The Good Girl

Chapter 4

Later that afternoon, my mom and I arrived back home. As I stepped out of the car, I noticed Bender working next to our woodshed. Dad had put him to work chopping wood. I started walking over to him, hands in my pockets.

He looked up as I got closer. He was covered in sweat and had taken off his coat and flannel despite the cold weather. I noticed that his arms were covered in scars and fading bruises, no doubt from previous fights with his father. The bruise on his face had turned dark purple.

Bender grinned at me and tossed his hair out of his face. "Hey, Rox." He greeted.

"Are you having fun?" I asked.

"Obviously." He leaned on the axe, cocking his head at me. "How could you not have fun with a job like this?"

I smiled. "Have you been doing this since you got home?"

"Pretty much." He sighed. "I'm almost done."

"So, I have to go into town soon." I said. "Do you want to come with me? We can pick up some things that you might need."

"Like what?"

"Toothbrush." I suggested.

Bender snorted. "Yeah, I need one."

I laughed. "And if you need anything for school. At least a folder or something to put all of your homework in."

I noticed that his mood shifted. "Are you gonna turn me into a fucking teacher's pet?"

"You're getting paid to keep up with school." I told him. "You should at least make an effort."

He huffed and gripped the handle a little tighter. After a pause, he looked back up at me. "After I finish with this?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Let me know when you're ready."

I went inside the house as he started chopping again. As I opened the door, I was greeted by my dad who was pouring water into a glass. "Hey, Rocky." He smiled at me.

"Hi, Dad." I returned. "Didn't waste anytime putting Bender to work, did you?" I took off my backpack and hung my coat on one of the hooks next to the door.

"I'm paying him to do it." He told me, eyes twinkling. "And he also gave me a chance to fix that hole in the chicken coop."

"That's good." I said. We had been having trouble with escaping chickens for the past couple of months ever since Bo ripped a hole in the chicken wire. I opened the refrigerator door and pulled out the leftover fruit salad from that morning's breakfast. "Do you have a list of stuff for me to get today?" I asked as I put a grape in my mouth.

"Yeah." Dad reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "You know where to get all of this stuff, right?" He handed it to me.

I took the paper and unfolded it to look at the list. It was a long list, mostly consisting of animal feed and groceries. I folded the paper and stuck it in my own pocket. "I'm taking Bender to get some stuff for himself. Is that ok?"

"Yup, he's all yours tonight." Dad winked at me and headed for the door. "Just don't be too late."

I nodded and headed for our office to find the money that I would need for our trip into town. I also got some of my own money to purchase whatever Bender would need for his stay on our farm.

In about half an hour, Bender and I were back in our truck, driving into town. Jack was in the bed, tongue hanging out as we drove. Our first stop was at our feed supplier. Bender and I hauled several bags of feed into the back of the truck with the dog. I paid the supplier and we headed down the road to the grocery store.