feel a little tingle of jealousy. I managed to tromp on it as he turned reluctantly to me.
“Help you?” he asked, though you could tell he wished I had dropped dead rather than enter the store while he had Connie all to himself.
“He's with me,” Connie called over her shoulder and I grew at least six inches taller while the pimply faced little shit behind the counter deflated. ‘ Served the little prick right’ , I thought with malicious glee.
“Find anything?” I asked, careful not to smirk at Pimply as I walked by.
“Yeah, a few,” Connie nodded, still writing. “Chickens, a few geese and ducks, even some small pigs.”
“I know nothing whatever about butchering a pig,” I admitted. “Not against the idea, just don't know how. Also we don't really have a place to keep one.”
“Well, I don't really care about the pigs,” Connie snorted. “Not that I have anything against bacon but I don't know how to butcher one either. Still, it's a thought. But I also found a notice about puppies.”
“Puppies?” I asked. I couldn't actually see my eyebrows of course, but I was sure they had gone up.
“Yeah,” she looked up, grinning. “I had the thought that if things get that bad, it wouldn't hurt to have a good dog. And if they don't we'll still have a good guard dog, right?”
Okay, at this point a number of things went through my mind. Getting a dog, together , was one of those things that couples did. I didn't know if we officially represented a couple or not, but I did so love the idea. Second, she spoke as if we would still be. . .whatever we were, even if the world wasn't ending. Third, I really liked all the 'we' she was using in her sentences. All of which led me to say;
“Whatever you want.” She beamed at me and my knees went a little watery, but I maintained. Couldn't look unmanly in front of Pimply after all. Connie finished making notes and we departed.
We had only been inside for a few minutes, five at most, but I swear things looked worse in just that short a time. Connie sat in the truck and made a few calls, finding a half-dozen chickens and a rooster for practically nothing. I had eased us into traffic and we were already going the right direction so we were good on that score, but I pulled into the Tractor Supply parking lot as we headed out of town.
“What are we doing?” Connie asked.
“We need a pet taxi or something to put the chickens in,” I shrugged. “And we need to look and see if there's some kind of chicken house or something. And maybe a book on raising chickens. I got nothing on that score.”
“True,” she nodded and climbed down. It took several minutes but soon enough we had what we needed and Connie had picked up some puppy food and a few toys, along with the vaccinations she would need. Apparently even a people doctor could get the stronger meds usually reserved for vets. Or maybe it was just a guy trying to impress a great looking woman, I didn't know. I did know how he felt, though.
Fifteen minutes later we were back on the road, first stop the chicken place. The elderly couple had more than they could say grace over and were slowly weeding down their livestock.
“Nothin' wrong with 'em,” the elderly farmer assured me. “Just don't need 'em no more. Good layers and they'll raise if'n you want chicks later on.” I nodded as if all that made sense to me. And it did sort of. Connie had bought a book at Tractor Supply so I figured I could get the hang of it. Probably.
We loaded the birds into the oversize pet taxi and placed it in back of the truck, the birds clucking nonstop. We loaded ourselves up and headed for the 'puppy place'. A couple with three Labrador Retriever pups left, two males and one female. It was a fairly quick trip since every car in a twenty mile radius seemed to be crammed into town at the moment.
We were no more out of the truck than here came three bundles of fur running at top speed to see who we were. An older, larger
“Help you?” he asked, though you could tell he wished I had dropped dead rather than enter the store while he had Connie all to himself.
“He's with me,” Connie called over her shoulder and I grew at least six inches taller while the pimply faced little shit behind the counter deflated. ‘ Served the little prick right’ , I thought with malicious glee.
“Find anything?” I asked, careful not to smirk at Pimply as I walked by.
“Yeah, a few,” Connie nodded, still writing. “Chickens, a few geese and ducks, even some small pigs.”
“I know nothing whatever about butchering a pig,” I admitted. “Not against the idea, just don't know how. Also we don't really have a place to keep one.”
“Well, I don't really care about the pigs,” Connie snorted. “Not that I have anything against bacon but I don't know how to butcher one either. Still, it's a thought. But I also found a notice about puppies.”
“Puppies?” I asked. I couldn't actually see my eyebrows of course, but I was sure they had gone up.
“Yeah,” she looked up, grinning. “I had the thought that if things get that bad, it wouldn't hurt to have a good dog. And if they don't we'll still have a good guard dog, right?”
Okay, at this point a number of things went through my mind. Getting a dog, together , was one of those things that couples did. I didn't know if we officially represented a couple or not, but I did so love the idea. Second, she spoke as if we would still be. . .whatever we were, even if the world wasn't ending. Third, I really liked all the 'we' she was using in her sentences. All of which led me to say;
“Whatever you want.” She beamed at me and my knees went a little watery, but I maintained. Couldn't look unmanly in front of Pimply after all. Connie finished making notes and we departed.
We had only been inside for a few minutes, five at most, but I swear things looked worse in just that short a time. Connie sat in the truck and made a few calls, finding a half-dozen chickens and a rooster for practically nothing. I had eased us into traffic and we were already going the right direction so we were good on that score, but I pulled into the Tractor Supply parking lot as we headed out of town.
“What are we doing?” Connie asked.
“We need a pet taxi or something to put the chickens in,” I shrugged. “And we need to look and see if there's some kind of chicken house or something. And maybe a book on raising chickens. I got nothing on that score.”
“True,” she nodded and climbed down. It took several minutes but soon enough we had what we needed and Connie had picked up some puppy food and a few toys, along with the vaccinations she would need. Apparently even a people doctor could get the stronger meds usually reserved for vets. Or maybe it was just a guy trying to impress a great looking woman, I didn't know. I did know how he felt, though.
Fifteen minutes later we were back on the road, first stop the chicken place. The elderly couple had more than they could say grace over and were slowly weeding down their livestock.
“Nothin' wrong with 'em,” the elderly farmer assured me. “Just don't need 'em no more. Good layers and they'll raise if'n you want chicks later on.” I nodded as if all that made sense to me. And it did sort of. Connie had bought a book at Tractor Supply so I figured I could get the hang of it. Probably.
We loaded the birds into the oversize pet taxi and placed it in back of the truck, the birds clucking nonstop. We loaded ourselves up and headed for the 'puppy place'. A couple with three Labrador Retriever pups left, two males and one female. It was a fairly quick trip since every car in a twenty mile radius seemed to be crammed into town at the moment.
We were no more out of the truck than here came three bundles of fur running at top speed to see who we were. An older, larger
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