Oil & Ink

Chapter 5: A Day on the Farm

It was a day off for Sara. She rarely looked forward to days off from Tucker's because it meant doing work at home. This also meant she wouldn't be able to sleep in.

The farm had been a part of Sara's family for five generations. Acres upon acres of corn, soybeans and barley were grown and harvested season after season, year after year. Sara felt like the only one in the family who didn't see the farm as a reason to be prideful. Yes, it was a way to make a living, but she didn't want to spend the rest of her life following in the family footsteps.

Sara's sister, Katie, was three years older, and quickly got married and moved out of the house. It wasn't until recently that Sara realized how smart of an idea that was. This entire time she was thinking how sweet it was that she found her soulmate and fell in love.

No, Katie had created a ticket out. She didn't have to do farm chores, didn't have to live at home, and didn't have to answer to their mom and dad. As far as Sara was concerned, Katie was a genius.

Every morning, Sara woke before the sun, and prepared breakfast for her mom and dad. During planting season or the harvest, extra food was always made to help feed the contract workers that came to help. She usually made eggs and sausage, and always lots of coffee.

Sometimes, she prepared muffins the night before, if she was feeling ahead of the game. Sausage biscuits and hand-pies were a fan favorite, since they were hearty, and you could eat them while keeping one hand steering the tractor.

If she had school or a shift at Tucker's, breakfast was the end of her responsibilities at home. Otherwise, she was expected to do chores around the house or help out on the farm. Sometimes, it wasn't so bad, but most of the time, she stuck in a pair of headphones and tried to distract herself with a good podcast.

Sara made her way downstairs and started the coffee first. She did like to get the first cup; it always tasted so fresh. While the coffee was brewing, she raided the basket of fresh eggs and started cracking them into a glass bowl for scrambling. She added milk, salt and pepper, and poured the mixture into a pan on low heat. She stirred them occasionally, making sure they were creamy and wouldn't get dry.

From her stance at the stove, Sara could already see her mom and dad moving about outside. They got up so early, it seemed pointless to go to bed, Sara thought. She went to the fridge to see what was else she could cook. She found a supply of bacon wrapped in butcher's paper.

"Bacon it is," she said to herself, reaching for it.

When the eggs were finished, she scraped them into a clean bowl and covered it with a rubber lid. She used the hot pan for the bacon, laying the pieces in one at a time, side-by-side. It quickly started to sizzle, and Sara heard the back door open.

"Morning!" her mom said, walking quickly from the mud room into the kitchen.

"Morning," Sara said, not quite ready for her mom's chipper demeanor.

Her mom grabbed a coffee mug from the cupboard and poured herself a cup. Sara realized she hadn't given herself any yet.

"Can you pour me a cup, too?" she asked.

"Of course," her mom said, getting down a second mug from the cabinet. It was a white mug with a faded picture of Garfield on it. Sara's dad loved comic strips and he made a special trip to Tucker's every Sunday to pick up a copy of the newspaper.

Her mom poured the coffee, leaving the mug in the exact same place on the counter. She quickly turned, walking straight toward her office, which was just off the kitchen. Sara's mom did the books for the farm, which included any inventory, invoices, and taxes. It was a part of farming most people never thought about unless they were heavily involved in it.