Late Summer Rain

Chaper Six

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." Thomas Jefferson stated that, and he couldn't have stated something truer. 

Luck isn't what most people think of it as, I believe. Luck is something that comes with success, maybe it's not even real. But, a notion that with your actions, you'll gain the impossible - what you crave for.

Like bees to honey, we all try to succeed in whatever it is we do. It's how we're programmed. How our brains are wired. We have a desire for more. More of this, more of that.  We want more.

I want more. I want more for my Grandfather. I want more for my Grandmother. More for this farm, Gloria, this town. Heck, I want more for the two gossip queens of the town.

I want more for myself.

It's these simple thoughts that brush through my mind at night. What is it that I need? Is it any different from what I want?

I want this farm.

But, do I need this farm?

The answer is simple; yes, I need this farm. It's all I have left of my childhood. It's all I have left of my father and mother. My memories have faded. Pictures are stored away. But, this farm...it's everything. It is the memories. It is the pictures.

It is me.

It is my childhood.

It is my mother and father.

Some people wouldn't understand why, some would even question my reasoning but some, would step back and nod their head in understanding. They'd know why without any questions whatsoever. They'd understand why I need this farm, why I want it.

Why I can't lose it.

Working is my only option, moving forward is my only option, and that is what I am going to do.

The sun glares harshly down upon the open field. The once green grass is still brown and dry. The soil, beneath it, lays in the same condition. If only it would rain.

If only we had a miracle.

As much as the rain restricts us, I'm not sure if I can or will be able to pull this off.

Thousands of dollars by the end of Summer or the farm is over. We'd have to find somewhere else to live. We'd have to leave everything we knew behind and start over. 

That isn't an option. I can't let it be.

"Hanley?" Hunter's voice penetrates deep into my thoughts, jerking my head to the left in his direction.

"Yes?" I ask, wiping away beads of sweat that trickled down my face.

"Let's take a quick break, it's extremely hot out here." He motioned to the front porch, that sat far away across the field.

"Just a quick one." I reassured. There was too much to be done and so little time. I waded through the high grass, Hunter coming to my side matching my actions. 

"Do you think it'll rain in time?" I wondered aloud.

"In time for what, Hanley?"

I cleared my throat and sighed, "For them."

As I gazed towards the sky, counting the few clouds that held no moisture, Hunter's answer hit me, "Only with luck."