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All For Love 3rd in Rivalry Series	By : kurahieiritrJIO Category: +G to L > Initial D Views: 2173 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Initial D, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-All For Love
- 2-AFL 2
- 3-AFL 3
- 4-AFL 4
- 5-AFL 5
- 6-AFL 6
- 7-AFL 7
- 8-AFL 8
- 9-AFL 9
- 10-AFL 10
- 11-AFl 11
- 12-AFL 12
- 13-AFL 13
- 14-AFL 14
- 15-AFL 15
- 16-AFL 16
- 17-AFL 17
- 18-AFL 18
- 19-AFL 19
- 20-AFL 20
- 21-AFL 21
- 22-AFL 22
- 23-AFL 23
- 24-AFL 24
- 25-AFL 25
- 26-AFL 26
- 27-AFL 27
- 28-AFL 28
- 29-AFL 29
- 30-AFL 30
- 31-AFL 31
- 32-AFL 32
- 33-AFL 33
- 34-AFL 34
- 35-AFL 35
- 36-AFL 36
- 37-AFL 37
- 38-AFL 38
- 39-AFL 39
- 40-AFL 40
- 41-AFL 41
- 42-AFL 42
- 43-AFL 43
- 44-AFL 44
- 45-AFL 45
- 46-AFL 46
- 47-AFL 47
- 48-AFL 48
- 49-AFL 49
- 50-AFL 50
- 40
- 41
- 42
A/N: This is temporarily an older draft of this fan fiction that I am posting here. I will revise to correct inconsistencies ASAP. Please have patience. This note will change once revised.

CHAPTER 41

The trio of men who had acted as taxi drivers sat at one end of a huge rectangular table that dominated the kitchen. All three had mugs in their hands and were talking among themselves as Ryosuke and the rest filed into the large house. A deeply copper-skinned woman with an impassive face bustled about the largest kitchen Ryosuke had seen.

"Aunt Twylah, just showed our company around the garage. Now, you can get to meet them." Samantha was speaking to the older woman. Ryosuke realized she was speaking a little slower and in English which was the reason he understood her comments.

Twylah answered with a shake of her head. She spoke too fast for Ryosuke to understand her.

"I don't know if they've eaten recently or not. I forgot to ask, but bet they'll be pleased as punch to get fed though. You're a top notch cook after all."

Although impassive in expression, Aunt Twylah seemed warm and generous as she motioned for everyone to take seats at the long table while she spoke to them. Unfortunately she spoke to fast for Ryosuke to translate in his head.

Robi came to the rescue. "Twylah said she'll have the evening meal ready to eat very soon. She hopes you'll forgiver Sam for being so rude and making you all stand outside for so long."

Samantha chuckled and spoke in their language. "We do things a bit different than you're used to during meals. Remember that it's the worst kind of rudeness possible to turn down your host or hostess when offered something to drink and eat. If you've already eaten before you arrived, you should still accept something to drink, but can get out of eating. Most will offer you dessert if they have it. Cookies, pie, and cake are usually the kind of dessert served. If you say iie, you'll be taken at your word. We don't say things like don't be shy to guests, or try to convince anyone they should eat or drink anything. If you say iie, you mean iie around here. Also, people's feelings get hurt really quick if you turn down all forms of hospitality when you visit them unless you have the flu or something."

Nakajo frowned at the massive table in the room. "Uhm, naze are there so many dishes, cups, and glasses stacked on the table, Sammy-san?"

"I was just getting to that since it's one of the differences. Because this is a working ranch, Aunt Twylah expects people to grab a cup, or glass, a plate, and silverware for the meal she's putting out in a few minutes. A working ranch like ours has a rule that you need to know and be willing to follow. If you don't get enough to eat, it's because you didn't ask for someone to pass you the platter, or bowl that was out of your reach when you were hungry. Aunt Twylah has already set out pitchers of coffee, tea, and real homemade lemonade. Go ahead and pour yourself a glass or mug of whichever drink you want, and grab a seat at the table."

"Uhm, how will we handle the meal? Nani should we expect to do?" Otosān asked as he looked between Samantha and Robi with a mild thought wrinkle gracing his brow.

