by J. Darling
Stomping her cane on the cement, she glared at Nik. “Blabberjaws.”
Busting out laughing, Nik found great humor in her remark. “Hey, toots, I can’t help it. You’re like the little sister I never had, so you better watch out.”
“What’s in the bucket, Jules, hmmm?” Jake couldn’t wait to hear this.
“Huh? What?” she played innocent. “Oh, this little ole thing? Nothing, just a few grains of feed for Tinkerbelle.”
Jake dropped his head and looked at her hard.
“What?” she answered, continuing to try and play him. “It’s a plastic bucket.”
“It’s a five gallon bucket near full of seed, Ms. I Don’t Lie.”
She glanced in the direction of the bucket, then back up to him “Oh, dear me, I guess I overestimated Tink’s ration. Whoops, my mistake.”
Shaking his head, he walked over and took the bucket. It was way, way over five pounds. Leaning in, he gave her a quick kiss. “Come on. Let’s go feed the calves. You can show me which ones you’ve already done.”
By midmorning, Jake became worried when he hadn’t seen Jules in a while. Searching for her, he found her in the office sitting with his dad at a computer. Watching and listening from the hall, he heard her say, “After you enter the information in that column, hit enter.”
Slowly his dad pecked at the keys.
“Very good,” she praised. “Now see how your cursor has moved down one? You can either continue in that column, or you can switch to another column with a click of your mouse or by using your arrow keys. Which would you like to do?”
Stepping back, he saw Kris motion for him and he headed over.
“What the hell’s going on? Did hell freeze over or something?” Jake asked. “I feel like I’ve entered a new dimension around here. We’ve been trying to get him to go computerized for years, but he wouldn’t. So why now?”
Kris laughed. “It was Jules, she worked her magic on him. Called his bluff by speaking his language. Told him the computer is no different than a tractor, and the keyboard no different than the buttons and levers he uses to operate it. Then she likened the different software programs to farm implements you hook up to your tractor to accomplish the job you need to get done.
“By then, she had his full attention, and slyly threw in some reverse psychology without his knowing it. Told him that anyone who had the intelligence and know how to operate a tractor could safely and easily operate a computer, and when he began to argue the point, she said, ‘I refute that argument on the grounds that the opposite cannot be said to be true.’ You should have seen dad’s face!” Kris laughed thinking back on the moment.
Oh man, Jake would’ve loved to have been here for that! “You’re shitting me, right?”
“Nope,” Kris said, shaking his head, “dead serious.” Then pretending to be Jules, he recounted the moment, “Now Karl, you would never ever blindly trust anyone who simply knew how to use a computer to get behind the wheel of a dangerous piece of equipment like a tractor, would you? No, you wouldn’t, but we would let the person with brains enough to operate said tractor to use a computer at any time without giving it a second thought. Therefore, it stands to reason, that anyone with the intelligence and aptitude to masterfully operate a tractor can safely and easily manage a simple tool such as a computer.”
Kris clapped Jake on the shoulder, giving him a shake. “He fell for it! Hook, line, and sinker! By the time she was done selling him on it, he was begging for the chance to learn. They spend an hour or two on it every day. She looked over the ledgers and developed spreadsheets to mirror what he’s accustomed to, then showed him how a computer can manipulate the data into graphs and charts for comparison. You watch, you’ll find him on there all the time now. She’s even got him searching the web.”
“No way!”
Kris nodded his head. “Yep. Honest to God. He dotes on her as much as he does Linnie. Things are different Jake, with Linnie home, and now with Jules here, and then with the three of us taking on more responsibility, things are way different. In about a half an hour, Nik will join the two of them and they’ll go over some farm operations stuff. Jules is helping Nik write up a proposal to send to biofuel companies seeking a partnership in collecting the methane gas off the lagoon out back.”
Jake’s mouth fell open. “We can’t afford that? It’ll cost thousands and thousands of dollars to put in, and then there’s the upkeep. It’ll barely be profitable, and that’s only if the price of methane doesn’t fall.”
