to raise corn and beans. But I’m glad I came home. For the people if not for the farm.”
Dan clinked his glass against hers again. “Farmers are people, too. People with shit on their shoes, but you get used to that.”
Rachel laughed. “Give me time. That might take a week or two.”
6
“Who the hell is that?” said Matt, looking out through the window in the back door.
At the kitchen table Rachel looked up from her book. In the country the sound of tires crackling on gravel meant company and was generally something you looked forward to. She got up and went to the window over the sink. A white Dodge Stratus had pulled up next to the pickup. “It’s Billy,” she said as the car door opened. The wind whipped her nephew’s hair across his face as he made for the house.
“Where’d you get that thing?” Matt said as Billy came in the door.
“I stole it.” Billy brushed past him and grunted at Rachel by way of hello. “You guys have lunch yet?”
“Only about an hour ago. You make a mess, you clean it up.”
“Anything left?” Billy was already in the refrigerator.
“There’s lentil soup in that plastic container,” said Rachel.
“Lentil soup?”
“Broadening our horizons, she calls it,” Matt growled. “Be grateful.”
Rachel smiled at Billy. “I can make you a salad if you want.”
“Nah, that’s cool.” Billy lifted the lid. “Looks interesting.”
Matt was frowning. “So what’s with the car?”
“Now that Aunt Rachel’s here we need a third car. She can have the Chevy. I got a deal on this one from a guy up in Atkinson.”
Matt was glowering, suspicious. “How much?”
Billy poured soup into a bowl. “Couple of thousand.”
Matt stared as he put the bowl in the microwave and stabbed at the buttons. “Where the hell’d you get two thousand bucks?”
Billy shot him a glare. “I got money saved up.”
“From what?”
“From working.”
“What, you mean from when you were at the feed store?”
“And other stuff. Odd jobs, I help guys out. Like when I helped Dan build that shed. I know you think I’m a lazy piece of shit, but I been working since I was sixteen. Not counting all the unpaid labor around here. I got savings.” Billy shucked off his denim jacket and hooded sweatshirt and hung them up by the door. He returned to the refrigerator, pulled out a beer and shot Matt a challenging look. “Believe it or not.”
Matt stared for a moment longer and then shrugged. “OK. I’m glad. That’s real good, that you had that much saved up.”
Billy took a swig of the beer, set it down on the counter and strode out of the kitchen. When they heard him go into the bathroom down the hall, Matt said quietly, “He didn’t save up any two thousand bucks doing odd jobs.” He was frowning again.
Rachel thought of rumors and hearsay. “Do you keep track of everything he does?”
“No, but if he was working that much I think I’d know about it.”
“Be glad he’s not asking you for money.”
“I am. I guess.” They heard the toilet flush. “I’d just like to know where he got two thousand bucks.”
Rachel assembled her tools: portable vacuum, pail of warm water, handful of rags, trash bag, dishwashing gloves. She put on her coat and hauled her gear outside. The Chevy sat forlornly on the gravel fifty feet from the door. Matt had taken the pickup to the lumber yard in Ontario to price materials for the barn conversion, and Billy had jumped in his new wheels and gone tearing down the drive. Rachel wasn’t sure why she’d felt the need to wait until Billy was gone to tackle cleaning out the Chevy; maybe she hadn’t wanted to give Matt another occasion to tee off on the boy. But she was damned if she was going to drive the thing around another day with garbage around her ankles.
She pulled the car close enough to the steps that the vacuum cleaner cord would reach with the help of an extension cord. She put on the gloves and started
Dan clinked his glass against hers again. “Farmers are people, too. People with shit on their shoes, but you get used to that.”
Rachel laughed. “Give me time. That might take a week or two.”
6
“Who the hell is that?” said Matt, looking out through the window in the back door.
At the kitchen table Rachel looked up from her book. In the country the sound of tires crackling on gravel meant company and was generally something you looked forward to. She got up and went to the window over the sink. A white Dodge Stratus had pulled up next to the pickup. “It’s Billy,” she said as the car door opened. The wind whipped her nephew’s hair across his face as he made for the house.
“Where’d you get that thing?” Matt said as Billy came in the door.
“I stole it.” Billy brushed past him and grunted at Rachel by way of hello. “You guys have lunch yet?”
“Only about an hour ago. You make a mess, you clean it up.”
“Anything left?” Billy was already in the refrigerator.
“There’s lentil soup in that plastic container,” said Rachel.
“Lentil soup?”
“Broadening our horizons, she calls it,” Matt growled. “Be grateful.”
Rachel smiled at Billy. “I can make you a salad if you want.”
“Nah, that’s cool.” Billy lifted the lid. “Looks interesting.”
Matt was frowning. “So what’s with the car?”
“Now that Aunt Rachel’s here we need a third car. She can have the Chevy. I got a deal on this one from a guy up in Atkinson.”
Matt was glowering, suspicious. “How much?”
Billy poured soup into a bowl. “Couple of thousand.”
Matt stared as he put the bowl in the microwave and stabbed at the buttons. “Where the hell’d you get two thousand bucks?”
Billy shot him a glare. “I got money saved up.”
“From what?”
“From working.”
“What, you mean from when you were at the feed store?”
“And other stuff. Odd jobs, I help guys out. Like when I helped Dan build that shed. I know you think I’m a lazy piece of shit, but I been working since I was sixteen. Not counting all the unpaid labor around here. I got savings.” Billy shucked off his denim jacket and hooded sweatshirt and hung them up by the door. He returned to the refrigerator, pulled out a beer and shot Matt a challenging look. “Believe it or not.”
Matt stared for a moment longer and then shrugged. “OK. I’m glad. That’s real good, that you had that much saved up.”
Billy took a swig of the beer, set it down on the counter and strode out of the kitchen. When they heard him go into the bathroom down the hall, Matt said quietly, “He didn’t save up any two thousand bucks doing odd jobs.” He was frowning again.
Rachel thought of rumors and hearsay. “Do you keep track of everything he does?”
“No, but if he was working that much I think I’d know about it.”
“Be glad he’s not asking you for money.”
“I am. I guess.” They heard the toilet flush. “I’d just like to know where he got two thousand bucks.”
Rachel assembled her tools: portable vacuum, pail of warm water, handful of rags, trash bag, dishwashing gloves. She put on her coat and hauled her gear outside. The Chevy sat forlornly on the gravel fifty feet from the door. Matt had taken the pickup to the lumber yard in Ontario to price materials for the barn conversion, and Billy had jumped in his new wheels and gone tearing down the drive. Rachel wasn’t sure why she’d felt the need to wait until Billy was gone to tackle cleaning out the Chevy; maybe she hadn’t wanted to give Matt another occasion to tee off on the boy. But she was damned if she was going to drive the thing around another day with garbage around her ankles.
She pulled the car close enough to the steps that the vacuum cleaner cord would reach with the help of an extension cord. She put on the gloves and started
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