I have one more day of high school left, then off to college. ‘Course I’m not looking forward to it. In fact I don’t think I’m going to go. My heart is here, farming. But my parents want me to be the best that I can be, and I want to make them proud. If I do go, though, I have no clue what to be. My interests include: farming, fishing, going to fairs, drinking beer, and taking the back road. What else am I to be, if not a farmer?
Anyways, I walk out of my house, accidentally making the screen door slam shut, and to my rusted pick-up. It may look like shit, but trust me, she can do a lot. It’s what every farmer needs, away from the nice, big tractor.
I blast my wonderful country tunes all the way to school. Honestly the last place I think any of us want to be, but it’s the last day to say good-bye to everyone, except my friends. We’re going to hang out after school at the old pond.
I park my truck, then you can guess the rest of the morning. Me, at school, chatting with people, joking. It’s a blow off day today. I mean what can the teachers do, but let us talk the whole time. It’s our last day of school!
I’m not going to lie, by the end of the school day, even I was excited about the last day. Especially when everyone was piling into the front and back of my truck to go to the pond. We even got triple the amount of people wanting to go, so I had two other trucks following me.
I pulled up to the pond, took of my shirt, and grabbed myself a beer. I sat on the edge dipping my feet into the cool water. On a day this hot, everyone needs a cold beer. A bunch of people have already jumped into the pond. Everyone all together is screaming, having a good time.
I felt someone sit next to me. I looked over and it was my ex, Rachel. She grinned, and took a sip of her beer, “I’m going to miss these days. Just hangin’ out, you know?”
“I’m sure these days will always be here. They aren’t leaving without taking me with them. It’s days like these that I feel good to be alive.”
“But what about college?”
“Not going.”
She looked at me confused, “How come?”
“There’s only one thing that I want to do with my life, and that’s to own my own farm. Have that huge field for myself, to do whatever I desire with it.”
She just stared out at the pond for a little bit, “I’m leaving to go to California. I don’t know what I’m going to find, but I sure as hell ain’t coming back here.”
I know about her past. Her father used to beat her, and scream at her. I even got in a brawl once with him, not a fun time. She ended up moving out early. That’s when we were dating, so I gave her a bunch of money to pay for rent and things like that. Those were the days when I thought we’d be together forever, she was my one and only. That is until she cheated on me with my best friend one day. It was like I would never be able to breathe ever again. It was when everything in my life was going so good, and I never thought I could be happier, just for it all to come crashing down.
We’re still friends though, and I know how badly she’s always wanted to leave. I just never thought she would actually ever do it, “When are you leaving?”
“Tonight, that’s why I came over here to talk to you. Conner, I still feel awful for-”
“Don’t. I don’t want to bring this back up. It’s over and done with, okay?”
She stood up, “Both of us know it’s not. That’s why I wanted to talk about it before I left. I don’t want our friendship to end like that. I truly am sorry.”
She left and I gulped down my beer, plus another one, then jumped into the pond with the others. By the time it was dark out, I think I downed half a case of beers, and I was feeling a little buzzed, but not enough.
I laid down on the grass and stared up at the stars. This is one of the many things that city people don’t get to enjoy. It seems sad to me, but it’s the lifestyle they chose. That’s why I don’t get Rachel anymore. I used to know her in and out, now she’s a changed person. She was one of the biggest country girls in town, and she’s going to get rid of that to run from her fears? She’s definitely not the same.
I was looking at the big dipper when my friend, Tommy, put his face in front of mine, “Come on, drama queen. Let’s get some fire for the wood.”
I laughed knowing that he was obviously drunk, “You mean wood for the fire.”
“That’s what I said, now let’s go.”
I got up and grabbed all the wood that I could carry, getting a few splinters, but nothing that I couldn’t handle. I helped make the fire start and helped it to continue to stay that way. I laid by it, propped up on one elbow. Staring at the fire made me remember even more memories. Memories of me and Rachel. I miss those times.
I looked away from it, and turned to see her and Brad in each others arms. I got up and went to my truck. After kicking two love birds off the back of it, I drove home.
All the lights were out, so I bet my parents are asleep right now. I don’t even know what time it is. I walked in, making sure the screen door didn’t slam shut. I stopped at the sink to get some water.
All of a sudden something touched my back. I turned around as quickly as I could, but it was only my dad. He smiled, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. What are you doing home so early? I wasn’t expecting to see you come home for another four hours.”
Another four hours? “Did I wake you up? What time is it?”
“Only eleven, and no you didn’t. I was working on the tractor, but I can’t seem to fix it with these old arthritis hands anymore.”
“I’ll take a look at it tomorrow, and see if I can fix it up.”
“Thanks, son. I’m off to bed now. Good night.”
“Night.”
I always love talking to my dad. We used to spend hours on end talking as we fixed up things when I was younger. Now-a-days, though, he hardly wants to do anything at all. He’s only fifty-seven, and each day he looks a year older. It hurts to see him like this, when it seems like just yesterday we were running around outside, playing ball.
I took a quick shower then went and laid on my bed. I just laid there for maybe a good two hours before I finally fell asleep.
I woke up at six, because of that stupid rooster. Normally, I don’t hear it because I’m used to it, but I guess I really wasn’t in a deep sleep. I still felt tired, but there’s a lot of things I need to do today.
I walked out of my room, squinting from how bright it is. My mom is setting the table for breakfast, “Hey, sweetheart. Ya hungry?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m starving.”
“Good, I made a decent breakfast that I need gone before your aunt Pam and the rest of her family gets here.”
