“Now pick up them goddamn boards and get them into the truck.”

Shit, Tommy thought, pick ’em up yourself. And he left the spot.

Danny stood there, wondering why Chalmer was glaring at him.

“Well, get them boards in, stupid.”

Danny wrestled with the two huge boards, even though they were too big and heavy for a fourteen-year-old.

“Goddamn clumsy bastard,” Chalmer said. Knocking him to the side, he pushed the boards in himself. “Get in before I beat your ass.”

Danny scrambled into the seat and looked straight ahead. But he could hear Chalmer popping the top of a can of beer, and as he smelled it, a cold fear went through him. When they got to the farm, Danny was relieved that he was put right to work raking leaves.

Chalmer mowed and Danny was afraid when the tractor came too close to him. He’d been terrorized by tractors before. Chalmers new yellow one frightened him. He switched to David and then to Shawn, switching back and forth until the work was done and Chalmer finally shouted, “Get them boards outta the truck. Let’s go!”

Danny stumbled forward, still terrified of the tractor, and used all his strength to pull the heavy planks out of the truck. With the planks in place, Chalmer backed the tractor up onto the truck bed. After he hauled the planks back in, Danny waited while Chalmer popped another can of beer, finishing it before he was ready to take off.

Tommy, who had seen what happened, took the spot. That sonofabitchin’ tractor frightened Danny. That tractor had to go. Quickly, while Chalmers head was turned, Tommy climbed up into the truck bed, pulled the U-pin out and popped the clutch into neutral. As Chalmer went around to the driver’s seat, Tommy jumped down and flipped the U-pin into the bushes. Then he got in the front, stared straight ahead and waited. He knew the minute Chalmer made one of his jack-rabbit starts, that new yellow tractor of his would be gone.

Chalmer started out slowly and drove without a stop into Bremen. Nothing happened. Tommy thought it would go after they stopped in front of the General Mills plant. But Chalmer pulled away real easy and drove all the way into Lancaster. All right, thought Tommy, it’ll happen the first time he stops for a red light.

It happened in Lancaster. When the light turned green, Chalmer took off squealing his tires, and Tommy knew the tractor was gone. He tried to keep his face straight, but he couldn’t. He looked away, toward the window, so the old fart wouldn’t see his grin. When he glanced back, he saw the little yellow tractor tumbling back down the street, end over end. Then he saw Chalmer looking in his rear-view mirror, his mouth wide open. He jammed the brakes, stopped the truck, jumped out and started running back, picking up pieces of metal scattered on the street.

Tommy broke up with laughter. “Goddamn you,” he said. “That tractor’ll never hurt Danny or David again.” Double revenge with one blow. He had gotten the machine, and at the same time he got Chalmer.