It's one of those bright days of early spring that deceptively cloaks itself in the light frock of summer while a cold breeze cuts sharply through skin. All too aware of this chicanery, Gillian wears her coveralls as she swings a mattock into the ground, levering it to unearth long buried rocks delineating the edge of the lawn. As she carefully releases the mattock handle, watching it clatter against the pile of brown rocks now sitting on the lawn, she bends at her hips to haul the latest find onto the pile.
A sharp twinge in Gillian's back lets her know she has only temporary passage through the complaints department of her body. She stands up and arches her back, hands massaging the muscles at the base of her spine as she wonders how long they'll hold up. She'd learned to use her knees to manoeuvre sheep and other heavy objects on the farm when she was younger, but her knees had long since given up so she now uses manual handling techniques the WHS manual explicitly and emphatically forbids. She is nearing the point of lighting candles and chanting to a goddess in the hopes of getting a few more years of work out of her body before it gives up completely.
Gazing down the valley as the soft light streams from above, she has a sense of being on top of the world. It amplifies the satisfaction of finally being in charge of her own destiny that has blossomed in the last year or so. Part of it is the relief of not going it alone, which means the finances have eased considerably—not that she'd ever want to be "taking advantage", as Celia is wont to say. The relief from grinding poverty is almost as strong as the joy of finding someone who seems to love her despite her past. Despite? Because of? She doesn't know which it is, but she knows in her bones that whatever she has with Caroline will last.
Gillian smiles secretly to herself, remembering their cuddle the previous night. They had laid in each other's arms, tenderly touching and quietly discussing their day. The talk had distilled into contentedness with soft sighs and even softer kisses that faded until they slept. It had been a blissful way to reconnect with the woman she loves. She's never had that with any of her previous lovers, or her husbands. It's quietly revolutionary and her heart feels changed by it.
Gillian smiles more brightly, wondering where Caroline is and wanting to connect again, knowing she's probably around in the garden somewhere.
"Caz?" Gillian shouts, not bothering to turn her head from the view of the valley.
"I'm right behind you," Caroline quietly mutters, the amusement clear in her tone.
"Jesus Caz!" Gillian nearly jumps out of her skin, clutching her chest dramatically. "You scared the ff-shite out of me."
Caroline grins before she raises an eyebrow, pointing at Flora on the other side of the garden. "Young ears," she warns with a smile.
Gillian flings her hands in the air in exaggerated exasperation. "If you go sneaking about, then what am I s'posed to do?"
"Careful, or my mum will sign you up for their next AmDram production."
"Don't even..." Gillian blanches, waving a finger accusingly at Caroline. "That's not..." she trails off, the thought too horrific even for jest.
Caroline chuckles, knowing she'd never make good the threat. She stands with hands full of weeds that had braved the remnants of frozen earth and shot up during the last few weeks of winter.
"Is there something you want?"
"Oh." Gillian is stumped for a moment, trying to remember what she'd been thinking about before being so distracted by thoughts of Caroline. She ferrets around in her brain until she stumbles across something she's been contemplating during winter.
"How about we fix up that greenhouse? I could do it. It's only a couple of broken panes."
"I could pay someone to do that Gillian. I've been meaning to do that for a while, actually."
"No need. I can sort it. Maybe next week when Raff's on holidays." Gillian turns to look at the half finished greenhouse standing at the top of the garden, just inside the stone wall.
Caroline walks up behind Gillian and wraps her arms around the farmer, contemplating the suggestion. She rests her head on the muscular shoulder, thinking about the extra work the greenhouse will require, not just to fix, but to have a proper garden in there throughout the year.
"I can certainly cover the cost of materials, if you like. What were you thinking?"
"We could plant herbs for the garden, and I'd like to grow some veggies too."
Gillian is itching to get her hands on useful dirt around the house, and while the ground is fertile, the hard winters and exposed outlook mean only hardy bushes survive. Gillian also wants to contribute more to the household. It is one thing for Caroline to pay most of the bills, but if Gillian can provide labour to bring down the cost of food for the household, their contributions will be more balanced.
Caroline nods, asking, "Do you have any particular vegetables in mind?"
"Oh, you know, carrots, onions, broccoli, potatoes, aubergine—"
"Aubergine! I hate aubergine. We are not growing aubergine, Gillian."
Gillian snorts before bursting into ribald laughter. "You sure? Seemed okay with aubergine last week," she adds suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.
Caroline laughs, a little thrown. "Well, that was different... and if...ah...if it—"
Gillian turns around in Caroline's arms, broad grin on her face and kisses Caroline on the lips to stop the stuttering. "Come on Caz, we both know you're up for for a bit of aubergine every now and then."
Embarrassed by discussing the topic in broad daylight and with Flora not far away, Caroline nestles her face in Gillian's hair. "Can we not..."
Gillian laughs brightly. "Besides, I thought you modern lesbians were all fine with it."
Caroline chuckles. "I'm hardly modern Gillian, and anyway, what does that make you? I think we decided you really were the expert in...in... aubergines." She looks bemused. "Is that really what we're calling them these days?"
Gillian nods as a smirk appears on her face. "We can call it whatever you like, m'dear." She kisses her on the lips again. "'Harold' if you like."
"We are not calling it 'Harold'!"
Gillian starts to shake with laughter. "Jerry?"
The laughter is contagious and Caroline starts laughing too.
"Daisy?" quips Gillian.
A howl of laughter from Caroline and they're both are in stitches, clutching on to one another to stay upright. It takes a while for them to calm down, as ever more ridiculous names are suggested until they are wiping tears of joy from their eyes.
Gillian smiles contentedly and kisses Caroline softly on the tip of her nose. "So that's a 'yes' on the greenhouse?" she asks.
"Yep. Love the idea. Let me know what you need from me." Caroline pulls Gillian into a tighter hug, leaving a soft kiss on Gillian's cheek. "Can we do it during a weekend? That way I can watch you fix it."
"Oh, you like watching, don't you."
"You know I do," murmurs Caroline, voice a little deeper than normal.
Gillian breathes a sigh on Caroline's neck, before landing a slow, wet kiss under the blonde locks. "Can we go to bed early tonight?"
"Mmmm. That's a lovely idea." Caroline closes her eyes, her whole body relaxing into the hug, angling her head slightly, offering more of her neck to Gillian. She loves the intimacy she has with Gillian, but it is the joy she treasures. She's never laughed like this with a partner. It is a gift Gillian offers her, one that lightens her life.
"Then we'll have time for a cuddle, after," Gillian whispers.
.
.
Anywhere, Anytime by Beau Taplin, from Worlds of You, 2017
Nb. The English call an eggplant an aubergine.
Sorry to take so long to update this. Dis Moi had the audacity of distracting me with the opportunity to write with her and fabulous ideas for stories, and I couldn't resist. Bless her. Thank you for your patience. I promise I will finish this fic. :)