A/N Thank you all so much, you make me anxious to write more! As you know, occasionally, or maybe frequently, I like taking a little step back in time. So here we go.

The Farmhand

Rural Georgia 1960

It was the summer of his 17th year and he was every bit as untamed as a young man could be. He had no parental supervision and no particular goals in sight. His was a day to day kind of existence. But he was smart and he was clever, and he knew he needed to work if he expected to eat and wanted a roof over his head. So when he saw the notice on the grocery store bulletin board he rode his dirt bike right out to that farm.

He had no desire to work on some stupid farm, but work was work and money was money and the notice said it was just a summer job. Maybe when it ended he'd have luck getting something more his style, which would be just about anything but farming.

The best thing about this farming job was room and board were part of the deal. Perfect, he'd be out of that crappy shack of his old man's for at least two or three months. Hell that was worth it right there.

And he was saving, he had a secret stash of money tucked away and it needed to be added to, because he did have one little plan. He wanted to go to Alaska when he graduated next year. He'd heard a guy could make a killing working construction there. He'd get his piece of that Alaska pie and then come back to Georgia, buy a tricked out motorcycle and go on a cross country road trip.

Hershel Greene had a problem to solve. Otis was not just his hired man he was a good friend and their families worshiped at the same church. But when Otis was hurt in a combine accident Hershel knew he had to do something, he needed help on the farm, and he decided on a temporary fix. He'd hire a farmhand to fill in while Otis was healing.

When the rough looking young man roared up on some kind of motorcycle contraption, Hershel Greene thought he sure didn't look like farmhand material. But he seemed eager enough, respectful enough, and heck no one else had showed up inquiring. The kid was ready and willing to work, so Hershel Greene hired him with the understanding the first week was probationary. If everything went okay during that first week then the job was his.

The old man showed him his room. It was in the barn but it was still a whole lot classier than his old man's shack. It was a small room with a single size cot, a small bureau, and some hooks on the wall for hanging clothes. The makeshift bathroom consisted of a toilet, an old wall mount sink, and a plastic stall shower. It was more than the kid expected and he was thinking he had it made.

The farmer instructed him, "Breakfast is 5:45 am, dinner at noon, and supper at six. I expect you to be on time, washed up, no hats at the table and we say grace before our meals."

"No problem sir, I'm here ta work hard n do things your way." He'd learned how to tell people what they wanted to hear.

At supper that night Daryl Dixon's life changed forever, that was the first time he saw Beth Greene. She was so pretty with her big blue eyes and long curly blond hair. And he knew what it meant, the way that she was looking at him, because it was the same way he was looking at her. When he realized it he quickly turned away. He didn't want to be fired his very first day on the job for making eyes at the farmer's daughter. Besides losing room, board and cash, he'd never see her again.

The work was shitty just like he thought it would be, but the good part was he saw that pretty girl every morning at 5:45 am for breakfast, at noon for dinner, and supper at six.

Then the fourth day of that first week it was so damn hot he thought he was going to drop dead right there in that field, but he just kept working because that's what he was getting paid to do. When five o'clock rolled around and he was off duty he rushed right over to the big pond. He aimed to cool off before supper at six.

He thought he might lose it when he saw her. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and she was swimming around in that pond with a sweet smile on her face, and pretty Miss Beth Greene's clothes were all hanging on a tree branch.

He was, after all, a teenage boy and those hormones were raging inside him and that mind of his was going a 100 miles an hour. At that moment there was not one thing in this world he wanted more than to be in that pond naked with Beth Greene.

But he liked her, he liked her a lot, and he didn't want to mess up any chance he might have with her, so he kept his Levis on and he dove in the pond. She screeched when she saw him, "Oh no, what are you doing? You can't come in here right now, I'm, I'm, I'm…"

"Yeah I know you're naked. Don't worry I ain't gonna do nuthin' I shouldn't. I didn't get naked I still got my Levis on." And he smiled a tiny little smile at her and it gave her a warm feeling all over.

She swam over close to where he was and she asked, "How old are you Daryl Dixon?"

"I'm 17, gonna be 18 come October. How old are you Beth Greene?"

"I'm 16. Do you go to the public school in town? I always wished I could."

"Yeah I go there, just one more year n I'll be done. I can't wait. Then I'm gonna get me a job in Alaska and I'll be outta here."

And that made her feel so sad. He was leaving?

"How come I never see ya there at school?"

"Oh I get home schooled with three other kids from my church. Our folks think public school has too many bad influences."

That was the first time she heard him laugh, "Yeah I'm probably one a them bad influences."

