by Casey Peeler
Chapter 5
Cadence
Oh my gosh, what the hell is that racket? Bam! Bam! Bam! My bedroom door swings open and Gran is standing there with a wooden spoon and frying pan. It’s pitch black outside. I take my pillow and cover my head. Bam! Bam! Baaaammmm! The sound gets louder and before I know it, the pillow has been tossed across the room and she’s beating the pan right at my ear.
I cover my ears. “Okay! I get it! I’ll get up.”
As if she is innocent of the whole wake-up call, she sweetly tells me to put on some old clothes and meet her in the kitchen.
I mumble as I fumble through my boxes attempting to find something old. I don’t own anything old. I take a minute to yawn and realize I have old dance clothes. I guess that will just have to do. I put on a pair of booty shorts and a worn out tank. I go to the bathroom and straighten my hair and apply my makeup. I shake my head as I look at myself in the mirror. Looking around for shoes, I have no idea what to put on so I grab a pair of flip-flops and make my way toward the kitchen.
As I enter the kitchen, I’m overcome by the smell of bacon. Here we go again. I take a deep breath and start to choke. I bet I’ll smell like grease all day now. Great! Gran has her apron on and is humming a tune and acting as if she wasn’t a crazy lady ten minutes ago.
“Mornin’ Cadence. Why’d you put all that stuff on?” she questions while gesturing to her face.
“My makeup?” I ask for reassurance and she nods.
“I don’t leave home without it.”
She shakes her head and I know she’s trying to refrain from commenting. “What would you like? I can scramble you an egg if you like.”
“Do you have any yogurt?”
“No I have oatmeal. Would you like that?” That actually sounds normal and perfect.
“Please,” I say.
“It’s in the cabinet. Will you get it for me?”
I walk to the cabinet and take it out. It’s just plain. There’s no maple sugar and it’s in a large container, not a packet. I don’t even know what to do with this. Gran giggles.
“I can add some syrup to it. No worries. I don’t like it plain either. My favorite is peanut butter and honey. You should try it.” That actually does sound great. Not to mention it’s full of protein. I take her up on her offer and take a seat.
Mom joins us while I’m still trying to figure out why I had to get up so early.
Mom looks toward me. “Cadence, I’m starting a job today. I’ll be leaving in the next hour.” I guess Gran did know what she was talking about.
“Excuse me? How did you get a job? We just got here.”
“I’m working for a local paper in Hickory. I accepted the offer yesterday over the phone.”
“A local newspaper? Mom, you worked for one of the most successful fashion magazines in New York! What’s up with that? Can’t you work freelance for them or just use the money Dad’s sending you? This is all his fault anyway.”
“Cadence! I’m a grown woman, and I have my own money. I will not touch a dime of your father’s. Besides the market is different here. It might be a nice change of pace.”
“What am I going to do?” I question, no longer feeling hungry.
“I believe Gran told you last night.”
“Me? Work on a farm? Um, no thanks,” I say forcing another bite of oatmeal.
Mom puts her fork down and I know I’m in trouble. She points her finger at me. “Yes you will help Gran. Do you understand me?”
“Fine,” I say, but that doesn’t mean I have to do it willingly.
After we finish eating, Gran tells me to get her old boots by the door. I laugh because they are no longer brown but a light tan and I’m sure both of my feet could fit in one.
Barrick
While driving to Ms. Mae’s, I wonder how her evening went. She was not herself yesterday. She seemed to be going above and beyond to make everything perfect. She never tries to impress anyone. What you see is what you get with her and I admire that.
As I pull into the driveway, the first thing I notice is a top-of-the-line Chevrolet with New York tags. It’s so shiny and new, I bet it’s got all the bells and whistles on it. Who does Ms. Mae know in New York? I park my truck and make my way into the barn. I feed the horses, and check the equipment before bringing the cows in for milking. After I’ve finished a round, I hear the barn door open.
“Ms. Mae?” I call out.
“Yes, Barrick. I’ve got someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Hold on. Let me finish with this set and I’ll be there in just a sec…” I don’t finish my words because as I glance up, I see more than Ms. Mae. I see a girl with long blond hair in perfect makeup wearing workout clothes and a pair of boots that are way too big for her. I sure hope she’s not expecting to stay clean around here. She has bold eyes that are staring right at me. I quickly stand from my stool and wipe my hands on my jeans.
“Barrick, I wanted to introduce you to my granddaughter, Cadence. She and her mom, Regina, are going to be staying here awhile. She’s going to help us out until school starts and maybe a little while longer.”
I look at her and am in awe of her beauty, but yet want to laugh at the fact that it’s obvious this is something she’s never done before and the look on her face is priceless. I extend my hand to introduce myself. “Barrick, nice to meet you.” She stands there with her arms crossed and looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Um, you were just holding that cow’s boob over there. Do you really think I’m going to shake your hand?” she says with disdain.
I ignore her and look toward Ms. Mae. “I’ve finished with the first group of cows, and fed the horses. I hope to be finished milking the others by seven-thirty. Anything new on the agenda for today?”
“I know the stalls need to be cleaned and new hay added. Cadence is going to help you with that today. Also, we need to check the garden, and start a plan for when you pick up those other two classes at the community college.”
“Yes ma’am,” I say as I smile toward Cadence and go back to work. Ms. Mae shows her around the barn, but I can’t concentrate. All I can see is the way her ass fits those stretch shorts a little too well, and how Ms. Mae’s old boots are two sizes too big. This is going to be interesting.