Two Girls, One Tractor

Saturday, June 24, 1995Heather was pissed. Really pissed. Pissed off at her now ex-boyfriend Jimmy, pissed off at her father, pissed off at Katie Donovan, pissed off at the whole damn world.She slammed on the brakes of the beat-up, old Chevy work pickup she was driving. It skidded to a halt on the dirty, dusty road. She turned the key and let the pickup die. Heather gazed out at the field of wheat stubble off to her left. Varying shades of yellow and brown cascaded over the landscape as the wind occasionally stirred straw into the air.They had just completed harvest a few days before and now it was time to work the fields, preparing the soil for yet another crop. What an endless cycle, Heather vaguely thought to herself. Plant the wheat, grow the wheat, harvest the wheat, till the fields, repeat? How monotonous.That?s why she was pissed off at her father. She?d just broken up with Jimmy the night before and she was in absolutely no mood to drive a tractor today. Yet, her father insisted. ?Life goes on,? he had said callously. ?Fields have to be worked, boyfriend or no boyfriend.? He had no sympathy. No subtlety. No heartfelt words of regret. All he could think about were his precious wheat fields.Heather hated wheat. She was allergic to it. It made her cough, it made her sneeze, it made her eyes gunk over. This was the condition she liked it best--mowed down by combines and left as six inch long remnants.Still sitting in the driver?s seat of the pickup, she placed both arms over the top of the steering wheel and rested her forehead on her arms. ?It?s gonna be a long day,? Heather said to no one. She sighed deeply and reached for the door handle with one hand, and her water jug with the other.As she stepped out of the vehicle, a wave of hot air greeted her instantly. It was only 8:30 in the morning but it was already apparent that it would be another 100-degree day?the third in a row. She reached down and unbuttoned the long-sleeved shirt her father had made her wear.?Never know when you might have to do some real work,? he always said.Heather slipped the shirt off, revealing a white tank top. She stretched, letting the sun caress her shoulders, while the wind simultaneously cooled her. She threw the shirt into the cab of the pickup, but then thought twice about it, and tucked it under her arm. She?d bring it along with her, after all, she never knew when she might have to do some real work.She slammed the pickup?s door shut, but then, in frustration, jerked it back open. She leaned back across the seat and grabbed the grubby old Texas Rangers ball cap that she normally wore when she was working. She slipped it on, completely covering up her short-cropped, spiky black hair. She?d just gotten all of her hair chopped off a few weeks before. It had been her graduation present to herself. She?d put up with the hairdo her mother wanted up through graduation. Her mom had been furious when she?d walked into the house with a ?boy?s haircut?.Heather trudged through the stubble and made her way towards the giant blue four-wheel-drive tractor she would be driving. She checked the oil and other fluid gauges she needed to, and then inspected the 34-foot wide disk she?d be pulling. On a normal day, she didn?t mind disking?she really didn?t?it beat the hell out of plowing. But today, she was just not in the mood.She opened the door, climbed up the ladder, and hopped into the tractor. She sat down, stomped şişli escort on the clutch, turned the key, and the huge machine roared into life. Air conditioner, on. Radio, on. Brake, off. She put the tractor in gear and took off, lowering the blades of the disk into the ground as she went.Heather settled in. The field was 110 acres. She?d be out here awhile. It wasn?t all bad. It sure beat the old days. Just eight years ago, when she was ten, she?d learned to drive on an open-air tractor with just a canopy for shade. But then, a few years ago, an oil company came in and started drilling on their land. The family had received some nice paychecks from it. Of course, in the true fashion of her father, he had spent most of it on new farm equipment. Meaning their family was still a bunch of struggling farmers, but they had some really nice-ass shit to drive around.Sitting on a tractor can be a lonely experience. It is especially so, when one doesn?t want to be there. Heather had only her thoughts to keep her company, and her thoughts were overwhelmingly negative this morning. All she could think about was what had happened the night before, and how much she wanted to leave this town (just another