"Ugh," Demeter groaned as she woke up feeling stiff and sore. "God, I'm such a mess," she complained as she realized she was still wearing her work clothes. She stumbled into her bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her make up was smudged, and her hair was disheveled giving her a look of someone who had drunk to much the night before. She can't help but scrunch her face at her current state.
Demeter tossed her clothes on the floor haphazardly. She had to get them dry cleaned now anyways. She entered the shower and let the warm cascading water caress her. She leans her head against the wall as her muscles relax. 'At least it's Sunday,' she thought.
After her shower, she threw on a large tee shirt and sweat pants. As she poured a bowl of cereal, she casually tapped the messaging machine. "There are four new messages," it squawked. Demeter shook her head as she munched her cereal. The first three were apparent scams, but the last caused her ears to perk up.
Demeter's mom's voice chirped, "Hey honey, could you come over this Sunday we have something we'd like to discuss with you."
Demeter dropped her spoon in the bowl. She made a whining grrr sound while looking into her cereal. She grabbed her head and dragged her hands through her hair with a pained expression. She then searched for her phone in her messy living room. With her work schedule, she doesn't have much time or energy to clean.
After a few minutes, she found the offending phone under a shirt on the couch. With an exhausted frown, Demeter dialed her mother. "Good afternoon honey. When are you coming over?" Her mom quipped.
"Mom, you know I only get one day off a week. I don't want to spend half of it driving, ok?" Demeter pleaded while pacing.
"Don't be like that me and your dad have something we need to discuss with you. Didn't you hear my message?" Demeter's mom lectured.
"Yes mom, I heard your message. But why can't you just talk on the phone like a normal person?" she complained as she kicked some of her clothes around the floor.
"Stop being a sour puss. This is an important decision that we don't want to make without you. So just come over," her mom insisted.
Demeter clenched her phone and punted a shirt across the room. "Fine! I'll come," she grumbled.
"Alright see you soon!"
As her mom hung up, Demeter collapsed into her couch. She looked down at her day off clothes longingly and thought, 'I guess I should change." She then scrounges through the piles of clothes for a pair of jeans. When she found a pair that she liked she switched out her happy pants for her going to talk to mom and dad pants. She then threw on a bra under her t-shirt so her mom wouldn't complain to her about degeneracy. With her look sufficient for public consumption she left.
Two hours later Demeter reached her parents home. The place where she grew up on the corner of a small culdesac. She parked her car in the driveway and got out. She stretched with her arms reaching for the sky. 'Alright mom this better be worth me throwing away my day off,' she thought as she strides towards the door.
Demeter opens the door and yelled, "mom, dad I'm here!"
The gruff sound of Demeter's father floated down from upstairs, "It's already evening Demeter. You should keep a good schedule even on your days off." He instructed.
Demeter rolls her eyes as she climbed the stair. When she reaches the landing, she saw her dad a man with a sturdy build from construction work. His permanent stern expression contrasts with the bright smile he had. "I know dad," she concedes while hugging her dad. "Where's mom?"
"We didn't think you'd come, so she had to get everything set up at the last minute," he replied while patting his daughters head.
"What's going on?" Demeter asks as she tilts her head with a crunched up forehead.
"You'll see when we get there. Come on," He says sweeping her along into his car.
After an hour of driving the signs of city life became more scarce. Now the scenery was long strips of forest interspersed with small farms. 'More driving I guess this is a car day off,' Demeter muses while gazing out the window. The whole time her dad lectured her but she'd long tuned him out responding with yes dad every so often.
Eventually, they reached their destination a small patch of land with a quaint little one-story house at the end of a long gravel driveway. As they turned onto the property, Demeter noticed a for sale sign swinging in the breeze. 'Did mom want her to go to an open house with her? She does like that stuff but did she have to drag me all the way out here?' she complained to herself.
As they pull closer, a chubby woman waved at the car from the white porch. A bright smile on her face she climbs down the few front steps and heads towards the car. A man in an expensive suit follows after her.
"You made it; we were getting worried,' the chubby woman said.
"Mom, what's going on?" Demeter asked the chubby woman as she exited the car.
"Well, let's look around first before we talk!" Demeter's mother exclaimed.
The man in the suit walked over with a salesman smile. "I'm glad you could make it. Mrs. Kristy couldn't stop worrying," he explains. As they walk towards the house he began to describe the home and location, "This is a one-story house. It was updated in 2009, so it's about 20 years old. It's still in good shape though so there isn't a need for any repairs. It's 400 square feet with an open floor layout."
Demeter nods politely at the rush of information. 'God mom, you dragged this poor guy out here too? It's not like we're going to buy the place,' she complains as they enter the patio.
"The patio gives a nice view of the fifty-acre property. The ground is fairly flat making it a perfect location to farm. The soil has been tested, and it's been deemed acceptable for crops as well," the realtor said as he fished out the key. He then opens the door and stepped aside as everyone entered.
As they step in, they see a reasonably modern looking house. It had almost no internal walls, only a small room in the top right corner next to the double bed. The kitchen in the top left corner was well maintained with new appliances. A counter stuck out into the center of the house giving a place to eat and prepare food. Near the entrance, a sitting area took up the rest of the house. A small tv sat on a tv stand with a little couch in front of it. All around large windows opened up the world making the place feel larger then it is.
The realtor described the details of the house to the family as they examine everything inch of the cozy home. Finally, they reach the small room which opens up to a small shower, sink, and toilet. "You have running water and sewage from the city. It's something that your neighbors a bit farther out will surely be jealous about," he said with a triumphant smile.
Next, they went out into the field and looked at the small barn and silo. "Everything has been tested and given the green light. It's up to code and ready for a new farmer to take over," the realtor extolled as he pointed to the paperwork attached to the silo and barn. He then pulls open the barn which had some equipment in it.
There sat a tractor as well as a plow and seeder. They had a bit of rust and hadn't been kept up properly, the tractor's weals were all flat. The realtor looked at the equipment and shook his head. "As I told your mom the property is being sold with everything on it. This equipment hasn't been tested, so I don't know if it's usable. If you want we can have it moved away before you take over the property," he explained as we look around.
'Why does he keep acting as if we'll actually buy the place?' Demeter wondered guiltily.
"No, I'm sure you can sell it for parts or scrap. It's better to keep it. If it can be fixed it'll save money too," Demeter dad consoled.
As they leave back out into the sun, Demeter's mom grabbed Demeter's arm into a hug. "What do you think? Do you like the place?" Demeter's mom asked.
"Of course I love it. If I could live in a place like this I'd quit my stupid job in a second," Demeter responded with a pained look on her face.
"You shouldn't be so down on hard work. Everyone's job is important, and you shouldn't disrespect your career path." Demeter's dad expounded his philosophy.
Demeter's mom interrupted him while waving for him to stop, "Now now this isn't the time for that she."
"You're right. Thanks for showing us around Greg. She seems to like the place, so I think everything is fine," Demeter's dad said to the realtor.
"I'm glad it worked out for you. It's a bit late so we can do up the paperwork tomorrow if that fits into your schedule."
"Sure," Demeter's dad said with a nod and the two men shake.
"What's going on?" Demeter asked with wide eyes. She kept glancing between the realtor and her dad shocked.
"Isn't obvious honey? You've been so depressed; lately, we couldn't stand it. So we've decided to buy you the small farm you always wanted!" Demeter's mom explained as she gave her daughter a bear hug.
Demeter jaw drops as her mind blanks out. 'They're buying this place for me?'