"Hi, is there something I can help you with?" A young man who looks to be around a year or two older than me asks from on the other side of my truck.
The young man looks like he hasn't bothered to join in on the festivities by continuing to work, like he couldn't be bothered to join in because he was more upset with the reason for the festivities. I stepped around my truck and walked a few steps in his direction in order to introduce myself, when I heard Kota's engine start hissing terribly and I spun around on my heal as I saw steam coming from from under his hood.
"Oh! Kota really! This is not the time to be throwing a fit!" I snap at my truck as I open my passenger-side door quickly, toss my blouse and envelope onto the seat quickly as I grab my tool box.
I expertly open Kota's hood, waved away some of the steam and immediately set about working to trying to get him to stop causing a scene... completely unaware that the young man had instructed someone else to take the horse he had been leading back to the barn as he watched me with an almost fascinated look on his face.
"Anything I can do to help?" The young man asks me as he came to stare at my engine while I'm trying to tighten the piece that had come lose once more.
"Thanks... can you get that on there tighter? Kota's being stubborn again." I reply as I hand over my position to him and allow him an attempt at fixing it.
"How long have you had this rust bucket?" The young man asks and I raise my brow at him.
"Careful with what you call Kota. He's my first vehicle, I paid for him all on my own, and he managed to get me here, so please give him at least a little respect and the ability to keep what dignity he has left as a truck." I inform the young man as I grab another tool from the box and join him under the hood to fix another part of Kota's engine while he was tightening the original cause of the problems.
"Well, if you're the reason his engine's still going, then I have to hand it to you both for being pretty good at what you do." The young man chuckles softly as he glances at me out of the corner of his eyes every now and again when he thinks that I don't know.
We chat about what's wrong with Kota's engine, working on the minor things for as we go, and get completely lost in our task for well of 30 minutes... in fact when I glance at my phone to check the time I have several messages from Mr. Lawrence that I feel that I should check... all of them stating that I have been working on my truck for nearly 45 minutes since my arrival.
"Is there somewhere I can was the grease off my hands? I need to check these messages, but I can't afford to destroy my phone doing so." I ask the young man as he finishes putting my tools back into their box and closes the hood of my truck.
"I'll take you to the wash area over there to the side of the house... it was made specifically for times like this." The young man say as he takes a look at his own hands, "I also think that you shouldn't drive Kota around until we can get him completely fixed... and I say that because if there's a shot that he can be completely fixed, you're definitely going to be the one to figure it out."
"Thanks, but I might need a little help regardless." I inform him with a bright smile as I follow him toward a gap between the two buildings, where there sits a wash station perfectly nestled and set up with everything needed to clean one's hands before entering the house.
I quickly wash the grease off of my hands and once they're dry I start listening to my messages, hearing Mr. Lawrence's voice filled with concern as he seems to be more and more desperate to get a hold of me with each call... one thing is clear with each call though. The head of the Matthews family had left the government building in town, and was on his way here in order to 'welcome' me to the community... and to try and convince me to sell to him. It was while I was walking back toward the front of the house as I deleted the last message that I'd gotten that I realized that there was a scene unfolding before me. The young man that had helped me with Kota just moments ago, was being held back by a guy in a suit while a gentleman who looked like he was a few years older than what my own father would have been, stood looking down at a woman who was glaring back at him.
"I'm only going to ask you one last time Madeline... where is she? I know she's here, I heard from Greg himself that she's already got control of the properties, and I want to talk to her." The gentleman almost seems to snarl at
"That's highly unfortunate, considering I don't really want to speak with you... especially if you're going to treat my father's closest friends in this manner." I growl in response to Mr. Matthews tone toward the woman called Madeline as I came up behind him as his men all came to flank him... including the one that was holding the young man back, "You're not setting a very good first impression Mr. Matthews, but then again neither have I... I was rude to you before, so allow me to correct myself."
"If I may ask, how exactly were you rude to me? We've only just met." He says as he looks me over and each glance makes the blood drain from his face in shades with each glance.
"You're right, we have only just met... but I was rude to think that I shouldn't have refused you out right, let alone in person." I inform him and everyone's faces take on a look of shock.
"Excuse me?" He says in a shock-filled tone.
"I am not, and will never sell this property to you. Ever. I've been mildly curious this entire time as to what ever gave you the faintest idea that I would sell the only thing I had left from my parents, when they so generously left me the family that I had almost forgotten about." I explain further, "Mind you I was only mildly curious, but not enough to actually ask for a reason. So if you would kindly, GET OFF MY LAND, I hope you have a good evening."
I stood there, watching him as he and his thugs slowly got into their vehicles, Mr. Matthews still watching me as if he had seen a ghost, and was all to relieved when they finally drove down the driveway and out of our line of sight... at which time I finally let go of the breath I was holding the entire time.
YOU ARE READING
Flutter-Field Ranch
FantasyI've always been different from the people around me... I mean, you feel that's the way you feel when your parents were killed back when you were to young to even remember what they looked like and being forced to jump from one foster family to anot...
