Later, Carl arrived.
With him were two salesmen from the dealership.
One of them recognized Ethan immediately.
He stopped.
His face changed.
He looked at the tractor.
Then at Ethan.
“Is this the same machine?”
Ethan nodded.
“You built it?”
“With my brother.”
The man looked embarrassed.
“That's impressive.”
Ethan smiled.
“Thank you.”
There was no revenge.
No speech.
No satisfaction in watching the man's embarrassment.
Ethan simply accepted the words.
Then moved on.
That evening, Ryan asked,
“How did that feel?”
“What?”
“Seeing them.”
Ethan thought about it.
“Honestly?”
“Yeah.”
“Not as good as I expected.”
Ryan looked surprised.
“Why?”
“Because I don't care anymore.”
Ryan smiled.
“That might be the best part.”
Summer arrived.
The corn grew high.
The soybeans filled the lower fields.
For the first time in months, Ethan believed the farm might have a good year.
Then the storm came.
The weather forecast warned of strong winds.
They secured everything they could.
Equipment went inside.
Loose materials were tied down.
The tractor was moved beneath the strongest part of the workshop roof.
At midnight, the wind arrived.
It shook the farmhouse.
Rain hammered the windows.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
Then Ethan heard a crash.
He jumped out of bed.
The workshop door had blown open.
He ran outside.
Ryan was already there.
“Roof!”
A section of the roof had been damaged.
Water poured into the workshop.
The brothers moved equipment through the rain.
Tools.
Parts.
Paperwork.
Anything they could save.
By dawn, half the roof was gone.
The fields looked worse.
Several acres of corn had been flattened.
Ryan stood in the mud.
“How much did we lose?”
“I don't know.”
“A lot?”
Ethan nodded.
“Probably.”
Ryan looked toward the tractor.
It had survived.
The paint was scratched.
One mirror was broken.
But the engine was untouched.
Ryan sighed.
“This is why people buy insurance.”
Ethan smiled faintly.
“This is why people farm.”
Ryan looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
“You never know what's coming.”
The brothers spent the next week recovering.
They repaired the workshop.
They cleared fallen branches.