[2016] In Good Time

by Aqua Allsopp

  *****

  To a casual person or a set of city eyes – his ranch was amazing. It stood up on a hill that overlooked many small hills and one larger mountain. It had a stream that was small, but trickling. It made a relaxing tune in the background that was breathtaking.

  The view on top of the hill revealed a lot about Colorado. There were farms, cliffs, valleys, and beautiful skies, among many other things. It felt good. It felt American.

  The irony of it all was that Kayla was on a horse. She refused to ride the horse by herself because she had no idea how to do it. She had never been trained and had no seasoning for it. That didn’t stop the ever-persistent Hank. As usual, he got his way and convinced her to do it.

  She was the second person on the horse. She was sitting directly behind Hank. They were just stationary on the hill as they overlooked the environment. Kayla was often times a talker, and she sometimes even cared about things other than herself. “Are we going to hurt the horse since there are two of us on its back?” she asked worriedly.

  Hank turned his head slightly but kept the rest of his body still. “No. This is a quarter-horse, not a thoroughbred”.

  This confused her, because she knew almost nothing about farm animals. “What exactly is a quarter-horse? What is a thoroughbred?” she asked as she hugged herself tightly to Hank.

  He cleared his throat and gave her a crash course. “A quarter-horse is a horse that is strong enough to use on certain work projects, but still light and able enough to use for recreational riding. A thoroughbred is a racehorse that is smaller and thinner. They are absolutely beautiful, but they are not work horses.”

  To her surprise, she just experienced something that she liked about Hank. In effect, it was actually two things. She thought it was attractive that he was so smart. Not only was he able to outwit her at a town hall debate, he knew his business. He knew about horses, and was able to easily explain it to her.

  Then there was another thing that was part lust. She was holding his body because she was afraid she might slip and fall off. When she held his body, she felt his strong muscles in both his arms and stomach.

  While she sat with him, she couldn’t believe that she found him to be attractive. She put up her aforementioned shield, and tried to find stuff wrong with him. “So, what’s your story? Wife? Kids? What?”

  He answered gently and without reservation. “Wife died of cancer last year. I don’t have any kids.”

  She silenced herself for a moment. “I’m sorry” she said quietly.

  He again turned his body and smiled right at her. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’ve got a great life, and I’ve got many more blessings than I deserve.”

  She asked him question after question, and couldn’t find anything objectionable about him. Her shield was failing, and she had to figure out a way to make it work.

  When they walked the horse back to the barn, more fun came in. He helped her off the horse and she tried to leave. “I’ve really got to go to the title office to get some paperwork. Thanks for showing me the farm. It brings back a lot of memories.”

  “The title office is closed until tomorrow. Come over here because I have something to show you.” He smirked right at her.

  “The title office is closed?” she looked at her watch and saw that it was only 1 p.m. “What time do they close?”

  “They are closed until tomorrow, because they had to attend a family wedding” he winked and said to her. “Come over here, because I want you to meet Abby.”

  She walked right over to him, and saw two goats there. “Hello.”

  He coughed up a few laughs and rubbed the goat’s head. It had some antlers that were budding through. “Goats are smarter than we think. Watch this.”

  He took five lengthy steps away from the pen, and started patting his knees. Abby grunted and walked around in circles. She turned her head away and sat down. “Yup. Brilliant I see” she laughed out loud.

  Hank jumped up and down, and Abby just laid there and watched him. “I bet she’s hungry” he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a carrot.

  It was like the orange carrot was a glowing amber of greatness. When Abby saw it, she turned right around and stood near the pen.

  He started making cackling noises and kept jumping up and down. He looked like an idiot, at least at first. In just a matter of seconds, the attention easily left him, as Abby leaped over and trotted right over to him.

  Kayla shook her head and her jaw dropped just a little. “Oh my gosh! The goat got out. How are you going to put her back? Is she going to get away?”

  He started snickering at her and shook his head with a resounding no. “She gets out all the time. She won’t go anywhere. She’ll just run around and be nosey. Goats have really fun personalities. Come over here and pet her. You’ll be okay.”

  The city girl didn’t want to touch the goat. “Eww!” she said. Hank did his usual maneuvering and finally got her to agree to touch the goat. This time it was harder though. He had to promise to buy her lunch.

  She started to like him, and he started to like her. So, the lunch thing wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t formalized either. She wouldn’t mind paying for her own meal, nor would she be offended if he paid for hers. In the meantime, she decided to make the best of her experience at the ranch. She reached out her hand and rubbed the goat’s forehead with her fingertips. “Oh! Their fur is thick and rough.”

  “Come on. Let’s go to lunch” he said as he waved her over to his truck.

  She paused because she barely knew this guy, and didn’t know if he would be safe and genuine. Her cautious side was telling her to take her own car. Her adventurous side was telling her to just hop in his truck.

  There was one more voice she heard, though. It was the voice of relationships – loving relationships. It was a quieter voice, but it still sounded nice. It came with just a touch of happy feelings. She felt peaceful and sound.

