CHAPTER TWO
Makenzie pulled onto a dirt road and suddenly, I was being jolted in my seat. My eyes shot open with surprise since I had been on the cusp of falling asleep.
“Morning sleepyhead.” Makenzie teased me, glancing over at me.
“I wasn’t asleep.” I grumbled under my breath.
“Sure, whatever you say.”
“Are we almost there?” I asked, looking out the window. There was a large cornfield to the right. The stalks swayed in the wind like a uniform body.
“Yes, just up this road.”
“Don’t you get lonely living out here all by yourself?”
“Sometimes, but I have all the animals to keep me company.”
“Somehow, that sounds even worse in my mind. Do you really spend that much time with animals?”
“Of course. They aren’t just my test subjects. I like to treat them as part of my family. I’m usually up at the crack of dawn to feed them. Soon, you will be, too.” I groaned. I had been afraid of that. I wasn’t cut out to be a farmhand, but I knew I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I had hit rock-bottom in my life and now, the only thing I could do was pull myself up by the bootstraps. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” She chuckled. “It’s honestly not all that bad.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I answered sarcastically.
“You know, I’m not forcing you to work for me.”
“I’m not just going to mooch off you, especially after everything you’ve done to help me. You paid for my ticket out here and you’re giving me a place to stay... If it hadn’t been for you, I’d be homeless. I owe you, Makenzie. Big time.”
She didn’t say anything in response. She just had this knowing smile on her face. As she continued to drive, we fell into a calm silence. Outside the window, the landscape changed from a field of corn to long expanses of land. Cows roamed the pastures, chewing on bright green grass. “Wow…” I whispered, my cheek nearly pressed against the glass. “That’s a lot of cows!”
Makenzie chuckled at my amazement. Finally, we stopped in front of a large, ranch-style home. It was actually quite beautiful, with its pristine red paint, large windows, and white trimming. “You live here?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yep!” She smiled cheerily.
I stared in envy. All my life, I had lived in apartments and yet, Makenzie had already managed to buy herself a house. I couldn’t believe how successful she had managed to get in such a short amount of time. On one hand, I was really proud of my best friend, but on the other, I couldn’t believe her luck. Why had her dreams come true while mine had crashed and burned?
She got out of the car and headed toward the building. I scrambled to follow her. My heels dug into the mud beside the car and I nearly stumbled forward. Makenzie looked back, her arms crossed over her chest. “You’ll have to get some new shoes if you want to work for me. This is no place for heels!”
I nodded, but I could feel a pit form in my stomach. I felt so out of place, but I just had to keep my head up high and get through this.
I grabbed my bag from the trunk and entered Makenzie’s home. It was modestly decorated, with a few pieces of artwork and various knick-knacks. The furniture in the living room was upholstered in fine leather and the rug looked like it was expensive - maybe even custom-made. “This is nice…”
She shrugged. “It’s a home.”
“What are you talking about? There aren’t many people our age who can say they have their own house. You should be proud of your accomplishment. I mean, just look at me…”
“Hey, don’t put yourself down like that. Everyone goes through rough patches in their lives. I know you’ll bounce back from this.” She rested her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Now, you must be exhausted, why don’t you get some rest? We’ll be starting bright and early tomorrow morning.”
I nodded, following her to the second floor. There, she showed me to the guest room, where I finally had a moment to myself. I locked the door, leaning against it, my whole body feeling like it was made of lead. I took a deep breath, trying to convince myself that everything was going to be okay, but my future looked bleak at best.
***
Half-asleep, I could hear a persistent knocking on the door. Groaning, I lifted my head, grabbing my phone off the nightstand. 5:45 A.M. I groaned once more, burying my head into the pillow, but the knocking continued.
“C’mon, Haley, time to get up.” Makenzie’s voice came through the door.
“But the sun isn’t even up yet! This isn’t natural…” I tumbled out of bed and approached the door. When I opened it, Makenzie was standing on the other side, dressed in a plaid shirt and a pair of cowboy boots.
She looked at me, her hands on her hips. “The animals aren’t going to feed themselves. Now hurry up and get dressed.” She threw a pile of worn-out work clothes in my direction. “I figured you would need something to wear.”
“Thanks.” I grumbled under my breath. “I’ll be done in a minute.”