I sat down and started digging in. She sat across from me. Now that I’m thinking about it, I haven’t seen aunt Pam and the others in quite some time, “What time are they comin’?”
“In about two hours. They’re staying for the week while their house is getting rebuilt. It started on fire last night while they were out and about.”
My aunt Pam is one of those city folks. It’s going to be very entertaining seeing them live in the outdoors for a whole week. Last time they were over was around six months ago for Christmas, and she complained the whole time. This time she has a lot more to complain over. The heat, bugs, noise, smells, the shortage of water. Plus we don’t have an air conditioner, or the thousands of channels that her and her kids like to watch, and they came right in time for the working season. Yep, it’s going to be fun.
What’s funny is that it was probably her hair straightner that started the house on fire. It’s caused a minor one before, so I wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what caused it, “Well, it’s good no one was home. And they have no pets so that’s good too.”
My mom started laughing, “She was crying to me on the phone about how she lost all of her clothes and shoes. We are nothing alike at all.”
I laughed too, “Sometimes I can’t even picture the two of you as sisters.”
“Me either.”
My dad walked into the house and sat next to my mom and completely filled up his plate. Here, your main meal is breakfast. You’ll have a few bites a couple more times away from it, but you’re so busy all day that you don’t even notice that you haven’t eaten.
He took a bite of his pancake and looked at me, “I tried fixing it again, but my hand won’t let me hold on to anything for the time that I need to.”
“Don’t worry about it, dad. I’ll work on it after I’m finished eating.”
“I know you will, but I just feel useless.”
“Don’t. It’s not your fault that your body won’t let you. And you still have the rest of the summer to do all of the farming that you need to do. You’re fine.”
“Thanks again, son.”
I finished my last bite, got up and grabbed my plate to wash it. “Leave it. I’ll take care of it for you. Just go fix that goddamn tractor.” My mom said taking the plate out of my hands.
“Alright, thanks.”
I went into my room to quickly change into a pair of jeans, not putting on a shirt, too hot today for that, especially when I’m working on the tractor. I walked outside immediately wanted to run into the shade with a cold beer. But too early for that. I went to the side of the barn where the tractor was and busied myself on that.
I had it working in only half an hour. My new record. Now I’m covered in grease and oil, so time for another shower. Don’t want to disgust the family too much when they come over.
I walked back to the house and saw an unfamiliar girl, around my age, carrying something in her hands, walking on my driveway up to the house. “Hey there, can I help you?”
I think I scared her because she jumped, but as soon as she looked up at me her face turned bright red. I mean I know I’m good looking, but I didn’t know I was that good. Yeah, I’m a little cocky. She looked at the ground, “Umm, sorry. Is this the Bryant house?”
“The one and only. How can I help you?”
She looked up at me as I started walking towards her, then once our eyes met, she looked away again, “Your mail came to my house by accident.”
She handed me the mail, and I took it, “What else can you expect from an underpaid mail woman?” I was hoping to crack a smile or anything, but I got zip. Maybe, a different approach would work, “You know I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you new?”
She cleared her throat, “Yeah, my family and I moved in yesterday.”
“Oh, in that green and white house next door?”
“Yep.”
“I never even knew that was sold. Well, anyways, it was nice to meet you…” Come on she could at least give me a name.
“Amber.”
Yes, I finally got something! “Amber, I’m Conner. I’d shake your hand, but I’m a little dirty.”
She looked at me again, “That’s fine.”
“Thanks for the mail, have a nice day.”
“You too.” She quickly turned around and left.
Just in time for the cleanest and newest car in town to pull in. My uncle put down his window and smiled at me, “Hey, nice to see you, bud. Pam wants to know where to park.”
“Nice to see you too, and anywhere is fine.”
He put back up his window and they parked on the lawn next to the house. They all got out and hurriedly went to the house, where my mom opened the door and hugged each of them. Oh, fun times.
My mom turned to me, “Conner, did you fix the tractor yet?”
Before I could answer, my aunt Pam interrupted, “He fixes the tractor?”
“Yes he does. We raised him right.” She said that while looking at Pam’s three kids. The older one, Kyle, who is a year younger than me is playing on his little game device. Lindsay, who is four years younger than me is texting away, even though I don’t know how she’s getting service. And the youngest, Jacob, who is ten is standing there staring at me like he wants to kill me. My mom looked back at Pam, “Anyways, can’t you tell that he’s been working on it?”
She looked disgusted, “Yes, I guess I can.”
My mom put on her fake smile and turned back to me, “So, are you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Pam and Nick, my uncle, started laughing. Pam walked into the house after saying, “I’m so glad I decided to move away from this place.”
The rest of her crew followed and my mom looked hurt. I walked up to her, “Hey, are you okay?”
“Yes, I am. I was just going to ask if you wanted to take the kids to the crook, but they seem to have already busied themselves. And I don’t think they’d be up for it, or at least Pam wouldn’t be. Is that the mail?”
“Well, I’m always here if they ever want to. And yeah, it was dropped off at that green house next door. A girl named Amber came over and dropped it off. Her and her family moved into it yesterday. I didn’t know it was even sold.”
“Oh, I knew that it was, but I didn’t know when the people were going to move in.”
“Well they did.”
The phone started ringing. My mom went to get it while I went and washed my hands. My mom walked back into the kitchen and put the phone on the counter next to me, “It’s Rachel.”
Tell me what you think..I'm not finished with it yet, but some reviews would be nice so I can fix what I need to.
) but I think you could've added even more detail. Give the reader an interesting fact, something to remember- what does his house look like? The barn? And later on, the pond as well could be described in greater detail. Readers want imagery!
Gender:
Points: 528
Reviews: 33