  It was a feeling she hadn’t had in a long time. She thought back real hard about the last time she had that feeling. To her memory, the last time she felt like that was when she was visiting her uncle at the same exact ranch.

  She couldn’t understand, nor could she believe it. She could smell animal dung, was dirty, and there was no exciting entertainment around. For some reason, none of that mattered. It dumbfounded her that she felt so relaxed and at ease.

  In New York City, relaxing and enjoying farm animals and country air was not something that existed – not ever. The city was littered with bars, night clubs, restaurants, concerts, and everything in between. The city somehow had eight million people jammed into it.

  “Are you okay?” said Hank as he watched her stand in place. She was one of those people who didn’t like to walk when she had a deep thought.

  She walked forward after he prompted her. She smiled up at him. “I’m fine. Let’s get something to eat.”

  She had to sling herself up into his truck – because of the huge tires. When he inched his way down the hill and went onto the quiet country road, she felt empowered. The truck had her sitting up nice and high. She wasn’t a mechanic, but she still was able to realize that it wasn’t something that could be found on an Infiniti.

  He pulled into Wild Cowboys Eat – a western restaurant that specialized in burgers, fries, and steak. Other than soda and other basic beverages, that’s pretty much all they had.

  They sat down at table at the rundown place. The table had a simple poly tablecloth, and two red painted, steel chairs. The chairs weren’t even level. The restaurant ceiling had stains on it, and the heating was poor. There was a little chill in the air.

  “What is this place?” she said while biting her lower lip.

  He smiled over at her, and wasn’t even looking at his menu. “This is my favorite restaurant. It’s got nothing for looks, but the food is great.”

  She shrugged both shoulders and pulled her eyes up to look at him. She shocked herself by even doing those two thing
s. Was she really indifferent about the condition of the restaurant? If she wasn’t, she probably wouldn’t be eating there.

  And why did she take her eyes off the menu to go and stare at him? She felt that she was starting to like him.

  She eventually was able to peel her eyes off him, and look at the menu again. It wasn’t her mode, to put it lightly. She was used to having things like Chicken Marsala, or Chicken Parmesan. All she saw was beef. The only differences were how the beef was prepared and delivered.

  “What can I get for you, mam?” said a young lady waitress who was wearing a straw cowgirl hat.

  “I don’t know what to get. I almost never eat this kind of food” she complained.

  The friendly waitress just smiled as she looked down at Kayla. “I can tell by your accent that you’re from out of town, but that’s ok. Can I make a recommendation?”

  “Yes, please” said Kayla as she surrendered her menu to the waitress so she could get a recommendation.

  She pointed to an item on the menu that was very unique, and very country. “I recommend the half-angus, half-chuck. That’s a burger that we use half of the meat from an Angus cow, and the other half is USDA prime chuck roast. The meat is then blended together, and seasoned with a variety of sweet and sour sauces. Then of course, you can choose whatever topping you like to go with it.”

  Kayla didn’t know what to expect or whether she would even be able to keep it in her stomach without vomiting. Since her choices were quite limited, she went ahead and ordered it. “Okay. I’ll give that a try” she said with a whimper in her voice.

  Hank ordered a sirloin steak, and thanked the waitress as he handed over his menu for her to take. “That burger sounds really good. Maybe I’ll get that next time.”

  What happened next really sealed the deal with the two of them. What did they do? They just talked. They talked for a full three hours. The conversation started out with simple points about events and fun things to do.

  Within an hour, the conversation moved onto more serious matters. It evolved into a discussion about their goals, desires, and dreams. They talked about everything they could think of. They talked about marriage, children, where they wanted to live, what they wanted to do, and how they wanted to do it.

  The most surprising part was how much they had in common. Kayla had a hard and thick shell that came in part from being a shrewd businesswoman. Hank was able to finally crack that shell open.

  What was inside of her was similar to what he had. What they wanted was similar in many ways. They both wanted a life where they felt like they were accomplishing something great. They both wanted to have kids someday, with no commitment as to when. They wanted happiness. Most of all, they wanted to be in love with someone, and spend the rest of their lives with that person.

  “Kayla, I have a gift for you” he softly said to her as he made eye contact with her.

  She reflexively denied that she wanted any gifts from him, which she truly didn’t want. “Oh, that’s really not necessary. You’ve made this trip wonderful for me, so you don’t owe me any gifts.”

  It wasn’t what she expected. In fact, it held no monetary value – at least not directly.

  He delicately handed over one piece of paper, which was folded in half. She opened it and began to read it.

  Dear Kayla,

  I really miss you and hope you’ll come visit me soon. I’m getting old and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be around. I’m terminally ill, and will soon be at Heaven’s door.

  I remember when you were a girl, and you had dreams to become a wealthy businesswoman. You had so much energy and enthusiasm, that I knew you would be successful.

  If you’ve found this letter, it means I’ve passed away into the next life. I had such a wonderful and blessed life that I will die a very happy man. Life is good. No, life is wonderful.