Kris nodded. “That’s what we thought, and for us little guys doing it all by ourselves, that’s mostly true. But Jules helped us see ways around it with a partnership, ways to really make it pay off. If her plan works, we’re going to save thousands of dollars in fuel costs, and if it doesn’t, we’re out nothing. When the proposal’s done, she and I are going to discuss the crops. She has some thoughts on how we can get in on some research projects, and possibly offset our seed costs, if not have them nearly covered. She’s unbelievably intelligent, and her ideas will see this farm into the future.”
Jake ran his fingers through his hair. “Does she talk about leaving, or say anything about that promotion of hers?”
Kris shook his head. “Nothing, at least not with us guys. She did with Linnie in the beginning when the injury happened, but not so much now that she’s been here. She didn’t even tell us she put her house up for sale, so who knows. Come on, let’s get the rest of the chores done before lunch. Then we can rest up an hour or two before milking time this afternoon.”
A few hours later, Kris called out for Jake, telling him lunch was ready. He’d spent the remainder of the morning thinking of everything. Kris was right, things had changed dramatically over the last four months, and yet he felt stuck. He’d asked her to stay, but she didn’t answer him, didn’t give him one crumb of hope, and now she was selling her house and moving forward. What was it going to take? What could he possibly do to get her to stay?
He searched for answers as he washed up, and came up with nothing, absolutely nothing. His only real option was to ask her to marry him. He shook his head, then stopped and looked in the vanity mirror. Do I dare ask her to marry me, so soon? If I gamble it all and still lose her, then what? Hell, the last five weeks away from her had been pure torture, so what would a lifetime be like? This sucks! There was no other way to describe it, it sucked, and he was getting downright desperate. What’s it going to take?
Heading down the hall to the lunchroom, he realized for the first time she’d be in the old creamery. Damn it! Could this get any worse? Now she knew he hadn’t been completely honest with her that day of the tour. Nothing you can do about it now, you dumb shit. You shouldn’t have lied to her. Irritated and feeling defeated, he made his way down the hall, all the while letting his nose lead the way. Something smelled good. Had she cooked lunch? She’d spent the early morning hours walking, and then later in the office, how could she have made lunch too? Turning down the old corridor, he walked through the creamery’s doors and stopped short. They were all there and… something… was different. He was sure of it.
He sniffed. The food’s aroma was foremost, but there was more, like paint…or bleach, or…both. Things looked the same…maybe…but yet different too, not so tired looking, brighter, and he wasn’t just talking about the aesthetics either.
What in the hell is going on, he wondered. Things had changed, for sure, but it was like there was an air of mystery, and somehow he’d slipped out of the element. “What’s going on?” he asked no one in particular.
Jules tilted her head to the table, and said, “Lunchtime, come eat.” Then she patted the spot on the bench next to her.
Walking over, he briefly stopped and stared at the table, his great grandmother’s dishes. He’d packed those away four years ago. Not wanting a repeat of the day she’d made breakfast, he smiled at her as he sat. “It looks and smells good. I know you cooked because it isn’t Kris’s trademark frozen pizza. Y
ou have a good morning?”
Leaning over, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I did, I walked, baked some bread, cooked a smidge, then did a little of this and a little of that. I even took a small nap.”
Jake let out a huff as he stared at the food. “A smidge, huh? It doesn’t look like a smidge.”
She smiled as she place her napkin on her lap. “Promise, it’s nothing much. I was feeling a little Italian for lunch. That platter there is a caprese salad, this bowl is Italian meatballs in marinara, and on the cutting board is a no knead artisan bread. Let’s dish up, shall we?”
Dishes went round and around, plates were filled and as always, moans were heard throughout with the first bite.
“Okay, put all this in the make again category.” Nik said, reaching back and grabbing a notebook off the counter. He promptly passed it to Jules.
“I second that,” Kris said, between bites.
Writing in the book, she asked, “Any suggestions?”