"We start our meals when Twylah hands us a platter or bowl that's full. Take the bowl and start by serving yourselves a portion. Then pass the container to the next person to your right. We pass the platter or bowl around the table until it's either empty, or everyone's plates filled. It's kind of like an assembly line production. We put platters and bowls in the center of the table once they make a full round, and minasan's got a portion to eat. Seconds are encouraged if there's still food in a container. Ask the person closest to the food you want to pass the platter or bowl your way. It gets handed down the line to you so you can refill your plate with however much you want to eat."

Etsuya's sister asked about Samantha's explanation. "Then is it considered good manners to serve oneself if we want another drink during the meal?"

Samantha nodded with a grin and grabbed a coffee pot to fill the mug she had in her hand. "That's right. Anything sitting on this old table is fair game for whoever wants it, . . . and is fastest at grabbing it."

"Is there a specific reason naze you do things this way, Sammy-san?" Kenta asked with genuine interest.

"Farms and big ranches need fifteen or more seasonal hands during peak times. They expect ranchers to feed them while they're working for a spread. It's hard to feed that many if you don't use an assembly line serving system. This ranch has around eighteen to twenty seasonal cowboys that bring in the different herds every spring for calf branding and tagging. They also help with the spring health checks that we have to do for the beef cattle we raise. In the fall the herd gets a second checkup, and we cull a set number for the auction blocks. The slaughterhouses buy most to feed people. However, this ranch can only support four full time hands to keep track of the different herds we have. Cattle prices determine how many hands a ranch can afford."

"Will we be meeting these cowboys that work for your aunt?" Okāsan sounded excited by the prospect.

"You've already met two of Twylah's cowhands since they brought you here today. Roan and Dave here are two of her crew. Chappy's out doing fence repairs since yesterday morning. You'll get to meet him whenever he wanders in from the range. Sky's in town somewhere so you'll meet him when he wanders in tomorrow morning at some point."

The large framed, copper skinned Twylah began setting out large platters laden with different kinds of food. Samantha helped her put dishes that contained things like butter on the table. Samantha identified one of the heavy platters as dark-meat fried chicken, another held white-meat fried chicken, and yet another contained sliced ham. A large wooden bowl joined the others in the center of the wide table that contained a round bread Sammy called buttermilk biscuits. A large wicker basket contained home-baked bread already sliced. Sam and Twylah set more butter dishes at intervals along the table's length. Several more big bowls also found their way to the massive table. Mashed potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, sliced carrots with cubed squash, baked beans, and three gravy tureens rounded out the meal.

Ryosuke noticed his Otosān's perusal of the large meal. The ranch hands handed bowls and containers off to the next person as Sam had instructed. Otosān asked, "Sammy-chan, is this a traditional American meal?"

Robi answered him as Samantha was busy helping her aunt to set out fresh pitchers of diverse beverages, including milk, more tea, and coffee. "It's normal fare for a big ranch or farm. Ranchers and farmers need the extra carbohydrates, and bigger doses of protein because they don't have time to stop working long enough to eat. Breakfast is always as huge as the evening meal for that reason. Twylah will serve breakfast after the morning chores are finished, usually before seven in the morning. Cattlemen and farmers both get up before the sun. They also go to bed rather early generally. It's a life of backbreaking labor all day long for these men and onnas. Vacations don't exist in this industry, nor do large profit margins. You really have to love being outdoors, and working very hard to be a farmer or rancher."

Ryosuke listened with growing shock. "I've seen movies and television shows from this part of the world that feature the western lifestyle. Is the routine we'll see while we're here similar to that, Robi-san?"

The pale blond onna snorted. "Not even close. It's a lot of very difficult work that requires brute strength and tons of stamina. Every week, one of the ranch hands goes out to double check the fences, making certain drug smugglers haven't cut them. They have to mend anything broken before the herds get out, and get lost. Because this is a very dry climate, windmills pump water into huge concrete troughs that have to be checked and repaired so the cattle have fresh water to drink. This ranch has four windmills to maintain like the one you saw out in the home pasture. That's one windmill per enclosure. Twylah has one of the bigger ranches in the area. Douglas and Patrick have the other two big spreads as we call larger ranches. I've heard Pat began selling some of his land to keep his ranch alive. He's doing a lease agreement with the government to run cattle on government preserve lands since free range cattle meat's a lot more expensive in the supermarkets than feed lot cattle, even if the auction prices aren't any better. Pat's having to tear down his windmills and move them to preserve land though. The wildlife will be very grateful for the easily found water at least."

