Cowboy Jones

Chapter Two

That evening, Alfred got to cooking dinner after he skinned the rabbit and put it in the freezer. Anya was sitting on the couch, avoiding conversation yet not wanting to be trapped in her room. She didn't like being isolated. It felt better to be in the main area where it was open. As the night was overcome with the brisk evening air, she found herself shivering, wrapping herself tightly in her sweater as she tried to gain a semblance of warmth.

Alfred noticed her shivering as he took the chicken out of the oven. "Need a blanket?" He asked, checking the greens to make sure they were cooking. Anya glanced behind the couch into the kitchen, breathing into her palms to keep them warm. "Y-Yes, please," She breathed out. Alfred softly smiled as he left the room to grab a blanket from a closet. When he walked back in, he threw it on her and sparked up a match to light the fireplace. Anya quickly bundled up, then scooted onto the floor next to the fireplace. "Thank you," She graciously spoke and rubbed her hands together. "Yeah." He then made his way back to the kitchen. "What part of the bird you wanna eat?" He asked as he began carving the hot chicken. The Russian woman thought for a moment. She didn't want to be a bother. "I'm okay with anything." Her voice was less shaky now that she was warming up.

As he finished plating, he cracked open a beer for himself and poured a glass of tea for Anya. He approached her with a plate, setting it on the floor in front of her. It was a large plate of food. There was a portion of potatoes, a steamy hump of greens, and a chicken breast alongside a drumstick. It looked ravishing. "You're a chef?" She asked as he sat next to her with his own plate. "Nah. I just make food how I like it." He closed his eyes (she assumed for prayer) for a moment, then proceeded to dig into his food. She started to eat hers too. It tasted as good as it looked. The meat was juicy and the potatoes were smooth and tasty. The tea was... well, it was sweet tea. "This is really good!" She complimented. He couldn't help but smile, flattery was his only weakness. "Thanks. All ingredients sourced from my own property." Anya nodded as she took another bite of her greens. Everything is bigger in Texas and this plate proved it.

(Author's Note: I have to physically restrain myself from making a cock joke. Just thought that should be mentioned.)

"I trust you when you say you killed the chicken..." "Yup." "Did you grow the potatoes yourself?" "Mhm," He responded while chewing, then swallowed and responded. "I oughtta show you my garden at some point." Anya gasped and her face lit up. "You have a garden?!" The idea clearly excited her. She was adorable when her violet eyes widened with excitement. "Yeah, big ol' greenhouse on the other side of the pasture." He took another chug of his beer. "You really do everything yourself here." "Only time I go into town is for ammo, cigarettes, and beer." He laughed at how silly that sounded. "Shit, they must think I'm fuckin' crazy out there." Anya laughed with him. She'd probably find someone a little weird if the only time she saw him was when he was buying guns and liquor. "Maybe they're scared of you." He raised both brows and nodded. "For damn sure they are."

He decided to give her a bit of a story-time. "Couple years back, this group of kids comes onto my land. They're drinkin', smokin', you know, kid shit. It was late at night, I was 'bout 23 at the time, and I walked outside and fired a couple rounds in their direction. You know, spook 'em." He chuckled, "They ran off, I didn't think anythin' of it. Not 'til I saw it in the newspaper a week later." Anya gasped. "But, y'know, that's one of the few perks of workin' for the government. They cover that shit up real nice and tidy. And I get left alone." Anya tilted her head and set down her plate. Lucia had said he had some weird conspiracy theories about the government and to not pay him any mind. She was intrigued- he didn't seem crazy. He seemed like a normal person. "What do you mean, the few perks?" She probed.

Alfred just looked at her for a second. "Really?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "The government doesn't care about anyone. They would kill me in a heartbeat if I didn't perform as well as I do. They need me." He took a bite off of his chicken leg. "The second they don't need you, they don't just excom you. They terminate you." He dramatically snapped his fingers, "Like that rabbit earlier. Lights out." Anya felt a shooting pain of fear through her chest. "B-But I haven't been useful at all for the past 9 years and they haven't... excommed? They haven't excommed me." That was when it clicked for him. Anya would be terminated if he couldn't help her.