It Was Her

Day One - The Perfect Country Girl

To say he was a man of great confidence, none would be so presumptuous. Rather to say simply that he were a man would be enough, for that was generous in its own right. Being a man required an amount of confidence, which was as of yet not displayed through the unfortunate life of this pitiful young lad. Though this lad were pitiful indeed, there are circumstances that provide even the pitiful with a glimmer of hope, yet only to be crushed by the evidence of reality.

Working in the hot summer sun one early afternoon, James commonly contemplated what it all meant, what was he fighting for? He had just recently been hired as a stable boy of sorts to help with the cattle and horses around the Gladsman Ranch. Paying fair wage for ranch work, the job was making him less than half of what he could be making for the same kind of work in the city, nonetheless James didn't mind, it was his dream job working on a ranch. Often he would think of what life could be like if he had a ranch of his own, with cattle, and horses, and maybe even some of those goats that become so scared they actually freeze and cannot move.

From one chore to the next he worked diligently, slaving away like an old western cowboy underneath a heavy Texan sun. Then he saw her, jumping down from that huge jacked up pickup truck. With a tan looking like she were kissed by the sun, she wore a Chevy ball cap with mud caked boots and similarly mud caked tight blue jeans. Looking at her with the sun beating down on a red hot day, there was nothing better in the air full of fresh alfalfa scent. Like a magic spell calling him closer to her, his sight struggling to evade the entrapment of her soft blue sight eyes. She was the farmers daughter.

Discovering his ensnared gaze, she quickly looked away thinking he must be staring at her hideous figure with mud caked all over her faced and shirt. Neither knowing what the others thoughts might be, they each scrambled to avoid future contact either visual, conversational, or any other form that might encourage more embarrassment at any later time.

"James" The boss interrupted the awkwardness, "not understanding what the holdup might be, why don't you help my daughter Sarah with her fishing gear?"

James's quick nod was abruptly interrupted with Sarah's ungrateful response.

"Dad! I've told you I can get it myself, the man has other things to do."

Being called a man by the farmers daughter was all that James could handle, the girl had worked her magic upon him as he quickly walked away to find something more useful to occupy his valuable time.

As he worked, more than a mere task laid upon his mind, in fact, there was little room left for a task. His mind was clouded with thoughts of Sarah jumping down from the truck, hair flinging around in the cool breeze. Reminiscing on what he'd do for just two hours with her, how he'd take her to a drive in movie, or maybe a long drive down a back road, parking by the forest and walking to a river bank. Sharply James's daydream was interrupted by a gelding shoving his head into James's back, the rider was none other than the farmers daughter herself.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, "he can be a little bull headed at times when someone between him and his dinner."

"That's no problem, I was about to feed them anyway."

He resumed his work.

Finally when all work was done a slow walk back home meant more than simply leaving work, this time James was walking away from his dream, his hope, his love, his every desire. Nothing could save him from this agony, silently slipping away from his very self as he dragged his feet one step at a time. At home, his lambs were crying as they felt neglected with their shepherd gone all day, only adding to his uncomfortable state of mind. Nevertheless his lambs wouldn't walk themselves, nor would they grab the nutritious mixture of grain laced with smelly yet delicious molasses.

Walking solemnly down the overgrown canal road, James's mind still refused to leave the old ranch, where Sarah lived. He wondered what she was doing, what she was thinking, what she was wearing. As the night slowly flew by there was nothing on his mind that could take her place, nothing.