  I am leaving you a special gift. I’m leaving you my ranch. I decided to give it to you, as my most valuable parting gift. You’re a young lady who values money more than the beauty of God’s green Earth, and all the creatures he puts on it.

  When you inherit my ranch, I trust that you will take care of it, and safeguard my family’s sacred land. I trust you, and know you’ll do the right thing – because I love you so much.

  My Very Best,

  Uncle Plats

  There was no stopping the waterfall of tears that rushed out of Kayla’s face. The note was so loving, so kind, and very inspirational.

  She didn’t know if she would ever forgive herself for not visiting him again. She always had something else going on – whether it was high school, college, her MBA, her job, whatever. There was always something getting in the way. She always thought that she could visit him later.

  Death found her uncle before “later” ever came. Her callous and cruel ignoring of him, make her heart feel like it was run through a blender on puree.

  There was one thing she could do, though. She could not sell the ranch, and then not live in guilt for keeping it. While it wouldn’t eradicate her ignoring him, it would help her feel a little better, and it would be a nice start.

  “I’m sorry, Kayla. I knew it would be hard for you to see. Your uncle was a great man and I really miss him” said Hank as he lowered his head. He didn’t cry, but it was very obvious that he was saddened about the fact that Plats had died.

  Kayla shook her head and then stopped thinking about selling the ranch. She just couldn’t do it. She didn’t have the heart, or perhaps more accurately, the lack of heart. “Hank, I’ve made a decision. I can’t sell the ranch. I just can’t do it.”

  *****

  She spent the last week and half playing around on the ranch, and having the time of her life with Hank. The title office? It was just a thing of the past for her. The sale of the land? There would be no sale.

  She even pondered sending a thank you letter to the selectmen who denied her request to sell it. That one event set a cascade in motion that greatly changed – and improved – her life.

  Often times, the persons in a trip are what make the trip special. With the exception of Hank, there really wasn’t any specific person or persons that made this trip special.

  What made the trip special? It was just two things. That was all she needed. There was the ranch, and the animals on the ranch. It changed her life. It was great.

  When she finally made it back to the hotel, she packed up her clothes and zipped her bag up. She had to make sure that she had everything she needed. Clothes, shoes, tech equipment, etc.

  Makeup. Oh yes, that was still a priority. Just because Colorado made her a country girl, didn’t mean that she didn’t want to be pretty. She made some more preparations. She planned to look beautiful while riding a horse in the country. That included makeup.

  She pulled her wheeled suitcase into the hotel lobby and parked it beside the desk. She adjusted her cowgirl hat and smiled at the clerk behind the counter. Even though many things had changed about her, she still didn’t like hearing the word “ma’am.”

  “Hello, young lady. My name is Kayla, and I’m just checking out.”

  The young lady behind the counter smiled up at her and thanked her for staying. “Thank you for staying at our hotel. How was your stay? Did you have a nice time?”

  She sure had a nice time, and she let the clerk know it. She went so far as to tell the clerk that it was one of the best times of her life, and she accomplished a lot of great things.

  “That’s really great. I want to accomplish stuff too. I’ve got a goal to get a good paying position in the corporate world,” the clerk said.

  Kayla stared into the innocent, young, brown eyes of the clerk and reached into her purse. She handed the clerk a business card with her name on it. “I had goals like you when I was younger, and having those goals was the biggest mistake of my life. Call me if you want to talk” she said as she wrote her personal cell number on the card.

  The business card read “Kayla Derringer �
� Executive Vice President of Marketing.”

  She walked away from the clerk without saying another word, but she did a few more things that were symbolically huge. She threw the rest of her business cards into a stainless steel garbage can, along with all of the other business cards she had from the company that she had accumulated over the years.

  There was one last thing that she did, but this one was a little more than just symbolism. She pulled out her cellphone and called the Vice President of Operations. She had something important to tell him.

  She dialed his number and it rang a few times. The little chauvinist picked up the phone. “Vice President of Operations?”

  “Hi Sean. It’s me, Kayla” she said proudly and happily.

  He had his usual type of demeanor. No excitement. No happiness. He was just hollow and plain. “Hi Kayla. When are you coming back? We’ve got a problem over here.”

  She didn’t ask what his problem was, nor did she care. She didn’t ask because nothing that happened at that company would ever be her problem again. “Sean, I’m not coming back today.”

  He sighed and groaned on the other end of the phone. “Okay. How much more time off do you need?”

  She giggled into the phone and grinned as she thought of what he must have looked like on the other side. He didn’t look good. He was shocked, angry, and beside himself with depression. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not coming back at all” she said with a squeaky cuteness in her voice.

  “Are you serious?” he raised his voice right at her.

  She shrugged her shoulders as she talked. She also took satisfaction that it was the last time she would ever be shrugging her shoulders at him. “Yes, I’m serious. I’m going to be moving out here to Colorado.”

  “What the heck happened to you? Why in God’s name would you do that?” he yelled and shook his head as he was talking.

  She looked at the best reason of all for staying in Colorado. It was the one thing that she had wanted her entire life, and now she had found it. It was the one thing she wanted even more than to become a CEO. It was love.