The Farmer and the Girl

Chapter Five - A Sunset

Ava did not get much from her mother about the farmer when she asked her about him. All her mother knew was that the young man is indeed the owner of the largest farm around and probably the wealthiest in this area and its surroundings. His farm covered 95 thousand acres or even more and grew all kinds of grains, local fruits, summer and winter vegetables, some exotic flowers and plants for interested people and perfumers. His cattle contained enormous numbers, exporting meat and dairy products, wool and skins in thousands, turning in an incredible profit. Upon a further recollection, her mother added after a brief pause of silent thinking while washing the dishes to ensure their cleanliness:

"We have never heard anything bad about him ..."

Ava hummed to herself, unimpressed by the last sentence. She stretched her slim arms while leaning at the counter beside her busy mother and looked outside the window. Going for walks was the only available outdoor activity and Ava thought she might enjoy it one more time before it turns boring.

Ava excused herself, gripped her hat with the purple ribbon and went outside, not offering her cousins the company. She went down the downhill road this time, not wishing to tire herself and sweat in her white dress. This path was not rich in green, painted in brown more than the other color but it had few scattered bushes here and there bearing struggling buds. Still this did not make it pleasing to the eye but easy on the feet. Piles of hay were stocked along the road, and some farmers passed her with a gentle salute. As the sun almost started to set, flocks of birds flew over her moving in groups all in the same direction; they were heading home to sleep and rest, Ava smiled warmed by the scenery. Frustratingly, she was awakened from her childish fascination with bird flocks by a sudden movement from a nearby pile of hay. She turned around frightened and an apology immediately graced her ears. He was there, in her path, again.

"I did not mean to startle you."

"It seems the only thing you manage to do."

Ava remarked sarcastically, unaware she was capable of doing so, but then she immediately went on trying not to sound too rough or impolite but failing in a way:

"Do you always lay around? Do not you have anything to do?"

She asked in a cheerful tone, teasing more than questioning, trying so hard not to offend the man because she did not need any new hostilities during this vacation. The man smiled at her, apparently sensing her intentions behind the polite sarcasm.

"I am a farmer."

He answered with a simple truth, but Ava was not convinced despite his honest smile.

"You are not a farmer!"

The man tilted his head questionably, then looked down at himself following what the girl's eyes were tracing but still did not reach an explanation to her disbelief. She was looking at his clothes, old and used obviously, but clean and neat at the same time. His clothes confirmed his profession, but she did not buy it yet.

"You are a grand business owner, a businessman, a rich man!"

Ava explained, to which the man's smile widened. A tint of red colored the girl's cheeks as he asked:

"So you have been asking about me..."

"My cousins did, they should be cautious of strangers."

Ava quickly replied faster than a canon, her tone no longer light and cheerful but the farmer did not seem to notice, or care to be more precisely. He nodded and said after a long sigh:

"No, I am just a simple farmer who enjoy wandering in the fields and having his daily bread and coffee."

He raised his head, green eyes meeting Ava's blue. Well, his appearance quite fitted the description but Ava still found a hole in his claim.

"No you don't!"

She said, regaining her cheerful smile after an unjustified defensive attitude, and pointed at the large piece of pastry in his hand, oozing deliciously with peanut butter and the dazing smell of sweetness, trying so hard to keep her laughter at bay. The farmer guffawed as well, guessing her thoughts and giving up on persuading her as he admitted at last:

"Maybe I like to indulge myself in some extravagances every now and then."

"I bet you do."

"And you?"

"My extravagances are different."

Ava replied swallowing her laugh and neutralizing her smile again. That answer indeed got the farmer's interest. The man warped his snack in a white handkerchief and put it down next to him. He crossed his arms and asked:

"And what are they? "

Ava huffed before answering, her eyes darting around the place and following a huge cloud. She finally cast them down again at the farmer realizing there's no harm in answering or diving into precious personal details:

" Training, dancing..."

The first answer was partially a lie. While she hated group training, solitary training was good sometimes though still bothersome but the second one was true. The farmer did not unfold his arms, and remained tilting his head to the side while focusing his attention directly at the speaking girl. Ava looked at him, then darted her gaze again. The man, realizing there were no addition to the answer, asked again:

"You only live for this?"

Ava fell silent as if offended. What more did he expect to hear? What more to it was there in the first place?

Suddenly, out of no place, forging a place for a nearly lost comfort, suggested:

"Do you care to watch the sunset with me?"

"Is that why you come here?"

"Sometimes."

The farmer adjusted his sitting position, sweeping a little to the side to create a space for the standing girl. Ava did not find the motion necessary, there were plenty of space, it's an open field! But it was an act of invitation, a proof of insistence and she did not want to seem rude. Besides, she has nothing to do, not really. So she folded her skirt and sat down, next to the blonde farmer.

Both fixing their gazes at the horizon ahead of them, Ava questioned:

"Don't people prefer sun rising?"

"I used to love watching the sunrise, but no more. It is the early hour of work, we always wake up to it. But seldom do we enjoy sunset as the hours of day labor eat away at our energy and senses, numbing our wakefulness."

Ava did not argue, though she felt it was strange to hear these words coming out from the mouth of the landowner who seemed to do nothing other than laying around. She disliked the early hours of morning as well, and the smell of the morning breeze that chased away the serenity of sleeping lids. Watching the sunset for the first time since she had arrived here was a beautiful sight indeed. The sky became painted in a tranquil blend of red and purple. The light, brazen all day, now shone strongly one last time before calmly descending into repose. The flocks of birds whisked across the picture seeking a similar rest, their voices chaired the beginning of a nursing silence.