Bella:
What I was thinking when I thought to buy this place I could never tell you. Everything was in shambles, even the rubble had rubble of its own. Ok maybe that was going a little far, but you get my point. We had finally gotten the kitchen and most of the downstairs fixed up, well as well as we could with little money to work with.
I would be going into Forks in two days, I already had an appointment set up at the bank. If all went well we would have enough money to practically gut half this place and start over. Until then, it was lots of elbow grease and sore hands and knees.
And itchy eyes. If there was one thing about ranching and farming that I hated, it was the hay. Mostly old hay, and the stables were full of it. That and petrified horse shit. Danny got off from having to help me today as it was his first day at his new school.
He had hooted and hollered this morning, I knew he hated being the new kid. A bus had come for him early this morning in order to bring him into Forks in time for classes. He had tried to convince me to allow him to enter the school on the reservation, he had already met some of the kids at the Diner, sadly he didn't like the fact that he wasn't allowed even if I liked the idea of him closer better.
I watched from the doorway of the stables as the old yellow school bus pulled up just outside the gates of our house. Danny practically leapt out onto the ground when the door opened up. He at least looked in one piece, if not a little annoyed. He didn't even bother with opening the gate, just climbed over it and started trudging my way.
"So, how was school?" My voice was a little scratchy from all the dust and hay, but at least I was able to yell loud enough that he could hear me. He dropped his bag beside him and let it drag in the dirt. Great, something else I was going to have to wash tonight before going to bed.
"Okay I guess, that school doesn't even have a computer though." I rolled my eyes, ever since he went to that school in Colorado he has been talking about nothing but those annoying things. He had even once tried to teach me how to work one during a Parent/Teacher night. Too many buttons.
"Did you talk to anybody?" He shrugged his shoulders, dragging his bag through a puddle of mud. I hope none of it got inside. We didn't have the money to replace ruined school books.
"Yeah, one kid. They aren't as interesting as the kids on the reservation though. I still wish I could go there, I like Collin and Brady." Ah yes, the twins. Danny had met up with them one night at the Diner and the three of them hit it off really quickly. They seemed like a good sort.
"I'm sorry, but you know why you can't. But hey, you can see them tonight. I got a call from Sue and she invited us down to First Beach tonight. I guess there is a weekly bonfire there, many of reservation and some of the people from Forks come out to dance and eat.
"So why don't you go and do your homework?" He picked up the muddy bag, a smile finally forming on his face.
"I did that on the bus already." At least he was smart, unlike his father. James wouldn't be able to draw water from a boot even if there were instructions on the heel.
"Ok then, go in and have some milk and cookies and come out and help me finish this so we can get going." He nodded as he made his way towards the house. I cringed as I remembered what I picked up at the store this morning.
"Damnit! I forgot milk, so have some water and cookies….bring me a cookie!"
Even though the sun had set about an hour ago, First Beach was as bright as a sunlit afternoon. Several fires along the beach were the main source of that light, but most of the tables that had been set up along one side of the beach also had large burning tiki torches as well. I even saw on the far end that someone had set up a portable generator and strung up Christmas lights.
Sue had been right, most everyone from the reservation was already here. I could even make out a few faces I knew from Forks. People were laughing and talking, fixing plates of food and generally having fun. This had to have been the first place I had ever been where the entire community actually got along.
Danny jumped a bit to my side, I looked at him and where he was looking and saw a table set up with several containers of ice-cream. I pulled out a couple of dollars from my purse and handed them to him.
"Go on." He smiled widely and took off at a run. I glanced around me a bit more, I could see Sue at a table a ways down. She was handing out plates of food, laughing and joking with an older man at her side. I was guessing that was her husband, with the way he reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
I had never had that with James. He had been all passion, all eight cylinders a runnin', only stopping when he was going on fumes. Of course he had been a gas guzzler, it always ended pretty quickly. He had never really been the romantic type. There were no soft caresses, whispered words of love, just persistent gropes and questions of when the next time we could fuck would be. It makes one wonder why I had ever married the fool.
Deciding it was time I just forget James and had fun I walked over to Danny who had just given his order to the woman at the table.
"Wait, I meant to have you get me one." He smiled as he reached out and took the two cones of ice-creams from the woman.
"I know, here." I took the scoop of what looked like vanilla bean and hooked my other arm around his shoulders. I lead him further down the beach, weaving in and out of people. We stopped here and there as people stopped to ask us how we were doing. It seemed everyone did already know who we were.
We walked closer to where the lights had been set up only to see that they had been used to light a stage and dance floor. I directed Danny towards a large piece of driftwood where two guys were sitting. With their russet skin and oil slick hair it wasn't hard to tell that they were from the reservation.
They were both what one would call beautiful men, in tight jeans and button down white shirts. I was sure all the woman here and in Forks were vying for their time. The tallest of the two stood up after Danny sat down. He flashed me a bright and wide smile and held his hand out towards the driftwood.
"Have a seat Ma'am. Jared and I were just about to go and get something to eat anyway." I knew when I was younger I would have been melting with the way he was looking me over. Call me jaded, but after my experience with James I was a little wiser in the guy department.
