Scott: Who’re you calling a slacker? I’m starting a hard day's work on the land. What’s my little sister doing?
Dee: HA! I’m waiting for my lift to my new job where I CAN work a hard day on the land.
Scott: Way to go, Delight. I knew you’d land on your feet. You always do.
Dillon: New state, new job. What’s next? You gonna tell us you’ve got a new MAN?
Scott: Oooh. Shots fired.
Dad: Not sure I wanna hear about any of this.
Mom: Oooh an Alaskan boyfriend. That could be fun.
I groan and shake my head. Dillon is the oldest of us kids. My brothers are identical twins who were born twelve minutes apart on the twelfth of December. They're three years older than me which means that growing up was a new adventure every day. Now that we're all adults, they're equal parts overprotective big brothers and antagonistic clowns. Meaning they'll sooner throwme under the bus with the parents than get in trouble for their own antics.
Dee: If Dillon’s changing the subject, that means he’s done something bad.
Mom: He’s not doing anything. He even told me to sleep in this morning and he’d take care of breakfast.
Scott: I know nothing.
Dee: Mom, didn’t you think it was a bit suspicious that he was helping out with breakfast…
Mom: My Dillon was just being nice.
Dillon: Yes Mom, I was.
Scott: Liar Liar
Dee: Pants on fire.
Dad: Children.
Dee: Daaaaaaaad….
I giggle to myself, looking outside just as a big black truck emblazoned with Bull Mountain Ranch and Stud on the door comes to a stop on the sidewalk.
Dee: My ride's here. I’ll check in again once I’m settled. I have a bunk house bedroom to decorate and make my own.
Mom: Wait… I still don’t know what Dillon has done.
Dad: Well since I’m looking right at him and he’s missing his hair on one side of his head, I’m thinking he lost a bet at the bar last night. Or else he got into a fight with a shaver. The jury’s out on this one.
Dee: Oh damn. I need photos before he shaves the rest off.
Dillon: Who said I didn’t do this to myself?
Then it’s like a lightbulb goes off.
Dee: Scott, did Dillon lose a bet to you?
Scott: Can I plead the fifth?
Dee: That’s all I need to know. Good job, big brother. How’s Miss Piggy?
The other living being I miss whenever I go on my trips is my pet pig. We found her abandoned with a bunch of other piglets on the side of a road four years ago. We hand raised them and then sold them all except one who I just could not let go. She’s the chief scrap eater, root digger, and troublemaker back at our ranch, but we all love her like she’s one of the family.
Scott: She’s just as loud and hungry as ever.
