After the dinner, Amy was somewhat happy to slip back into the barn. She had Lyndy playing in the barn office with her toys, so she could poke her head in between feeding the horses and sweeping the alley. Thankfully for her, Lyndy was starting to become very talkative, so she could hear her daughter explaining everything that was happening to her toys like a narrator of a children's program. It made her not only smile but aware of what she was doing and therefore less worried.
Just as she was about to grab the broom, Amy heard a text come in. She took out her cell from the pocket of her jacket and read it. It was from Mitch who - as far as she knew - was still in the house.
"Got stuck talking with Tim. I was hoping we could talk, but maybe later".
"It's okay. I wasn't able to talk to Lou yet either", she texted back, then hearing steps coming in from outside.
As she pressed send, in walked her sister, looking distraught. The sigh she let out didn't exactly make Amy feel any better either. Putting her phone away, Amy tried to act casual and continued with her chores as if nothing was wrong.
"You in the barn", Amy commented. "Things must be serious", she said with the full awareness of Lou possibly already knowing about her and Mitch somehow.
"Well, they kind of are", Lou admitted. "I just talked to Georgie and... She really is thinking about staying here. And as much as I'd like to argue, who am I to stand in her way? I mean, I was almost at her age when I went to New York."
"It's just Hudson. She has us here - and her friends. You have nothing to worry about", Amy tried to show her sister maybe Georgie's decision wasn't as bad as she made it out to be.
"I know, it's not that. She's perfectly capable handling herself", Lou replied. "It's more about me. I mean, I really was thinking of starting things fresh with her by my side. But I get that she's at that age where I can't just force her to go along with whatever I am doing. She's all grown up", she continued, almost as if realizing that for the first time. A smile crossed Lou's face briefly as she was so proud of the woman Georgie was becoming.
"Yeah, she is", Amy admitted. Even in these couple of months it seemed like Georgie had aged years. She was no longer the girl that had ran into their lives years ago. "So... you are going to move to New York, huh...?" she asked, more concerned about that than Georgie staying back.
Lou nodded. "That's kind of the plan."
"And you're excited about it?" Amy checked, since it had seemed like it but the questions everyone else had had had somewhat dampened the mood.
"I am. And I wish everyone else would be too", Lou said, giving Buddy scratches when the horse pushed his head out of his stall to see what was going on. Even though Lou didn't spend that much time around horses anymore, having one to focus on while being emotional somehow helped. "And don't get me wrong, I do understand everyone's concerns, but it's not like I wouldn't handle those things before I actually make the move. I wish people would give me some credit."
"I guess it's not just that. I think we are all going to miss you", Amy wanted to say.
"Come on, it's not going to be that different; I mean, I've been in and out of Hudson for a while now. You guys should be used to it by now", Lou tried to console.
"Yeah, but it's still different", Amy said, putting the broom aside. "I mean, you'll be just visiting. You're not going to be living here anymore."
Lou was almost somewhat speechless about the fact that everyone actually seemed to care so much, even if they had their own way of showing it. Whenever she was here, it was almost as if everyone was taking her for granted.
"I'm going to miss you guys too", Lou admitted. "But I feel like I'm at that crossroads with my life where I choose what the rest of my life will look like. And I can't keep going round in circles like I have now, I need to break free. And I feel like moving to New York is what's going to change everything. It's like my life in Hudson was kind of like a sidebar for everything that was really supposed to happen - at least according to my plan that I had when I moved to New York. And I don't mean that my life in Hudson was bad, not at all, it wasn't just exactly what I felt comfortable in and I think it showed in the ways things weren't just working out. There's only so long you can ignore the signs. I may be from Hudson, but I feel like in a way, my heart is in New York. I know it's probably hard for you to understand, but imagine yourself living in a city and not feeling like you belong. Like everything is telling you to go back to country. It's like that with me, but reversed."
"Well, I don't have to imagine that", Amy said, "I mean, that kind of happened in Europe and it would have happened with Ty too if things had continued. So... I get it. Just... like I said, I'm going to miss having you around."
"You'll be fine, we'll skype and-"
"Oh no, please, no more Skype", Amy scoffed a little. "If I have to sit down for another Skype session with anyone ever again, I think I'll just toss my laptop to that pond behind the Quonset hut... I'll call you, but that's where I cross the line. I might even welcome letters and emails. But no more Skype. Please."
"So that whole long distance thing really messed you up, huh?" Lou read between the lines.
