A/N So. Of course the minute I mention updates should be about every week suddenly there are no updates at all. That's just the way life works, right? I apologize for the delay. A month, it took me a month to get this update posted. I'm so sorry. The basic explanation is that I work at a hospital. My hospital has been experiencing a surge in covid cases over the last month with the delta variant. Most nights I was too tired to brain (i.e. think) when I got home. I had to cover some staff's shifts while they were out sick or being tested and I just got delayed. Things are finally calming down a bit so I have some time to think again. Sorry about that. This chapter is a little bit longer, I hope that helps make up for it!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Sandi and the kids left a bit early considering her unfamiliarity with the roads. She was armed with Maggie's instructions, a hand drawn map and some very excited kids.
"Why can't we just use google maps, Mom?" Kayla asked after she handed her the instructions. The oldest at 18, she liked to question everything.
Sandi smiled. "We can for the first part, but once we hit State Route 74 & 85 we'll need those detailed instructions. According to Maggie, google maps will take us through a field and end in a pond if we follow it to her address."
Sitting in the front passenger seat of the van and serving as the navigator, Kayla flipped her red gold hair out of her hazel eyes and nodded. "Oh. Makes sense."
"Go ahead and plug the address at the top in and we'll follow it to the State Routes."
Things were fairly silent for most of the drive other than a spirited debate between the kids on which Hogwarts house was best. It was a never ending argument that would never be won since they all were firmly entrenched in their choice-all different of course. Sandi laughed occasionally as they all made their arguments.
As they got closer and reached SR74 & 85, Kayla swapped over to Maggie's map and instructions.
"Mom. Do you think they'll have horses?" asked Annie, her second oldest at 15. She glanced into the rear view mirror, seeing her green eyes focused on my matching eyes like lasers. It was a serious topic for her. She'd recently become obsessed with horses and wanted her own with a passion that took her by surprise.
Renting their home until she learned the area had been a smart move, she'd already learned a lot about places she'd rather avoid and ones she liked. However, a horse absolutely wouldn't fit in the postage stamp backyard in town. With another 4 months on their lease she supposed she should start looking for places that may accommodate this new passion of hers along with resigning herself to a longer commute.
"I don't know Annie, but as rural as they are there is certainly a higher chance than not."
Annie's smile lit up her face framed by her golden brown hair and Sandi hoped for all their sakes that there would be some friendly horses for her to pet and love on.
"What about cats?" This query came from her cat loving 12 year old, Kira. She was bouncing in her seat as Sandi glanced at her; her 'yellow hair', as she called it, bouncing around her shoulders. Since she was little she was proud of her 'yellow hair' and woe betide anyone who called her blonde. It was yellow, thank you very much. Her gray-blue eyes sparkled as she thought of all the new cats she could gather.
Sandi chuckled. "No idea, but rural areas often have cats as mousers. It's not like you're lacking in cat company anyway," she pointed out. We had three cats of our own-and hadn't that been a nightmare trying to transport them across the country when they moved.
Kira grinned. "I know, but you can never have enough cats."
We all laughed. We teased her all the time about being a future crazy cat lady. She just smiled and never denied it.
Jordan, her youngest at 8 said, "If there aren't any, they'll appear just cause Kira's there." We all laughed at that as well. We laughed because it was true. Everywhere she went, Kira managed to find cats. She was like the pied piper of the feline kingdom. Sandi shared a grin with Jordan through the rear view mirror and enjoyed the way his wide smile lit up his face. With dark brown hair, he was the only child who had her hair coloring along with her eyes. The girls took more after their father.
Sandi's eyes closed briefly at that thought. Dave had been gone over a year, almost a year and a half now. She still missed him every day.
"Okay, slow down a bit, Mom," Kayla instructed. "We're getting close. It'll be on the right ahead, supposed to look for a mailbox that says "Greene."
