I pushed the projector into the barn the best I could and wiped the sweat off of my forehead.

"Dad, please." Tessa said, holding the mail. "You can't keep spending money on junk just so you can turn it into different junk."

Oh boy. Here we go.

"Hey, we don't use the 'J' word in here, okay?" He said. He motioned to the projector. "That is a Super Simplex theater projector, it's very rare. What about the SmilePilot?"

As if on cue it started to move on the table next to me, making me jump.

"Or the Excer-Mower I invented? Simply ahead of their time."

"Yeah, like the alleged Guard Dog." Lucas says sarcastically.

The dog's ears moved, and then it started barking.

"You're gonna get him upset." Uncle Cade says.

Lucas shrugged and made his way over to the recliner. "Hey, Cade, this thing still work?" He pointed to the Butler-Bot.

"No!" Tessa snapped.

"Yes! Yes, and still groundbreaking. Go back there and lay on the recliner and just wait for a cold one."

He pushed a punching bag off of the chair, smashing something underneath it, and flopped back on the recliner.

"Dude, stop breaking stuff." Cade said, moving over to his desk.

Tessa came over and dropped all the mail on it. "Final notice, late notice, past due."

The machine working to bring Lucas a Budweiser was whirring loudly as it moved. "Come on. Bring Daddy the alcohol, come on."

I sat down in the chair near Lucas and watched the bot and listened to the conversation.

"I mean, what is all this crap people send you?" Tessa asks, holding two of the items up.

"That's a Discman and that's an 8-track tape." I say, pointing to each. "They're for music."

Her eyes flashed. "Never heard of it." She tossed them both on the table, me flinching as they landed.

"Look, I fix that, it's 100 bucks; I fix that, $250. If I would've been able to fix it before you broke it even more, that would've been 20 bucks. This stuff is what's gonna put you through college, as long as you land one of those scholarships."

"What's the estimated time of arrival, usually?" Lucas asks. "Average?"

The bot moved a little further, then stopped and opened the top where the beer usually is.

"Wait, so it just brings the beer near you? That's the trick?"

Uncle Cade rolled his eyes. "It has a couple of kinks, man."

"Yeah."

"Dad, you think maybe some things should never be invented?" Tessa asks.

Oh boy. Now she's done it.

"No, I don't. That's backwards thinking. This is a temple of technology, you guys are standing in a holy place."

"Hallelujah!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air.

Uncle Cade smiled. "That's my girl."

Out of nowhere, we could hear laughing outside.

Oh great. She's back.

Uncle Cade grabbed a bat and started out of the barn. "Purple People Eater's back, and she looks hungry."

I followed him and Tessa out, keeping my distance from behind a tree

"Hey! This is my property." He shouts. "It's not for sale!"

"You're six months late on payments, Mr Yeager. And I see you stealing power at the pole." says, putting a hand on her hip.

"Hey, that's not your concern. Sir, do you want to see the property?"

The man shrugged. "Sure."

"I'd be more than happy to give you a tour. I'll show you three other buyers I got buried out back, then I'll crack your head open like an egg!"

Then everybody started yelling. "Stay back! He's crazy.

"I told you don't come back here anymore."

The couple ran to the vehicle they came in and got inside. The realtor opened the car door and stopped to yell some more.

"I'll have my brother come back and beat your ass! Don't you start with me. And I'll bring the police when I come, too. My brother ain't no joke!" The agent got in the car and slammed the door shut.

"Who, Jerry? You bring his big ass up here, he's gonna be huffin' and puffin' before he can squeeze out of that car! You back out in my grass, you're gonna be in bug trouble! You tell Jerry to come see me, I'll give him some of my baby girl's pecan pie."

Why does he keep dragging me into these things?!

She started the car and backed out, but drove off of the property on the grass. Uncle Cade went running after them and threw his bat at them right when she went through our semi-electric fence.

"Ah! She smashed through the fence?!" He groaned and started back towards the barn.

"Cade, relax. You're gonna have an aortic infarction." Lucas says, sitting on the picnic table with a beer in his hand.

"What's that?"

"I think it's like a brain heart attack."

"Yeah, I've had one already."

"Hey, go get him some aspirin." Tessa says to me softly.

"We're out." I say.

She sighs and walks up to him. "We're stealing power now?"

"No, we're borrowing it from the neighbors." He says almost immediately.

"Great, that's awesome. Once I graduate, and I'm gone, who's gonna take care of you?"

"What, you take care of me? Who taught you how to solder a circuit? Or write a program? Or French braid your hair? Or throw a spiral? Me. That's what I do."

"Who taught you how to cook without ketchup? Or balance your checkbook?" Tessa shook her head. "Who always has to be the grownup around here?"

"Okay, you have a point. Okay? But that means we're a great team. And I know it's been sucky around here lately. But we're gonna be fine, sweetie. You just gotta keep believing, okay? I mean that's what great inventors do. I promise you, one day, I'm gonna build something that matters."

Tessa looked down for a second. "I believe you, Dad."

"You know you're mom would be very proud of you."

Tessa nodded with a smile.

"It's gonna be okay." He walked past her and hoisted me up, heading us towards the house. "Come on, baby girl. Let's get some that pecan pie you're famous for, huh?"