"Free range or feed lots? Nani is the difference, Robi-san?" Hiroshi asked as he sat his fork down.

Sam had sat and so took over. "Feed lot cattle have no room to move around. Fresh weaned calves are packed into small fenced in enclosures where they can't move around much. They get pumped full of steroids, antibiotics, and growth hormones that make them as large as adult cattle in the few months they have to live. The combination of drugs and lack of exercise keeps the meat tender, but has drawbacks. Before they even hit a full year old, they get shipped to the larger slaughterhouses that have contracts with the huge companies that run this nation's feed lots."

Otosān shook his head and began speaking. "How many animals develop tumors before they send them to market, Sammy-chan? Steroids given in large doses can cause several kinds of cancer."

Samantha shrugged. "No idea, Ryuunosuke-san. I only really know free range markets inside and out. This ranch isn't a big corporation with stock holders demanding pay offs each year. First off no unnecessary drugs are used in keeping free range herds healthy. Second, the cattle move around in large pastures eating natural foods like grass. In bad spells, hay and grains are added to their diets. The cattle don't go to market as fast either. Steers are usually going on two years old when we sell them. Their meat isn't as tender as a feed lot steer's meat, so some consumers will only buy feed lot meat. I've never heard of any kind of cancer in free range herds we have around here. All the major feed lots are closer to the capital. Two feedlots are around here, but I've never been able to stomach their horrific smell long enough to ask about tumors in the livestock."

The discussion fascinated Ryosuke in spite of himself. "Nani other duties do you expect your workers to do, Sammy-san?"

"They have to keep track of three hundred cows and steers. During breeding and calving season they have to keep even closer watch. The three bulls that Twylah owns get meaner than normal during breeding season. They could kill themselves trying to break through the fences to fight each other if the hands aren't quick enough to keep them separated. Predators hunt the newborns and birthing cows during calving season. The hands use three wheelers, horses, and pickups to make rounds so they can keep track of cows giving birth, and help any cows that are in distress, and likely to die during the birthing process. Pulling a calf takes a lot of muscle and a length of rope."

"Round ups happen twice a year also. Sam hasn't gotten to that yet. I've helped Twylah feed the extra fifteen to twenty men required to catch the calves and get them sorted out, branded, tagged, given medical checkups, and castrated if they are males. That's a steer by the way. Castrated male cows." Robi added with a shudder.

Sam laughed and taunted across the table. "Nani's wrong, Robi? Doncha still love them deep fried Rocky Mountain Oysters?"

"Dear Kami-sama, do you want me getting violently ill, Sam? You're horrible!"

Ryosuke marveled at the loss of all pretense and snobbery in Samantha's bearing as he tried to figure out what mountain oysters might be. Here, Samantha was relaxed and had an open expression as she broke into English to include her Aunt Twylah, and the trio of workmen during the meal.

"Uhm, I didn't know oysters came from mountain areas. Are they some kind of fresh water variety found in this country?" Kenta asked clearly trying to get an answer.

Samantha choked on the food she had in her mouth. After a few moments of pounding on her back, she broke into rapid English again. All three cowboys and her aunt began guffawing loudly. Ryosuke was uncertain of her words so had no option but to turn to Robi.

"Nani's so funny, Robi-san?"

"Rocky Mountain oysters is polite for, . . . uhm, . . ." She cleared her throat. ". . . calf testicles."

"Calf testicles?" Hiroshi looked shocked as he asked for verification.

Robi nodded in affirmation. "Hai. The freshly castrated testicles are cleaned, then tossed into a big bag of seasoned flour like this fried chicken. It gets deep fried and then drained on large racks. Sadly, it's considered something of a delicacy to some ranchers, and a lot of hardcore old school cowboys." Robi looked ill as she explained the process.

