by Eric Vall
The civilians tried to help as well, but they weren’t quite as adept at getting the cows to move, instead, they served as roadblocks of sorts.
“You should’ve told us you were movin’ them up here,” Betty said after we had all the cows in the field. “I would have come down and helped.”
“You did enough from up here,” I chuckled. “I see everyone else is up.”
“Yup,” the old woman said. “Just fixin’ plates now, then we’ll all be ready to work.”
“Sounds good,” I said with a smile.
It was past dawn, then, but the sun still wasn’t high in the sky, and the morning was chilly with spring air. I made my way to the coffee table and poured myself a cup, then I hopped in line and grabbed a slice of quiche. It was still warm from the oven, and it warmed my hand as I carried my plate to the nearest table.
Betty, Rolly, Anna, and Bailey joined me soon after, but I had yet to see Tara and Paige.
“Has anyone seen the other girls?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Anna chuckled. “We can’t let Paige miss breakfast.”
“There they are,” Bailey said, and she pointed to the tree line. The two girls were just coming out of it, and they had a few fish and a skinned bunny with them.
I waved to the two and they waved back before they went inside to throw the fish and rabbit into the smoker. Soon they joined us, though, and I dug into the quiche Betty had made.
It was fluffy and delicious. She had filled it with elk meat, potatoes, cabbage, and a few other things, but I was too hungry to try and place them. I shoveled the warm egg dish into my mouth with a vengeance. I always failed to realize how hungry I was until I had a bite of Betty’s food in my mouth. Once I was finished with the first piece, and I was sure everyone else had gotten some, I went up for seconds. There was plenty left still since Betty cooked enough for a small army, and I happily took another piece.
Once everyone had finished eating and the chairs and tables were put away, then I got everyone’s attention.
“Alright,” I said with a clap. “Who’s ready to do some work today?” The small crowd let out a cheer, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Great. Everyone should pair off, and we’re going to start walking sections of hose toward the farm. Rolly and Betty are going to head over there and get the spigot set up, but the rest of us will be walking, so make sure to grab an extra water bottle because it’s going to be hot today.”
Everyone agreed, and I thanked them before I headed over to Rolly and Betty.
“Hey,” I said. “Do you guys need any extra hands over there?”
“I think we might,” Rolly said.
“I’ll grab the grandkids,” Betty said.
“Good idea,” I agreed. “They can ride over there with you. And I didn’t think to ask, but what about the kids? Who’s staying with them?”
“Marla offered to stay,” Betty informed me.
“Great,” I said. “Now I just need to find a partner.”
“I’m sure that won’t be too hard for you,” Rolly chuckled, and he clapped me on the shoulder as he walked past me toward one of the trucks in the yard.
It proved more difficult than I thought, considering the girls had already partnered up with each other. I looked around, but everyone seemed like they were paired off, so I figured I wouldn’t worry about it, I’d just get down to business. I followed the group into the gym to grab the supplies, but just as I got to the door I realized that Kimmy stood in front of me, but it didn’t look like she had a partner, either.
“Kimmy,” I said, and the beautiful woman turned around. “Do you have a partner?”
“O-oh,” she said with a nervous stutter, “no, sorry. I know you said to pair up, but it looked like everyone already had a partner, so I figured I’d just work alone.”
“I thought the same thing,” I chuckled. “I guess we’re paired off by default.”
“That’s alright with me,” she said, and she flashed me a smile that revealed her white teeth.
“Good,” I said with a goofy grin. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t help myself, the smile came so naturally, and try as I might, I couldn’t seem to come across as less excited about working with such a beautiful woman.
We got our supplies and headed out into the woods with the rest of the party. We would need to get to the stream first, then we would start to attach the hoses and tape up the connections to be sure they didn’t leak. It was a long process, but with groups of two spread out from the stream to Betty’s place, it shouldn’t take too long. Especially since we didn’t have to bury the line. This waterline would only be used for crops come summer, so it didn’t need to be buried in the ground like the one that led to the dorm building. That alone saved us a lot of trouble.
I tried to focus on the job we were doing, but it was hard with Kimmy right beside me. The girls teased me about her before, and it seemed that they were okay with whatever happened, but I wouldn’t ever want to make them feel bad over another woman, no matter how gorgeous she was.
I tried to keep my gaze forward as we walked, but I felt my eyes slip over to Kimmy every so often. She wore a light green T-shirt that complimented her skin tone perfectly, a pair of blue jeans, and hiking boots, and she stared out at the wilderness with a soft smile on her face that made me wonder what she was thinking about.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” she said after a while.
“It’s nice,” I agreed. “Especially on the mornings like this.”
The sun shone through the trees, and though the air was cold, the heat from above warmed my face as I walked.
“I need to get out here more often,” she said. “I feel like I’ve barely explored around here since I arrived.”
“Well, you did arrive just before winter,” I chuckled. “And you have baby Anthony.”
“That’s true,” she agreed, and I noticed how her top lip was slightly larger than her bottom one. I had the urge to reach out and touch it, but I changed the subject instead.
