The Richest Man on Earth

[erulissedances]

 

 

Luke was aware of urban cowboys, rock-a-billy cowboys, diamond cowboys and steer-wrangling cowboys, but this was the first time he had seen an invisible cowboy. His hat, which had fallen from his ill placement on the hat rack by the door of his small, but comfortable, home, was now moving across the floor under its' own power.

 

"Would ya look at that!" he called out to Diane who was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. "My hat's movin' on its' own!"

 

"Say what?" came the call, followed closely by his wife. After eight years of marriage and two children, she still looked great to his eyes. She was drying her hands on her well-worn apron and cast a quick glance behind her at the stove, making sure nothing would burn or boil over while she was away for a moment.

 

She burst out laughing as she watched the hat moving jerkily across the floor. First quickly, then, as it bumped into something - a table, a chair leg - slowing down before regaining momentum. "Best watch out there. It's a-headin' for you!"

 

Luke's laughter joined hers as the magic hat approached his stocking feet. His boots were by the front door, Diane not wanting him to track dirt all over their home. He reached down, gripping the hat and lifting it off his youngest who stopped short, sat back and scrunched his face up to ready to express his displeasure.

 

Putting the hat back on his own head, Luke reached down and picked the baby up from the floor, making him sail through the air before reaching the safety of his Dad's arms. The displeasure left the baby's face and a wide grin replaced it. "You're going to be a cowboy just like your Da, aren't ya?" he asked, hitching the child comfortably against his chest, gripped firmly.

 

Diane smiled, enjoying the sight, then turned back to return to the kitchen. "Could you call Lucas in? He's at the barn helping the men feed and water the horses."

 

"At your command," Luke responded, and still holding his newest child, he strode to the door of their home. Walking out to the front porch, he pursed his lips and whistled, piercingly, gently bumping the baby to keep it amused. "Lucas … dinner!"

 

"Coming, Pa."

 

He smiled as he returned to the family room. He might not be rich in cash, but he considered himself a very rich man indeed.