“Yeah,” Kris said, “make more.”
His dad reached over and patted her hand. “You done good, tootsie. This the mozzarella?”
She nodded, “Yeah, it’s good, don’t you think? Did you try the butter yet? Try the butter on the bread.”
Jake listened as they talked, taking it all in as they ate. Finishing, he wiped his mouth, put his silverware down and cleared his throat. “What do you mean is this the mozzarella? Where’s it from?”
His brother’s snickered as they ate and his dad smiled and spoke up. “Wondered how long it would take for you to catch that. You remember what we talked about right after Christmas? The stuff about the farm, the business?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, we’re doing all that, but I’ve also decided to start up the creamery again.”
Jake’s mouth fell open as his eyes went wide, then he sputtered, “But…but…we don’t have the recipes, we don’t know...”
His dad interrupted him with a smile, and then nodded in Jules direction “We do now.”
Jake turned his head and looked at her in stunned silence. She had the most beautiful expression on her face, and she looked upon him with warmth and happiness.
Nodding in affirmation, she took his hand and said, “I can read it, Jake. I can read it all. It’s taken a bit of time because it’s a mix of different Nordic languages and dialects, with some German sprinkled throughout, and then there are some grammar issues, but I can read it, and it’s all there.”
Okay, so what good did that do him, he wondered. “Yeah, but even so, it’s a bunch of nonsense,” he said, with frustration. “One piddle, three fur chins, two nails worth, that doesn’t help me.”
She giggled, “Its pottle, not piddle, and firkin, not fur chin, and a nail is a form of measurement equivalent to seven pounds.”
Jake’s heart leapt as the big picture began to take shape. An image of her den, with all its books, flashed through his mind. Holy Mary, Mother of God, had she figured it out? Had she… He looked to his dad and brothers and they were all beaming.
Nik reached across the table and punched him in the arm. “It’s real, Jake. She’s done it. It’s all there and then some. There’s recipes and directions for cheeses we didn’t even know about. We’re back in business.”
Jake turned and threw his arms around Jules, kissing her hard. The spark of hope and purpose within him, flaming to life in a flash.
“…everything happens for a reason…”
She began laughing. “Okay, okay, I love the sentiment, I really do, but between you and the back brace, I can’t breathe.”
He eased up some, then took a stuttering breath when she reached up and put her hand to his cheek.
Speaking softly, she said, “Your brothers emptied out the creamery completely, and Linnie went to town cleaning and scrubbing everything from top to bottom. Then your Dad and Nate gave everything a fresh coat of paint. All the while, I’ve been translating the book into English and making sense of what’s written on the wall and pillars. Come, we’d like to show you what we’ve done.”
With mixed emotions, he got up and headed with them into the creamery. As he walked through the doors, he closed his eyes, not sure about seeing it again. He hadn’t returned here since turning out the lights four years ago. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and went a few steps further, looking around in astonishment. It sparkled. Fresh paint, a thorough scrubbing, extensive reorganization of equipment and supplies, along with a tremendous weights and measures chart on the wall, painted in art nouveau fashion, that now made perfect sense. There was even some fresh cheese in presses draining in a vat. Walking over, he looked at it, longing for the chance to make cheese again, wishing he’d been the one to have done it.
Walking up to him, she put her arm around him. “We’ve been trying out some of the recipes, and have made a different batch each day. We have a few fresh cheeses in the cooler for you to try, and several wheels aging in the cave for you to work with. I’ve finished translating and transcribing the book into English, and it’s waiting right over there on the counter for you.”
Looking that way, he moved in that direction, stopping in front of the old book and the copy she’d made. Thumbing through her work, he was overwhelmed with it all. Turning, he looked at the four of them. “Thank you.”
Looking beyond them he noticed a large empty area of one wall with markings here and there. “What’s that for?”
