A Memory from my Youth

I suppose I must have been around 13 or 14 when Pappy, my step-dad, decided it might be a good time for “The Talk”. I named him Pappy because at about the age of four, I realized he wasn’t my Dad and so I came up with the name of Pappy and it stuck, but that’s a different story for a different time.

We were standing at the pig pen, just leaning against the fence, Pappy would chew on his tobacco and every so often swallow  the juice.  He never  spit the tobacco juice out, always swallowied it.He thought spitting it out was gross and he claimed swallowing the juice would keep him from getting worms, but that too is another story.

I stood there, along side him, and we were just enjoying the coolnes of the morning and watching the Berkshire hogs eating from the trough, rutting in the spring mud and just doing what pigs do.  The boar pig soon tired of those activities and found himself in the mood for something a little different as he walked over and quickly mounted an unsuspecting nearby sow.

Pappy and I just leaned against the fence for a moment, not saying a word while we silently watched what was happening.  Finally Pappy, swallowing his tobacco juice , looked straight ahead and in a low voice said;  “Boy, do you see them two hogs”?  With a nervous, squeaky voice, I said;  “Yessir.!  Still staring straight ahead, he said’  “Do you know what they are doing?’  With a quiet, but shaky voice, I replied;  “Yessir,”  “Works the same way with people”, he replied, as he swallowed more tobacco juice, still staring straight at the two hogs.

As we turned and walked away, I remember thinking; “Sure looks awkward to me”.  Another six or seven years I learned it wasn’t exactly the same and really wasn’t that awkward at all.
Author Lyn Liechty, Auctioneer
More Lyn Liechty stories can be found at www.arealauction.com