“This is where we bag the corn.”
“I can see that. You know with the corn and all,” I said sarcastically.
She smiled at me and continued, “You see those black stands over there,” she pointed to the side of the building. It had a flat metal square bottom, two metal poles going up the side, and a flat metal square on top with the middle cut out.
“Yeah,” I replied.
She walked over to a table that held dozens of folded green plastic woven bags with black drawstrings on top. “When baggin’ corn, you slip one of these bags in the hole on top and wrap the rim of the bag around the outer square. Then fill the bags up completely. We usually do around three truckloads every morning. Sometimes more. We keep some of the bags because we do have customers that come here and buy from us directly, but most of it goes to the produce stand in town. Got all that?” She smiled.
“Yeah, seems pretty simple, but this heat really blows,” I complained, wiping my hand over the layer of perspiration on my forehead, causing the baby hairs I had to stick to my face.
“Yeah. One of the best things to buy workin’ out here is one of those pocket fans. Not the ones that spray water either. I learned my lesson with those. The cold water ya put in it might seem great at the beginning, but after a couple of hours, that water gets hot. After that, it just feels like you’re spraying more sweat on yourself.”
I laughed. “I definitely don’t need to feel like I have more sweat on me than I already do.” I pulled at my shirt in emphasis to prove my point. I was glad I had worn a light-colored shirt, but you could see my sweat was causing parts of the green shirt to turn dark green.
“Okay, come on.” She gestured with her hand as she walked back out into the hellish sun. “It’s time to get the four-wheeler.”
“Four-wheeler?” I questioned. “What do we need a four-wheeler for?”
“I told ya how big the farm was. Would ya rather walk or ride?” That was a good point. “Plus, what kind of tour guide would I be without a little fun.” She grinned mischievously.
We walked back to the office building and I waited on the porch while she ran in to get the keys from Nan. The four wheelers were kept on the side of the office and the keys were always returned to Nan so she could lock them up at the end of the day.
I looked around while Lisa was inside. It was really nice out here and the work didn’t seem too bad. Lisa seemed to enjoy it so there really was no reason why I wouldn’t be able to get used to it.
After a few moments, Lisa came out dangling the key from the key chain. “Let’s go take a ride.”
I raised an eyebrow at her with a concerned look on my face but she only laughed. I’d never been on a four-wheeler before so I didn’t know what to expect.
“Just get on behind me and hold on.”
I did what she said and she sped off down trails between the crops. The breeze felt great even though it was hot. A go-cart would be so much better to use out here in the heat. At least that way, they’d get some relief from the sun.
She took me down some trails, showing me where the crops were located and pointed out some of the workers. There were two machines going at once, gathering corn as we passed. I watched in fascination at how it all worked.
When we passed the crops, I thought she’d make a right to go back the way we came, but she kept going. She was going full speed toward part of the land that was wooded. As we got closer, I could see an opening where the trees had been cleared and you could clearly see a tire path. Which could only mean they used the four-wheeler to go down here often.
As soon as we entered the woods, a cool breeze hit me. Shade was my best friend at the moment. I closed my eyes and tried to enjoy it until I felt the four-wheeler start to slow. I opened my eyes and looked around. It looked like someone had cleared the trees in the middle of a forest. “Where are we?” I asked over the engine.
“This is where Landon throws his parties,” she yelled over her shoulder, before slowing to a stop.
I’d forgotten she said they threw parties out here.
“There’s another opening over there,” she pointed across the way. I could see a similar opening to the one we came through. “On the other side of that is where we park our cars. The path isn’t that far to walk and parking on that side ensures no idiots drive through the farmland.”
Shifting into first gear, she took off again and made a U-turn to go back through the trees. She sped past the crops, and instead of going to the right, back to the office, she made a left. Around five minutes later, she pulled up in the back of a white two-story house. “This is the Johnson’s house. You see all the way over there, past the pool?”
I looked to where she was pointing to see a small building that looked like a miniature barn. “The small barn?”