Jules looked to his brothers, then to his dad, and Jake watched as they all left the creamery. Clearing her throat, she started wringing her hands together. “Umm, well, I kind of hoped that this really handsome, right winger, farmer, guy would, ahhh, well, make me an offer I, umm, couldn’t refuse.” She started blushing. “As in, making me want to stay here and study the art and science of cheesemaking. I thought we could maybe make some fine Cheddar, a little Danbo, maybe some Kesella. I was hoping he could spare the space on the wall for a few copper things I own.”
She was adorable, she was so damn adorable, and she was everything to him. “Why? Why me? Several weeks ago you didn’t even want me to hand you a tissue.”
Her head fell and she looked down.
He felt bad.
Staring at the floor, she said, “Yeah, I handled it badly, Jake. I may be smart, but I don’t know everything, and when it comes to people and relationships, I’m not so good. I was embarrassed, you knew that, but it was more than that too. Life takes on a whole new dimension when you realize you can’t even pass urine or defecate without the aid of someone else’s hand. My time of the month had come, and I didn’t even know it. I had to lie there while someone else cleaned up the mess. Fortunately, that area of my body was one of the first parts to recover, and all those problems have gotten better, if not having completely gone away.”
She took a deep breath, then looked up at him. “I was afraid. I was afraid you’d get a load of what life would be like with me and you’d bail. It may have been my back that was broken, but it was my heart I was protecting, so I pushed you away. I’m sorry for that.”
“Why here? Why would you give it all up,” he looked around, “for this?”
“Because, I love you more than I love my fear, and because everything I’ve ever wanted is right here.”
“What is it? What have you wanted?”
“Love. A family’s love. The day Nik brought me in here, I found a past I could call my own, and when Kris set your family’s book in front of me, I saw my present clear as day, and when I look at you, I see my future. I hope when you look at me, you can see the same. I love you, Jake, and my desire is for us to be together, forever.”
She’d stolen his breathe and taken his words, so he did the only thing he could, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. Snuggling in tight, she placed that beautiful head of golden hair on his shoulder and sighed. Kissing her head, he said, “I love you too. Will you marry me, Precious? Will you stay here and clutter up my wall with your copper
?”
She giggled at that and squeezed him tight.
“You have a shitload of copper, you know that? We’re going to have to build another wall for it all.”
She pulled back and shook her head rapidly. “No we won’t.” Then she pointed to the ceiling.
Looking up, he saw marks all over for where she planned to hang the stuff. Unable to keep from chuckling, he looked down at her. “What’s your answer, sweetheart? You going to put me out of my misery and make me a happy man?”
She kissed him. “Yes, yes, yes, and I thought you’d never ask.”
There was a round of loud applause from the tasting room. Putting two and two together, he stared at her and said, “Intercom?”
Trying not to laugh, she nodded. “Yep, over on the wall by the door. They have them on so they can hear anything and everything, should I fall and need to yell for help.”
Having a sudden thought and wanting to have a little fun, he said, “You know what this means don’t you?”
She shook her head. “No, what?”
“It means you’ll be a cheesehead. No more Bears, baby, its Packers all the way.”
More cheering from his dad and brothers.
She busted out laughing, then turned and walked out of the creamery, giving his dad and brothers a thumbs up as she walked on by. “You know,” she said, moving along, “leaving Chicago has given me some time to ponder my team commitments. I don’t think it’s fair of me to ignore my Scandinavian roots. I think the Vikings are my new favorite.”
“Oh, hell no they aren’t!” he bellowed. “No way, not happening. That’s worse than the Bears. This will result in the less than lady like treatment for sure,” he threatened.
Laughing more, as she walked out into the hall, she challenged him. “Promise?”
“Hell yeah, I promise,” he said, in consternation as he followed her along. “Absolutely, positively promise.”
Stopping at the barn’s main entrance, she turned and looked at him deviously. “So, what you’re really telling me is that by my liking the Vikings, you in turn promise to behave like a Viking. You know, like by throwing me over your shoulder and carrying me off to some unknown location, to do with me whatever you so choose, is that right?”