"Well you look pretty good to me Daryl Dixon." And she couldn't believe those words had just come right out of her mouth. She didn't need a mirror to know her face and neck were hot pink.

He didn't hesitate, not with all those hormones coursing through his body. He put his hands to the sides of her face and he gave her a kiss. He couldn't believe he'd just done that, and to further his shock and dismay at the way he seemed to have come right out of his social shell, he said, "You're the prettiest girl I ever did see Beth Greene."

She turned a kind of strawberry color all over from his words, all of her that could be seen, and then she said, "Oh my gosh we better hurry and get back, Daddy will skin us both alive if we're late for supper. And Daryl, we have to be careful because he'd surely kill us both if he ever caught us together."

"Alright, you get outta the water and I'll wait, I won't look, I promise I'ma turn the other way." And he did, he really did, but he might have turned his head for just that one brief moment. And even though he felt a tiny, tiny bit of guilt, he had not an ounce of regret after seeing that pretty white bottom of hers.

Getting through supper without staring at each other was a chore for the both of them, but they managed to pull it off and when she set his dessert in front of him she passed him a little note. He couldn't wait to get back to the barn and read it and when he did he was excited, nervous and even a little scared. Beth Greene had written, "Tomorrow after supper Mama and Daddy are going to bible study. If you want me to come visit you in your room just give me a quick nod at breakfast tomorrow."

Holy shit he'd never had a girl ask to spend time with him, and damn this was a girl he wouldn't mind spending his time with not one bit.

At 5:45 a.m. she was bringing a platter of pancakes to the table when he caught her eye, and he nodded his head ever so slightly. She quickly looked down but he saw that smile on her face.

And sure enough at half past seven that night there was a soft knock on his door. When he opened it and saw her standing there he felt a feeling like his heart had come right up in his throat. "Hey girl, ya look real pretty. I ain't been able ta stop thinkin' about ya since we had our little swim yesterday."

The back of his neck felt hot from the words he'd spoken, and he saw her cheeks turn that pretty pink color. She didn't speak at all she just put her arms around his waist and gave him a hug that caught him by surprise, then she surprised him twice, because she followed it with a kiss. He took his cue from her and they continued their kissing for several minutes.

When they came up for air they sat on the edge of his bed and they talked and talked, and they did plenty more kissing too.

And so it began that the young couple took every opportunity that came along to spend time together. They often met up for thirty minutes or so between the time he got off work and the time they had to be at supper. But more than that, she sneaked out of the house several nights a week. They'd sit in his room and listen to the radio and they'd talk and they'd kiss, and they were blind to the rest of the world, they just had eyes and hearts for each other.

It was right after the 4th of July holiday that things changed. Mama and Daddy were going to a revival in the next county and she was expected to go. But that morning she told her Mama she was so sick she could hardly think of anything but resting.

Mama asked, "What's wrong daughter, is it that time of the month?"

"No Mama it's more my throat and a headache, I'm thinking maybe it's the flu or a summer cold."

"Do you want me to stay home with you?"

"Oh no Mama there's no need for you to miss out. I know you've been looking forward to hearing this preacher. I'd feel much worse knowing you'd missed it. Please go and enjoy it, I'll be anxious to hear all about it when you get home."

And as soon as she heard them pull out of the driveway she was up and getting ready to see Daryl. She went to his room and knocked softly, and she hadn't even gotten her little hand pulled away from the door when he opened it and took her in his arms.

Their kissing reached a fevered pace and the touching didn't seem to want to be controlled, and it wasn't long until they were lying in his bed together. He slipped her shirt off and then his own and then he snapped that bra.

It was a kind of touching they'd enjoyed a few times, but this day it didn't end with that. This day she let him slip his hand down in her panties and it seemed once that kind of touching started, there was no turning back.

And July 6, 1960 the Farmhand and the Farmer's Daughter gave themselves to each other completely.

She cried and he begged her to forgive him, but she assured him, "It's not because I'm mad at you or sad at all. It's just so overwhelming and I love you so much Daryl."

He put his hand to the side of her face and he declared himself to her, "I love you too Beth, if I didn't I never woulda done that with ya. You're always gonna be the girl I love."

The beginning of September came around, Otis' injuries had healed up nicely and Daryl had to start back to school. And so the farmhand left the farm.

He'd managed to find after school work in town at the local service station and auto repair shop, "Dale's." He made only minimum wage but it was regular work. His boss even let him rent the room that was above the garage for just $10 a month. It was a real bachelor pad kind of place. It had just the one room with a little kitchenette type setup in one corner and a bathroom. The double bed was one of those Murphy beds, it came right out of the wall, but he just kept it down because it seemed more convenient. It sure wasn't much but he liked living there just fine, it was his own place.

