Taking Care of Things
"You're going to be alone on the farm this weekend," my father said as though that was no big deal. "I expect you to take care of it."
I had never been left alone on our farm, but I knew that I could deal with just about anything that might come up. I was ready to1 that to my dad.
As soon as my dad left on his trip, I headed out to check on our cows in the barn (谷仓). I saw Loretta, my dad's favourite cow, eating apples.
Just after I left the barn, I heard a sound I'd never heard before. I ran quickly back and found Loretta down on her front knees, eyes rolled back, looking as though she was about to 2 . She seemed to have a hard time breathing. I knew right away that she'd got an apple stuck in her throat. I tried to force the apple out but3 , so I ran to call our vet (兽医), Dr. Carrico.
When Dr. Carrico arrived, he felt around her neck 4 the situation. He told me to get him two boards. Finally, Loretta swallowed (咽下) the apple. Loretta, was now free to breathe.
"Did your dad leave you to see about things?" asked Dr. Carrico. "Yes, sir." "Well, it's not easy. 5, you know when to call for help."
I thought about not telling my dad about what had happened, but 6 that stupid idea in a hurry, since he was not a man you kept things from. After I told him, he didn't seem to react much, just kept saying, "Hmm, I see." a lot. I guessed he was very7 in me.
However, when two weeks later Loretta had her baby, my father asked me to name it. That surprised me because he always named the baby cows by himself. I looked at him in 8. He smiled at me and said, "She's yours. Take good care of her." he said as though he trusted I could do that. I thought a lot and finally called the baby cow Apple.