"You could say that", Amy said, checking on every horse in the barn. It seemed like every one of them was settling down okay for the night. "I just... I feel like if I'm in a relationship, it has to be here and now. Not on the internet or through bunch of ones and zeroes. And that goes with every relationship I'll have. Part of me is glad Soraya's in England, so the time zones don't exactly match because at least then I don't have to sit and Skype with her. And it's not that I don't love her or miss her, I just feel like it's kind of like a performance to sit down and talk like that. But really... I just miss having Soraya here. I loved being able to go to the diner and see her and just chat about everything and anything. That's how relationships are supposed to be like. For me, anyway."
She knew all about performing through a video call because one moment Ty had been in Mongolia, pretending like everything was okay, and the next thing she knew was getting a call from Bob, saying Ty had not been okay in a while because of a tick bite but he had just pretended to be fine for the Skype calls.
"I'll keep that in mind", Lou promised. "So... does that mean you saying that means you are open for having a relationship again...? I mean, a romantic relationship...?" she lowered her voice so Lyndy wouldn't hear them talk. "I mean, this is probably the first time since your divorce that I'm hearing you say something like that."
Amy froze and stared Lou for a while. This, this was supposed to be her segue to Mitch. There would not be a better segue than this. Now if only she would know what to say.
"Well... maybe", Amy started shakily.
"Really...?" Lou's face lit up. "Let me just tell you right now, the first date is going to be awkward - that's just normal. He might not be the guy you are looking for, but it's good practice to sort of help you ease in. And it's crazy how the whole dating scene has really changed, I mean, there's all these apps and-"
"I'm not going to use an app", Amy said, flat-out.
"Okay. Well, there's still websites and speed dating, like those can be good", Lou fussed. Amy didn't exactly have any hobbies outside the house, so it would be harder for her to get to know new people. That's why she would have to make an effort.
"Lou, I'm not doing any of that stuff", Amy said, shaking her head.
"I didn't mean that you would go there to find someone, it would be more like a practice, to sort of give you that idea who you are on your own and who you could be with someone else-"
"I'm not doing any of that stuff because I sort of already kissed someone", Amy just blurted it out. She felt like the more Lou talked and suggested things to her, the more trapped she got, so the best way to say something was just come out and say it.
"Wait...?" Lou looked at her, eyes full of surprise. "Really...? And you haven't said anything to me? Not even when I talked about Henry?"
"I don't know what it is yet. Or if it will even be anything. And I wanted you to talk about Henry freely, without me interfering with my own thing, since it's so different anyway. - It was just... It happened and I didn't expect it to happen, but it has definitely made me think things in a new light. Like who I am or who I could be", Amy said, circling it back to what Lou was saying.
"So... how did it feel then?" Lou asked, curiously. It was strange to think Amy with anyone else because she had been with Ty for so long, but at the same time she felt like maybe people had had that same thing with her and Peter. She had definitely struggled with that thought herself too; it had been hard to go from we to I and then back to we again with someone new.
"It was good, nice even, but..." Amy said, shrugging and feeling her breaths getting more shallow. "I haven't fully let myself to even think about it, to be honest."
"I get it", Lou figured she knew exactly what was going on. "It's the guilt, isn't it?"
Amy looked at her, wondering if she already knew. Lou seemed oddly calm about it, so maybe not...? Maybe she was just talking about it in general.
"Well... yeah", Amy admitted.
"It'll pass", Lou knew. "It takes a while for your head to catch up with the fact that you're divorced and you answer to no one anymore. But you'll get there. I mean, if it still feels bad after a while, then maybe you're not ready or he's not the guy, no harm done, but if you allow yourself to be open to it and it feels good, then... chase it. - So, how did you two met?" she asked, wanting to gush about it.
Amy couldn't hold it anymore. She had to make sure Lou knew. "It's Mitch. The guy I'm talking about is Mitch."
Lou's eyes suddenly looked differently as she went from curiosity to shock. It was almost like there was this ringing in her ear. Amy and Mitch...? "Wait... what?"
"Mitch and I... kissed", Amy finally said what she had been meaning to say the whole night. As she looked at her sister, she could feel her heart beats get slower and slower, oddly enough. Like the world was on a pause.
"But... you said..." Lou was trying to process it. "When I was here the last time and I..."
"I know. And nothing was going on back then", Amy said, knowing Lou was going to bring that up, but she also needed to clarify the timeline a little. "We were just friends, like I said. And I guess... we still are, it just... There's this new element to it."
"Element...?" Lou echoed.
"I don't know how else to explain it", Amy said. "We didn't think anything would happen, but it... just did. And I figured maybe you should know about it, even if it's just one kiss and nothing more in the end."