“How is Anthony?” I asked. “It must have been difficult to leave him today. You could have stayed, you know.”
“I know,” she told me with a soft expression. “And he’s fine. I just wanted to help. I feel as if I don’t do as much as everyone else.”
“Nonsense,” I said. “We all have our jobs.”
“A lot of time mine just entails watching the children,” Kimmy chuckled.
“A very important job,” I told her with a grin. “Especially in times like this.”
“Thanks,” she said, and I thought I saw her blush slightly.
Just then I heard some giggling come from behind us, so I turned to see all four of my girls walking just far enough away to not look like they were spying on us.
All four of them looked away when I whipped my head around, but I glared for a moment until Tara met my gaze. The platinum blonde smiled, then, and she pointed at Kimmy and thrust her hips forward in an obscene gesture.
I widened my eyes in both warning and shock, but the rest of the girls just giggled and pointed at Kimmy. I knew they were giving me the go-ahead, but I didn’t want Kimmy to feel pressured. After all, I wasn’t sure how she felt about me to begin with, and I wouldn’t hit on her and make her feel uncomfortable being around me.
I waved the girls off and turned to face forward once more.
“The girls are back there giggling at us,” Kimmy said with an amused smile.
“Yes,” I sighed. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s alright,” she chuckled. “I just take that to mean that they like me.”
“They do,” I assured her. “Maybe a little too much.”
“What does that mean?” she laughed.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, and I felt my cheeks get a bit hot. “They keep teasing me saying that I have a crush on you.”
“Do you?” Kimmy asked with a wry smile.
“You’re gorgeous,” I said honestly.
“Well, thanks,” she sa
id nervously. “I figured that to be the case.”
“That I thought you were gorgeous?” I chuckled.
“Tara might have told me that,” Kimmy laughed.
“Oh,” I sighed, “you’re smart and beautiful. It’s difficult not to notice you.”
“I appreciate that,” she cleared her throat and smiled at me again.
“Well, we should get back to it,” I said.
I was glad that conversation hadn’t made her uncomfortable, but I didn’t have any more insight into whether or not she liked me as well.
I looked over to the dark-complexioned woman and stared at her soft features for a moment. She was absolutely stunning and incredibly compassionate. It made me like her all the more to know that she understood where I was coming from. The girls were in their early twenties, but Kimmy was a bit older than them, and I thought maybe that was part of the reason why we got along so well.
We continued to chat idly after that, but mostly about the task at hand. After our section of hose was secured, I left Kimmy to walk further down the line and check on the progress. Once I saw that the first half was done, I excused that group and told them to head back to campus and check on the animals and such. I sent Bailey and Paige back that way as well, but I kept Anna and Tara with me and we walked toward Betty’s house to check on the progress that Rolly and Betty had made.
“Sooooo,” Tara said after we’d been walking for a few minutes.
“What?” I asked.
“Oh, come on,” the platinum blonde said. “You and Kimmy looked like you were getting along really well.”
“You know,” I chuckled, “this is exactly the reason why I asked you to come with me instead of going back to camp with her.”
“What do you mean?” She scoffed.
“You can’t control your mouth,” Anna laughed. “You would’ve embarrassed him.”
“No, I wouldn’t have,” Tara protested, but I just raised an eyebrow at her. “Okay, but it’s not my fault that you’re embarrassed.”
“It would definitely be your fault if I was embarrassed,” I chuckled.
“Only because we all know you two just need to bang and get it over with,” Tara mumbled.
“You’re incorrigible,” I said. “Besides, why would I need that when I have you?”
“Fair point,” Tara said, and she flashed me a sexy grin.
We made it to the farm after a while, and I found Rolly and Betty near the spigot. It was set up and waiting to be attached to the hose. I noticed that Rolly had set up some sort of sprinkler system that was ready to be attached to the spigot as soon as it was tested.
“How’s it goin’ over here?” I called out as we made our way toward the couple.
“All good here,” Rolly said. “Just waiting for the line to reach us.”
“It looks like you’ve been busy,” I said with a gesture at the makeshift sprinkler system.
“Yeah,” the old man said, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. “We wanted to keep busy, and once the spigot was set up there wasn’t much to do except wait.”
“Hm,” I said. “It looks like you grabbed some sprinkler supplies from your shed.”
“Yeah,” he agreed with a grin. “You know me, I needed to make sure I kept busy.”
“I know, I know,” I laughed. “Next time let us help you.”
“We had Jenny and Dan,” Betty said. “Besides, I’m sure the line is almost here.”
“Anytime now,” I assured her.
“You all made sure to tape the connections?” Rolly asked.
“Of course,” I agreed. “And when this is done I’ll walk back to make sure there aren’t any leaks.”
“Sounds good to me,” Betty said.
It was already early afternoon by then since the walk to Betty’s house wasn’t short. The hose hookups had taken their fair share of time as well, and I figured it would be mid-afternoon before everything was finished. And that was hoping that everything went smoothly. If there was any sort of problem, we could be looking at a couple of days’ work.
