The Farmer's Daughter

Chapter Nine

As the moon took the sun's previous position in the sky, I continued my thoughts in the shower, and planned my schedule for the next day. Tomorrow, I gotta do my mornin' chores, help Rodney load and unload hay bales, harvest peaches, and visit Carmen. Wait, oh no, I have to help...Rodney... Once out of the shower, I put on a brown over-sized t-shirt and spandex as pajamas, turned the radio on in my room, went back to the bathroom, and began singing along with Josh Turner while braiding my wet hair, "Time is love, gotta run..."  I tied the end of the braid with a black hair tie, then skipped down the hallway to my bedroom. After the door clicked shut, I grabbed the phone and walked around the room as if I were on singer on a stage, in front of an audience, "Time is looove, gotta ruuun," I dialed Carmen's number, even though I knew that Carmen was probably getting ready to go to bed

"Love to hang longer, but I got someone who waits," One ring. "Waits for me," Two rings. "And right now she's where I need to be."  Three rings. "Time is looove, gotta run..." On the last ring, Carmen finally picked up the phone, "Yesss?" she said in a sleepy voice. "Time is looo- Uh, Carmen, I need help. I realized that I gotta help Rodney with the chores 'round here tomorrow and I don't wanna...embarrass myself..." Carmen sighed, then reluctantly spoke again, "Well for one, just be yourself, two, ask him questions about himself as you two work, guys like that, and three, imma head to bed because it's freaking 11:37 pm, and the stars are tellin' me to get some shut eye... Goodnight." As Carmen hung up the phone, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was indeed 11:37 pm, and I also needed to rest. Hesitantly, I crawled under the quilt on my bed, then tried to relax, as the day replayed over in my mind. 

Finally, with one last replay, I fell asleep. Wha... What is that... A noise came shrieking through my windows, waking me from my sleep. Glancing out the window, I saw a sliver of the orange sun as it began to rise into the dark sky. But I couldn't think about the sunrise, because the noise came once again. "Is that... Oh no..." Realizing what it was, I threw off the covers and quickly pulled on my black boots, still in my pajamas, and raced out the door. As soon as I was down the stairs, outside, and had reached the barn, I headed exactly where I knew the noise was generating from. As I'd suspected, Aurora was freaking out in her stall; neighing like there's no tomorrow, whilst turning in tight circles and looking frantically around. But then I noticed a tall, dark figure standing next to the stall. "Hey, what are you doing with my horse" I yelled out to the figure. With no reply, I once again yelled a bit louder, "I said, what are you doing with my horse!?" I picked up speed as I angrily approached the figure. 

"Whoa, I meant no harm, ma'am." The figure spoke. As I got closer, I could see the figure a bit better. "Rodney?" I asked, confused. With one hand on his hip, he replied, "The one and only." acting bit too cocky, given the current situation. "What are you doing in here?" I asked him, as I stroked Aurora's neck to calm her down. "Well, I was tryin' to refill her feed and water before I started collectin' peaches, but she started freaking out as soon as I opened the stall door." He answered. I began chuckling as I replied, "She doesn't take kindly to strangers who try to enter her territory, you gotta wait until she knows you better before you try doin' that." Rodney nodded as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "Well, uh, sorry for the inconvenience, but I guess I'll go collect peaches now." I nodded as he turned on his heel to exit the barn.

As soon as I heard him get in his truck and drive in the direction of the peach orchard, I finished the job that he had started; refilling Aurora's feed and water. I opened her stall door and slipped inside, retrieving her feed bucket first. After putting a scoop of grain inside it, I switched it for the water bucket, which I emptied outside in the grass and refilled with the hose, before replacing it in her stall, as well. Although it was early in the morning, I decided that she should go out in the pasture. After she drank some water, I put a lead rope on her and led her into the pasture, where I let her roam by herself. Now that Aurora was taken care of for the morning, I walked back to the house to change into actual clothes, rather than my pajamas. Once I stepped on the porch, the front door swung open and my daddy stared at me with a questioning look, "Darlin', what are you doin' out here?" I laughed and hugged him as I slowly walked towards the stairs, "Don't worry daddy, I was just checkin' on Aurora before I started harvesting the peaches." 

He slowly nodded and closed the door behind him as I ran up the stairs to my bedroom. I shut the door and kicked off my boots, then went to my dresser. From the dresser, I retrieved a blue tank top and denim knee-length shorts, then put my black boots back on over my purple socks, and ventured out of my room and down the stairs, once again. After I was already outside, I walked to the barn where I got on my dirt bike, and rode down the driveway until I turned left onto another road that led to the peach orchard. I rode until I saw Rodney's truck in one of the rows of trees, then I slowed down and stopped just as I reached his truck. Rodney was standing in the back of the truck, picking peaches and putting them, delicately, in boxes in the truck bed. "Need any help?" I asked as I turned off the dirt bike and set it on the kick stand. "Boy, I sure am glad you're here. It's gonna take me forever to finish pickin' these peaches." I nodded in understanding, since I always helped my daddy pick peaches from the thousands of peach trees in the orchard. "Alrighty then, let's get started." I said as I climbed into the truck bed.