Finding Goodbye by Brittany Elise

Author:Brittany Elise [Elise, Brittany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2016-03-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

It rained on Monday morning. It was a slow, lazy drizzle that fell from somewhere high up in the clouds, coloring the world around me the lightest of grays. I cracked open the bedroom window so I could capture the scent, letting it fill the room with spring aromas. The sound of thunder in the near distance rattled the ceiling, echoing my glum mood. It was almost as if the weather was synchronizing with my emotions.

I was sitting at the small writing desk, typing a quick reply to my mother’s email when I heard the floorboards creak in the hallway. I turned to find Grandpa shrugging into his jacket in the doorway.

“Good morning,” I said to him.

“You’re up earlier than usual,” Grandpa commented.

“I didn’t sleep so well.”

“Is that bed uncomfortable?” he asked. “It’s an old mattress.”

“The bed is fine,” I assured him. “It started storming pretty early, the thunder woke me.” I didn’t want him to know that I was up most of the night thinking of the conversation Luke and I had, and how terrible I felt for letting him down… or the life-changing epiphany I had experienced shortly after.

“I’m just about to head to the barn to collect eggs and milk the cow,” Grandpa said. “Do you want to join me?”

“Sure,” I said, pushing out from the desk. I could use the diversion. I followed him down the steps and grabbed a jacket and pair of rain boots from the mudroom before heading outside. The rain was cool on my face, but I welcomed the feel of it on my skin.

Radar followed us into the barn, sniffing around the hen house when we entered to collect the eggs. Grandpa readied their feed while I gathered the eggs from the nests, admiring the different colors and patterns. Next, we checked on Loretta, gathering the supplies necessary to milk and feed her. I sat next to Grandpa on a hay bale, leaning back against the wall for support, and watched him set to work.

Behind us, the white light was streaming in through the opened panel, revealing that the rain was still falling outside. It dripped down the outer wall, creating a thin strip of water that pooled beneath the door in the mud. From this angle, looking at it was like looking into a funhouse mirror. My reflection was stretched and distorted. The new me, I thought disdainfully.

“Great Grandpa MacKenna used to run the farm, right?” I asked, staring out the side opening, watching the rain.

“Uh-huh,” Grandpa replied. “That’s right.”

“Did you always want to be a farmer?”

“Not always,” he said, “but I was the only son, and the responsibility fell on me.”

“Doesn’t seem fair,” I commented. So much for being able to choose your own path in life.

“Maybe not, but sometimes the things you don’t think you want end up being the things that you need.”

I sat up straighter, I had a feeling this was one of those profound moments that I would need to pay attention to.

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