Page 6 of Merry Little Sugar Rush
“Been good, thanks. You guys have done a lot with this place. It looks great,” I tell him, earning me a smile full of pride.
He nods and looks around before returning his gaze to me. “Glad to have you here to help.”
Again, my throat becomes dry. “More than happy to help, Uncle Karl. I’m glad you guys called,” I state, taking a quick look toward Klint, who’s the one who called to tell me about Grandpa’s stroke and to ask if there was any way I could come help at the farm for the next month.
There was only one answer I could give.
Even though our family hasn’t been that close the last fifteen or so years, I’d drop anything to help while Gramps recuperates.
It wasn’t easy making it happen though. I had two furniture pieces I was commissioned to make before Christmas, and I had to call both clients and tell them I couldn’t do them anymore. When I explained why, both were super cool and decided to keep the orders in place. We just pushed the production back to January and I offered a discount off their total price as a thank you.
“You sure you don’t mind staying with Mom?” Karl asks, referring to my grandma. “You’re more than welcome to have Klint’s old room out at our place.”
I wave off his comments. “I’m happy to stay with Gram. This way, I can help her with whatever she needs while she’s with Gramps.”
I was told it’s going to be a couple of weeks before he’s able to come home. While the stroke was considered mild, he has a lot of weakness on his left side and will need to go to a rehab center for a couple weeks to rebuild his strength. The goal is to have him home in plenty of time for Christmas, even though he won’t be able to work his farm for a while.
Karl grins. “She’s super excited to have you. You get the whole upstairs to yourself, since we moved them down to the first floor after her knee surgery two summers ago.”
Just one more thing I’ve missed since moving away.
The barn door opens once more and in walks another blast from the past. “Rumor has it we have a new employee starting today to haze.”
I bark out a laugh, my feet already carrying me toward Ray. “I don’t think you can haze people anymore,” I tell him, throwing my arms around his shoulders and giving him a hug.
“We keep our secrets around here,” he teases. His comment makes me laugh even harder, since Snowflake Falls was never known for keeping secrets.
“Sure, sure,” I reply, taking a good look at the man I remember from my childhood. “How are you?”
“I’m doing very well, thanks. Happy to see you here, despite the circumstances.”
I nod in reply. “Glad I could come help out. It’s been too long.”
He’s watching me closely. “It has. Everyone is going to be so happy to see you.”
I can’t help but wonder if he’s including his youngest daughter in that group.
Before I can ask any more questions, my uncle speaks up, “Well, we’re opening in thirty minutes. I don’t think we’ll be too busy today, but tomorrow and Sunday should be our biggest weekend of the year. It’ll take all four of us cutting and wrapping trees. We do close at five tomorrow instead of six, since it’s the big opening night of the festival.”
My heart jumps in my chest as I think about the Snowflake Falls Family Festival. Every weekend from now through the end of the year, it’s nothing but fun for the holidays, all outside, weather permitting. I remember spending every free minute I could during the month of December in the downtown square. Carnival games, amusement rides, ice skating, Christmas movies, food and cocoa. When I was asked to come home andhelp, attending the festival was one of the first things I thought about.
Of course, I might be too busy to even attend the festival. I am here to work, and make sure my family’s farm is taken care of. Ensuring Gram has what she needs, whether at the hospital or here at home, is my top priority. Everything else comes in second, and that includes reconnecting with old friends.
“All right, let’s get ready to go. Burk, you can shadow Klint today, but both Ray and I will be around too. If you have any questions, just holler,” Uncle Karl says.
“Sounds good,” I easily agree, ready to get to work.
“Let’s take a quick ride around the property. I’ll show you what sections we have open for tree cutting and where we keep all the supplies,” Klint states.
I follow to an awaiting UTV with an all-weather cab enclosure, complete with doors and a windshield. “Well, this is a hell of a lot warmer than the old tractor we used to drive around back when we were kids,” I state, climbing into the passenger seat.
Klint chuckles and starts up the machine. “Oh, we still have the tractor, and I’m sure you’ll get a chance to drive it. Gramps still insists on using it, though in the last couple of years, he’s gotten better about taking this. I think his blood is finally starting to thin a little in his old age.”
I don’t comment, especially because of the reason I’m here. Gramps is proving to be human after all, which to me is still a little crazy. He was always larger than life and the hardest worker I knew. When we left all those years ago, I didn’t want to go. I begged my dad to let me stay at the farm, but he wouldn’t hear it. Living in Colorado wasn’t what he wanted, but he did it to please his father. Eventually, he couldn’t do it anymore, and that’s when the argument ensued. We ended up moving away, never to return.
I take a big chunk of that responsibility now, looking back. Maybe not while I was still a minor, but after graduating high school and becoming an adult, I should have visited. But I was young, dumb, and stupid. I had friends in South Carolina and a life there, and visiting my family back west didn’t seem as important at the time.
Now, I’m righting that wrong.
