Page 63 of Waiting on Life
So I thumbed through the paperwork until I found printouts of the house. It was a lovely two-story home, with natural wood in the kitchen, a slate floor that had been restored recently, and high ceilings. What caught my attention was the fireplace. It was like my dream had become a reality, because it was big and the fire that roared within it would keep Tammy and Mel warm and toasty.
“He’s not getting it,” Tammy grumbled, her frustration obvious. “This is your house, asshole.”
“My….” None of this made any sense. “This isn’t mine. I can’t afford it.”
“I can,” she said. “I did. It’s a gift, so take it and shut up.”
“No.” I pushed the paperwork to the center of the table. “I’m going to get the house, but it’ll be something I do on my own.”
“And what about me?” Kyle demanded, his cheeks flushed. “Do you know how goddamn sick I am of seeing you once or twice a week? When our lives are you working twelve-to-sixteen hours a day, then coming home, feeding Waldo, and crashing so you can start again the next morning—or, worse still, us seeing each other at the bar or passing in the hallway. I have to ask, what kind of life are we building? You’ve told me how you dreamed of this farm, how you wanted to get away to somewhere small, so you could be yourself. Well, this is that place. It’s almost two hundred acres in Herbster, Wisconsin. Population? About a hundred people, give or take. The nearest neighbor is almost a mile away. It’s what you wanted.”
“No. I’m not taking a house from my sister.”
My mom cleared her throat. “Your father and I chipped in too.”
Then Kyle’s mom. “So did I.”
And finally, Pete. “Me too, though it probably wasn’t enough to pay for much.”
“You see?” Kyle sniped, glaring down at me. “Everyone in your family—and that’s what these people are, whether you’re going to admit it or not—loves you. They want you happy. You’re killing yourself for a dream that is, quite simply, unattainable.” He bit his lip. “Unless you’re telling me you don’t want this.”
But I did. I wanted it so bad. A hundred people? That was my idea of paradise. “But what will we do for money?”
The annoyance on Kyle’s face melted away, and it was replaced by a smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tube that he placed in front of me.
I picked it up. The label was fairly plain, but it was what was written on it that gave me pause. “Roga’s Remedies: Calendula Lip Balm with Vitamin E?” I asked.
“You said you wanted to work the land. This is your chance. What I made here? That’s with store-bought ingredients. What if we planted our own calendula, lavender, and other herbs to make balms with? We can practice with new blends of oils and things, looking for stuff that will sell online. I already have an Etsy store and a clientele.”
“All four of us,” Mom said, chuckling. “But his stuff is good. I don’t see why it wouldn’t sell. He’s got it reasonably priced—though I know that’ll change when you start getting better ingredients—and it smells great and works like a charm.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tube similar to the one I had. “See?”
I placed the one in my hand on the table. “Kyle, I can’t—”
His face turned to stone. “I’ll tell you one thing, Toby. I’m living there, and if you want to stay here? Well, that’s your choice, I guess. I wanted to share that dream with you, but apparently you’re too fucking stubborn to make it into something.” He slammed his hand on the folder. “You’ve been given something few others get, and you’re going to let your goddamn fucking pride get in the way? Whatever.”
He turned and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. I wondered what the restaurant staff would say.
“Well, you know how to fuck things up, don’t you?” Tammy groused.
“I can’t let him—let any of you—do this.”
“Goddamn it, Toby,” Pete shouted, smashing his hand on the tabletop. “Stop being so fucking stubborn. Kyle wants a home. With you. You’ve got it served to you on a silver platter, if only you’ll stop trying to see the problems and focus on what’s important. That guy who just walked out? He’s got a stubborn streak just as wide as yours, and knowing him, he’ll probably get on the bus or walk home. Do you know those classes he was taking? He was learning how to make stuff for his shop, because he wants so badly to be with you on the farm. Do you really want to throw all that away?”
I stared at the papers in front of me. My dream was there, and all I had to do was put my pride aside and take it.
“Listen to me,” Dad said. “You know where you got your… independent streak from, right?”
“You,” I answered softly.
“Me?” He snorted. “It’s from your mother. She’s got the same blood that flows through her veins. While I love you with all my heart, she understands you in ways I can’t. The two of you are cut from the same cloth.”
“Is there a point?” I asked, staring at the door Kyle rushed out of.
“When you love someone, and I meanreally, truly, deeplylove them, you need to put your own ego aside for their sake and for the sake of your relationship. Your mother did when she married me. She could have had anyone, but she chose me. If you see a future with Kyle, does it matter how you got the house? You can give the two of you a long, happy life together. Why would you throw that away on a snit fit?”
The tingle in my skin made me think of ants marching over it. I’d upset Kyle, who’d done what I had always dreamed of. We could live on a farm. He had a plan to help us with money, and it was something the two of us could do together. Dad was right. Why was I being such an asshole about this?
I stood. “I have to go catch Kyle.”
