Dixie's Greens 9: The Farmer

>Her patience had run out
>She had been standing at the display for almost ten minutes, and had yet to find more than two that were flawless
>Whether it be a visible soft spot or a brown blemish, there were very few that satisfied Anon's request
>"Dixie, could you get me a bag of PERFECT apples that I can snack on throughout the week, please?" he asked before she left for the farmer's market
>One would expect a nandroid that's over a hundred years old to have more patience
>"Ah, screw it," she muttered, finally accepting defeat and backing away from the display
>Holding the near-empty bag in her hand, she glanced around and noticed only one other shopper in the vicinity
>It was that brown haired nandroid from the park many months ago, except she was now wearing a knotted plaid shirt, short-cut jeans, and a giant cowboy hat
>The one that ate up almost an hour of her afternoon with question after question about her time in the war, while her friend with mismatched eyes just silently stood and listened
>Why she was wearing that strange disguise, Dixie didn't know
>She impulsively let out a groan of annoyance, but it was the slightest bit too loud
>The curious bot turned her head, and that's when Dixie realized that she was looking at a nandroid she'd never seen before
>"Somethin' wrong, hun?" the mystery bot asked in a voice as Southern as her own
>She felt somewhat relieved, but more impressed than anything else, as it wasn't often she met a nandroid with a regional accent
>"Oh, sorry," Dixie apologized, "I thought you were someone else, is all."
>"...Say," the country-bot asked, "you wouldn't happen to be Sar-jint Major Dixie, would'ya?"
>Typically, she'd prefer not to be stopped and recognized, but finally meeting another Southern-tongued droid gave her a reason to stay and talk
>"I sure am!" Dixie answered with a smile, "Where are you from, cowgirl?"
>The bot took off her oversized hat and held it to her gut out of respect
>"Texas, ma'am!" she blurted out, "Specifically, ah live and work on Hood Ranch, not far west'a Fort Worth! Y'ever been down there?"
>"Yeah, but not in quite a while," Dixie said, "but the next time I do, I'll go over to your ranch and ask for..."
>The bot placed her hat back on her head and extended her hand
>"Dixie, ma'am! Ol' Johnny back home musta named me after you!"
>For the very first time, she felt glad to shake a Sterling droid's hand

>You looked up from your magazine when you suddenly heard the front door open
>She had been gone about a half hour longer than expected, assuming it was Dixie back with the apples
>Sure enough, she rounded the corner into the living room with a paper bag in hand
>"Sorry, Anon," she said while placing it on the coffee table, "these two were the only good ones I could find."
>Peering into the grocery bag, you held back your mild disappointment
>"That's okay, Dix-"
>There was another nandroid at her side; a modern one dressed like a cowgirl come from out of nowhere
>"Anon, this is... uh... Farmer Dixie," she introduced the bot, "Dixie, this is Anon."
>"Howdy, Anawn," the new Dixie greeted and tipped her hat
>"Uh, hey," you replied, confused
>"Now take a minute to talk and get to know each other, will ya?" Dixie requested as she went for the stairs, "I'll be back shortly!"
>An awkward silence fell over the room as you and this stranger had nothing to say
>Sitting down on the couch beside you, she finally decided to speak again
>"Dixie brought me back here to show me her uniform... Funny how we got the same name, isn't it, sugar?"
>*ahem* "...Yeah, I guess it is," you murmured
>"When ah get back home, Ah'm gonna ask Johnny if ah got named after her. Ah reckon he'll say yes, though."
>"Is 'Johnny' your owner?"
>"Yessir!" she said, inching closer, "He's the nice ol' fella that runs the ranch ah live on!"
>"And what do you do on your ranch, Dixie?"
>"Well," she took a moment to think, "...ah usually feed the chickens, milk the cows, groom the horses, clean out their stables, stuff like that."
>"You find it fun, that kind of work?" you asked
>Normally, you're much better at conversation, but having unexpected company in your living room threw off your rhythm
>"Sure, but it's been even more fun as of late! Last month, we got this new ranch hand," she explained with a grin, "He's a real handsum fella like you, and after a hard day of herdin' cattle, I took him to the barn and we..."
>You both heard footsteps coming down the stairs, so she cut her story short
>However, based on her expression, you already knew the ending
>"Are all nandroids, regardless of brand or age, as horny as us humans?" you wondered
>"Okay, Dixie! Take a look!" your own bot called out from the hallway
>She marched into the room, clad in her common brown coat and gray kepi, holding her Springfield at her side
>You were used to the sight of her in uniform, but the droid on your left sure wasn't
>"...Oh mah lord, you look spectacular!" she exclaimed, "Yer raght outta the histry books, hun!"
>"Yeah, I get that a lot," Dixie chuckled
>"Ah don't wanna be a bother, but could you tell me what life was like in the South not long after the war?" she asked
>As Dixie queued up a description, you pulled an apple from the bag and bit into it
>"Well, livin' was a Hell of a lot harder than before-"
>The taste took a second to hit your tongue, but when it did...
>"Ugh!" you retched
>Underneath the perfect green skin of the fruit was a mushy inside as brown as dirt
>Farmer Dixie leaned over to see what was causing your reaction
>"...No wonder them apples look like crap," she commented, "we won't be in apple season for a few months!"