month and a half and she?d be off to college).Around and around she went, breaking the ground open 34 feet at a time. Stewing in her own thoughts and becoming more miserable with each pass. The radio was playing ?Any Man of Mine? by Shania Twain. Heather immediately reached up and switched it off. Every song seemed to remind her of Jimmy. The tractor reminded her of her father. Her hair reminded her of her mother. She could feel the scowl chiseled on her face. It was giving her a headache.Heather was on the backside of the field. As far away from the gate as she could possibly be, when another pickup stopped beside her own. She was too far away to tell who it was. All she could see was that it was a white pickup. A dozen farmers in the area had the same one. Was it someone coming to gripe her out for not parking her pickup far enough off the road? Some friend of her fathers, who thought it was him on the tractor, and wanted to come shoot the shit for a few minutes?As she rounded the corner, and came closer to the gate, the mysterious visitor came into view. Heather instantly recognized her. Even at this distance, there was no mistaking the slender, athletic build of her best friend, Tracy.Tracy and Heather had known each other pretty much their entire lives. They?d played together as kids. They?d gone to school together. They?d played basketball together (Tracy was always the best player on the team, while Heather mostly cheered from the bench), and in less than two months, they were going to be roommates in college together.As Heather drove closer, Tracy waved and flashed a huge smile, in only the way Tracy could. She was always in a good mood, and always able to cheer Heather up. Heather waved back, to acknowledge that she had seen her, and continued to watch her friend, who was now standing and waiting. As she watched, Tracy slapped at her knee and scratched an elbow. The mosquitoes were bad this time of year.Knees and elbows. That pretty much described Tracy. Heather had always been the pretty one. The one who had gotten all the guys. Of course, Tracy had had a boyfriend or two along the way, but guys just never seemed that interested in her for some reason. She was awkward everywhere except on the basketball mecidiyeköy escort court.Heather had finally made her way back to the gate, and she came to a stop, just a few feet from where Tracy was standing. She opened the door and allowed the other girl to climb in. The tractor cab was spacious enough to accommodate two people. This one even included a little fold-out seat for a second person. It made for close quarters, but not uncomfortable.Tracy was wearing soccer shorts and a T-shirt?that?s pretty much all she ever wore. Her straight blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. As she slammed the door shut, and plopped down in the little fold-out seat, she smiled once more at Heather.?How are you this morning?? Tracy asked.Heather put the tractor back in motion and checked behind her to make sure the disk was still okay. ?I?m doing okay,? she lied as she feigned a smile.?No, you?re not,? Tracy said with a grin and playfully bumped her shoulder against Heather?s. ?You want to talk about it?? she asked.Heather shook her head. How did she know? she asked herself. No matter how she tried to hide it, Tracy had always been able to tell exactly how Heather was feeling.?Jimmy?? Tracy questioned.?Mostly,? Heather replied.?What happened?? Tracy pressed.Heather thought for a moment. She really didn?t want to talk about it, but of course, Tracy needed to know. ?Last night, Jimmy and I went to that party. You know, out at the old Benedict Place.??I don?t know why you waste your time with stuff like that,? Tracy commented. ?A bunch of high school kids standing around in a pasture drinking beer is not my idea of a good time.?Heather couldn?t argue with that. ?Yeah, well, I wish we hadn?t gone,? she said weakly. ?It was probably about one o?clock in the morning, and I was looking for Jimmy, wanting to go home.??And?? Tracy prompted.?I found him,? Heather said simply. ?He was sittin? in Kyle?s pickup?with Katie Donovan?s face in his crotch.??Bastard,? Tracy commented, and placed a comforting hand on Heather?s shoulder.Heather sniffed, she could feel her eyes welling up, but she didn?t want to cry. ?That bitch will suck anyone?s dick,? she said finally. She sniffed again. ?I told him to fuck off.??Good for you,? Tracy encouraged. ?I?m really sorry that happened?most guys are like that, you know.? As she spoke, she rubbed her hand across Heather?s back from one shoulder blade to the