My body is so used to waking up at four in the morning that I don't need the alarm clock anymore. I roll over in bed and sigh, knowing today is going to be a long day. It is Monday! We have to get ready for the milk and egg pickup.
Part of the reason I couldn't sleep was that I saw that golden light again last night. I was walking from the barn and happened to look up. It was as bright as the moon. It climbed higher and higher into the sky. Once it reached a certain point, it fell. It looked exactly like a space shuttle, reentering the atmosphere—the tail end on fire.
What the hell was it, and why was no one in town asking questions?
I stand and touch my toes, stretching out the kinks. "Get the falling star out of your head, Em. You are going crazy!" I scold myself out loud.
Today I have to micromanage everything and everyone. Something I didn't have to do, but I exercise perfection. It's just how I operate, I guess.
I exit my bedroom, head for the bathroom, and start to daydream about punching Mr. Leviathan Castor in the face! It instantly makes me smile. Man, is he annoying!
Rick and Sandy are such friendly people. Hard to believe they raised a son like Leviathan. And what kind of name is Leviathan? Isn't that the name of a water demon or something in the bible? I'm pretty sure it is. It suits him, though.
I am thinking about his piercing, blue eyes when the smell of coffee lingers in the hallway. It's calling my name. Time to start my day!
I walk into the kitchen. Daddy is on his laptop, and Alice is making waffles.
"I hate technology! I curse the man that invented this damn contraption!" Daddy is trying to print last week's receipts, of course. "This is why I always ask you to take receipts from the driver, Em."
I scoff as I sit at the table. "You're mad at me because you can't remember how to print a single sheet?"
Alice puts my plate in front of me. I inhale the sweet, refreshing smell of waffles. "Simon is upset because his hip is killing him," she says, trying to close his laptop. He flags her hand away, and she walks back to the stove.
"Figures!" I say as I look at Daddy. I grab the whipped cream.
"You wouldn't be in so much pain if you went to your doctor appointments every month like instructed. They are prescribing you pain medication! Since you stopped going, you haven't even taken your pills," Alice says, placing a waffle on a plate.
"Are you crazy?" Dad says, closing the laptop angrily. "The government puts ungodly stuff in that. It's how they get mind control over us. They even coat the medicine in diseases. Cancer, HIV, even headaches!"
I smile, and Alice notices.
"Emery, you have him on the conspiracy theory train again. You both are the same!" Alice shakes her head as she serves me coffee and places it near my plate. She's insane! I didn't say anything.
Daddy cuts into his waffle rather roughly. "They will never take me as a prisoner. Remember the Watsons? They wanted to turn their land into a vegetable farm. John gets into that accident, he takes meds prescribed to him, and then what happens? They move out of the state. They suddenly want to become city folk. Hmpf!"
Alice sits and sips her coffee as she goes through the newspaper. "If you ever needed to know where you get your exaggeration from, there's the reason." She looks at me and points her knife at daddy.
I smile as I coat my waffle with whipped cream. I grab the cherry glaze tub and take a spoonful, spreading it all over the waffle. I love this!
Best breakfast in the world!
Alice smiles at my plate. "So I didn't tell you what Sandy and I spoke about yesterday."
I look at my aunt as I cut into my breakfast. "Is she giving you another huge check so you can buy more appliances?"
Daddy chuckles.
"No!" She closes the newspaper and hits me on the head with it. "A business opportunity." She looks at us both. "For a bakery. My very own!" She says, beaming.
I stop cutting, and my mouth falls open. "Are you serious?! You're going to open up your own business?"
She nods excitedly. I stand up and hug her. "Oh my goodness! I'm so happy for you!"
She hugs me back. "I'm happy too! She wants to be a silent partner. I have full control of the shop and hiring and the buying."
Daddy looks skeptical. "I don't like it! Why is she being nice?"
"Who cares?" I interject as I let Alice go. "She's loaded and is probably bored with her money. I'm glad she decided to do this with you. You honestly deserve it!"
Alice's smile slowly disappears as she looks at my dad. "Be happy for me, for once, brother. Please? I've never asked for anything."
After breakfast, I head to the big barn—the one furthest from the house. I walk in and spot my crew. They are cheerily talking to one another, drinking coffee. Alice always brings them coffee while I get ready.
These workers are some of the friendliest and loyal people I have ever met. Of course, I know them all well. As tiny as the town is, it's hard not to know who is who.
"Good morning, Emery! How are you?" Nathan Vardone asks me.
"Tired, but I'm fine. Thanks for asking," I say, not bothering to look at Nathan as I head straight for the desk in the corner.
While everyone else was well in their forties or older, Nathan was my age, tall and skinny. His family moved from Hawaii when he was five years old, and they've enjoyed country life ever since.
Nathan took this job for the summer and is very good at it. That is until he developed a crush on me.
He's never come out and said it, but it's uncomfortably apparent. Instead of focusing on work, I will catch him staring at me. I don't mind it that much. As long as he does his job, he can google all he wants.
"Okay, guys!" I yell as I stand on a metal stool. "Trucks are coming today! Mark and I will hand milk the standard five! Nathan, I need a full count on the eggs while Robert double-checks! I need all the oranges and apples picked off the trees! Brian will deliver the fruits to Mrs. Obel! Remember, today is the pickup day! So let's concentrate and make sure the barn is taken care of!"
All the men smile and nod as I continue with the job list.
"Alright, have a great day! Lunch is at eleven. Alice is making tacos as you all requested," I continue.
The men cheer! They love Alice's cooking, so she makes it a point to serve them lunch every day.
"Alright, settle down," I say with a laugh as Nathan hands me my clipboard. "Let's get to work!"
I jump down and turn toward my desk when Hector calls out to me. "Boss! Phone! It's Mr. Summer!"
I walk towards Hector and grab the phone. "Thanks, Hector." I put the phone to my ear. "Yes, Daddy?"
"Sweetheart, come back to the house for a second."
"Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Yes. Everything is fine." He hangs up.
It was still dark as I walked back to the house. Sunrise isn't until 6 am.
I have so much on my mind. Mondays are horrible! I will eventually have to tell Daddy that we need more people. Forty isn't enough.
We don't have enough staffing with over fifty cows and sixty chickens, six horses, all the trees. Even though the money is coming in, my dad is a penny pincher, so I will have to ask Alice to talk to him.
I am heading up the porch stairs when I see a car parked in front of the house—a black Porsche Cheyenne. I only know this because I always fantasized about owning this car. Those ads on the television do a number on me.
"Daddy?!" I yell, walking in. I walk towards the back and into the kitchen. "Whose car is-"
I don't finish the sentence as the figure stands from the table. It's that smug, self-entitled prick!
Leviathan.
"What's going on?" I ask my dad and Alice cautiously. I am so confused. Why the hell is he here?
Alice hands Levi a cup of coffee and turns to me. "Levi said you invited him to help you. So nice that he's here. Right, Em?"