I do not own any of the TWD characters - those Dixon kids though, yep, they're mine.
You Should Come for Supper
The Dixon family had survived July and were now entering the season known as "hot as hell". It's the season in the Southeastern United States that is sandwiched in between summer and fall - the rest of the world recognizes it as the months of August and September. School was scheduled to begin that week and the farm was buzzing with activity. Merle and Daryl always were especially difficult to deal with this time of year. It's usually all Carol and Beth can do to keep them in check until Thanksgiving or somewheres there bouts.
Coach Miller, the high school football coach, was both shocked and disappointed when he'd heard about Jake's predicament. Jacob Dixon was slated to be his starting quarterback for the upcoming season and now he was scrambling to find someone, anyone to fill that void. Coach Miller wasn't having a whole lot of success in that department and was going to pay the Dixon family a visit just to see for himself how bad off Jacob really was. Somewhere, in the back of that old coach's head, he hoped against hope that maybe, just maybe Jacob could play. "After all, the accident was in July" he'd told himself. "It's August now, first home game's not until mid September. Hell, this boy oughta be good as new by then, or close enough."
Coach had called Beth the Monday before school was to begin the next day asking if he could come out for a visit. He'd like to "check in on Jake" he'd said. Beth, being the proper southern lady that Hershel and Annette Greene had raised, insisted that Coach come on out that evening for supper. "It wasn't gonna be anything special" she'd told him, "but the kids had wanted to have a good steak 'fore they start back to school. Ya can't really get a perfectly cooked steak 'round here anywhere. Except at our place of course" Beth giggled. How could a man turn down an offer like that? Huh, I ask you, how?
"Daryl" Beth shouted from the front porch. "DARYL!" He couldn't hear her or he acted like he couldn't hear her. Jacob was driving the Gator and Daryl was riding shotgun, Micah and Katie Raye rode on the back with their feet dangling, their booted feet brushing the top of the fescue. They were halfway to the tobacco barn on some kind of urgent matter she was sure. Rolling her eyes at that thought, she pulled out her phone and called her husband. Watching him ignore the call, she called again. This time he was too scared not to answer, but he still tried to sound gruff.
"Yeh" Daryl answered.
"I know ya heard me hollerin at you" Beth scolded.
"Yeh, ya always hollerin 'bout somethin" Daryl responded. "Hell, you's hollerin last night loud enough to wake the dead" he teased his wife, he tried to say that last part quietly since the kids were with him.
"Daryl Dixon" Beth blushed. "Stop that. I can't help it when you do that thing with your tongue and your knuckles at the same time" Beth got wet just thinking about what he'd done to her last night. "God, I can't even think. I forgot what I called for - why do you do that?"
"It's my job" Daryl deadpanned. "What do ya need Baby? I'm busy, tryin to get some shit sorted 'fore the kids go back to school this week."
"Daryl" Beth sighed "Ya got a whole bunch of farm hands livin it up over there at Dixon Estates. Get one of them over here to take care of whatever needs doin. I saw a few of em screwin 'round in the garden a minute ago. Looked like they were comparin cucumbers to their, well, ya know."
Daryl snorted. He was surrounded by dumbasses. "Yeh, I know" Daryl sighed. "My kids, my own kids, they work harder and longer and better than any of them sons of bitches." Beth smiled at the confidence and pride her husband had in their sweet family. "Beth, seriously, what do ya need?" Daryl had made it to the tobacco barn to drop off the fencing tools and was already walking back towards the Gator. Not too many people around there raised tobacco anymore - too labor intensive, too much government red tape - not worth the resources put into a crop. So, the tobacco barn was no longer needed to hang tobacco. Instead, they used it for storage, something you never really had enough of on a farm. Daryl figured he'd just stop and check the watering troughs on this side on his way back to the house. He motioned for Jacob to drive them to the first set of troughs. Once they were stopped Beth heard him tell Katie and Micah to go check the other set.
"We got company comin for supper" Beth started.
"The fuck?" Daryl snapped. "Beth, Got Dammit, I ain't got time nor the fuckin energy to deal with company right now."
Beth waited for Daryl to finish his mini rant before she started again. "Me either, but it's Coach Miller. He called this mornin, said he wanted to come out and check on Jake. I couldn't not invite him to supper" Beth had switched into ramble mode. "That would just be rude" she continued. "Anyway, I got steaks ready to go. I made that broccoli salad you like so much, huge baked potatoes and smoked tuna dip for starters"
"You've know all fuckin day bout this and just now lettin me know?" Daryl barked.
"Listen fuckhead" Beth gave it right back to him. "I been busy with my own shit show up here at the house today - put up corn and tomatoes, paid bills, been to the bank to move some money around, dealt with farm hand drama. By the way, Thomas got Axel's girlfriend pregnant."
"Fuck" Daryl grunted. "Dumb ass."
"I haven't laid eyes on you all damn day and there wasn't no sense in gettin ya all pissed off first thing this mornin" Beth continued. "Get ya stinkin self and those nasty ass kids of yours to the house, get a shower and get that thousand dollar grill of yours fired up."
Beth looked at her phone to see that her husband had already disconnected. "Bastard" Beth blew out under her breath, but laughed to herself at the same time. "Gonna make him work for it tonight just for that."