Jeff Hanson was next in line at the Co-op grocery store cash register when he ran into his old friend Shawn.
“That’s a full cart,” Shawn commented. Jeff had loaded his shopping cart with a week’s worth of food for himself and his two kids. Shawn, still single, didn’t need a grocery basket, let alone a cart. He was carrying a frozen pizza and a small bag of apples.
“I might have to mortgage some land to pay for it, with these food prices,” Jeff said.
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“No kidding,” Shawn said. “Time for a coffee?”
Jeff snorted. “I barely have time to go to the bathroom. I’ve got to get to the school before 3:30, then I have to take Jenny to dance class and Connor to the rink, and get back to the farm before Gavin Thompson comes by to pick up his lentil screenings.”
“All right,” Shawn held up his hands in surrender, dangling the pizza and apples. “I guess there’s no point asking what you thought of Yellowstone last night.”
“Nope,” Jeff sighed. Then the woman in front of him started paying so Jeff unloaded his cart onto the belt.
With his wife Elaine in Saskatoon for a week of commodity group AGMs and the Crop Production Show, Jeff was the only chauffeur on duty for their two kids. Jeff’s parents had decided to brave the changing COVID-19 restrictions and travel to Arizona for a few weeks, so Jeff was also looking after the farm’s two dogs and herd of cats. Normally, the Hanson’s employee Mark would be around to help customers that came to the farm to buy or clean seed, but even Mark was off-duty this week, in Alberta with his wife for her grandmother’s funeral.
On Monday, day 1 of his role as a One-Man-Show, Jeff was already stressed. He’d lost track of time changing the oil in the tractor and had to speed to town so he could buy groceries before school pickup.
He underestimated how long the grocery stop would take, and had to speed again, this time through town on his way to the school parking lot. He turned up early enough that the teachers weren’t alarmed, but his kids were quick to point out that he wasn’t exactly punctual.
“I was the last kid from my class waiting,” Jenny whined.
Eleven-year-old Connor took a different tack. “You know Dad, if I had my own cellphone, you could call me when you’re late.”
Jeff didn’t mention that this was the first time he’d ever been late, and that really, this wasn’t late at all. Instead, he passed them each one of the snacks that he’d remembered to bring from home.
He drove Jenny across town to the dance studio.
“Did you remember to wash my costume?” Jenny asked. “We’re having dress rehearsal.”
“Of course,” Jeff said proudly.
Eight-year-old Jenny looked skeptical, and checked inside the bag he’d set on the back seat. “Hey,” she said, sounding surprised. “You packed all the right things.”
“I told you not to worry.”
“I wasn’t worried,” she said, climbing out of the truck. “Shelby’s mom said she’d bring an extra outfit, just in case.”
“Just because your mom usually drives you to dance doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing,” Jeff said while she shut the truck door.
The rink was the next stop.
“I’m sorry I can’t make it to Estevan to watch your game today,” Jeff said to Connor.
“That’s okay,” Connor said as he pulled his hockey bag of the truck. “Oscar’s dad’ll be there.”
Jeff wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he didn’t have time to worry about it. He backed out of the parking lot and headed to the farm.
This time he didn’t just risk getting a speeding ticket. He actually got one.
“Hope the rest of your day goes better,” the new RCMP constable said as he handed Jeff’s driver’s licence and ticket through the truck window.
“It’ll have to,” Jeff muttered, tossing the ticket on the dash.
When Jeff got home, Gavin Thompson already had his semi parked on the Hanson’s weigh scale. Jeff knew if it was warmer outside, Gavin would’ve been pacing the yard, checking his watch.
Something metal on the ground caught Jeff’s eye as he got out of his truck to greet Gavin.
Gavin stepped down from the weigh scale and pointed at the flat piece of metal. “Sorry,” Gavin said. “I ran over your dog dish.”
Jeff groaned.
“I wasn’t expecting it there, right in the lane,” Gavin defended himself.
“Not your fault,” Jeff said. “We’ve got lots of bowls. Flora must be out of food again. She carries her bowl out of the shop if it gets empty.”
Gavin laughed.
“I was supposed to pick up more dog food today. I forgot.”
“Maybe she can snack on some of those cats,” Gavin said.
While he was loading Gavin’s lentil screenings, Jeff took phone calls from his account manager at FCC who needed more paperwork, from a potential seed customer who wanted information about a new durum variety, and from the kids’ school bus driver. Reg was sick and couldn’t get a sub, so Jeff would have to drive the kids or find rides for them for the next few days.
By the time Gavin left the driveway, Jeff was already late to leave to pick up Jenny after her dance class.
This time, he resisted the urge to speed. It paid off when he saw the new constable still parked in the same approach with his speed radar, but Jenny wasn’t impressed. When Jeff got to the studio, all the girls had left the building and Jenny was waiting in the backseat of Shelby’s mom’s running car.
“You’re late twice today!” Jenny scowled.
“I didn’t mind waiting,” Shelby’s mom called. “And I can take her home with me for dinner after Wednesday’s practice, if you’re busy.”
“Practice on Wednesday?” Jeff asked. “That’s not on my calendar.”
“They just added it today,” said Shelby’s mom. “Let me know.”
Since Connor was getting a ride home with Oscar’s dad, all Jeff had left for the day was to take Jenny home, figure out what to feed her for supper, and then go through Elaine’s filing cabinet to find the right documents for FCC.
But first a stop at Peavey Mart for food for Buddy and Flora.
Jeff’s cellphone rang as Jeff and Jenny walked through the parking lot. It was Jeff’s dad, calling from Yuma.
“Everything okay at the hacienda?” Dale asked.
“Oh yeah,” Jeff said. “It’s a staycation, having the farm to myself.”
“Glad you’re not busy,” Dale said. “The app on my phone is beeping.”
“What?” Jeff said.
“That app that runs the house thermostat,” Dale said. “Our house is getting colder every minute. Must be something wrong with the furnace.”
“Oh no,” Jeff said. “I’m on my way home. I’ll take a look right away.”
In Peavey Mart, Jeff heaved a pair of 35-pound bags of dog food onto the counter.
Lee Anderson rang up the bags and told Jeff the total.
“Nice day for shopping,” Lee said. “You grain farmers are lucky to have the winter off.”
