The Green Hills

Bells

Snow was beginning to fall and the once green fields were covered in a thin blanket of white. Work slowed, and there was much more leisure time. The Dark Hollow and Milton branch's number seven was steaming up in the Milton sheds alongside, six, and five.

I woke up in an empty bed, the light filtering through the clouds was enough to tell the day from the night but the sun still had a difficult time showing through. Delia wasn't there that day, but I would see her later that day. And that would change my life forever.

I made myself breakfast, it was just pancakes, something I was proficient at making. I glanced at the new suit donned with a blue bow tie and vest. Yeah, it was that day. The day I'd be wearing that suit. Maybe that day would be the last day of me wearing something like that. I never really liked suits, they were just uncomfortable, but I'd dress up for very special occasions, and when I dressed up I didn't want to halfass it.

Folding the suit up the best I could I put it in my duffle bag, the wedding was supposed to start in a few hours, but I still lacked a vehicle so I scheduled myself by the train timetable just like so many others.

For now I wore a pair of jeans, a pair of wellies, a t-shirt, and a jacket as I walked through the twenty degree weather to the small halt. There I met Mr. and Mrs. Dullahan as well as Aileen.

"Hey, lucky kid", Chris patted me on the back.

"Hey man, can I guess where you're going?"

He chuckled, "Ain't we all going to the same place? Milton bound we go". I nodded. The sound of the narrow gauge train had become so common to me that I had gotten used to it, the sounds of home with the running water, well, this time of year it was more quiet.

The sound of the electric multiple units grew closer with the wail of a lonesome whistle and the screech of steel on steel. The green cars made themselves apparent as they rounded the bend once again slowly coming to a halt. I paid my fare and sat down next to Chris.

"So, let me give you a few tips and pointers on being married. It ain't all sunshine and rainbows but the thing is you've just gotta learn to work together and you'll be fine kid", The train rattled its way down the grade.

"Good to know", it slowed at another stop to pick up some passengers. Many faces that had become familiar to me while living in this rural community.

"And, you've probably heard this one before, but even when she's wrong she's always right, don't argue with women just go along with it", Mrs. Dullahan gave him a little punch on the shoulder, and he chuckled a bit. "So anyways kid got a crop plan for next year?"

"Well, Delia and I are thinking about planting four more hectares of tree crops leaving ten hectares of rice, and the first hectare of orchard", Chris nodded, I had heard plums sold good around here and the profit per hectare was about four times as much, but the establishment cost was probably ten times as much.

"I can hook ya up with a nursery man, he's got plenty of trees for ya. As for other equipment, Could I interest you in a crawler tractor? She's but she's got a 3 point and will do less compaction in the soil, and I can throw a mower in for cheap to". A salesman he was always trying to make another sale. But it didn't sound bad at all, in fact, I thought my current tractor probably wouldn't be the best one for and orchard due to the low scaffolding, or branches if you will.

"How much for the tractor and the mower?" Of course I wanted to see it first before I made an offer on it but knowing the price is always good.

"Hmm, normally I'd sell for $4,500, but since today is your last day as a single man, I'll sell you it for $3,500", that was a good price for any tractor especially if it came with an implement, the crawler would also be a perfect discing tractor.