Southern Belle

Chapter 1

Missy set down the two pails to wipe the sweat that was rolling down the side of her face with her arm. The sun rays were beating down on her back and through the thin, gray shirt she wore with a blue bikini top under the clothing. Sweat collected on her back, face, legs, and in the valley of her chest. She looked out into the distance to admire the twenty acres of pure pasture then the land that was seeping to the mountains in the background. Picking up the metal pails, she continued her trail to the watering troughs in the fields for the many cows that were grazing there. Missy the poured the pails filled with water into the troughs so the cows can continue being hydrated.

A bigger, female cow came up to the gutter and lapped up some of the cool liquid filling it. Missy grinned knowing that this female, Bessie, was about to give birth sometime in this month of May. Grabbing the buckets once more, Missy trailed back to the barn and set the pails down onto the floor of the storage stall then headed to the far end of the oversized barn. Grabbing a saddle and a set of reins, she unlatched the lock on the stall and her beautiful palomino, Misty, waited patiently for Missy so she can be ridden. Missy walked up to Misty and placed her hand on the horse’s face, “Hey girl, you ready to go runnin’?”      

Misty gave a stomp with her hoof when Missy attempted to put the saddle on her back. “Fine, fine, we won’t use the saddle, we can go bare back. Let’s go.” Missy climbed up and straddled the soft back then softly clicked her heels in the hips of the palomino before she took off out of the barn and raced all the way to the open fields. The gusty wind flew through Missy’s hair and Misty’s mane at the great speed they took on was strong. The trees and nature flashed by in a glance, but all slowed down once they reached a hill going downward to a creek-side. Hoof clomps on the muggy ground, birds singing back and forth, and the sound of the stream rushing off slick rocks and crashing against the bank gave Missy a relaxing feeling.

Once they reached the bank of the stream, Missy slid of Misty’s back and onto the solid ground. Her boots squished in the mud until she reached a large fallen tree trunk and left Misty to wander in the range of calling. The brunette Missy climbed her way up the trunk then sat down on an upper branch cluster. She leaned down and grabbed a canvas wrap out of the hole in the trunk to retrieve her personal journal and special pencil hidden from trespassers and any pedestrians passing by on the trail. She plucked the pencil out of a new, fresh page so she can immediately start writing. It was then her mind took over her words,

Hey, it’s me again… I must sound pretty stupid writing a letter to myself like this. I just simply can’t think of anyway else to start this. I wanna say that so far this day has been going well, but I would be lying and I don’t like to lie. I just can’t stop my insecurities from showing every day which I still believe the words that my parents recited to me before they finally left for their trip that they won’t be back from, “You can’t handle a whole farm by yourself so I think we should just sell the crappy place, but when we tried to sell it the court wouldn’t allow us because you have to be the final one to allow the selling since the thing was willed to you personally. I hope you survive and just be ready for a terrible time and you’ll just lose all your money to something stupid. I hope this place fails so you can come travel the world with us.” That day I was left alone with the farm and all the animals as my only company. I felt sorta abandoned and relieved at the same time. Abandoned because I wasn’t going to see my parents anymore unless it’s over Skype or Face Time of some sort, and relieved because I didn’t have to deal with them nagging me to sell the farm and go with them. I wish my parents finally accepted the fact that I was gonna stay with this farm Uncle Bobby left me and I was gonna take care of it like he asked me to. Gosh, I wish my parents were normal.

Missy sighed deeply and looked up to the sky in wish she could see Uncle Bobby at that moment and give her some sort of sign on what to do next, but there was no response. Frowning, she put the journal back into its cover and hiding spot before lying back down to stare up to the sky. “I miss you, Uncle Bobby. The farm’s comin’ along real well and hopefully it’ll last really long. My mind is still made up, I’m never gonna get married and I’m never gonna date because I don’t wanna share the farm. This is my home now and I plan on keeping it that way.” She took a deep breath. “I truly miss you and I wish you were here.” She slid off the tree trunk and headed back to Misty to go back to the farm since, surely, Greg, a neighboring farmer, will be there for some farm utensils or some chicken, pig, or cow feed.

Slinging herself up on to Misty’s back, she sighed before saying, “Let’s get back, baby doll. I’m sure Greg is waitin’ for me to get back so he can buy some stuff.” Tugging on Misty’s mane, she guided the horse back to the farm. “Just pray that his stupid, annoying, cocky son ain’t there ‘cause I ain’t gonna deal with his flirty attitude.” Once Missy kicked her booted heels into Misty’s hips, the horse took off down the wide open prairie land, but slowed down when they made it to the main road. Misty held a simple, slow trot down along side of the dirt road so they were cautious when pick-up trucks drove down the road.

“Hey Missy!” a voice yelled from ahead of her. She looked up to see Old John headed towards her in his ’95 Ford F150. His car pulled to a slow, California rolling stop and ever so slightly followed her down the road.

“Hey Old John, how’s the family doin’?”

“They’re doin’ just fine and my baby girl is dyin’ to see ya again. How’s you holdin’ up with the farm so far? I knows you been with ‘dat place for a long time, but are you still holdin’ up with Bobby’s passin’?”

“I been better, but I’m still wishin’ he’ll be on that raggedy, old porch smokin’ his pipe just waitin’ for me to come home from the creek, but so far he ain’t made an appearance.”

“Everyone has their time and his just happened to come when we needed him, but at least he in a better place now. If you wanna, I can follow you home and help ya with the barn for somethin’.”

“Thanks, but I ain’t got much to do even though the barn and silo gotta get painted again. I’ll just do that after Greg gets to the house.”

“Naw, don’t worry ‘bout it darlin’. I’ll do it with ya and we can get some tea while we at it if that alright with ya.” He asked with his head out the window and constantly checking the road to see if any other cars were coming our way, which was an unlikely occasion due to living in the middle of nowhere.

“Gee, thanks, Old John. I really appreciate it. I hope I’m not takin’ up your time.” Missy’s voice held concern that she was preventing him from his original task.

“Not at all, what are friends for? Let’s just pray it rains tomorrow ‘cause my crops could use some real water from God. Let’s get ya home ‘cause I’m sure Misty need a rest.”

Missy looked down at Misty then her legs and, sure enough, they were shaking a small bit from the exercise. No matter how strong a horse may be, they all have a point where they cannot handle much more. “Yeah, I think ya right so let’s go so she can also get some food. Thanks again.”

“Any time, sweetheart. Now, let’s get that sweet tea and maybe some squirrel while we at it.”

“Great minds think alike.” She smirked at the older man then dug her heels into the palomino’s hips and the horse took off. Old John followed behind and they headed the direction of her house with the urge for some sweet tea and fried squirrel.