The only problem he had was not being able to spend much time with his girl. It wasn't just that he went to school five days a week, or that he worked three hours every day after school and eight hours on Saturday, they could have worked around that. It was the fact that she wasn't allowed to see boys and her folks would probably drop dead twice if they knew he was the boy she was seeing.

They were both unhappy about not seeing more of one another, but they did their best to try and see each other just as much as they could.

It was a Monday night in October, just two days before his 18th birthday. He hadn't been expecting the knock on his door but he was happy when he heard it, and he rushed to answer. He smiled when he saw it was her and as soon as he did she burst into tears. She was crying so hard her little shoulders were shaking and he didn't know what in the world was going on. He did the only thing he could think to do, he just held on tight.

"Whatsa matter Beth, why ya cryin' like that? What happened?" He guided her into the little place and they sat there on the edge of his bed. He was trying hard to console her, one arm around her shoulders and his other hand trying to wipe the tears from her face.

Finally she caught her breath enough to speak. "We're in trouble Daryl, real serious trouble."

"Did your folks find out we been seein' each other n all?"

"No, not yet but they're going to know soon, everyone's going to know soon. We're going to have a baby Daryl."

At first he was speechless, then he said, "A baby, ya sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. My sister took me over to Smithton County and I had a test, the doctor said it's positive."

"When will the baby come?"

"April I think. It had to have happened one of those first couple of times you know, before you got those things at the drug store." And her tears started flowing again and his mind was racing a mile a minute.

"I love ya Beth ya know that, I told ya that lotsa times an there was never a time I didn't mean it with my whole heart. I'll skip school tomorrow and ask Mr. Horvath for the afternoon off too, we can go ta the courthouse and get married."

"I thought you'd be mad at me. Gosh are you sure we can get married? I'm only 16 and you won't be 18 until the day after tomorrow, and I'm not so sure my folks would let me get married."

"First of all there ain't nuthin' for me ta be mad at ya about. We done this together cuz we love each other and now we gotta take care a things together. And we only gotta be 16 here in Georgia. In the mornin' ya sneak off and I'll pick ya up at the end a the dirt road. We'll get married and we can tell your folks after. There ain't nuthin' they can do about it once it's done. I suppose they ain't gonna be happy but we can't worry about that now."

"Are you sure Daryl? Are you sure you want to be stuck with a wife and baby?"

"Stuck? I ain't gonna be stuck, I'ma be where I wanna be, with you an our baby. Beth we're family now. It's you that probably oughta think about it. This place ain't much and this is where we'd be livin', probably for a while yet. Shit Beth, I don't even have a car. But I'll get one. I can sell the dirt bike and use my Alaska money."

"But Daryl you love that little motorcycle, and you wanted to go to Alaska so much."

"Nah, truth is since I met ya and we got together I knew I didn't wanna leave ya. I guess ya gotta decide if you wanna be stuck with me. You gotta decide if ya trust me ta take care of ya."

And she didn't have to give that much thought, she knew he'd do whatever had to be done to care for her and their baby. "I trust you Daryl. I'll meet you in the morning. I better get home now."

And the young couple kissed and they said their, "I love you's" and they held each other real tight. They were so happy now they were going to be a real family. And they were just young enough, just innocent enough and just in love enough not to realize how tough this all might be. They truly believed that all they needed was love.

He talked to Mr. Horvath first thing the next morning and his boss let him use one of the loner cars to pick her up. They were at the courthouse when it opened at 8:00am and at 9:00am they were married. At 9:20 they were at the pawn shop where they each got a plain gold band. At 10:00 am they were back at what was now their home, in the Murphy bed having their honeymoon.

These were the good things that happened, and it was nice to have that cushion of good things to think about, they'd need that for the harsh things that were about to come.

The trouble began as soon as he pulled up to the farmhouse in that ancient Chevy. He was just opening her door to help her out of the car when her Mama and Daddy both appeared on the front porch. The young bride and groom looked in each others eyes and mouthed, "I love you," and took deep breaths.

Daddy was not at all pleased, "What's going on here? What's the meaning of this young man? Beth you know better than to get in a car with a boy!"

And right there on the front porch the young groom made his announcement, "Me n Beth we love each other, we got married today. We got a baby comin' in the spring." The young bride clung to his arm anticipating the worst, and she was right to worry. Daddy went on a tirade while Mama cried and just kept asking, "How could this be? How could this be?"