“Yeah, that’s the chicken house. I’m the one who usually feeds the chickens, but there might be a time when you’ll need to do it for me, so I had to show ya. But don’t worry, I’ll tell ya everything you need to know if that time comes.”
“Sounds good,” I replied as she shifted back into gear.
“Oh, and always keep your swim suit in your car. We occasionally take a dip durin’ the day,” she nodded toward the pool.
“Awesome.” I looked at it longingly as I thought about how great it would feel to submerge myself in the cool water.
“One more stop and we’ll be done,” she yelled, speeding back down the trail.
I was happy the tour was almost over. It felt like the sun was sucking the life force out of me. I wasn’t sweating as bad as I could have been, but I was still taking a beating. I wasn’t used to being in this kind of heat during the day and I was sure it was taking a toll on my body.
A few moments later, we pulled up to the horse stables. She put the four-wheeler in park and turned it off. “There’s a mini fridge in here so we can get some water.”
“It’s like you read my mind,” I sighed as I wiped at my forehead again.
We made our way into the shade of the stables. I followed her until she reached a door to the right at the other end. She opened it and we both walked inside. It was an office, and a messy one at that. There were papers strewn all over the desk and stacks of boxes in the corner to my right. It looked like a bunch of clutter and probably hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. I wasn’t the cleanest person in the world, but I even had the urge to want to straighten things up a little.
Lisa bent down and opened the small fridge, grabbing two water bottles, handing me one. I opened it and walked out of the office, chugging it as I went. The cool water would replenish the sweat that poured out from being in the sun; only to pour out again on the way back to the office I was sure.
“So, this is probably one of the crappiest jobs around here, no pun intended,” she laughed as she closed the office door.
I scrunched my nose up at her. “Totally not funny.”
“Yeah, it kind of is. But we’ve all had the job, and honestly, it’s not that bad. It doesn’t smell as bad as cow manure or at least it doesn’t in my opinion. And it’s pretty easy to clean up as long as the horses don’t trample in it.”
I could see her trying to hold back her laugh, which only caused me to laugh. “You aren’t making this job any more appealing than it already is.”
“Sorry, I think the sun is makin’ me delirious.”
“Sure,” I said sarcastically.
“Anyway, the horses are brought out to the pasture in the mornings so they won’t be in here when you come to clean it all up. If you look behind you against the wall,” she nodded past me, “you’ll see the rake and shovel used for the poop.” I turned my head, located what she was referring to, and looked back at her. “You’ll just have to fill up the trashcan bins that are over there. Landon will take care of the rest.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I said as I thought about having to scoop up shit, and then hand it off to Landon. I was glad I had met Landon earlier. I couldn’t imagine ar
riving for work to clean up horse crap, and then run into him for the first time. That would have been so embarrassing. ‘Hi, I’m Sadie, here’s your horse’s crap.’ I shook my head and laughed at myself.
“Hopefully, you’ll be able to meet him before you leave,” she said, looking around.
“Oh, I forgot to mention that I saw him and Derek before I came into the office.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, they said they were on their way to get feed or something.”
She nodded her head. “They usually do that on Fridays, but for some reason, they ran out earlier than expected. Did Landon say anything to you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
I furrowed my brow. “No, why? I thought you said girls were the ones who chased after him.”
She laughed. “Oh, they do, plenty. But Landon sometimes thinks he’s God’s creation to women. Especially when he meets new girls.”
I hated guys like that. “Don’t worry; I don’t fall for that kind of crap. He’s definitely a good looking guy, but I’m not interested in guys right now anyway, especially guys like Landon.” As the last few words left my mouth, I heard footsteps come to a stop behind me. I knew it had to be him. That would be my luck.
I looked at Lisa for confirmation, but she smiled and said, “Hey, Landon.”
I turned my head slowly to see him standing a few feet away from me, eyes boring into mine. I could feel the heat stir in the pit of my stomach again. I could see why the girls behaved the way they did.
