Disclaimer: cqofegypt does not own Holes… if she did, Sam and Kate would live happily ever after on the onion grove …
Note: My endnotes are a little script of Gus and shawn from Psych. I recently got into that so I thought I'd add a little in there… dedicated to the fabulous Dul'e Hill!
Sam's Point of View
A few days later it was pouring rain outside. I stood outside the schoolhouse thinking over what I would say to her. Lord, I pray, why am I so nervous?
I take a deep breath waiting outside in the rain, approximately twenty-five feet from the schoolhouse. Whether helping or hindering, the trees behind me gave off excellent camouflage. Katherine dismissed the students about five minutes later, telling one to put his cap on, and all that whether rain or shine, they will have lessons the next morning.
I have to admit as I look at her angelic face and sensing her frustration on account of the rain; I couldn't help but think she was very diligent in giving the students their lessons. To skip a day normally would not be a problem, but Trout and the sheriff would probably give her what for.
Keeping my frustration towards the two under wraps (just barely), I hesitantly entered the schoolhouse once the last student was out the door. As we both heard the sound of some of the students saying goodbye, I watched her for a second cleaning up before I addressed her.
"Hello, Miss Katherine" I said with a smile, taking off my hat, as my daddy taught me to do in the presence of a lady. "Hello, Sam" she said softly, her face betraying her surprise of my entering the school. I brought to light the left over satchel of onions I hadn't sold, on purpose.
"Thought you might still want some onions". /Please Lord, don't let me make a fool of myself…/ "Thank you" she said, with a nod and a smile. I took this as confirmation to come forward, which I did. As I made my way to where she stood, I walked carefully in between the desks, not wanting to disrupt the order in which she had placed them.
Noticing a green pitcher on one of the desks, I looked up and noticed there was a leak. Hmm… that wasn't good. I looked around a little more, trying to get my thoughts together. Seeing another pail by Miss Katherine's desk, catching more water, I began to wonder how old the school house really was, and how long it had been since it had had any repairs.
Wanting nothing more than to help, my next phrase slipped out of my mouth before I could blink, as I looked up at the first leak. "I can fix that" I heard something of a smirk come from Katie's direction of the room.
"Sam" she said, with laughter in her voice, "are you going to tell me now that your onions are the cure for a leaky roof?" I controlled my own smirk, knowing that any wrong move could put both of us in serious danger. I was Adam and she was most certainly the forbidden fruit.
I smiled and shook my head. "'Nah, I'm just good with my hands" Then I remembered something, a trick my father taught me. 'Keep your eyes away from the lady until the last possible moment… when she looks at you and thinks you're not paying attention, that's when you look at her.' I thought now would be a good time to try a little test, gauge her interest a little.
I kept my eyes averted as I tried my experiment. "I built my own boat, y'know… I need it to get across the lake to my onion field" as I said this, I noticed her turn towards me in interest. Looking up, I smiled a little to myself… she'd bought into it hook, line, and sinker!
"Well then I guess you'd be in real trouble if your boat leaked" I could feel her eyes on me… whether she was doing it on purpose I couldn't tell, but she was teasing me again. From the smile on her face, I knew she'd teased me on purpose; I'd caught her attention now.
I thanked both my Heavenly and earthly fathers' in my head as I walked closer to her. She was wiping her desk from the rain with a towel, but I would have sworn I noticed a thin, black strip of cloth around her left hand as if it were a makeshift bandage, as she folded the cloth.
Ridding my head of the oncoming traitorous domestic thought, I started to get worried. Had Katherine hurt herself in any way? Hiding my concern as well as the urge to lick my lips at not only the visage of the angel in front of me, but also the peaches on the table to her left, I looked her in the eye. Trout and the sheriff be hanged, the one thing my father taught me never to do was run, and never back down from the things you want most.
"I'll tell you what" I said, wanting to bend my knee right then and there, "I'll fix that roof, for three jars of your spiced peaches" Katie looked at the peaches, looked at me, and nodded her head. "It's a deal" she said, putting out her hand for me to shake. I did so, very lightly, telling both my heart and brain to shut the heck on up. I smiled at her and nodded, knowing this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Katherine's POV
I was annoyed at the rain today… why does it always have to rain? I never like sending the children home in such weather, but what choice do I have? "Alright, children, you can go now… whether rain or shine we'll have school" I was thankful that no groans had surfaced as I released the children and told Billy to put his cap on. As some of the students said goodbye, and I made my way back to my desk to clear up for this evenings lessons, I didn't notice someone coming quietly into the schoolhouse.