Daddy yelled at his daughter for perhaps the very first time in her life, "You've made your bed young lady, now you can lie in it. Don't think you'll turn to us for help. You'll get no help from this house ever."

And the little bride was crying and her young husband was filled with anger. He raised his voice to her Daddy, "We don't need no help from y'all we'll make our own way."

He helped her in the car, got behind the wheel and they were gone. She was quietly crying and he was feeling like shit. "I'm sorry Beth this is my fault I shoulda taken better care of ya."

"No Daryl you're my husband and I love you, it's not your fault Daddy's being so hateful and mean."

She had nothing, no clothes except what she was wearing, nothing except the things in her purse, a hairbrush, a tube of Chapstick and a five dollar bill. And he didn't know what they'd do but he wasn't going to tell her that. "Don't worry Beth we're gonna be fine, we'll figure it out together."

She washed her panties in the sink before bed so she'd have clean ones in the morning. She used his toothbrush and he gave her one of his t-shirts to wear to bed. They crawled in bed together and he held her close to him, "I promise Beth, I promise I'll figure it out."

And she believed her young husband. He slipped that t-shirt off of her and they found their happiness in that Murphy bed.

He hated going to school the next morning and leaving her home alone but she insisted, "One of us has to get a diploma Daryl and it's more important that it's you. I'll be fine, I'll take a walk around town and go to the library and stuff." And that was how she spent her morning and while at the library she checked out two books about babies.

After school he talked to Mr. Horvath about trading him the dirt bike, and whatever cash he thought was fair, for the old Chevy. His boss said the bike was plenty.

Her sister Maggie surprised her with a visit that afternoon. While Daddy was out in the field, Mama had filled two grocery sacks with clothes and toiletries for Beth, and she told Maggie, "Never speak of this to your Daddy."

When her sister stopped at the little apartment with the bags of Beth's things they hugged and her sister told her, "It'll be fine Bethie I just know it will be, you two love each other and that's what it takes."

Daryl got in just after six when the station closed, and it was just after that his brother Merle came by. Daryl shared their big news with him and he laughed, slapped his brother on the back and said, "Ya always was the sweet one little brother, you'll be a real good Daddy."

And the next day Merle showed up with a small portable TV for them as a wedding gift. And his young wife was so excited by the gift, Daryl never told her he was sure Merle probably stole it somewhere.

Otis' wife Patricia came the next week and she brought a maternity dress she'd made. "Otis and I are praying for you and your young husband Beth. Love and prayer, that's what will get you through this."

The young groom used part of his Alaska money to pay off the doctor, and the rest would pay the hospital.

Money was real, real tight and Beth soon learned how to get three meals out of a pound of ground chuck. Their casseroles mostly consisted of a lot of noodles or rice with just a spare amount of meat, and they ate grits for breakfast, peanut butter for lunch and the milk was powdered. But Sunday morning she'd cook bacon and eggs, and for Sunday dinner they'd have a chicken. On Monday what was left of the chicken would become chicken and noodles, or chicken and rice and Tuesday the carcass would be boiled down for chicken soup.

But they didn't complain because as young as they were, as innocent to the ways of the world as they were, they knew enough to know this was something they wanted to do together, they were going to make this work for them. They were a family. They were in love and each believed in the other. And Daryl and Beth held tight to each other in so many ways.

And that first time they felt their baby kick they knew this was right, this was good.

When she was six months along her Aunt came up from Macon with a box of baby things, "These were your cousin Bill's when he was a baby. They're old but they're clean and they have a lot of wear left in them. And I made you these diapers for your new baby, you'll be needing a lot of them."

A week later, Daryl came home and surprised her with a cradle he'd made from scrap wood Mr. Horvath had given him. And she cried at the beauty of the cradle and the thought that he would make this little bed for their baby.

He held her close to him and he reminded her what they were about, "We got each other Beth and we got our baby and the three of us, we're a family and we're gonna be good. Don't you worry I'ma take care of ya both." And there was no doubt in her mind that he would.

And when she was seven months along Mama came to see her. She told her she had put her foot down with Daddy and told him she would not be separated from her daughter and her grandchild. And they cried together.

And on a Sunday morning in her eighth month Daddy came around and he apologized to the young couple. He admitted that he had been wrong, been prideful and that they had it right, family came first. And he said they should come home to the farm and live with him and Mama and they could have a better life.

But the young couple agreed, this was their life, this was their home and although they were happy their family was mended, they were making their own life together.