other. It felt good, relaxing.There was a comfortable silence between them, with the drone of the tractor?s engine filling the air. Eventually, Tracy started talking, about anything and everything, in an obvious effort to distract Heather from her problems. She left her arm around Heather?s back and rested her head on Heather?s bare shoulder.They made several passes around the field, talking about life, and what they were going to do when they went to college, and how much fun it would be to be away from the little shithole town they lived in. Heather?s mood had improved considerably since Tracy?s arrival, but she couldn?t be distracted completely.?I just don?t get it,? Heather blurted out. ?If he wanted his cock sucked, he should have just asked. I would have done it. But instead, what do I see? Katie?s frizzy red hair bobbing up and down.? Her earlier anger instantly flared back to life.?Don?t worry about it,? Tracy encouraged. ?It?s his problem, not yours. He?s in the past now.? Once again, she started massaging Heather?s back, digging her strong fingers in a bit harder than she had before. Heather could instantly feel the tension melt away in her best friend?s hands. Tracy delicately placed her left hand on Heather?s knee. Heather glanced down at the hand, thinking it an odd gesture, but dismissed it almost immediately. After all, Tracy was just trying to comfort her.Yet? was it Heather?s imagination, or was Tracy?s hand moving further up her thigh. No, it was not her imagination. Tracy probably just wasn?t paying attention. But then, Tracy?s fingers gripped her thigh firmly. It was a playful gesture, but it indicated to Heather that Tracy knew exactly where her hand was. What was going on here? Heather wondered.The hand on Heather?s back shifted from the deep massaging motions of a moment before, to something more sensual. Tracy seemed to be caressing Heather?s bare shoulders with a tender touch. It made her skin tingle.Tracy moved her head off Heather?s shoulder, where it had been resting the entire time. A moment later, Heather felt her best friend?s wet lips gently kiss the side of her neck. A wave of adrenaline instantly surged through Heather?s body. A chill ran down her back, all the way to her toes, and all points in between. She glanced at Tracy with a shocked expression.Tracy was still just inches away from her, but the look on her face seemed to be waiting for either a rebuke or approval. ?I?m sorry about what happened between you and Jimmy, I really am,? she whispered. Her mouth was close enough to Heather?s ear that she could feel the girl?s breath tickle with each word. ?But right now, I just want to make you feel better.??What do you mean?? Heather asked gently.Tracy answered with another kiss to the neck. She knew just the spot to kiss too. All those late night conversations, where they had told each other so many secrets. Tracy knew exactly what turned Heather on?whispering in the ear, and kissing that one spot on her neck.Heather turned her head towards Tracy, and their lips met. She?d never kissed Tracy before. She?d kissed a couple of other girls, on dares at parties, but she?d never even thought about kissing Tracy. Why not? she asked herself. Of all the girls I know, the one I would be most comfortable kissing would be Tracy. These thoughts darted through her mind as Tracy?s tongue darted into her mouth.Kissing while driving a tractor is kind of dangerous. This thought also flashed through Heather?s mind, and it made her giggle.?What?s funny?? Tracy asked in between kisses, giggling a little herself. Heather explained what had made her laugh, and Tracy smiled as she leaned in seductively. ?We?ll manage,? she said simply.Heather suddenly became aware that Tracy?s other hand had made a lot of progress. It was no longer on her thigh, but instead, just inches away from being squarely between her legs. A moment later, it was. Tracy began massaging Heather?s crotch through her jeans. It felt good. She could feel the heat between her legs and knew she was quickly getting wet.What was happening was so unbelievable. It didn?t make an ounce of sense. She and Tracy had never even talked about something like this. Yet, it made perfect sense. Suddenly, certain aspects of Tracy?s life came into focus. Her lack of boyfriends. Those moments in the shower after practice, when Heather had noticed Tracy?s gaze lingering on other girls just a bit longer than usual. Those two months last summer, when Tracy had inexplicably become very close to Sarah Brown. Then, just as inexplicably, the two had stopped speaking to each other altogether.