Chapter 12 #2
When they got there, he decided that it wouldn’t do for Daisy to sit on a milking stool. She needed something with a back to help with her cast. Luckily, there was an old wooden chair in the tack room.
After he set her up and Ruthie brought out a variety of treats for Velvet, Daisy asked if they could leave her alone with the heifer for a while.
Velvet did not seem to be a fan of Ruthie. Her soft brown eyes kept glaring at Ruthie’s crossed arms. Who could blame the cow, anyway? No one liked to be stared at.
Now that they were alone, Daisy reached for a banana. “Do you like fruit?” she asked as she peeled off a piece and held it toward Velvet’s nose. “Want to give it a try?”
Velvet only gave her a side-eye before looking away.
“I don’t blame ya,” she murmured as she placed the piece back in the bucket. “I wouldn’t take a snack from a stranger either.”
Velvet seemed to snort in response.
“You know what? We should probably get better acquainted. Then neither of us will be so skittish around the other.” Feeling silly but determined to forge ahead, Daisy folded her arms across her chest. “My name is Daisy. And jah. I know it’s an unusual one, but I don’t hate the name.
What’s more important is that I was once hoping that you would be my cow. What do you think about that?”
Velvet shifted but turned to look at her again.
“Jah. Long story there, but the fact of the matter is that I didn’t have enough money to buy this farm and your new owners, Ruthie and Mervin, did. Plus, they have Kyle, who seems to know a lot about farming. I hate to tell you this, but you could do a lot worse than your current situation.”
Warming into her one-sided conversation, Daisy continued. “I’m sorry to share that Ruthie is pretty worried about you. She thinks you might be depressed. To be honest, I didn’t know cows could get depressed but then I started thinking that you might be lonely.”
She cleared her throat. “Or maybe it was Ruthie who did. I’m here because I currently have too much time on my hands. You see, I bought myself one of those electric bikes and crashed when I’d only ridden it a few times.”
Shifting a bit, she added, “Then, I lost my job because I wasn’t going to be able to do the work I was hired to do.
” Realizing what she’d just said, Daisy smiled.
“So, in a way, we have something in common, right? Each of us is acting a little bit off right now.” She lifted her left leg.
“So, here is my broken leg. What do you think of the cast? It’s bright, right? ”
Velvet blinked.
“Jah, I agree. I think it’s too bright.”
She took a breath. “Between you and me, if I ever have the opportunity to pick another color, I might choose white. I sure wish that’s what I would’ve picked in the first place.
I didn’t because the nurse said that casts always get dirty, even when one is careful with them.
I started thinking that the only thing worse than having a cast on my leg would be to have a big old gray cast. So, you see, Velvet, you might be missing Rachel Burkholder, but your life could be worse.
I mean, at least you have four good legs to stand on, ain’t so?
I only have two and one of them is broken. ”
Velvet stepped closer.
She was closer!
Excited that her monologue might actually be working, she reached into the bucket again and this time pulled out half of an apple.
After steadying herself on the crutches, she stepped forward. “What do you think about apples?” She placed it in Velvet’s feed trough.
Velvet watched her put the apple down, then bent her head and took a bite.
She took another bite, then slowly chewed, the way only a cow could seem to do.
Unable to help herself, Daisy reached through the slats of the stall and ran a hand along Velvet’s neck.
The fur was coarse but not prickly. Velvet’s muscles tensed under her hand, then appeared to relax as Daisy continued to pet her.
“What do you think, Velvet? Could we maybe be friends? For the record, I don’t need anything from you. Not even your milk. It’s like I told you. I like farms, I like cows, and I’ve got some time on my hands. I’d like to come over and visit you as much as I’m able. Would you like some company?”
Velvet turned back to look at her empty trough.
“Jah, okay. If I need to bribe you for your company, I can do that.” Bending down, she carefully picked up both the piece of peeled banana and the other part, skin and all. “Want to give this another try?”
Velvet watched her, stepped back to the trough, and took a tentative bite of the banana peel.
Then she lifted her head. “Mooo!”
It was a mournful, maybe slightly irritated moo.
“All right. I get it. Banana peels aren’t your thing. But good job for giving it a try, right? You know what everyone says, you have to try something in order to decide if you like it.”
When she smiled at Velvet again, Daisy realized that this friendship thing with the cow was going to take a minute.
Because Velvet was currently pooping with her eyes closed. Then, she exhaled yet again.
“I’m not sure what you meant by that, but I suppose it’s natural, huh? I’ve never walked through a field without having to dodge a cow patty or two.” Or twenty.
“I think this is a good time for me to be on my way. See you soon, Velvet,” she said as she set the bucket on the seat of the chair and then crutched her way out of the barn.
Mervin was sitting on the milking stool whittling. “All done, Daisy?”
“Jah.”
“What do you think? Have you made our cow happier?”
“Not yet. I’m sorry.”
“Meh. I could be wrong, but I reckon cows are just like anything else … It takes them a bit to warm up.”
Daisy decided not to give Mervin any details, especially the part when the milk cow seemed to let her know in no uncertain terms that she didn’t care for either conversation or bananas.
“I told Velvet I’d come back soon. Is that okay with you?”
“Jah. Sure.” He winked. “Ruthie is positive that I’m about to send that heifer to the butcher shop, but that ain’t the case. I might not want to sit and chat with our cow, but I sure don’t want to turn her into hamburger.”
Even the idea of such a thing made Daisy cringe. “I’m relieved to hear that.”
He smiled. “Let’s get you on home. I reckon you’re ready for a break.”
“Thanks, Mervin.”
He smiled as he walked by her side to the small buggy that was in their drive. Most folks would call it a courting buggy, but it was easy to maneuver and not near as heavy for a horse to pull. “This okay with you?”
“Of course.”
He smiled. “I like you, Daisy Lapp. You’re a good’un.”
“Danke, Mervin. I try.”
That was the last thing they said to each other as he drove her the rest of the way home.
Later, when she was supposedly reading a book on the back porch, Daisy realized that her visit with Velvet had relieved a bit of depression.
Maybe not for Velvet, but she felt a little bit lighter. She decided that she needed to have another heart-to-heart with the cow again.