And the morning of April the 2nd 1961 while she was cooking his breakfast, she had a sharp pain in her abdomen and all the sudden there was hot water everywhere. He helped her get ready and he tried to pretend he was calm as he drove her to the hospital.

They took her away from him, to a room where she would have their baby. He paced the floor and he picked up the payphone and called Mr. Horvath and told him why he may not make it to work, and he called her Mama and Daddy and he called his brother.

Four hours later a Doctor came out and told him he was the father of a 6 lb 9 oz baby boy. He felt the tears sting his eyes and he begged to see his wife and his son, and the Doctor had the nurse bring him to them. And the young couple cried over what they had created together, their son.

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His wife and his baby came for his High School Graduation and afterwards they celebrated with a rare treat. They went to the ice cream parlor and Daryl and Beth shared a Hot Fudge Sundae while their baby slept in his Daddy's arms.

Two months later he had a serious talk with Mr. Horvath, "I got my diploma, I got ability and I also got a wife and a child ta care for. I can't get by no more on a minimum wage, they deserve better. The electric company over in Smithton is hirin', the pay is good and they got benefits. I'm sorry, ya been real good to us, but I gotta think a my wife an my little one."

And Mr. Horvath didn't want the young man to leave, so he tried to strike a bargain with him. "I don't want to lose you, you're the best and most dependable employee I've had. Mrs. Horvath and I hope to retire in just five years. Stick with me son, I'll pay you ten dollars a month more, and in two years you can start buying me out of the business."

"Nah, I can't do that. I'ma go ta work an make decent money now. It ain't that I wouldn't wanna own my own business, but I gotta take care a my family."

And he did get a real good job as a lineman with the electric company over in Smithton. The young family rented a small home at the edge of town, and they were happy and grateful to have this bit of extra room, a yard for their baby, and a little more money coming in.

Three years later his Father was killed in an automobile accident, surprisingly it was the other driver's fault. Daryl and his brother Merle each received a payout from that other driver's insurance company.

The young couple talked a lot about taking the money and making an offer to Mr. Horvath for the garage. But he hated to leave the security of a good job he was happy in, and it was a blessing to have those health and retirement benefits.

His wife protested, "But Daryl you've already given up all your dreams for us. You had to trade the dirt bike; you had to give up on your dream of going to Alaska and seeing the whole country on a motorcycle. Now you're going to give up your dream of owning an auto garage. It's just not fair Daryl that you've given up all of your dreams for me and our son."

"How can ya say that Beth? I never in my life even dared ta dream I'd be lucky enough ta have a beautiful wife ta love me an ta care for me with her whole heart. Someone I could share such a good life with. And never would I have dreamed that same woman would give me a fine healthy child. Nah Beth, you n our son, you're a bigger dream than I ever could have ever thought ta dream."

And so it happened they took the little bit of money they'd gotten from the insurance company, and they put a down payment on a small cabin just out of town in the woods. There was a pond and lots of trees, and the thought of living there made them smile. It needed a lot of work but they didn't mind at all, it would be theirs. And with another baby on the way, they wanted to have something they could call their own.

They worked hard on their new home, and his brother Merle and her brother Shawn, and even her new brother in law Glenn, they all pitched in and helped the couple.

By the time their baby girl was born that rundown little cabin had become a home, their forever home. It might be small, maybe a little too small, but they'd come to prefer living in closeness.

Ten years after they first met, on what they secretly considered their "real" anniversary, July 6th, he'd taken the children to their grandparents' house for the night. He came back with a six pack of beer, a pizza and a bouquet of wild flowers.

And the couple, now 26 and 27 years old celebrated the life they had built together. A close knit loving family including their two little blessings, their son Danny and their daughter Ellie. They were proud of what they'd accomplished, they'd started out with so little but they'd always had each other and that's what mattered most.

They marveled at how much their love for one another had grown. On that day in 1960 they'd both thought they'd reached the pinnacle of love. But years of working hard and scrimping, and just hanging onto each other, depending on and trusting one another had made that love between them even deeper, stronger and they knew they were forever bonded.

And he kissed her softly like he had that very first time, and he smiled, "You're always gonna be my girl. Ya wanna sneak out ta the pond for a little skinny dippin' Mrs. Dixon?"

"Yes I sure do Mr. Dixon."

A/N There's your sweetness. I hope you enjoyed this journey we took with young Daryl and Beth. I'd appreciate you leaving your comments / reviews. Thank you all, xo gneebee

To see the chapter photo please visit my tumblr at bethylmethbrick I thank you all for your continuing support of my stories. I'll see you back her next Thursday. Love ya large! xo gneebee