Page 3 of Intangible
“Because you’re younger, pissant.” She listened to them sparring back and forth until the outer door slammed closed.
Picking up the bag and one of the waters, she sat back down, pulling a burger out. Sinking her teeth into the Quarter Pounder, she soon began to eat like she was starving. She hadn’t had anything to eat since the day before and her stomach had finally settled down.
Popping open the water bottle, she drank half of it before setting it aside. In case they didn’t bring her more for a while, she would have to be careful with how much she drank.
She lay back down on the cot, staring up at the ceiling. She was reminded of the time she had agreed to give a speech in middle school after the teacher had witnessed her being kind to a new foreign student on the playground.
Thinking it was just her class she was speaking to, she had poured her soul into her paper about embracing diversity. When the time came to give the speech, she was horrified to find the entire school and administration sitting in the auditorium, waiting.
Frozen in fear, she had begged her teacher not to make her go out from behind the curtain. Her father had tried every way he could to be there, but he’d had an obligation he couldn’t get out of.
The duty of representing her family was given to the man who had been hired to be her caretaker. When the crowd began to whisper, he had stood up in the back of the auditorium and walked to the back of the stage.
Finding her terrified, he asked the teacher to stall for a few minutes while they discussed the situation. Pulling her into one of the empty classrooms, he stood her on a chair before crossing his arms over his chest so they were eye to eye.
He speared her with his most serious scowl before having her repeat an oath. It gave her the courage, for some reason, to give that speech and continue to push forward anytime she was scared.
She began the oath he had made her repeat so many times, repeating the new ending he had added.
“My name is Thayer Kent. I will fear no man because I am stronger than I know. I will fear no problem because I am smarter than my opponent. A Kent never shies away from adversity. A Kent will not go down without a fight. When other lesser men flee, I will walk into the storm. I now promise to uphold the duty that has been thrust upon me and teach these little shits what it means to be accepting of others.”
When she had straightened her shoulders and nodded at him, he pulled her off the chair. Taking both of her shoulders in his large hands, he looked down at her with one more scowl.
“Good, now get out there and show those assholes you have bigger balls than all of them put together.” A very audible gasp from her teacher sent her racing to the stage. He had also taught her all of her best cuss words.
“I’ll try,” she whispered as her eyes closed. “I’ll try to show them they can’t break me.” Curling up facing the wall, she felt herself drift back into a restless sleep.
Chapter 1
“Mr. Brown,you really should consider my suggestion about finding a smaller bull,” Memphis told the older gentleman through gritted teeth. “It would make calving for these first years easier.”
It was cold, even though they were inside the old barn, it had to be pushing below freezing already. Memphis barely felt it, however, as he strained to help the young cow deliver her first calf. He had slipped off his coat and rolled up his sleeves as he kneeled in the straw on the barn floor.
“I’m real sorry to get you out this late, Doc. I found her struggling when I came out to check on her one last time before bed.”
Ray Brown only had a handful of cows. He was too old to properly work the farm anymore, but he managed to make just enough to keep a roof over his and his wife’s head. He knew the vet kneeling in the middle of the barn at midnight would accept nothing more than a hot meal or a pie for his services for now. There was no doubt that the Browns would pay him as they could.
Memphis had considered himself lucky when he had moved to town to take over the small veterinary practice after the old vet retired, cold barns and pie for payment aside.
“It’s fine. They never decide to calve when it’s convenient, do they?” Memphis’ voice was strained as he braced against the cow trying to help pull the calf out. With one final push from her, he managed to pull it free, sliding it onto his chest as he fell backward.
Standing, he picked the calf up, swinging it to drain the fluid from its nasal passages. Miraculously, it was still alive. Leaving it for the mother to clean, Memphis walked out of the pen.
“Come up to the house to clean up. I’m sure there is already a fresh pie and some coffee waiting for you,” Mr. Brown said, picking up their coats. Memphis smiled to himself, there was always pie waiting.
“You know I can’t resist Mrs. Brown’s pies. Let me just throw this shirt in my truck on the way by.” Memphis stripped off his warm flannel shirt, leaving just his damp T-shirt underneath before rolling it in a ball to set on his floorboard.
Walking into the Brown’s tiny kitchen, his nose took in the aroma of freshly baked cherry pie. “Mrs. Brown, you truly know the way to a man’s heart,” Memphis said, flashing her his best smile.
She blushed at him before cutting two pieces, setting the largest of them in front of him. She had made a fresh pot of coffee and set a steaming cup of it in front of Memphis, watching as he wrapped his hands around it to warm them up.
Memphis liked the Browns. They were like most of the people in this area of Minnesota, just trying to live a quiet life while providing for their family. It’s exactly why he had moved to the area when he learned of the old veterinarian looking for someone to buy his practice.
Memphis had gone to vet school in Oklahoma as soon as he left the Army. He had used the ROTC program in college, coupled with a baseball scholarship, to help pay for his undergraduate degree, but knew he would have to spend several years on active duty before he could afford the vet school cost.
He had calculated that he could spend three years of active duty before, if he was very careful, he would have enough money to earn his vet degree.
It hadn’t worked out that way, though, once they learned about his unusual gift. Three years had quickly turned into six before he was allowed to leave. He tried to look at it in a positive light, though. He had enough when he got out to not only attend vet school but also buy this small practice along with the two-room cabin he now lived in.
