The Lust of Love (eBook)

Chapter 7

“I got my driver’s license on my 16th Birthday!” I’ll always be appreciative with mom allowing me to gain my freedom. I had been hiring out to nearby farmers riding the tractors, running the balers, and any other work they wanted done.

Not working for my stepfather as much. Working for Joe was too confrontational for both of us. I could work for other farmers. Still, I was required to be available for harvest at the so called, homestead.

During one of my jobs, I hired out for, the farmer was showing me his new ATV that he would use around the farm bringing in the cattle and such. I said that was a nice ATV and asked if he had one before to run around the farm?

He said, “no I used to bring in cattle with that old GMC pickup over there.”

“What are you going to do with it”, I asked?

“Well, I guess I’ll sell it to someone who can use it for the same as I did.”

“I asked how much you want for the truck?”

Willy the farmer looked at me and said, “who’s asking?”

I said, “Willy, I’m asking I need transportation to town and now that I’ve got a driver’s license.”

I won’t have to ride the bus and I can get a job after school.

“Will I be able to license the truck for the road? “Does everything work?”

Willy said, “heck yes, everything works, it used to be my dad’s before he passed.”

“I have my truck, fancier than I need, but I like it.”

No, I just started driving it through the pastures to coax the cattle in when it came time for market.

“The truck probably needs a set of shocks but that’s it.”

The GMC “runs great and it’s a six-cylinder engine, so it doesn’t take a lot of gas. You can’t kill them old six cylinders.”

“So, you want to buy it Hugh?”

“Yes, I would like to buy it!”

Well, “I guess it’s worth four hundred”.

I tell you what “if you will take my tractor and fuel and cultivate my 200 acres of corn both times this year, it’s yours.”

“That’s a lot of labor Willy.”

“Damn straight it is Sid”, but “you will have transportation.”

“Willy, you have a deal and I thank you very much.”

The next three weeks I spent long days on the cultivator. We were having a wet summer and the corn was growing fast. By the time I got through the corn the first time it was time to start over and head back through again. “I was finishing up the last of the corn, nice to be done with the fields.”

“Even nicer to have transportation!”

I had the tractor at the machine shed and was taking the cultivator off the tractor as I told Willy I would. Once off in the shed I greased all the grease zerks for next year and put a coat of tar type substance on the actual cultivator shovels, so they would not rust.

Willy had Farm Supply bring out anhydrous tanks. I was watching the driver unhook the third one. Willy asked, “have you ever put down Anhydrous Ammonia?”

I said yes, “it’s dangerous you have to always be paying attention and make sure you shut off the ground knives before you lift them up.” Then watch your valves when you refill your tank and make sure you bleed off any excess in the valves because that shit is 600 degrees below zero. “It will burn you in a heartbeat if it doesn’t kill you in the fields first.”

Willy said “yes, it sounds like you know how to put it down.”

“Would you be willing to shoot my corn with the Anhydrous?”

I have the three tanks and rented the knives to put on the tractor. “I have always used liquid ammonia but it’s getting so expensive.” “I let Farm Supply talk me into this Anhydrous.” “Kind of scary stuff, though a guy shouldn’t be afraid of what he’s doing.”

“I knew I could run through those corn fields in three and a half good days.” The Anhydrous applicator is fast, you can keep a good speed going through the corn. The knife applicators are preset for an application speed of around 8 miles an hour, that’s fast when you’re going through a corn field.

Reloading the tank would be the only slow process because of all the precautions.

Willy, “I’ll do it for two hundred fifty cash.” Willy seemed happy, “you know Sid even with the labor I pay you it’s going to save me over a thousand dollars in fertilizer costs for the corn.” “Glad to do it” I said!

I showed up the next day to start applying the Anhydrous. Everything went well but I finished up in four long days. I was happy and went over to collect, Willy handed me five fifty-dollar bills.

“Sid, I have a little bonus for you, jump in the truck.” I did, and we went to town, he pulled up to the DMV. “I’m going to transfer the title on the truck for you and buy license plates as your bonus!”

“What a nice bonus, thanks Willey, now I can legitimately drive my truck!’

Now with the money for insurance and shocks I had a drivable truck. Transportation to school, no more school bus and I could get a part time job. “I could save up for school, automotive school was what I hoped to do.

I was trying to be busy every waking hour of every day. Then I would almost never have to go to the farmhouse. I call it home, but it never was and never will be.

At first chance I stopped by Red’s Shell Service center. Riding on the bus, I had seen a help wanted sign in the window. The sign has been there for a while.

“I asked the person behind the register if the help wanted sign meant they were still looking or just hadn’t taken it down.” The kid about the same age as me, looked up and said, “you interested?” I said “yes, I am.”

The kid yelled “Red someone’s here to see you!”

About ten minutes later a guy with screaming red hair, long and unkempt, Fu Man Chu mustache not trimmed and pork chop sideburns to his jaw, walked towards me. He was about 5’8” same as me, brown eyes and a serious beer belly that looked he’d been cultivating it for years.

“Hi, I’m Red kid what’s your name, you know anything about cars, can you run a register, can you count change and when can you start?”

All in a single breath he spouted out those questions, and then he smiled. I said, “my name is Sid Lewis I work around farm equipment and some vehicles.”

“I have no experience running a register, but I learn fast, and I can start in the next day or so.” I’m good at math can balance a ledger and count change.”

Red says, “you’re hired kid, I mean Sid.” The job pays four dollars ten cents an hour to start, if you do well, I’ll move you up to five an hour if you work out.”

“Work nights I pay a dollar an hour extra. That would be if you learn how to count down the drawer and make the deposit along with closing the station.” Red said, “I need your schedule of hours you can work between school; you are in school right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well give me as many hours as you can kid. Turnover is high here, if you stick, I take care of my good people.”

This sounded like a dream job for still being in school. The pay was more than hiring out to farmers. This was fantastic, I was starting my junior year with my own transportation and a job. “I had one of those really happy feelings that didn’t come often in my life.” Now I was going to share the news, with my so-called family unit. I had no idea of the response, so I am not going to anticipate one.

The news landed with a dull thud, at the farmhouse, no one was really interested. I was glad. I would be able to work after school without conflict, the less I was around the better. Happy in an odd way at being not wanted around. A normal feeling, but now I had permission to not be around.

School had started and the job was going well. I would work as many hours as possible on the weekend Red would give me. Saving more money, I am not enamored with money, but it meant independence. Independence was very much needed at this point in my life.

My word was good; if I said I would work, I’ll be there, that means a lot. Being a fast read and a knack for numbers did not hurt. I worked all the way through my junior year in high school, it went by fast.

I still worked on the farm when required but I took every hour at the station when not obligated or in school. I was saving most of what I earned at the gas station except gas for the truck, a few blue jeans and shirts for school and an occasional burger. The truck was running well but I had my eye out for a car.

I had no need for a truck and a car would be nice to drive around in. Paul who worked at the station knew I wanted a car, and he wanted my truck. Maybe because when he asked me one day how much I would sell it for, and I said $500, I guess that was right in his price range.

Every time we’d see each other he would ask, “if I was ready to sell my truck?” I would reply with; “find me a car I can afford and like?”

One day Paul came in on a day when he was not scheduled to work and said Sid, “I found you a car!” “What is it”, I said? He said, “a neighbor down the street has had this 1968 Dodge Dart sitting in their garage for the last ten years.”

Paul knew I was looking for a classic muscle car, “It’s really clean.” “I guess it belonged to their son.” “I went by the other day and there was a small for sale sign on it!”

“It’s still in the garage, so the only time people see the...