Free Spirit

Drew planned out the night carefully, dutifully checking the weather to ensure his success. 

That was the first thing that went awry.

 Instead of dark and stormy, the sky was filled with stars and a bright almost-full moon shedding light across the fields.  If it had been dark and stormy he wouldn’t be standing out in the yard at eleven o’clock at night with a bucket of warm soapy water and a wife that made him question her sanity at times.  Instead he would be snuggled up next to her in their king-sized bed, watching a movie and laughing and sharing a plate of nachos. 

                 He let out a pent up breath and took another swig from his beer as he leaned against the old ’55 Ford, kicking the tire with his boot.  He looked over at Allie and shook his head, “Tell me again what you were thinking?”

Allie rolled her eyes of walnut brown and tugged at the loose strands of auburn hair framing her face, “I took at drive down past the Ollie Ranch and I saw that steer of his, the one that’s all white.” She wrinkled her nose and folded her arms in front of her as she looked down at her paint speckled tennis shoes.

“At what point did you decide to do this?”  Drew gestured to the sixteen-hundred-pound Highland steer peacefully tearing at the grass in their front yard and then made a half wave gesture to the cattle trailer hooked up to his truck.   His gaze went back to his wife, “No amount of scrubbing or bleach is going to fix this.” 

Allie looked over at the steer, “You told me to be free about my creativity.” She looked back at her husband, her hands now on her hips, “So that was all a big lie? You don’t want me to paint?”

 “I want you to paint.” Drew pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.  Taking a deep breath, he set his beer on the hood of the truck and pressed his lips together.   Closing his eyes, he lifted his head up to the sky and muttered a quiet prayer, “Lord, please grant me the patience.” 

 Allie stalked away from him and approached the steer, “It’s okay, Fergie, mean old Drew doesn’t think you look ugly.” 

 “Allie,” Drew opened his eyes and shook his head, “I want you to be creative, I want you to let your imagination run wild….” He pointed at the steer, “but not with the neighbor’s cow!  What in the world am I going to tell Ollie?!”

 Allie reached out and tugged on the long hairs of his coat, “Tell him that Fergie will need to have her roots done in 30 days.” 

 “The cow is pink and blue!”  Drew cried.

 “I know, isn’t she beautiful?” Allie giggled and something inside Drew stirred.  The anger and agitation was still there, but looking at his wife dancing around and laughing made him push it back.  Sometimes it was better just to go with it.

 “Yes, Allie, she’s a beaut, you did a really good job with her.” 

 Allie squealed with delight and gave him a big hug, “Honey, I’m going to make us a big plate of nachos. Why don’t you go upstairs and pick us out a good movie?”