“Derek told me to tell you to meet him back at the office.” He looked at Lisa when he spoke, but brought his gaze back to mine with a grin. “I’ll see ya around, city girl.”
He walked out of the stables, and a few moments later, I heard a car door close and the start of an engine. I looked at Lisa and we both burst out laughing.
Five
I woke up to the shrill sound of my alarm clock at five thirty the next morning. Reaching over, I pressed the snooze button as I groaned into my pillow. Getting up this early was pure madness, but I knew once my body got used to waking up at the early hour, I’d be fine.
I sat up in bed and rubbed at my forehead. I could feel the starting of a headache. Going to bed earlier than usual probably wasn’t the best idea. If I got too much sleep, more than my body was used to, then I always woke with a headache.
Throwing the covers off, I stood and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower, smelling the fresh brewed coffee along the way. I was so glad I remembered to get it ready last night. I was hoping the steam from the shower would help alleviate my head, but if not, it wasn’t something a little caffeine couldn’t fix.
After the shower, I went back to my room and got dressed in a pair of old jean shorts and a white t-shirt with a picture of my little pony on the front. When I was done filling out forms in the office yesterday, Lisa told me that they all wore white shirts because they were the easiest to clean. At the end of the day you could just throw it in the wash with some bleach and you were done or I could wear t-shirts that I didn’t mind destroying. So I opted for white.
I brushed my hair and put it into a messy bun on the top of my head. I’d probably be wearing it like that on a daily basis. There was no way I’d be able to handle my hair sticking to my neck and face if I left it down.
I sat down on my bed and put on a pair of socks, and then reached for the box I had sitting next to my bed. Instead of going straight home after leaving the farm, I went to the mall and got a pair of boots. Lisa said I’d need them working around the farm because you never knew what could be dropped on your foot. I wasn’t looking forward to having my feet sweat all day, but I didn’t really have a choice either way. It was boots or tennis shoes again.
After the boots were tied I was ready to go. I knew I didn’t look my best. I actually kind of looked like a bum, but I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I normally always had on makeup if I was going to leave the house too, but I was following Lisa’s suggestions. Makeup just melts off and runs down your face with your sweat, so there really wasn’t any point in wearing it and I agreed.
With my travel mug in hand, I was ready to go in twenty minutes. I walked toward the door to leave, but my head was still hurting so I grabbed a few Tylenol and took them with my coffee. Hopefully they would help because being out in the sun would only make it worse for me if it didn’t. I grabbed my purse from the table and stuffed the bikini that I placed there last night, into my bag. When I headed out the door, I had just enough time to get to the farm.
~*~
I pulled up to the office at the Johnson’s farm right at six thirty and saw Nan sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. It reminded me of those old movies when you always saw the old ladies sitting on the porch breaking beans or shelling peas. I didn’t have a lot of experience with the grandparent types, since I didn’t have any of my own, but she seemed really nice. She was rocking and drinking from a coffee mug, looking out into the cornfields. She looked lost in a daydream.
Deciding it was time to get out of the car and get the day started, I noticed that there weren’t as many cars as there were the previous day.
“Good Morning, Nan,” I smiled, as I stepped onto the porch.
She looked startled for a moment, but gave me a warm smile. “Good mornin’, dear. Are ya ready for your first day?”
I nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine. The boys take care of the strenuous work. Ya just need to worry about staying hydrated in this heat. Make sure ya drink plenty of water. Did Lisa show ya the little fridges we have everywhere?”
“She showed me the one in the stables, but I don’t know where the others are.”
“No worries, dear, there’s one in the bean house and the corn house. We keep waters and Gatorades stocked in there. So get whatever ya need. We don’t need anyone faintin’ from dehydration.” She smiled again.
I smiled back at her and then turned as I heard the door to the office open. Lisa came out with Derek following behind her.
