George

One of Darwin’s friends from school came over for the afternoon, George. I think George knows more about tractors and manual labour than I will ever know. He’s the kind of kid you expect to see smoking a pipe with his whole arms covered in oil and grease and probably wearing a flat cap. He and Darwin are miles apart. If Darwin is from Mars George is from MACS0647-JD (that’s the furthest known galaxy from Earth!). All afternoon Darwin wanted to sit in his bedroom and play on the Xbox with George, George got bored very quickly and wanted to go outside and drive a tractor.

I was making stuff in the barn and George came in for a chat, he was telling me all about his kindling making business and then he asked me what type of engine was in the small tractor. I naively said ‘I think it’s a petrol engine’ and immediately I felt like a posh Victorian lady who was going out of her way to be subservient to her male sexual superiors. I may have well said “I think it’s a black one”, giggled and coyly hid my face behind a handkerchief. “No, I mean what make is it. What horse power is it? Is it 4 piston? Does it have dry air filters?”. I couldn’t hide my ignorance and decided this might be a good time to let both Darwin and George have a ride on the tractor before he spotted that I was using the wrong type of hammer.

George isn’t that fussed about Christmas, he would rather get up at 04:30hrs and go gritting roads with his dad. He is destined to become a tradesman in a male dominated trade and he’s going to love his life.

That said, I wouldn’t swap him for my piggy.