HER
Dust kicks up behind the trailer as you drive me to Charlie Johnson’s farm. My body jiggles and bounces as we travel down a bumpy dirt road. The dust chokes me, making me cough, and an hour or so into the drive, I start to feel rather sick. I curl up in the hay on the floor of the trailer, but my mind is too full of thoughts to let me sleep.
By the time we reach our destination, I have grown quite thirsty. You lead me out of the trailer and to a trough just inside gate to Charlie’s barn. After only a few swallows, I can tell that Charlie has doctored his water the same way you have. I am simultaneously relieved and disappointed. My body craves the water, and yet, I long to be fit again.
You tell me to wait by the gate while you go to the farmhouse to let Charlie know we have arrived. At the opposite side of the pen, I see a group of five cows gossiping. Two are pregnant, although they don’t appear to be as debilitated as Missy. They both lean against the fence, their backs ached and their giant stomachs thrust forward. The others are about Mable’s size, maybe a little larger. One is wearing tight denim jeans that highlight her expansive hips and comparatively small waist. Another has on a plaid button-up that can barely contain her large, rounded breasts.