Playlist

11. "Holocene" - Bon Iver

"You sent me to Carson's to work?" I'm sitting in my car, a cigarette in hand, phone in the other.

"You said you didn't mind having a job while here," Aunt Lucy says on the other line. I hear the clatter of pots and pans, and she mutters a swear.

"I know nothing about gardening. I'm surprised I've kept my eucalyptus alive this long."

"It's summertime, and Luke did say he'd need a bit more help around the shop."

"You just want me to be around him."

"Be as that may, I still think it'll do you good. Plus, Elera is already in love with you. She called yesterday and asked if you could come over and take a look at her library sometime."

I sigh, a bit frustrated and even a bit nervous. Fucking Lucy, wanting to play match maker. "What if I fuck up and kill all the plants and get banned from Tillamook?"

Aunt Lucy laughs, and I hear metal against metal again. "You'll be fine. He'll teach you what you need to know." I hear the call end, and I look down at my phone before finishing my cigarette and getting out. We are expecting rain later today, so the sky is dark and grey. I lock my car and walk in. Elera is at the counter, a massive book in front of her. When she looks up, she smiles brightly, closes her book and hops off her seat. "Hello, Dakota! Let me go get Luke. He told me you'd be coming in." She goes into the back room she had taken Aunt Lucy into when I first came here, and after a moment, Elera comes out with Luke behind her. He is wiping his hands with a rag before laying it over his shoulder. He doesn't say anything for a moment before saying, "You're late."

"No she's not!" Elera looks up at Luke, her arms crossed. The door dings as someone comes in, and Elera frowns up at Luke before greeting the customer.

"Come," I hear, and I turn to see Luke walking towards the back room he came out of. I follow him, and the room is full of different tools along with several potted plants and arrangements. "First, I'll need you to go through and thin the apricot trees. Do you know how to do that?" He goes to a metal shelf and picks up a bucket, handing it to me. I press my lips in a thin line, taking the bucket in my hands. He nods before going to a bulletin board and pointing to a paper pinned up. "Once you're done with that, I need you to make a couple deliveries. These are the addresses in which they'll be going to and the names corresponding with them. The ones highlighted are paid for already. The ones not highlighted are paying in cash." He turns to another metal shelf where the arrangements are. "These are the arrangements that need to be taken today." He points to a small paper sign on a stick in the soil. "Numbers in the corners of these correspond to the numbers on the list." I nod, trying to take all of this in. He nods once before walking out, and I follow him. He brings me outside, and before me is an orchard of sorts: a row of apricot trees, another of apples. "Are those persimmons?" I look to the far row of trees, and he looks out before turning to me. He nods and leads me to the apricot trees. There's only about ten trees in each row, but all of the trees appear to be healthy and thriving.

There's already a ladder out here, and he climbs up the first couple steps before talking. "Here is an example of an area that needs thinning. The branches of apricot trees can break under the weight of too many apricots growing, so the trees need to be thinned. You'll want to leave about 2-4 inches between each fruit. You take the fruit you want to take off in your hand and simply twist." He does the action as he speaks, and the apricot fruit pops off. He comes down off of the ladder and places the fruit gently in the bucket. "And that's it. You should get most of the way done before it rains."

"I don't mind the rain." I look up at the sky, the tree, then at him.

"You live in Oregon now. You shouldn't. Come get me or Elera if you need anything."