A farm of her own
Matt woke up with a start. Someone was at the door. With a sigh, she climbed off the coach. So much for a catnap, she thought to herself. To her visitor (whoever they were) she hollered, "I'm coming!"
She walked over to the door and pulled it open. Standing in the doorway was a man who was easily over 6'. He was dressed in a pair of old jeans and t-shirt. His dark brown hair showed off his tan and muscles. He looked to be about forty and was very handsome in a dark and mysterious sort of way.
"Um, hello? Can I help you?" Matt asked in a confused sort of way. She had never seen this man before.
"Yes. I'm Jason Mayler. I was a friend of Matt's father. Is he in? I have some important news for him."
Matt stared. "Y-y-yeah…" she faltered. "Come on in," She led him into the living room. Gesturing to the couch, she asked him if he wanted a drink.
He shook his head. "I had a drink of water on the way here. Where's Matt?" He asked, scanning the room. The room was decorated femininely; the walls were white, the carpet sky blue and the white furniture had a blue floral pattern. It was obvious a woman had decorated the house.
They both sat down; Matt sat in an armchair and Jason on the sofa. Matt cleared her throat. "I think you're a little confused. Joe Sandler didn't have a son named Matthew, or Matt. He had a daughter named Matilda. He hated that name. He called her Matt instead, and it just stuck." She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here? Joe died years ago."
Jason just stared. He shook his head. "I can only tell this to Matilda, or Matt. Her father wished it that way."
She leaned closer to him. "You claim to be a friend of Matt's father." She tilted her face upwards so he could see her green eyes. "I ask again, why are you here?"
Jason smiled. "Your eyes," he said. "They're Joey's eyes. Your hair's his too. There are a lot of similarities between you and he." He raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just tell me who you were to begin with? It would have saved a lot of trouble. And time. I also wouldn't have been so confused."
"I was making it more… interesting. Besides," she said, eyes twinkling, "you look like someone easy to joke around with."
"I should have guessed you were Joey's kid. He told me a lot about you. Everything but the gender, it seems. He said you liked to joke. Can you really climb a tree faster than a squirrel? I find that hard to believe. You seem too… " He stopped, unsure of what to say.
"What, pretty?" She asked, frowning. She WAS pretty. Her golden blonde hair hung down to her slim shoulders in a French braid. She was slim, but still curvy. Her clothes (today a pair of jean cut-off shorts and a t-shirt) often showed off her figure. Even though she knew she was pretty, she was never conceited about it.
Jason blushed. "N-n-no…" he said quickly. "That's not what I meant. You seem too… too… feminine almost…" he faltered. "I don't know!"
Matt started to laugh. "Calm down!" she said between giggles. "I wouldn't expect me to be that kid either. And I hate squirrels. Now, back to the reason you came. Why? What do you need to tell me?"
Jason cleared his throat. "Your father and I decided to buy a farm together. We had been friends for years. The farm did great; we made a huge profit. Then, Joe got sick. You were about nine at the time." He paused. "He kept getting sicker and sicker. I tried to get him to come to the city to get treatment but he insisted that Dr. Max was good enough. As you know, he didn't pull through, regardless how hard the doctor and I tried to save him. He signed a will, and left everything to you. The farm, the profits we made, everything on one condition, of course. I was to be allowed to stay on the farm in my house. I was also allowed to use the money you inherited on the farm. For repairs, animal feed, medicine, that kind of stuff."
Matt nodded. "Tell me," she asked, "What's the farm like? What animals are there? Is it a dairy farm or a plantation? I want to know."
"Why should I tell you when I could show you? We can go there now, if you'd like. It's kind of a long drive, so you'll need clothes. You should dress to impress; you need to meet the townsfolk. They are all nice people, even though some of them are weird."
"What are the people like? Are there any other farmers there?" She asked hopefully.
"Yes. Vesta Polder. She has a farm. Not as large as yours, but still a decent size. Her brother Derek moved to the farm to help out and clear his lungs. He used to work in a factory and had gotten very sick, so the city doctor recommended he move away from the city. Vesta also took in a girl from Nater. Her name is Rachel. She's twenty-five. She's a pretty girl, and knowledgeable about crops and such. She's very sweet, but shy. " Seeing her confusion he added, "Nater is the town that has a hardware store, a post office, a grocery store and not much else. Compared to the Valley, though, it's huge."