She nodded and left. I took a moment to take a deep breath. This whole thing still felt unreal. I wasn’t supposed to be here - on a farm - about to feed animals. I ground my teeth together, frustrated with myself. Still, what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just lay in bed all day and feel sorry for myself.
Shrugging off my clothes, I pulled on the worn-out jeans Makenzie had given me. Jeans were never really my thing, but it couldn't possibly be a good idea to go outside in a skirt.
Once I got dressed, I stepped in front of the full length mirror. I could barely recognize myself. Only a few months ago I had been wearing designer clothes and now, I looked like someone who had been homeless for weeks. I frowned, running my fingers through my frizzy hair. I missed my shampoo and conditioner. I missed my old life and all the luxuries I had taken for granted. Maybe if I had been a little more grateful, I wouldn’t be in this situation right now…
Sighing, I tied my hair into a messy bun and made my way downstairs. Makenzie was leaning against the kitchen counter, a mug of coffee in her hand. “Glad you finally decided to join me.” She grinned. “I made some coffee if you want some.”
“What about breakfast?” I asked, looking around for some sign of food. I couldn’t remember the last time I had snagged something to eat. Maybe before I got on the plane… I couldn’t recall if they had handed out snacks during the flight. Either way, I was starving, my stomach shrinking in on itself.
“We eat once the animals are fed. So the faster you get to work and finish everything, the faster you get to eat.” Makenzie downed the rest of her coffee. “Well, are you ready to go?”
“Not really… but… might as well just get it over with.” I chugged down the black coffee. I definitely needed the caffeine to get me going.
***
By midmorning, I was completely drenched in sweat. My arms felt like they were going to fall off at any moment. I leaned against the shovel I was using, trying to catch my breath. The smell of animal feces wafted up to my noise, making me feel queasy. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on keeping myself from dry-heaving.
Behind me, one of the horses nuzzled my neck. I jumped in surprise, stumbling forward. I tripped on a bag of feed and went flying into the water trough. I gasped, getting soaked to the bone. It took me a moment to jump out of the putrid water, but by then, it was too late. My clothes clung to my body, my hair sticking to my skin in clumps. I smelled horrible.
I tried to wring out my shirt when Mackenzie walked into the stable. “Having a hard time?” She asked, a grin on her face.
“No.” I answered through gritted teeth. “I’m doing fine.”
“So you don’t want any help then?”
I hesitated. Of course, I wanted help. I had no idea what I was doing. All day, I had been making mistake after mistake. I had accidently locked myself in the pig pen. I had fallen more times than I could count, trying to herd the sheep to the pasture. I had stepped in dog shit several times and it wasn’t even lunch yet. I didn’t know how much more of this I could handle.
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we go inside for breakfast and then we can start fresh with the cows. They need to be milked today. I’ve put them on a special diet and I want to send off a sample of their milk for testing.”
“You really like this sort of stuff, don’t you?” I asked.
“Hmm?”
“All this farm stuff… you seem to like to get your hands dirty.”
“I guess I always liked a day of hard work. It makes you feel tired, but by the end of the day you get a great feeling of accomplishment. You know?”
I didn’t answer her because somehow, I had gotten stuck in the mud. My foot was completely submerged in the muck and I tried to pull it out, only to lose my shoe and stumble forward. Makenzie tried to save me, but by the time she held out her arms to catch me, I had already face-planted into the dirt.
I struggled to get up. I had to do everything in my power to prevent myself from breathing - from accidentally ingesting this stuff. I wiped it off with my hands, but that only made matters worse.
Makenzie helped me up as my emotions threatened to burst. I was on the verge of breaking into tears. Nothing was going right. I was just trying to rebuild my life and yet, everything seemed to work against me. “Are you okay?” She asked, her voice kind.
I knew that if I answered her, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. Everything that I had experienced over the last few weeks had built up inside of me and now, it was like I was mere seconds away from exploding.
Slowly, so I wouldn’t fall again, I walked toward the house. Makenzie grabbed me before I could step inside. “You’ll have to take off your clothes out here or you’ll make a mess inside. If you want, there’s an outhouse you can use. I won’t look.”
I stared at her through my mud mask. “Fine.” I trudged to the outhouse, locking myself inside. The moment I was alone, I collapsed onto the small bench, my head in my hands. Tears welled up in my eyes. How had I gotten in this situation?