Okāsan took a drink of her lemonade and entered the conversation. "Well, I've heard of countries that think worms and bugs are delicacies. They probably sell rocky mountain oysters in higher end supermarkets here."

Robi shook her head violently. "They aren't. Trust me. Only a rancher will ever think of serving that particular kind of meat. Granted, there's enough meat to feed twenty starving men for a couple days from calf castrations. However, the idea of eating that kind of meat is a bit more than I can handle."

Twylah said something after Samantha told her the current conversation thread. Sam was quick to translate. "As Twylah recalls, you ate five rockies even before you thought to ask nani you were eating, Rob. Before Twylah told you they were, . . . how do I say testicles in Nihongo? . . ."

Robi answered her by repeating the word in Ryosuke's native language. "Anyway, you thought it was the most tender and delicious meat you'd ever eaten. You even asked for the recipe." Samantha ribbed her friend. Twylah and the cowboys at the table added amused sounding remarks.

Dave spoke in a slow, thoughtful voice. "Meat's meat if you get hungry enough. Money won't keep your belly full if you're ever out in the wilds, Rob. Go hunting a couple of times. You'll stop being squeamish after you bag a couple of quail and clean them for the spit."

Ryosuke found his grasp of English speech patterns was getting better. Having learned European English in school proved something of a liability here. There were remarkable differences in inflections between American and European English. Perhaps different regions had something like the Osaka dialect Ryosuke thought as he endeavored to learn how people in Arizona pronounced words. He focused on the four English speakers. As he picked up the new intonations, Ryosuke's ability to follow the conversation improved.

Okāsan, and Etsuya's onēchan were staying in the main house. The men would be in the bunk house alongside the four permanent ranch hands. They followed the two cowboys toward a long rectangular building surrounded by large trees.

They learned from Dave that Chappy got his nickname from the oversized leather protective leg gear he always wore. Sky was a full-blooded Indian whose full name was Clouded Sky. Roan was nicknamed after a horse's hair color. Dave alone did not have a secondary nickname. However, he was also the newest cowboy to enter the ranks. He was only nineteen. Roan joked that Dave could earn a handle if he developed any colorful habits.

The bunkhouse was another interesting revelation to Ryosuke and the rest of the Project D group. The long rectangle with a vaulted ceiling was roomy. Five double stacks of comfortable looking beds lined each side of the large front room. Twenty people could sleep there. Six drawer dressers sat between each pair of heavy wood framed bunk beds. Each bunk bed had privacy curtains. Thick slatted wooden ladders at the foot of each set gave access to the top beds.

A section of the room had thick curtains that hid a small alcove with two free standing lamps and four comfortable chairs. A small table on each side invited one to sit and read or play board games kept on the bookcase against the back wall.

Dave showed the group into the large bathroom at the end of the bunk house. It had two toilets, each enclosed in separate wooden stalls, a glass and wood panel-encased bathtub, two independent sinks, and a glass-encased shower. Dave told Ryosuke that the privacy features, combined with the three extra deep personal drawers the bunk house featured made Twylah Singing-Wolf's ranch one of the best places to work. He relayed the information to the rest of the team.

Dave was the easiest for Ryosuke to understand among the two men. Roan's inflections were more difficult to master by ear. Ryosuke had heard that listening to someone read as you followed along in an identical book helped ears attune to individual voices. He vowed to find two identical books and get the others to read as he followed along to insure he could at least translate simple instructions

Chappy, Dave, Sky and Roan had obvious personal areas. Only Dave slept on a top bunk. Ryosuke and the others agreed that the injured in the group had to sleep on lower level bunks as they set out to unpack their clothing in the trio of large, deep drawers each would use until they returned home. Etsuya, Nakajo, and Ryosuke were in the best physical shape so would be on top bunks.

Hiroshi, Kenta, and Kashiwazaki would sleep on lower level bunks because of injuries. Otosān would sleep on a lower level bunk also. The long journey had exhausted them all. Ryosuke was glad when the main lights were shut off for the night.

-oo0oo-
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All For Love 3rd in Rivalry Series