The Switchblade Mamma
Page 20
21.
The spring had melted away as quickly as winter did. The days became longer and warmer and the grass grew in thicker and greener. My nights were peaceful and filled with less nightmares. I dreamt about the job constantly. I heard job-related noises, I was the best carpenter in the world and built the most luxurious house anyone could have. It became a well needed constant. I woke up every morning, dressed up and became Benjamin Fray. Breakfast was served and quickly consumed. The three of us, Barrett, Clive, and I, filled our thermoses up with coffee and greeted the early morning sun.
Car rides out the job were always quiet, or at least for me. Barrett and Clive would always engage themselves in a quiet banter. I however, remained silent as I listened to my MP3 player. With the windows deeply tinted, I was always required to wear a head bag. I would keep my thoughts focused however, on the tasks at hand. I was proud of myself for learning something new. I was happy, that I actually found something to do that made me happy. I remembered my old job from my old life. That was just a job. I heard from someone once, if you enjoy what you do, then you never work a day in your life. Of course, I wasn't getting paid for what I did, but I so dearly enjoyed it.
With my living quarters in the underbellies of the house, I never again woke up to the sounds of the roosters call. My body became adjusted to the early summons of the morning. I woke up without alarm.
Day after day past and each and every day I made myself more useful. I became a handy and a needed person. I prided myself on the fact that I was summoned here and there for miscellaneous duties. I learned how to tile, install showers, I even helped someone put a Jacuzzi in the back of their house. I helped dig the trenches, lay down the pipes. Pulling the electrical wires for it was fun. Barrett showed me a trick of using dish soap to make the pulling of the wires a lot easier.
Evenings after work were even more enjoyable. Paige and I spent much time riding the horses. I, as always mounted Nelly. We would ride crazily through the forest and would always come to that one opening. The opening in which I shared my first kiss with Paige. We'd lay on the pine needle covered ground and look into the skies. As the summer became deeper, the monsoons became more apparent.
The development of the monsoon storms, was the only indication that I had that I still resided in my home state of Arizona. Every now and then, as Paige and I would ride out after work, we would get caught in one of the storms. We never tried to run back or seek cover. We would dismount our horses and lay on the ground, staring into the sky. The flashes of lightning and the crashes of thunder were enough to melt one's soul.
Every now and then, when the time was right, Paige and I would roll back to the very spot that she kissed me for the first time and we would make love. Right there upon the ground. Love was even more passionate during a thunderstorm. Our passion for each other was nonstop. Paige and I were as one. We shared each other and we shared each other passionately. I could not imagine a world without her. I needed her, I need to breathe her in. I wished I could live a normal life with her, be her rock, but I knew that was not possible. So every moment that I spent with her, was a moment that I spent with time that stood still. I loved her with every bone in my body. I would die for her.
Without killing and training, life finally resumed its normal. I saw daily faces. As I was told, I only spoke when spoken to. But even I was getting attached to the people whom I was working for. I was pleased with my new found normal life. Every day, after a hard day's work, I was greeted by a delicious meal that Paige had created. We talked and ate. I was pleased by the normalcy of this life. As summer slowly began to drain its life out, I became more and more impatient. For I knew, as soon as fall fell upon us, I would have to train and once again be submitted to the killing floor.