While we waited for the others to bring the last of the line up so it could get attached to the spigot, I walked out to the fields with Rolly so he could show me the sprinkler system. He had taken several hoses and poked small holes in them throughout.
“If you’re using the hoses, then why the sprinkler attachments?” I asked.
“I’m not sure if we’ll have the water pressure to run the attachments,” he said. “But even if we don’t, I know those hoses will work.”
“Good call,” I said. “That should work out well, thanks for planning this all out. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course,” Rolly chuckled. “That’s my job. Seems I can’t stop being a maintenance worker whether the world has ended or not.”
“You’re much more than that,” I told him with a clap on the shoulder.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said with a soft smile.
“Hey!” Betty called, and I turned to see that Jeff and Donna had arrived with the last of the hose.
“Better go get this hooked up,” Rolly said with a look of excitement.
I followed the old man back to the spigot, but Betty was finishing up tightening it by the time we got there.
“You got it, honey?” Rolly asked.
“Of course,” the old woman told him with a smile. “Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I’m useless.”
“I wouldn’t think it did,” he said sweetly and gave her a kiss on the mouth.
“Well, let’s try it out,” Anna said. “I’m ready to see if this thing works.”
“Go for it,” Betty told Rolly with a gesture toward the faucet.
“Alright,” the old man said, and he pumped it a few times before a couple of drops came out.
“Let me try,” Tara said, and she scooted Rolly out of the way to try her hand at getting water out of the faucet.
I watched Tara go at it for a while. I knew it would take a few pumps before water was pulled all the way up, it was just a matter of continuing to try.
Everyone took turns for a little bit, and after some time we were able to get a steady stream of water, but it didn’t have the amount of force I’d like.
“Hm,” I said as I looked at the faucet.
“What is it?” Anna asked.
“The water pressure is a little bit weak,” I said.
“Could that be because it’s coming from so far away?” Tara asked.
“I think there might be a leak in the line,” I said. “I’m going to walk it and see if I can find it.”
“We’ll help,” Anna offered.
“Us, too,” Dan agreed.
We left Betty and Rolly at the farm, and the rest of us headed through the woods and followed the line back toward the stream. We had gone about a quarter of a mile when I saw a wet spot on the ground.
“Found it,” I said.
“It’s so small,” Tara said as she looked at the hole.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “but even small holes can seriously take away from pressure.”
“Alright,” Anna said, and she pinched the hose further down. “Go ahead.”
I grabbed the duct tape out of my pack and wound it around the hose after I had dried it with my T-shirt.
“That should do it,” I said, and Anna let go.
We headed back to the farm, and when we got there we found Rolly and Betty laying down and kissing in the grass.
“Grandma,” Dan groaned.
“Mind your business boy,” Betty chuckled, but the couple stood up and walked over to us.
I turned the spigot on and was satisfied with the pressure.
“I think we’re good,” I said with a grin. “I’ll still walk back through the woods, but I doubt I’ll find any more leaks.”
“Great,” Betty said. “That means we can water today.”
“Let’s do it now,” I agreed.
We attached Rolly’s sprinkler system and tested out the attac
hments. They worked, but not at full power, though they managed to get some distance.
We walked around carefully and checked the ground as we watered, and I found a couple of small leaves that had popped up to give us all hope of the harvest to come.
After we finished watering it was late afternoon, so Anna and I went back home through the woods to check the waterline, but Tara opted to ride back with Rolly and Betty.
The walk with Anna was quiet and serene. We enjoyed the evening air and the calmness of the woods, but we didn’t say much to one another. It was a pleasant silence, one that only feels comfortable with someone you are completely comfortable with.
It seemed like forever, but also no time at all had passed by the time we arrived back on campus. Everyone had beat us there, and Rolly had pulled the grill out, so I figured we were having burgers or something for dinner.
“Hey, old timer,” I said as I came up behind him. “Need any help?”
“I got it covered,” he told me.
“Tav,” Tara said from behind me, and I turned to see that all the other girls were with her.
“Hey,” I said, somewhat wary of their blank expressions.
“We need to talk to you,” Tara said.
“Ooh,” Rolly teased, “someone’s in trouble.”
I ignored the old man and followed the girls inside the dorm room. I hadn’t seen them this serious in a long time, and I worried that I actually had crossed a line with Kimmy earlier. Maybe Tara was joking the whole time about being okay with it, and I just didn’t realize it.
“What’s going on?” I asked as we sat down in the living room.
“We have to talk about Brody,” Anna said.
“What about him?” I asked.
“We think that we should make up with him,” Bailey said. “At least for right now.”
“Tara?” I asked. “Paige? You’re okay with this?”
“Not okay with it exactly,” Tara sighed. “But he has resources that we need.”
“We can figure out a way to get resources,” I said. I was surprised to hear the girls talk like this after we had decided to not see Brody again. “We’ve done it on our own for a long time. What resources do you mean, anyway?”
