hair. She shut the door with her foot and ran to the car, and was able ot put her hair in a ponytail before reaching the car. As she opened the door, a random thought popped into her heard.
If Duke's new semi didn't get the job done, her family may not make it to winter.
WOO. Finally putting this thing up! I've been teasing the thought of this story for such a long time, trying to make sure it's not too perfect or too stupid, and finally, I think I have some confidence in it.