Quick Fix

The tractor, rolling steady since daybreak, is forced to make a sudden stop shortly after noon. Equipment dropped unceremoniously in the middle of six rows. Rows only half complete and unintentionally spread so flat they nearly run together. A solid bed of dirt rather than a half-dozen three foot flattened hills. Urgency demands a quick fix. The tractor flies to the shop alone. A hammer. A chain. A return trip. A bit of time, and a little grease -- elbow and otherwise. A quick trip to the shop over undone dirt. A torch. A wrench. A new bearing attached. The do-all is back in one piece.

The tractor speeds back out to the field. There are rows to be shaped. Beds to be completed. Cotton to plant.