"Now, in the town part of the valley there's an Inn. Tim and Ruby Triller run it. Their son lives there with them. He's in his mid-twenties, I think. Ami Render lives in the Inn too. She's a traveler who seems to have found a home in the Valley. She's about your age, I'd guess."
"Harry Griffin runs the bar with the help of Nicole. She washes glasses and entertains the customers. She's always flirting with the men that come into the bar. Sometimes I wonder how Harry puts up with her. Anyhow, she lives in the attic of the bar. She's a few years older than you."
"Dexter and Samantha White is a married couple that live in the two-story house. They have a little daughter, who's more of a tomboy then a girl." Matt grinned. Jason continued. "Dexter is a genius. He commutes to work in the city for some huge computer company. Samantha stays home and tends to Katie. Next door to the Whites live Galen and Nina Harcross. They'll an older couple that moved to the valley for their retirement."
"The house next to them is where the Johnson's live. Whit and Chrissie live in a larger house. Their son, Sam, is only about five years old. He adores his dad and anyone else who plays with him. Chrissie commutes to work and Whit stays in the valley and basically runs around and exercises. Kind of weird if you ask me, but…"
"No one asked you." Matt replied with a grin.
"Right. Up above the Valley there's a large villa. Romana Green lives there with her granddaughter and their butler. Luna is only about thirteen, but is already a beautiful piano player. Sebastian is the butler. She, as you can probably guess, is not at all poor."
"Kali and Tommy are twins. They make fireworks. Closer to the coast lives a hippie. I don't remember his name. There's also an artist. He lives in a metal trailer and makes metal into art. Or at least that's what he says. I think its just junk."
"Up by the waterfall there's an archaeological dig. Carter and Flora live in a tent up there. They are almost always digging. They love help and will often pay you or let you keep the stuff you find. Oh, yeah. Van Friar travels to the town every other day and will buy stuff from you, whether it's milk or crops or basically whatever. He's not very picky."
"Dr. Max lives across the valley, right by the coast. He travels around and helps everyone. He also takes care of animals. He's a nice man; your father and me have always gotten along with him. Well, that's everyone. Oh, yeah. There's this one man. He's one of the greatest men alive. Handsome as sin and smart as can be. His name is Jason Mayler."
Matt grinned and threw a pillow at him. "You have no shame. And, I think you like Rachel." She began to laugh. "That look on your face is priceless."
Jason turned red. "N-n-no I don't! Don't! I DON'T LIKE HER!" He glared at her.
"Oh, my god! You do! You're as red as a tomato. This is so funny! Can I tell her once I meet her? Please?"
"No! YOU CAN'T TELL HER! I'd be publicly humiliated AND I'd look like an idiot. How can you be so cruel?"
She smiled sweetly. "I am what I am. Deal with it. Now, when are we leaving? I can't wait to meet this Rachel. And see my farm."
"As soon as you pack some clothes. If you hurry, we might get there before sundown."
He could have been talking to a wall because Matt wasn't in the room. She was already in her room grabbing a suitcase and book bag.
"Let's see… I need socks and underwear…" Opening a dresser draw, she pulled out five pairs of jeans. She set them in the bag and turned back to the dresser. Grabbing a handful of pajama pants and old t-shirts she put them in the bag. "Should I bring dress shirts or old tee's?" She decided to grab both.
She reached over to the bookshelf and grabbed a few of her favorite books, a few field guides and her diary. She tossed them in her bag.
She walked over to the closet. Pulling a handful of skirts, and dresses out of her closet she put them into the suitcase quickly. She grabbed her toothbrush, hairbrush and makeup out of her bathroom and jammed them into the already stuffed book bag. She threw a few things that she felt she would need and zipped the bags.
Ten minutes later she came back into the living room with her book bag on her back, her suitcase in her hands, a dog at her heels and a kitten on her shoulder. Seeing the look on Jason's face, she smiled.
"Meet Dusty," she gestured at the dog, "and Leah." She gestured to the cat. "Dusty's a golden retriever and Leah's a Siamese. I have food in the bag along with collars, leashes, and their medical records. Can we go know?"
Jason grinned. "Ready when you are! Go on out to the truck. I'll follow."