The Refusal - Chapter Eleven - Troy

“Mr. Dalton,” Troy spoke confidently into the phone. “I’m in love with your daughter and I’d like to come meet you, sir.”
“Pardon me?” The voice on the other end of the phone sounded as confused as Troy expected. “Who is this?”
“My name is Troy Weller, sir.” Troy coughed lightly, suddenly more nervous than he had been while tapping numbers into his phone. “I met Melissa here in Lowell where she works, but I understand you live up near Saginaw so I figured I’d better call first before showing up at your door unexpectedly.”
“Uh… she’s been there three weeks.”
“I know that, sir. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to call you. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so I won’t be able to get out in the field, and I figured you would be free as well. I felt it was best if I come meet you as soon as possible. What time would be agreeable for you?”
“T… tomorrow?” Mr. Dalton sounded almost angry. “Is this a joke? Are you on drugs, son? What kind of plants are you growing down there?”
“Well, my current rotation is corn and soybeans, but I always plant cover crops with alfalfa and some radish before harvest, and of course I farm mostly no-till with some mulch-till every couple of years. I try to take care of my soil, sir.”
“That’s not what I meant…” Mr. Dalton hesitated, then sighed. “How many acres you got, son?”
“A hundred and eighty, sir. But some of it’s wet and swampy so I’ve set that aside for wildlife and left some wooded. I only plant about a hundred sixty.”
“Got livestock?”
“Not like you do, sir. Just a few chickens in my yard. But I buy my beef from a very reputable organic farmer down by Clarkesville.”
“And you like my daughter?”
“No sir, I love your daughter.”
“How could you possibly love her this quickly?”
“Well, my father always told me that love is a choice, and once he found a wife for me, I’d learn to love her. But with Melissa it was like God chose her for me instead. We may run into a couple of snags along the way, but I know we can push through them and choose to make this work.” Troy felt like he was talking too fast, so he stopped and waited for Mr. Dalton to respond.
“I don’t know what to do about this…”
“Well, perhaps if I come meet you and shake your hand and look you in the eye, you can decide if I’m an acceptable man for your daughter.”
“Sounds like that’s… probably a good idea.”
“How early can I come meet you, sir?”
“Is Melissa coming with you?”
“Of course,” Troy said. “And my brother and his wife and their baby. I would never presume to travel that far without a chaperone, I promise.”
“A chaperone?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, how’s late morning sound?” Mr. Dalton asked. “I’ll have my wife make us some lunch.”
“That sounds wonderful, sir,” Troy said. “I look forward to meeting you.”
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Book Club Discussion Questions: What do you think of Troy's old-fashioned request to speak to Melissa's father? Did you catch the one controversial line that's going to (eventually) get Troy into trouble?

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