This Old Town ✖️Muke

Chapter 13

(mikey)

It takes Luke, almost a week to be back to normal after his drug mishap the day we went camping. all he did for five days after was sleep it off.  on the sixth day, which was yesterday he finally was able to get up and eat something substantial. He stopped throwing up a few days after we got him home which was a good sign, i guess his body just needed a break from all the abuse Luke subjected it to. 

I sort of lost track of the days because I just busied myself with work so that's probably why on that seventh day when I was busy cleaning stalls i almost jumped out of my skin when i see Luke standing there in the doorway.

"Jesus Luke, don't sneak up on me" I whine, dropping the pitchfork i had in my hands and wiping them on my jeans.

"no hi, how are you doing? glad your not dead, nothing?" he jokes. I laugh and walk over and pull him into a hug. 

"glad your not dead, asshole. now don't ever do drugs again because you scared the shit out of me." I scold him. he holds his hands up in surrender.

"don't worry, i don't ever want to feel like that again. I know it will be hard to just stop cold turkey like that but i honestly was so scared." he says looking down. 

"good." i grin, 

"now come on"

"what are we doing this time?" he laughs.

"mucking stalls." i tell him, picking the pitch fork back up and continuing to clean the stall i was currently in.

"all the horses are in the fields?" he asks, looking around the half empty barn. i nod.

"it's a beautiful day, and instead of doing it one by one i figured i would just let them all enjoy the day, there are no lessons today so i brought 15 out and ill bring the other 15 out when im done." he nods. 

"what can i do?" he asks after a moment of silence. i stop what i'm doing and look up.

"seriously?" I ask stunned. he wants to help muck stalls? 

"ya, i feel a lot better today. Figured i should do something to thank you guys." he shrugs. 

"i'm still not feeding the chickens though" he says and i laugh. 

"ok, go to the feed room and grab a couple bails of hay for me please" he nods and walks off. I smile to myself, maybe he is trying to be better. I continue to clean the stall out and when i start to place the fresh hay down Luke returns as soon as I run out. 

"thanks" i say, pulling out a knife and cutting the cords. i pull a few slices from the bail and spread it out over the bead. 

"you can do this" i instruct. "i'll muck it and you can lay down fresh hay. we can go back and put feed in for dinner when were done before we bring them all back in." he nods and picks up the bail and follows me when i move the wheelbarrow to the next stall and start to muck it.

"you do this every day?" he asks. i nod.

"kinda, we take them all out and re-bed the stalls once two or three times a week, we do clean them every day though; make sure the bedding is fresh." 

"what else do you do everyday?" he asks. someone's curious today.

"well we feed them twice a day and change water whenever it's needed. I try to brush and clean their hooves every day and make sure they get into the fields to graze and run. Then if they have a lesson, or a rider is coming that day, I wash them."

"you do all that in one day?" he gapes as we fall in sink with our movements.

"ya, that's usually done by late morning though, i try to help Cal with the dogs or John around the ranch on times i'm not doing lessons. oh and I feed the chickens and collect the eggs every morning" i add laughing.

"you guys do so much around here, i feel like you're never not doing something" he says. i shrug.

"i mean it's a ranch, it doesn't run itself and if the ranch isn't kept up with we don't get clients and then we don't have the finances to keep up with bills, or the animals, or just normal ranch things like fixing the fences."

"it doesn't get boring?" he asks.

"No. but I've never done anything else so i don't think i would know what boredom really is, there is always something to do here."

"you never think about doing something else? traveling the world? or even just leaving this old town?" he asks. i frown.

"this old town is the only place I know. my friends are here and so is my family. i never wanted or had a reason to leave and then i came here and there was no was i way going to leave."

"but when we were little and dreamed about being rock stars, we dreamed about seeing the world." he tilts his head at me.

"we were little and we thought we could run the world. but then life happened and it wasn't an ambition anymore." i shrug. sure i still want to travel the world but that's not really going to happen is it? Luke just looks at me, almost pitying.

"What do you mean Life got in the way? Michael, why do you live with my uncle?" he asks and i freeze. i don't want to tell him, he would be devastated, they were like a second family to him.

" You left and the idea of traveling the world did to. My parents aren't here any more and John offered me a job here so i always have to be here." i opt for the truth but don't tell the whole story, they really aren't here anymore but he doesn't need to know that they're dead. 

"ok," he replies but doesn't say anything more about it.

(three weeks later)

"good morning boys  i didn't hear either of you get up?" John greets us when he walks into the kitchen. Luke and I are standing at the counter, eating a late breakfast, we were up at 4 am and got all our chores done by 9 so now we're eating basically a second breakfast.

"s-b'cuz we-up sin- fo" Luke mumbles out through a mouthful of cereal. john laughs.

"he said its because we were up at 4." I translate. 

"and why were you boys up that early?" he asks smiling. Im usually always up at either 4 or 5 while john is up at 6 but Luke is almost never up before 9. the past two weeks we have been working on getting him up earlier and earlier every day, i think he enjoys it now. he also tries his hardest to help me even though he isnt the greatest at everything but we work well together and have been able to finish all our chores by 9 every day. 

"Luke has been doing chores with me. we have been able to finish by 9 every day and only have lessons to worry about for the rest of the day." I grin at john knowing he will be happy that Luke has been able to get the hang of ranch life after being her for only a little over a month. 

"well boys i'm proud of you." john grins. "so why don't you take the rest of the day off and go to the city? a treat for Luke" he suggests and Luke is basically vibrating with excitement.

"yes! please!" Luke's eyes are wide and hes giving me puppy eyes. i give in and nod.

"ok fine, but i've only been to the city a handful of times in my life so you have to make sure nothing happens" i tell him and he cheers, launching himself into my arms for a hug then sprinting off to his room to assumedly get dressed. i laugh at his childlike excitement.

"he's doing really good. thanks Mikey" 

"i don't think it's me, i think the drug withdrawal scared him." i tell him. he looks thoughtful.

"oh, well whatever it was, i'm glad you two are getting along again, it's like he never left. now go get dressed and have fun." he shoes me off to my room and starts to make his way back outside, but then turns and calls to me. i stop in the doorway of my room and look back.

"give the city a chance would you? Luke embraced this life the least you could do is try to have fun for one day, who knows maybe you'll love it and never want to come back" he laughs. i scoff. 

"like that would ever happen" i grin and wave him off to go grab my clothes for a shower when Luke gets out. This is going to be a long day.