As we turned onto a large Cobblestone driveway, I saw the house on the hill. There was only one word I could think of. Grand. It was a three story house that was painted a light blue with tons of windows. There were gardens in vibrant colors, with all kinds of blooms. It was beautiful. The major laughed as I gawked at his property. It seemed what ever had been troubling him had been forgotten for a time.
"Come, Levi. See what my property is like. What's mine is yours."
If he thought my jaw had dropped as far as it could go, he was wrong. Upon him saying that, my jaw dropped what had to be another two feet.He laughed again and nudged his horse towards a barn to the right of his house. Once we were inside, I realized it wasn't just a barn. It was also the stables. He lead his horse in front of a stall, dismounted and directed the horse into a stall, closing the gate behind it. After a quick rub on its muzzle, he turned towards me.
"Is Moonshine alright with a stable? Or does she have a wild heart like her master."
I debated asking if I could put her in the pasture but decided against it.
"She would be good in a stall. Just let me walk her in."
I dismounted Moonshine and patted her side. I walked into the stall and tried to coax her into the stall. She walked towards me and slowly entered the stall. She stood and watched me as I walked around her, brushing her flank as I went. I closed the stall door behind me until I heard it click. Moonshine let loose whinny and I couldn't help but smile.
"It's alright Moonshine, I'll be back real soon okay?"
She lowered her head and I took that as a sign that she was letting me go. I walked away with Major Drofyn watching my surroundings, taking everything in as I went. There was no talk between Alistair Drofyn and I until I realized we were approaching the house's front patio. As I looked at the intricate pattern that the flowers were planted in and marveled at how well they were taken care of, the major cleared his throat, trying to politely get my attention. I turned my head to glance at him as he began talking.
"Son, are you hungry? I could get you something to eat before I show you around. I can tell you haven't had a proper meal in days, not including that burger and fries you just scarfed. You ate those like you were starved. Your welcome to anything in my kitchen."
I hesitated before I turned to him as my grin grew.
"Some food sounds amazing, Alistair sir. Would you join me though sir? I don't feel comfortable moving around your house alone until you have showed me around."
He chuckled and motioned for me to follow him. He showed me to the kitchen, and told me to help myself. He walked to the counter opposite of where I was standing and grabbed a mug from the cabinet that was at eye-level. As I watched I realized that directly in front of him, was an up to date coffee maker. I watched as he made himself a cup of coffee, stirring in liquid creamer and a few spoons of sugar, and he turned around. When he noticed me watching him, he grinned and sat his cup down.
"I'm taking it you drink coffee. I bet it's been a long time since you had a good, hot cup of coffee, huh kid?" I shook my head in silent agreement and watched as he grabbed another mug from the cabinet. He beckoned me to him and his grin returned as he watched me gawk as he showed me how to brew a cup of coffee. He handed me a spoon, the sugar and the liquid creamer.
"I'm not sure how you like you like your coffee, so make it your way."
I added a decent amount of sugar and started to pour the liquid creamer into my cup, watching as the cream mixed in with my coffee, fading it into a bright mocha color. Not until I had finished my cup, did I look up and notice the look on Alistair's face. I wasn't sure what it was exactly that I seen in his eyes, but it made me uncomfortable. So, in an attempt to change the look, I smiled and asked him.
"How about we find something to eat. I'm starving."
After a few moments, the major snapped out of it and looked at me in confusion.
"You say something kid?"
I shook my head in response and continued talking.
"Well, you were right. I am still hungry. You got any meat that I can make into fajitas? My mom taught me how to make the best fajitas. All I need is tortillas, cheese, some chicken and some sour cream. Salsa and hot sauce are good on it too. Of course if you want something else in it I could make something special for you."
The major smiled then. His smile grew as he seemed to consider a fajita.
"My momma used to make fajitas every Tuesday. My brother and I would always tell her it was supposed to be tacos not fajitas and her response was always 'Well, fajitas are Mexican as well, and are no different than tacos except they don't stand up on their own. Fajitas are better anyways.' Brother and I would always laugh after that and agree with her. Mom was so loving there was just no arguing with her."
I smiled and spoke again.
"Well, I've never tried your mom's fajitas but if you try mine you might admit that they are almost as good."
He seemed to contemplate it and I seen a light shine his eyes and I knew my answer. "Sure, why not. I think I already have the ingredients you need. Just look around. There are pots, pans, and skillets in the cabinet under the left set of cabinets. Yeah, right there. There are aprons in the drawer above it and on the wall are all the cooking utensils. Now if you will excuse me for a few moments, I believe I will change into more comfortable clothes so I don't ruin my uniform with dinner. Oh, that reminds me down the hallway to your left there, go to the end of the hall and turn right. That there is a spare room. It has an attached full bath and a walk in closet. I already ordered a couple sets of clothes that should be about your size to be placed in your closet. If I am right, they should have been hung up already by my butler, Carlisle. When dinner is done and we are ready to retire for the night, I will introduce you to Carlisle. He stays out of my way most of the time cleaning and keeping my property cleaned up and handling all the bills but he serves me a nightly drink before I go to bed every night. And no, I don't drink often. It's most often tea but occasionally I have a whiskey or gin. Ha, to keep my sanity you know? Anyway, when you're done, you are welcome to go into the room and grab something and see if it fits you. If so, help yourself to the shower, bath or whatever else is in there. Everything that is in there is yours to use. I am willing to wait for a bit for you to get done. If you need anything you just call. See you in a bit." With that, he walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his coffee as he went. I considered my options and went with the shower and clean clothes idea. I set the skillet I was holding down and walked down the hallway. As I made it to the bedroom, my eyes widened. The room was immaculate. Bigger and much more beautiful than any room I had ever seen nd even dreamed of. The bed was two times bigger than me in length and arm width. The blankets were soft and the mattress was bouncy. 'Feels like air.", I thought to myself. I opened the closet and seen the clothes Alistair was talking about. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. In the drawer in the closet, there were boxers, socks, and tank tops. I grab one of everything and made my way to the bathroom, eyeing everything in the room. I turned on the light and watched as the lights lit up the bathroom. Everything was a bright shiny white. The counters were a beautiful marble design that matched the floor. The shower was a pristine white and the door was a clear, see through glass. There was a seperate bath that had all the essentials needed for a perfect bath... I turned the handle in the shower and watched as steamy water came out of the shower nozzle. I took off my clothes and stepped in. I sighed as I felt the hot water beat into my back, warming my whole body and soul piece by piece. I began sudsing up and I drifted off to a distant memory.