"Thank you….?" The guy next to me, Jared I was guessing, gave me a wink and walked off.
"Paul, Ma'am, Paul Meraz." He picked up a cowboy hat from a corner of the driftwood, placed it on his head and tipped it at me.
"Thank you, Paul." The smile never left his face as he turned with a soft 'you're welcome' and left towards the food tables. My attention then turned back to the stage where the band was playing up some sort of jig.
My eyes widened as I noticed the fiddler in front of the group. Billy Black stood before a microphone, a fiddle under his chin as he played. He was smiling out at the crowd of dancers, turning back towards the rest of the band every now and then. He had looked happy when I had seen him in his pharmacy, but the smile that graced his face now was shining. He truly looked like he was having fun.
After another song he called out for a ten minute break, set his fiddle down on a wooden stool and hopped off the low stage with more energy than a man his age should. Well a man of whatever age he was.
He weaved his way through the crowd and the moment he saw us he turned from the direction of the food tables to us. He sat down on Danny's other side and gave us both a huge grin.
"Mrs. Swan-Hunter. It is good to see you. Are you enjoying the bonfire?" I looked out over every one around before looking back at him with what I was sure my own bright smile. Maybe all the hard work at the farm was worth it.
"Definitely. So what, are you moonlighting or something?" He laughed a bit and turned on the driftwood so he could see us better.
"Nah, just letting off some steam. As you can see there is not a whole lot to do around here, these bonfire nights give something for everyone to look forward to." He looked down at Danny and held out his hand.
"Am I right in guessing this is your son?" Danny wiped off his hand to make sure there was no ice-cream on it and took Billy's hand.
"Danny Hunter, Sir." Billy grasped Danny's hand and gave it a shake.
"Billy Black, and it is nice to meet you. And please just call me Billy, I've always hated Sir.
"So you going to school over in Forks?" Danny's face fell immediately at the mention of school. Of course I doubted there was ever a kid's face that ever lit up at the thought.
"Yeah, just started today." I rolled my eyes to Billy over my son's shoulder. He just smirked.
"I take it then you don't like it very much?" Danny shook his head and looked down at his lap.
"He is a bit upset that he can't go to the rez school. He made friends with two of the kids here. A Collin and Brady." Billy's face lit up at the mention of the twins.
"The Harris twins. They are good boys, couldn't have picked two better friends." Danny nodded, though his face was still down I could see a hint of a smile on his face. He hadn't really had any friends in awhile, it has been just the two of us for so long.
"I see them down over by the water, a few of the other young guys from the rez with them." Danny's head shot up and looked around until he found the twins playing around by a fire that looked to be set too close to the water. It was a wonder they got that thing lit.
"Can I go Mom?" I nodded knowing he would just whine and annoying me the rest of the night if I told him no. I watched him run off and holler down to the group of boys. I was happy to see how the twins smiled and waved him down as soon as they saw him.
"You have nothing to worry about if he is going around with them. The twins help out around the rez a lot, Sam Uley, the tallest and only adult in that group, took them under his wing when they were about Danny's age.
"Sam is one of our police officers and sort of unofficial role model for the boys around here. We've had our share of young misfits, but far fewer of them since Sam grew up." I looked at Billy who was gazing out to the group of boys. I tried to imagine him at their age, his hair would have been shorter and I was sure he would have greased it back. I could see him wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans with his boots and all the girls just falling over themselves to even earn a look from him.
From the corner of my eye I could see an older woman walking our way. She looked to be maybe in her fifties, her hair still slightly black though the majority of it was grey. She stopped just in front of Billy.
"Hey Billy, you in for a game of Bridge tomorrow night? Alice wanted to know so she could bake you a raisin pie if you were." Billy took her hand and gave her a sweet smile.
"Nah, sorry Mary Ann. I already promised Emma that I would be by for her chili." Mary Ann nodded her head, winked and walked off as soon as she got a promise from Billy to pencil her in for next week.
"I'm taking it you don't watch too much late night television?" I swore I saw him blush a bit, though it could have been the lighting.
"I'm a widower, in a place where the women outnumber the men, a man like me is like catnip to a cat. But I promise, I only keep to the harmless ones. Mary Ann is a widow herself, Emma just never married after her boyfriend died when they were teens. When you get to be my age, you take what company you can get." I looked him over, head to toe.
"Oh I don't know, you can't be that old. How old are you?" He lifted a brow and shifted on the driftwood.
"Old enough. I have a few grandchildren. My son, Jake and his wife Leah have a four year old they've named after me." He stood up after that, dusted off his pants and tipped his hat to me. I could really get used to that.
"Well, I think everyone has had their bathroom break so I better be getting back up there. I hope to see you around. Goodnight Mrs. Swan-Hunter." He turned and headed back towards the stage to take back up his fiddle.
"Goodnight Mr. Black."
Author's Note: Sorry about not updating last week, we pretty much all took a break to gather the muse. But hopefully there will not be anymore breaks from me.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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