Sheep

The Farmer looked out his window. The black sheep stood alone.
"It's like they've heard the idiom," he said to his wife. "That black one never mingles with the rest, and the rest never mingle with him."
"Give them time," his wife said. She was ironing. "They've got to mix up together eventually."
"It's just so strange."
"They're just sheep," she said.

..........

The black one stayed back as the others ate, and the Farmer had to wait around for almost an hour for the white ones to eat and scatter before he could coax the black one over to feed separately. As it came closer, the Farmer looked it over and found nothing out of the ordinary. It was exactly like the others, only black.

..........

The buyer was a Mexican man who was throwing a wedding for his son and he wanted to buy a sheep to roast for the party.
"Why don't you take that black one," the Farmer suggested. "He's a fine sheep and has plenty of meat on him."
The Mexican shook his head. "I'll take that white one right there," he said, pointing at a large male by the fence.
"That'll be just fine, too," the farmer said.

............

That night the farmer took his wife to her bingo game. He hated bingo but he went every Tuesday night with his wife because she always won.
"Not even a line," she mumbled as the time ran out.
"Tonight's just not your night, then." The farmer whispered.
"But it's always my night," she whispered back.
"BINGO!" a fat woman shouted, and the farmer's wife and everyone else groaned.

....................

The phone rang. It was John Johnson wanting to know when the wool would be ready for pick-up.
"The week after next," said the Farmer. He hung up the phone and looked out the window. The dog was by the fence, barking at the sheep. All of them stood still, their heads turned in alarm, watching the dog, except for the black one. He had his head down and was eating grass.

...........................

The farmer took his stool and shears and got to work. Each sheep took exactly 33 minutes to shear, which meant it was going to take him about two weeks to finish. It was hard work. The farmer worked steadily and sturdily and soon enough had fallen into a rhythm- eat sleep shear eat sleep shear eat sleep shear and before he knew it he was all but done with only the black one to go. He went and brought him over from the other end of the field and began to shear him. The black wool came off and 33 minutes later the black sheep ran naked back to the other end of the fence. The white sheep made a little path for him as he ran by.
The farmer shook his head, wiped his brow, and went back into the house.

....................

John Johnson picked up the wool the next day and paid the Farmer, and the Farmer went to another farm a few miles away and bought some more sheep.
"Got any black ones?" he asked the other farmer. "I wanted to buy a black one to match my other black one so he won't seem so lonely standing out there in my field."
"You getting a little light in them trousers there, Jim?" he asked him.
"No."
"I had one, but I sold him this morning."
"Oh, fine, that's all right."

........................

The Mexican needed another sheep. He was having another party. His daughter was getting married.
"Please take the black one," the farmer said. The Mexican shook his head.
"The last time I came you suggested the same thing. What is wrong with that black sheep?" he asked.
The farmer paused. "The others won't go near him."
"Hm." The Mexican smiled. "Or he won't go near the others. Maybe they're the evil ones."
"I never said I thought he was evil."
"Just bad luck?" The farmer didn't answer. "I'll take that one there by the front."
"Fine," the farmer said.

.........................

The farmers wife didn't win in bingo that week or the next.
"What a nasty streak of rotten luck," she said. "although I had a great run. Not everyone can say that. I guess I'll just count my blessings and find another hobby. I was thinking about Bridge."
"You're quitting?"
"Why, yes. There's no fun in it for me if I don't win."
"Try one more night for me, Birdie." He said, looking past her out the window into the field. She giggled.
"Alright, Jimmy, I will."