Six Miles From Nashville by Elaine Littau

for it to look.
    Johnny nudged his brother and said, “Don’t use all the hot water. I need one , too.” He took his folded clothes to his room and put them away before he stuck his head into his mom and dad’s room.
    “The crop is in, Dad.”
    “Good,” he said.
    “You boys worked like dogs out there, son,” Mrs. Davis said.
    “You would be proud of the boys. I think they grew up a little these past few days,” Johnny said.
    Mr. Davis turned onto his side and grabbed Johnny’s hand. “Be sure to winterize the equipment. Don’t wait until later. It is best to do it as soon as harvest is over.”
    “The hail caught us before we could do it tonight, but we will get on it tomorrow.”
    “Atta boy.”
    Johnny reveled in seeing the look of pride in his dad’s eyes. “I think you had a good harvest, Dad.”
    “Dad and I have been tallying up the tickets as you brought them to us. We think it will cover everything we need taken care of. I think we should go ahead and sell the wheat instead of holding it. Dad wants to wait a little bit for the prices to go up.”
    “If we knew what grain prices were going to do, we would be rich folk, but I am not the farmer Dad is. He has made a living from this place for a lot longer than most folk around here.”
    “True,” she said.
    “I think we did good by just doing dry land wheat this year. Our production costs were down a lot. I don’t think the extra bushels per acre would have done anything except cover the costs of irrigating. Fact is, I just wasn’t up to par with this heart thing going on. I couldn’t move all that irrigation pipe and keep everything going right. You know, son, it makes me sick to see all that water flowing in the ditch when the irrigation pipe isn’t tended properly. That water is what gives this place life,” Mr. Davis spoke with fervor.
    Johnny couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you are feeling better. You climbed right on that soapbox and are fit for giving speeches.”
    “That isn’t a speech. It is a fact,” Mr. Davis said.
    “Whatever it is, I am glad to have my dad back.”
    Devon stuck his head in the door saying, “John, the shower is yours. I think there might be a cup or two of hot water left. Although, you might want to give it some time to heat up. We wouldn’t want you to be pelted with ice in there.”
    Somehow Johnny knew that Devon would find it funny if he were pelted with ice cubes in the shower.
    He and Devon stayed in the room with their mom and dad until Zachary joined them. Johnny was impressed with the respect they displayed to their parents. Even though talk of high school sports and lessons were acceptable subjects for discussion, it was refreshing to hear them speak as adults with concern for the things in their parents’ life.
    I suppose that heart attack scared them as much as it did me. I am so glad Dad is still with us.
    He watched his dad as he listened to the boys recite funny experiences during the recent harvest days. Mama laughed so hard she grabbed her hankie and mopped her eyes with it.
    The room grew quiet. Mr. Davis stared at each of his sons. “I think it would be a good move if you went to the barber and got a decent haircut. I almost am thinkin’ that I have three little girls here with all that hair hanging down like that.”
    Zach said, “ I just went there last week.”
    “You need to get your money back,” Mr. Davis said.
    “ Aw, Dad!”
    “Devon and John, that means you , too.”
    John knew how to hold his dad back and appease him. “Okay, Dad, we will get to it.”
    His brothers shot him menacing looks.
    “ Don’t worry, I got this,” he whispered.
    He left the room and turned the knob to start the shower. His mind drifted to the letter. He knew he should have written to her or even called her, but he was a coward. He had waited so long to write a letter, that he decided not to write until he heard from her. It seemed to him that she had lost interest in him. He didn’t