“There ya are,” she said as she and Derek parted ways. She walked toward me and looked down at my shirt, as she got closer. “Are ya sure you’re not going to mind getting that shirt dirty? I’m sure it won’t look the same after it’s bleached.”
I laughed. “No, it’s fine. It’s old.”
“Okay, are ya ready?”
Nope. “Yep, let’s get this party started.”
I followed her off the porch. “Oh, don’t be sayin’ stuff like that around here.” she smiled. “Marco might hear ya and think it’s an invitation to sing to ya all day.”
I looked at her with wide eyes and laughed. “I’ll pass thanks.”
“Oh, wait, did ya sign in?” she asked as she turned to me.
Crap! “Nope. I forgot. Hang on and I’ll be right back.” I turned to run up the steps, but Nan was there shooing me away.
“Don’t worry about it, dear. I’ll sign ya in today. Just don’t forget to sign out at lunch.” She turned and headed inside.
“Thanks,” I said to her retreating back.
I turned around and jogged back to Lisa. “So where to first?”
“Well, first we’ve got to do all the bins of green beans, and then we’ll head to do the corn. I’ll help you as we go because we’ve got to get enough bags done by eight so we can bring some up to the office.”
“Why the office?”
By the end of the day, I was sure she’d get tired of all my questions. I figured if I was going to be working here, I needed to know everything that was going on. I didn’t want to do something wrong and then be liable for it. “We’ve customers that come out first thing in the mornin’. We don’t just sell at the farmers market, so we have to bring the veggies up there too. Mrs. Johnson sells her eggs as well. So I’ll have to go over there in a few to get what she has.”
We walked into the bean house and I could see a few people at the conveyor belt already. Lisa told me yesterday that there
was a Mexican family who lived in a trailer on the farm, so this must be them.
“Good mornin’, Layla, Marco,” Lisa said in greeting. “This is Sadie. She’ll be working here this summer.”
“Hola.” Layla nodded to me and continued her work. She was short with long dark brown hair pulled back in a braid. She had a cute face, but it looked like she worked in the heat a lot. Her dark complexion looked like leather and her wrinkles were very pronounced. I’d say she was probably in her late twenties, but I couldn’t tell.
Marco, on the other hand, gave me a megawatt smile. “Hola, señorita. Another pretty face.”
I couldn’t contain the laugh that came out. I wasn’t laughing at what he said. I was laughing because he still had that megawatt smile on his face along with a huge bushy mustache. Who even wore a mustache anymore? I mean, this thing could be a country of its own.
I looked over at Lisa who was also laughing. “All right, Marco. We don’t want to scare her off already.”
I looked back at Marco and he gave me a wink as he turned to continue his work. I laughed again and walked over to Lisa who was moving buckets filled with beans over to the conveyor.
“Wow,” I said with wide eyes.
She looked up at me from her bending position with a smile. “Oh, that’s nothin’, girl. Just wait. I give it twenty minutes and he’ll start singing Elvis to ya. It’s hard to understand them sometimes with their accent, but he sure can sing some Elvis,” she said, shaking her head. “Anyway, if it bothers ya, just let me know and I’ll tell him to stop.”
“I’m sure it’s no big deal.”
“Okay, let’s get started.” She grabbed a bucket and replaced the empty one that was at the front of the conveyor. She lifted it up and slowly poured half on the conveyor. Layla came over and spread them all out. The conveyor moved slowly, to give them enough time to pick out all the bad beans. When Lisa was done, she set the bucket down and I followed her to the other side, opposite Layla and Marco. She immediately started scanning the beans and picking out the bad ones in record speed. “See these.” She held out her open hand to show me beans that were brown and rotten looking. “These are the bad beans. If you see one that looks like this, obviously pull it out. The brown ones aren’t always bad, but if it’s questionable just pull it. Roll your hand around them as they are movin’ along too so you get a good view of them.” She tossed the bad beans into the bucket by her feet and scanned the conveyor again.
Drifting into Darkness Page 5