She paused.
"You don't have to preserve every nail and board just because somebody in this family touched it."
The girl swallowed.
"But I want to honor what they built."
"Then keep the land useful."
The old woman's grip tightened.
"Protect it. Improve it. Change what needs changing. And don't ever be afraid to ask for help."
The young woman nodded.
The old woman smiled.
"And remember something else."
"What?"
"You are allowed to have a life outside this farm."
The girl laughed through her tears.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I don't want you spending every night worrying about cattle and never letting yourself enjoy the world."
"Auntie—"
"Take a day off once in a while. Visit a friend. Go dancing. Fall in love if somebody worthwhile comes along."
The girl shook her head.
"You're impossible."
"I've had eighty-six years of practice."
They laughed.
Then the young woman leaned forward and hugged her.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
The old woman rested her cheek against the girl's hair.
"Promise me you'll remember that living is part of keeping this place alive."
The young woman whispered, "I promise."
Chapter Ten: The Day She Became the Teacher
Two years after the original auction, a young student arrived at the farm carrying a notebook.
She was seventeen.
Her father worked at a repair shop.
Her mother cleaned offices in town.
She had grown up loving animals but had never believed a career in agriculture was realistic.
She stood awkwardly near the barn, looking at the cattle.
The young farm owner approached.
"Can I help you?"
The teenager nodded.
"I heard you sometimes let students learn here."
"Sometimes."
"I don't have much experience."
"That's all right."
"I don't have a truck."
"Neither did I at your age."
"And I don't know much about cattle."
The young woman smiled.
"That's why people learn."
The teenager looked relieved.
Then she hesitated.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Is it true everybody laughed at you when you bought those calves?"
The young woman nodded.
"Pretty much."
"Did you cry?"
The question surprised her.
She thought about it.
"Not at the auction."
"But later?"
"Oh, yes."
The teenager looked down.
"People laugh at me too."
The young woman felt something tighten in her chest.
"About what?"
"When I say I want to work with livestock. They say girls like me should find something more realistic."
The young woman glanced toward the cattle.