"I think I'm going to be sick..." Lou said, closing her mouth with her palm. Her brain was still going over the new information. "But the things I said... Surely you must have known something was going to happen", she spoke through it. "I mean, even I knew."
"No. I didn't. I wasn't even thinking about it like that then", Amy replied, furrowing her brows. She knew for Lou it was probably hard to believe, but she knew her own side and stuck to it. "I was still angry about everything with Ty. I didn't have room for anything else in my head at that time."
"Is that why you're doing this? As some kind of revenge? Because he beat Mitch up?" Lou was trying to make sense of it.
"What? No!" Amy shot back. That thought had not even crossed her mind. "It's not like that."
"Then what is it? I just don't understand. I mean, from all the guys you could have hooked up with... Mitch? Really?" Lou repeated, her voice full of disapproval. "Try going to the town next time, Amy. You don't have to just pick up every guy that enters the ranch! There are others out there!"
"Can you keep your voice down, please. We- I haven't told anyone else yet", Amy asked, hurt by what Lou was implying.
Lou was offended, on more levels than one. "Well I'm sorry I'm so upset my ex is hooking up with my sister that I can't keep my voice down!"
Amy sighed. She knew it wasn't going to go over easily, but she still regretted this. Then again, she wasn't sure if there was even a way to tell this to Lou without it becoming like a dramatic event.
"We are not "hooking up". It was just a kiss. I don't even know what it means yet. Like I said, I haven't fully processed it, because I didn't give myself permission before I would tell you. I wanted to tell you because I felt like you deserved to know", Amy summed it up.
"What? You're looking for my approval?" Lou mocked. "Is that it? Well, you're not going to get it. Sisters shouldn't hook up with each other's exes!"
"Where was that moral when you kissed Caleb?" Amy asked, hurt how Lou was making this out to be. If Lou was going to play this game, then she had some things to say as well.
Lou sighed furiously, wondering if this was some kind of revenge on her too. "It wasn't like that."
"If I don't know what it was like with you and Caleb, then how do you claim to know what this was like for me?" Amy asked. "Besides, it's not like I thought this was going to happen. It just did. And I wasn't exactly thinking about you when it did."
"I don't want to even think about that..." Lou shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the thought. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Maybe it's a good thing I'm moving to New York so I can get away from whatever this is..."
Lou turned around and started walking back to the ranch house. Amy looked after her and sighed, feeling like she had just been beaten down with words. There was no celebrations of victories here, but at least Lou knew.
Now it was up to her to process not only her sister's words but also what was going to happen with Mitch because of that kiss and this response.
Inside the ranch house, Tim and Mitch were going over the papers Jack had handed to them earlier. The older man was going through the text piece by piece, calling out how every part of every thing was just ridiculous, being fully aware that Jack and Lisa were sitting in the living room by the fire and hearing every word he was saying.
Secretly, he was hoping Jack would change his mind if he was just being annoying long enough.
They were then interrupted by Lou storming in and locking her eyes on Mitch by the kitchen table as soon as she saw him. Kicking off her shoes, she came in with a finger pointed at the man.
"You", she exclaimed, making both Mitch and Tim wonder what was going on, but in a way Mitch probably had a better idea where Lou's energy was coming from than Tim. "I want you and your trailer out of my property - tonight!"
"Woah, what's going on?" Tim asked, feeling like he was caught between some kind of shooting range and was trying to dodge the bullets blindly.
"Lou..." Mitch tried, submissively.
"No. I don't want to hear it!" Lou zipped him. "You disgust me", she said the words with deeper tone to highlight the emotion behind them. She wasn't sure who she blamed more - her own sister or her ex - but either way, they were both to blame.
Tim felt like coming between the two before Lou's claws would fully come out. "Lou, I don't know what's going on but-"
"If I were you", she said, now looking at her father, "I would think twice who I would go into business with." She then shot a scornful glance at Mitch.
"What does that even mean...?" Tim asked. What did Lou knew that he didn't as Mitch's business partner?
"He knows. Ask him", Lou said, wanting Mitch to find his way out of this on his own. Surely Tim wasn't going to be happy about it. "I'll come check in the morning and if I see your trailer still at the Dude Ranch, I'm calling the cops."
Lou then stormed out again, this time from the kitchen to her own room.
The quiet that settled over the rooms then was nearly upsetting. Mitch sighed and looked down, figuring Amy had told Lou about them. He wasn't even that upset about having to move away from the Dude Ranch - even though in a way he should have, since he had no place to go - but more concerned about Amy.
If that had been the treatment he had gotten from Lou, who knew what Amy had just went through. It was a known fact that when Lou Fleming got upset, she didn't hold back.
