He was born and raised on the high plains. And that was fine. As good a place as any to be. School was good. He'd done rodeo in high school and after a couple of years of community college he went to work at the feed lot and that was good too. It was a job. He managed the computerized logistics of feed and weight and transport for the lot.
It was a family operation, and that was also good except it meant he wasn't going anywhere in the company. Too many sons and daughters, nieces and nephews. And that did present a problem.
He was a good looking man. He thought more people might like to see him. He knew he'd like to see more people. But what the hell, he watched a lot of TV and went to movies.
One day he found a magazine about the Royals at the barber shop. It fascinated him. The world they lived in, the places they went.
When he'd worked a few years he took an expensive vacation to London, Paris and Rome. He didn't much like the crowds. In London he had the creepy feeling he was breathing in warm, humid air that had just emerged from the body, one end or the other, of another human being.
He did the tourist things. He took a lot of pictures. One of horse guards riding down a street looked so cool, but it didn't turn out very well. He sat in pubs and met interesting people. He met a girl from California and stayed with her one night in her tiny apartment. They said they'd look each other up back in the States, but they came from different worlds.
He watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but he didn't see any Royals. He didn't see any celebrities either, except maybe a woman he didn't recognize getting out of a chauffered car outside Harrods.
He liked Paris more than London, and Rome more than both of them. So many beautiful women. Not women who'd live down wind of a feedlot though.
Back home life went on. He got married.
The feedlot had a sign, ``Visitors Welcome,'' it said. It was there to imply that the lot had nothing to be ashamed of. Come in any time. No one did until the day two Explorers pulled in to the parking lot and the driver of one came into the office.
Ginny the receptionist yelled across the office, ``Hey Dave, someone wants a tour!''
``My client wants to see the lot,'' the driver said.
``Follow me,'' said Dave. He got his pick up and parked by the Explorers. A very small man got out of one and clambered into the pick up and shook his hand.
Dave nearly wet his pants. The Prince! The famous vegetarian!
``I'm giving a talk at the University,'' the prince said, ``I thought I'd like to see how these places work.''
He didn't ask anything too difficult, like what they put in the protein supplement, or cruelty issues. He was very polite.
After the tour Ginny took their picture, Dave squinting and grinning under his Stetson, towering over the slightly wizened prince. They put it up on the office wall among their other awards.