The Farmer, The Daughter, and The Farm

The old farmer was standing at the end of the pumpkin patch with a satisfied look on his face, the apples from the orchard turned out great this year and sold extremely well, he was smiling because these pumpkins promised to do the same. They spent the whole year wondering if this patch would turn out alright due to over rain in the spring and then drought in the summer, but there they were big bright and orange. His daughter noticed him standing there and walked out to stand with him, "Dad what are you thinking about?" the old man half smiled, "I was just amazed that we got as good a crop as we did, I didn't think this year would be any good." The younger woman stood there with her father looking out over the fields, "I know what you mean but there they are, are you ready to sell them now?" The farmer looked at his daughter and jokingly said, "Oh people wanna buy these things well lets go get the money!" His daughter half giggled at what her father said started walking with him back home said, "I love this place, Dad I can't see myself ever leaving here." Her father was proud of her but turned to her and said, "Well if that is how you feel then one day you can come back, but I've spent everyday for the last fifteen years saving and scrimping for your college education, and have you decided on a major yet?" The daughter just simply answered as he put his arm around her shoulders, "Farm management, or animal husbandry." The farmer smiled, "You really do want this farm one day don't you, I'll admit you show more interests in the farm than brothers and sisters." The daughter smiled, "Well Dad it's my dream to find a young man who wants a farm and an orchard and bring him home, have my kids here and take care of the place I know I guess I should want more but this is home, I've even found a acre down by the river that never gets washed out or too dry to place a house on." Her father knew he had found the right person, "Well darlin you find that right guy get married and get all you want, but first your going to college for a few years and then we'll see if you still want the place."

Four years later the girl had her degree, already had a engagement ring on her finger from a boy she met in class, and was home for good. Her father was getting old and had to use a cane to get around these day's after a bad fall from top of the barn, and that summer her boyfriend at the time who eventually would be the one who put the ring on her finger, had come and took care of the farm for him while she nursed him back to health. This day was the day he was going to give her a gift she wouldn't forget, as they got back home that afternoon, he went straight out to the barn saddled three horses and went back and got his daughter and her boyfriend, "You two come for a ride with me would you?" They agreed and off they went, they were just riding for a long time nobody saying anything, until the old man broke the silence, "So what are your plans?" The daughter and her finance didn't say anything at first but then he said, "Well, I've been offered a job with a meat packing company in Texas, I'm not lookin forward to it though, I'd like to make things grow instead of watching them die." The old man turned to his daughter, "And you?" She answered in a low voice, "I've been offered a job breeding the beef, before they go to slaughter, but I don't want that either." The old farmer knew what they wanted seeing how they found to love each other on this farm, "Well look up there on that hill, it ain't much but it's a sight more than your mother and I had when we started out." They looked up and saw a double wide trailer, a drive way to the road, a small barn, and a flag sitting in the front yard, they both were so overjoyed that his daughter began to cry. "I know you both want this place when I retire, well I retire, I'm staying in my house but I'm going on vacation now and when I'm back we'll have one big wedding for you both right here on this farm and next year we'll have something else to be happy about. The couple looked at each other over joyed but confused. "Something else to be happy about Dad?" The old man laughed out loud, "Yeah a grandson on the way."