throat. âThere you go. Properly acquainted. Feel free to, uh, to drop by and visit her if you want. See you both in the morning.â He and Dolly walked back across the garden toward the barn.
Ana thanked Abbie for dinner and said good night again, this time waiting for Abbie to respond as if she needed permission to leave the kitchen. She crept upstairs to the small bathroom. There was a claw-footed tub, and she had to turn the knobs several times before figuring out the right temperature and what to press, or in this case pull, to get the shower to work. Not knowing the Garbersâ policy, she did as she always had and counted to 120 as she washed, being careful not to use up too much of the soap and water. She couldnât believe she didnât have to share the bathroom with anyone elseâa first, she thought. âBut donât get used to all this,â she reminded herself.
She tiptoed back to the bedroom and hung what few pieces of clothing she had in the armoire. She peeled back the covers before slipping into the tall bed. The sheets were cool and soft, the whole bed a feathered cloud with room to stretch out on either side. Abbie had left a small glass of water on the nightstand along with a couple of books to read, but Ana propped the notebook she fished out of her backpack on her knees, clearing her mind, and letting her ballpoint pen move across the page.
Not sure where the sketch ended and the dream began, her eyes became heavy as the paper filled with images. Flying dogs, barking birds, a cat-pig, and a Chihuahua-chicken.Overripe berries twinkling across the sky like stars; their juice raining down upon a tangled garden. Up in the trees, a figure clutched a swaying branch. Her pen traced the shape over and over again. There was no face, just a shadow hidden behind a curtain ofleaves.
CHAPTER SIX
I t was a dark Tuesday morning nearly two weeks later when Ana awoke, got dressed, and headed downstairs, realizing when she got to the kitchen that this routine felt alarmingly normal. She treated the morning like any other, even though it was the one day of the year she always tried to forget. Abbie said hello while standing against the counter reading the latest issue of a farming magazine. Ana fixed herself a bowl of cereal and topped it with milk and a handful of blackberries before heading out to the fields.
The first week spent working the land wasnât what she had expected. She was aware of the hard work, at times backbreaking, especially if she was working on rows of strawberries or pulling and stripping bulbs of garlic. Manny explained the importance of cover crops and had given Ana a lesson on sprouts the day before. Even though she thought âalfalfaâ was one of the best words ever, she renamed itâawfalfaâ because, as she explained to Manny, who would ever want to eat plant hair on a sandwich?
Ana began to look forward to the work, however difficult she still found it. What she enjoyed most was the morning waltz through the rows of mysterious fruits and vegetables, quiet but for the crunch of her weight in the dirt.
Her week of work even resulted in a new appreciation for the coworker she deemed âRoly,â who made faces at her when the picking became tiresome. Though they spoke very little, she felt sheâd been accepted into the Vic and Rolo duo as a third wheel, mostly ignored but clearly tolerated, the field mouse of the crew.
The workers had changed since her first week. There were the regularsâRolo, Vic, Joey, and Renéâbut the rest of those reporting to duty had shifted. She wanted to ask a million questionsâabout where the workers lived and why some never came backâbut she kept her mouth shut, even though it pained her.
On days that were difficult, or when she couldnât seem to do anything right, she turned her soft focus further inward, allowing whatever crop she was working on to blossom in her mindâs eye, a
Ana thanked Abbie for dinner and said good night again, this time waiting for Abbie to respond as if she needed permission to leave the kitchen. She crept upstairs to the small bathroom. There was a claw-footed tub, and she had to turn the knobs several times before figuring out the right temperature and what to press, or in this case pull, to get the shower to work. Not knowing the Garbersâ policy, she did as she always had and counted to 120 as she washed, being careful not to use up too much of the soap and water. She couldnât believe she didnât have to share the bathroom with anyone elseâa first, she thought. âBut donât get used to all this,â she reminded herself.
She tiptoed back to the bedroom and hung what few pieces of clothing she had in the armoire. She peeled back the covers before slipping into the tall bed. The sheets were cool and soft, the whole bed a feathered cloud with room to stretch out on either side. Abbie had left a small glass of water on the nightstand along with a couple of books to read, but Ana propped the notebook she fished out of her backpack on her knees, clearing her mind, and letting her ballpoint pen move across the page.
Not sure where the sketch ended and the dream began, her eyes became heavy as the paper filled with images. Flying dogs, barking birds, a cat-pig, and a Chihuahua-chicken.Overripe berries twinkling across the sky like stars; their juice raining down upon a tangled garden. Up in the trees, a figure clutched a swaying branch. Her pen traced the shape over and over again. There was no face, just a shadow hidden behind a curtain ofleaves.
CHAPTER SIX
I t was a dark Tuesday morning nearly two weeks later when Ana awoke, got dressed, and headed downstairs, realizing when she got to the kitchen that this routine felt alarmingly normal. She treated the morning like any other, even though it was the one day of the year she always tried to forget. Abbie said hello while standing against the counter reading the latest issue of a farming magazine. Ana fixed herself a bowl of cereal and topped it with milk and a handful of blackberries before heading out to the fields.
The first week spent working the land wasnât what she had expected. She was aware of the hard work, at times backbreaking, especially if she was working on rows of strawberries or pulling and stripping bulbs of garlic. Manny explained the importance of cover crops and had given Ana a lesson on sprouts the day before. Even though she thought âalfalfaâ was one of the best words ever, she renamed itâawfalfaâ because, as she explained to Manny, who would ever want to eat plant hair on a sandwich?
Ana began to look forward to the work, however difficult she still found it. What she enjoyed most was the morning waltz through the rows of mysterious fruits and vegetables, quiet but for the crunch of her weight in the dirt.
Her week of work even resulted in a new appreciation for the coworker she deemed âRoly,â who made faces at her when the picking became tiresome. Though they spoke very little, she felt sheâd been accepted into the Vic and Rolo duo as a third wheel, mostly ignored but clearly tolerated, the field mouse of the crew.
The workers had changed since her first week. There were the regularsâRolo, Vic, Joey, and Renéâbut the rest of those reporting to duty had shifted. She wanted to ask a million questionsâabout where the workers lived and why some never came backâbut she kept her mouth shut, even though it pained her.
On days that were difficult, or when she couldnât seem to do anything right, she turned her soft focus further inward, allowing whatever crop she was working on to blossom in her mindâs eye, a
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