Then the Trees Said Hello by HJ Corning

Author:HJ Corning [HJ Corning]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HJ Corning
Published: 2022-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

Sara

"Morning, Sara. Sorry to call you away from your chores. Sorry to hear about your job and all." The county sheriff had shown up on our doorstep the day after my return.

Mom, always the hostess, had invited Sheriff Brinson in and given him some coffee, even though he couldn't be here to help us.

“What can we do for you?” I asked reluctantly. The man was once a friend, but I could tell he wasn’t there to see how I was. I felt like an intruder was sitting at our kitchen table.

“Well, your mom seemed to think you ought to hear this straight from me.” He smiled at her.

“Sara, wait till you hear this!” Mom grabbed my arm, making me bump into one of the kitchen chairs, as she fought back tears. It was taking an iron-will for her to stay upright in her seat.

“What's this about?” I glared at her, annoyed with her playing the victim.

“Well, your brother Brian is claiming you and I are trying to steal his land.” She said it like I needed to know which brother was causing problems.

“What are you talking about?”

I confronted the sheriff. “Mom owns this land and when she's gone, she's deeded it to me. Brian’s always wanting to take what’s his-and take what’s not his.”

“Well, you know….” He replied, looking back and forth between Mom and me, “land usually goes to the first-born son around here, not the daughters. Usually, they go and live on their husband's land.”

I knew he was trying to devalue me for not being a ‘normal’ girl, but I cared more about protecting this farm than about what he thought of me.

“FUCK!!” I leaned over and slammed a hand on the table.

“Sara!” Mom yelled back. “Watch your mouth, you're not around those logger boys. Show him respect.” Mom had no problem reprimanding me.

I paced back and forth across the kitchen, “Sheriff, this is bullshit and you know it. Mom, can give the land to whomever she wants, and she wants me to have it-just like her mom wanted her to have it!” I was trying hard to not throw something.

“Well, Brian thinks you've coerced her somehow. That you're forcing her to keep him off, on account of all that tree stuff.” The Sheriff couldn’t look me in the eye. It was if he thought I’d turn him into a toad. And a part of me wished I could.

“And just how would I do that?” I replied, not batting an eye.

“I don know. But Brian has a point. It's just not normal for the land to go to the girls.”

“Not normal for here, maybe!”

“Sara, watch your manners. I apologize, Sheriff.”

“That's okay. Endured worse. So ma’am is Sara forcing you?” The Sheriff looked at her like he was trying to tell her it was okay to admit I was forcing her to give me the land.

“Of course not. I'm giving it to Sara because I promised my mother I'd protect her trees and only Sara will do that.” Mom put her rattling coffee cup down.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.