CountryCore Series: In The Morrow (WLW)

Chapter Fourteen: Part Two: Fall

This chapter contains elements of alcohol dependency.

Tee grinned from ear-to-ear as she watched Cian Junior bury his little heel into the soil underfoot about three-eighths of an inch. He gathered some seeds from the straw sack in his hand and placed several within the dirt with utmost care. He smiled down at them, then waited with pursed lips as if he expected it to immediately take root. Tee snorted and he turned his face toward her, but this only made her throw her head back in laughter. She ruffled Junior's hair before grabbing his cowboy hat from his back and settling it atop his head once more.

This earned her a toothy grin and he peered over at the horses. "This is just for them?"

"Yup." Tee rose to her full height, her knees popping a few times on her way up after having been on them for quite a while. I could really use a massage... She thought as she pointed at another field wherein her farmhands and Britt were planting the Alfalfa. "That's the field that yields distribution. Your Uncle Rory was more focused on grazing Alfalfa, vegetables and fruit, while my family has always focused on the Alfalfa, goats, chickens and mostly saddlebred horses. We also grow veggies for communities in the panhandle. He grew a bit of Alfalfa, but not as much as your mama's doin'. Still, we need some for Apple and Magnet when they come and visit you, right?"

"Uh-huh! We have to feed our horses, too! That way when they meet their new families they can take them for some rides!" Cian jumped up and down as he pointed toward their shared stables and she smiled.

"Yes, but Apple ain't a workin' horse, buddy. He's just a friend of the family."

He peered back at her with wonder. "Friend of the family...? So he and Magnet always get to stay?"

"That's right! Did mama never tell you how she came home with us one day?" Tee knelt back down after massaging her tired knees a handful of times, then scattered some seeds of her own.

Cian rapidly took up the same stance as her, following her movements with his eyes and then mimicking them perfectly. She beamed over at him and he scrunched his nose up as he shook his head. "Nuh-uh. How, Tee?"

"She literally just followed us home. Turned out her previous owners were less than compassionate toward her."

"What does that mean?"

"Oh, right..." She registered that she was currently speaking with a four year old despite his ability to sound at least twice his age and thought of a better way to phrase her thoughts. "Um, well they didn't treat her with enough care. She was hungry, starved really, and loved the affection we gave her. Her previous home let her into our care without hesitation, I think they were just happy to have one less mouth to feed and I was certainly happy to get her away from them, and she's been with us ever since. That's why we don't work her with our other gelding and mare. She's never been trained to do much farm work. She's gotten much older since then as well, which is why no one ever rides her anymore and we just take her along on our strolls. She was still young, maybe 'bout your age, when she followed us home and that was around sixteen years ago."

Cian smiled ear-to-ear and gazed toward the stables. "Apple's my favorite. She likes it when I sing. I sing a lot to her. Mama did it, too!"

Tee rubbed his back and gave it a pat, then peeked over toward that mama. Britt was hard at work with Oscar at her side, boisterously laughing at something he was saying. She shook her head and batted her hand at him as he angled himself toward her and held something out in his hand. Tee couldn't be sure, but by the look on Britt's face, she surmised it may have been a little critter he'd found while working.

Britt reached out and pet whatever animal it was, but it jumped, revealing itself to be a rabbit kit. It soared right onto her chest and remained there, making Oscar throw his hands in the air in evident exacerbation as he walked away shaking his head. Britt, definitely swept up in the small animal that was probably too terrified to move elsewhere, pet it along its back. She began slowly walking toward Rory's farmhouse, their farmhouse, and Tee felt the cheesy grin stretching across her face.

Then, Britt halted and stood at attention. She turned around and searched the properties until she spotted Tee. She waved at her and sent her a kiss from her palm, blowing it toward her with the breeze. Tee felt her heart melt and a tug at her arm. She glanced down toward its source and found Cian Junior examining her face very carefully.

"You love mama?"

Tee released a long breath, thankful that was all he was seemingly worried over, but felt her throat run dry at the events that transpired next. She lifted her head as Cian Junior leapt to his feet and spotted him looking rather alarmed toward the house. Tee stood and surveyed it as well, finding Britt's mother following her into it after having been waiting around the corner for her to enter.

Suddenly, she wanted a taste of something bitter and dulling to her senses. Tee's momentary relief was forgotten. She instinctively reached into her pocket for her flask and gulped against her scratchy throat at what she'd just attempted. Perhaps the instance was only muscle memory, but the feeling burgeoning within herself had only persisted, growing stronger since her uncle's party.

Tee balled her hand into a fist inside of her pocket and stepped toward the house, but thought better of it. She knew what this sensation was and it terrified her as to what meaning it truly bore. Over the last few days, she'd noticed that each and every time she felt at a loss, filled with despair over needing a drink or her anxieties, she'd called upon Britt for help. For her strength. Tee felt as though she may be replacing one habit for another and worried over what effect it might have on Britt or even Cian Junior in the future.

If she had just replaced one vice for another, what if she lost Britt? What would she do then? Would she revert back to her previous imbibements? Accidents happened, people passed away quite suddenly and others simply ventured away. Arguments took place, changing feelings that were once fond into those of constant strife. What if either happened to them?

Britt's mother coming to Shamrock had stirred so many different emotions within Tee that she was afraid the one passionate night they'd shared may be all to transpire between them for the foreseeable future. She felt she needed a fix and now, but Britt hadn't brought that love session up at all in the days following. She'd been focusing her attention into mending her relationship with her mother rather than having another fight, but things weren't going well. The fear that Claudia may lull her away once more tore into Tee, shattering her resolve the longer she remained.

She hadn't wanted to get in the way, she didn't want to tread where she didn't belong when Britt was more than capable of taking care of matters herself, but she wanted more. She wasn't even sure what more meant and that uncertainty only added to her dark cravings.

Tee sighed and closed her eyes, taking several steadying breaths before opening them once more toward Cian Junior. "Very much, Junior. Is that okay?"

"I had another mama once. She was nice. I like you too, Tee-Bear!"

He wrapped his little arms around her thighs and her throat was no longer sore. It was no longer dry. She was no longer craving. Tee gulped at having her answer and looked up into the sky as she noticed opaque clouds looming overhead. She needed to discuss things with Britt as soon as possible.