"you know your temper is going to get the best of you one of these days" Mortenson fired off ducking then picking up the wrench once it hit the ground.
"I wasn't aiming at you," Johnny said taking the wrench back "and where have you been?"
"what does it matter I'm here now?"
"I should have to explain it to you?" Johnny let out frustrated. There were fields that needed cutting and he'd been spending the entire morning right here trying to repair this infernal tractor. The things that needed doing on this farm were almost never ending and they would pile up very quickly if they weren't done in a timely manner.
"you aren't dad" Mortenson shouted turning to walk off
"you are damn right about that" Johnny retorted throwing the wrench again "dad's in there dying of cancer and if we don't keep things going we are going to loose this farm"
"I don't want the farm anyway." Mortenson finally admitted
"Go then. you are free to go wherever you want but I'll be damned if Robert and I are going to bust our tails while you laze around doing nothing"
"Nothing ha! I'll be making more money than any of you could dream of I just have to save enough to get to California"
"Take it out of the jar if your so bound and determined. Take the money and go"
Mortenson looked as though his brother had hit him square in the face. The money in the jar was family savings and taking it would mean that everyone else would have to do without certain things that they needed.
"Desert us, break mom's heart do whatever you have to do"
Mortenson whom they all called Tenny stormed off without another word and it was all Johnny could do not to go after him. The fact that their middle brother refused to lend a hand galled him to no end.
"what on earth was all that about?" Robert, the youngest of the three brothers came walking up from the direction of the house.
"the usual," Johnny answered "he'd rather be off playing that stupid clarinet of his than doing something productive"
Robert looked off in the direction that Tenny had gone not about to make himself a part of that fight.
"Lila sent you another letter," Robert said handing Johnny an envelope with graceful, feminine handwriting on it "that's why I was headed over here"
Johnny took a deep breath to calm himself. The woman had been making a nuisance of herself and he really didn't want to read the letter but opened it anyway. He and Lila had been engaged but he had called it off when his father had become sick. There was simply too much to do here and he wouldn't have a moment of time to devote to her.
"It's about the dance isn't it?" Robert prodded after a minute
"I don't have time to go to a dance"
"I'm going," Robert admitted "Janice Pearson is going to be there and Tenny is going to be playing with the band"
Johnny looked back towards the house finding it hard to think of going out for a night of fun while their father lay in the house and their mother took care of him.
"you've been doing the work of two men and you haven't been very pleasant to be around lately" Robert continued to try and persuade his older brother "just go, even if it's only for an hour"
"Fine, maybe I can talk to Dale about some of that new seed while we are there" Johnny conceded going to pick up the wrench and continuing where he'd left off.
Robert began to look at the other side of the tractor and the two men spent the better part of the day rigging up a temporary fix they hoped would last for a while.
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