Page 45 of Cookout Carnage
Tucker Farm, Fairview, KY
JONATHAN
Ijust shoved the girls back in their pen. I’ve purchased Gandalf from the neighbor girl. I promised she would be a pet and that she could visit whenever she liked. But they’re officially shacking up, as are we. Juliet dove right into this life with me but is carving out her own piece. She’s taking the tourist farm idea and running far and fast with it. We’re having a large barn structure built towards the back of the property and we had a driveway and a parking lot laid. Ironic considering Tanya promised me my property would be a parking lot. But it’s a small one to accommodate fifteen to twenty people in search of local produce, perhaps pumpkins in a couple of weeks. We’ll test run our idea for October. We have three other farms signed on to come over on the weekends and sell their produce, jams, cider, and we’ll have CK’s caramel waffles for grabbing and going. Jules worked for a week on how to make them a hand food. Life is as it should be. I pop open a beer and sit on the extended fancy back porch I finished over the last couple weeks.
SABRINA: I don’t think I should have to take a cooking class. I live in a city full of people that do it so much better than I ever could.
TRISTAN: A home-cooked meal can be a wonderful thing.
TABI: Not by me. Bax cooks. It’s so quiet here now.
JONATHAN: Any word if they can come back?
TABITHA: How the fuck can two little shits mean that much to me in such a short amount of time? Three months. I know it was a foster thing, but I’m not cut out for any of this shit.
RORY: Sorry, Tab.
TABI: It’s fine. It will all be fine.
BEN: It’s ok not to be fine.
TABI: No it’s not. So I’ll will it to be. They’ll be better off with their mom. That’s how things are supposed to be.
RORY: Be pissed off. Be fucking furious, then go get more kids not from your junk.
TABI: Thanks. But I’m out. I have lots of fucking fabulous things to do and none of them involve kids.
SABRINA: You’re drunk, aren’t you?
TRISTAN: Right pissed I imagine, and deservedly so.
TABI: I gotta go dance on some tables. Enjoy your day muthafuckers.
JONATHAN: Are you going to Chicago any time soon? Jules and I could wander up that way.
BEN: We have to come stateside in the New Year.
RORY: If there’s an invite coming, fuck off.
TABI: You’ll be busy. I’ll be there. Tell me the date.
BEN: Will let you know.
JONATHAN: It’s a reunion!
SABRINA: I’LL MAKE RESERVATIONS! I’m not cooking. Even for you.
I smile at the pink golf cart coming up the drive but as it gets closer my heart jumps. It still does, each and every time I see my love approach. She must have stolen Dinah’s cart. She’s barely stopped when she runs to me. Her face is beaming, but I’ve no clue what her mischievous eyes are up to.
“Hi!” She bends down, kisses me, and takes my beer.
“Hi. What’s up?”
Her voice is louder than it should be, “EVERYTHING.” She leans back against the new railing and takes a giant swig of beer. The setting sun lighting up her hair like it’s electric. I love the way the sun looks in the fall. The whole world looks crisp and—
She spits a full swallow of beer straight out in front of her and it lands on me. “Fuck. Fuck. Shit. I shouldn’t have done that.”
I wipe the suds to clear my vision. “No. You definitely shouldn’t have spit on me.” I step to her with my hands on my hips. She bites her lower lip.