With a shudder, I was praying it wasn't Trout… it's one thing to have to deal with him at evening lessons… it's a totally different matter to… "Hello Miss Katherine" I turned and looked up in confusion. There stood Sam, quiet, gentle Sam coming in from the rain, with something under his arm. He looked quite pleased to be in from the rain, but I was curious as to what brought him here.
"Thought you might still want some onions" he said walking a little closer, though staying a good distance away. It was almost as if he were Adam… unsure about approaching a forbidden fruit. "Thank you" I smiled warmly… thankful for his thoughtfulness, though unsure of how to phrase it. My stomach was doing flips, and I felt a little light headed.
At my nod of appreciation, he took it as a sign to come closer, though still keeping his distance. Looking around the schoolhouse, he smiled as he saw the leak. "I can fix that" he said. I couldn't help but smirk. Dear sweet Sam… surely he was blessed with a planter's thumb, but onions couldn't fix everything.
I said so, teasing him just a little. He smiled again. "Nah, I'm just good with my hands" Lord forgive me, I could feel myself blush. Heaven's knew what he meant by a statement like that! Sam went on, never once looking me in the eye… I wondered why. Was he nervous or ashamed of me? His next statement took me by surprise.
"I built my own boat, y'know… I need it to get across the lake to my onion field" he said this as he looked up at one of the leaks in the roof. I thought I could see a small smile of triumph on his face. Curious, with the itching desire to commend him on his handy work, I smiled, continuing to wipe the rain off of my desk, even though it had long dried up.
I began to fold the cloth, hoping he wouldn't see the bandage. He had an expression on his face as if he were dreaming or fantasizing about something as he watched me fold the towel. I smiled softly to myself, hoping he was dreaming about what I had dreamed about since I met him, the idea of him and me settling down on the onion grove.
Granted I haven't known him that long, but Sam is a true gentleman, never crowding or harassing me like a certain fish-smelling, boastful son-of-a-toad I know. I hope in the near future Sam and I can get to know each other better. As I was folding the towel, I didn't realized that I hadn't moved fast enough before his eyes gave way to such a tender, caring look of concern over my bandaged hand that I thought I might faint right then and there.
This sounded like a perfect idea at the moment, given the circumstances. "Well then I guess you'd be in real trouble if your boat leaked" I said laughingly, hoping to change the subject. Sam seemed to catch on, finally looking me in the eye. I could sense an heir of determination in his stance as he walked; I could see it in his face, too. "Tell you what" he said, eying the peaches I had made just last night.
"I'll fix that roof, in exchange for three jars of your spiced peaches" I raised an eyebrow. This sounded like a pretty good deal. In all of the customers I have to make peaches for, Sam is my favorite. Like his onions, he can appreciate the time and effort it takes to make a fine spiced jar of peaches. I hope he can taste the onions and extra sugar I've put in his. It would be nice not to have rain dripping on us as the children and I complete our lessons…
"It's a deal" I say finally, stretching my hand for him to shake. As he takes my hand in his, I'm surprised of how gentle and soft his grasp is, though his hands are rough and calloused, most likely due to planting more onions in the earth. I ignore my thought about him being right in knowing how to use his hands. As he holds my hand, it's as if he's afraid of injuring me.
A genuine smile comes to his face which reaches his eyes as he looks at me with those gentle brown eyes of his. Oh I never want to forget this moment for as long as I live… what a beautiful, pure… friendship this will be…
Gus: wiggles head: Whoa!
Shawn: gettin' into the groove, there bud?
Gus: scowls: And just what do you mean by that?
Shawn: Nothing… though I'm sure you'd like to go back to your middle school days and read Holes again… You know they came out with a movie, right?
Gus: rolls eyes: Yes I know… I've seen it several times
Shawn: shakes head, staring into space: And yet you've never heard it like this… what's that black guy's name? you know, he looks a lot like you…
Gus: his name is Dul'e Hill… and just what are you saying?
Shawn: Oh, nothing… oh, look… the author's coming back!
Gus: still seeing no one: Remind me to ask the doctor if it's ok for physics to take Valium
Shawn: shh!