She obediently slowed down a bit as she peered out the window. Soon they found the correct mailbox and she turned onto the gravel road. The van shimmied a bit as they drove down the road.
"It says to follow this and to close the gates as we pass by them. Says there's two of them."
Luckily the kids thought it was an adventure to open gates and then hop on and ride them closed again. Soon they'd passed through both gates and went around a long curve when the historic farmhouse appeared as they came over a small hill. There were a lot of cars parked already and they could see activity all around. Sandi found a spot that looked like they wouldn't be blocking anyone and parked.
Before they could even get out of the van, Maggie was there smiling at them dragging an asian man by the hand behind her. His smile was as large as Maggie's as they stopped and she opened her door while the kids piled out of the van.
"Sandi!" Maggie engulfed her in a hug as she saw more people gathering around to greet them. "This is Glenn, my husband, and my parents Hershel and Annette and our good friends Carol and Lori."
Sandi nodded at everyone as Maggie's Mother approached and hugged her much like Maggie did. Once she stepped back she acknowledged them all.
"Nice to meet you all, thanks for having us. The kids are really excited to be here." She threw a look at the kids who were vibrating with excitement.
Maggie's husband beamed at her and the kids. "It's so good to see you Sandi and very glad you're here."
"Well, we're here to help and we brought some stuff for the potluck later," Sandi gestured at the back of the van and started walking that direction. Soon the two women that were friends of the family were there as the back hatch opened along with Maggie and her Mom.
"You really didn't have to bring anything, dear, we're just happy you're all here to spend the day with us," Annette said as she patted her on the shoulder.
Sandi grinned at Annette. "But isn't that how things are supposed to go with a barn raising? Everyone brings food to feed everyone once the work is done?" She glanced at Maggie to make sure she'd gotten it right, she'd quizzed her on what a barn or cabin raising entailed over the last week.
"Well yes, dear, but this isn't a normal barn raisin' since it's cabins and you're a guest," Annette replied.
"Oh no, no special treatment. We want the full experience, so put us to work! I have a couple of crockpots that need plugged in though, one with chili and one with peach cobbler. Then I have some rolls I made this morning as well."
Hershel, Maggie's Dad smiled at her with a gentle, fatherly smile. "I sense you aren't one that likes to laze about with all this talk about work."
I smiled back at him. "No, I'd much prefer to keep busy even if I don't know how to build a barn...errr cabin."
"Well, let's get this all unloaded and we'll set about teachin' you then," he responded.
Soon all the items in her cargo area had been grabbed and she and the kids followed the ladies into the kitchen of the farmhouse. They quickly got her crockpots set up and Maggie introduced the kids to her younger sister, Beth. Quicker than she could blink, the kids all followed Beth off to find horses and cats and some other kids that are around. Maggie stepped up next to her as she stood on the porch watching them all head toward some stables.
"They'll be fine, I promise. Beth knows this farm like the back of her hand, she'll keep them out of trouble."
Sandi jerked her gaze back to Maggie. "Oh no, it's not that I don't trust your sister. I'm glad to see them getting out and making new friends. Between their father's death, our move and all, we've all been living in each other's pockets far too much to be healthy."
"Doesn't mean change isn't hard though, does it?"
Sandi met Maggie's gaze which was filled with understanding. She let out a deep sigh. "You're right, it's not. Although change feels like all that's been happening for the last while." She straightened her spine and asked, "Okay, what needs to be done. They're obviously in good hands and I'd like to be helpful."
"Well, people have been working for an hour or so now. Let's give you the lay of the land and take water around to everybody. You can get a look at what everyone is building and working on and see what interests you. Everybody should be thirsty by now." Maggie motioned her to follow and they went around the corner of the house to a golf cart that had water jugs already loaded on the back. "Daddy got this ready for us to take around, hop on."
Sandi obediently climbed into the passenger seat and Maggie started driving around a roughly leveled road of sorts heading toward some cabins under construction. She could see one building already built on the other side of the track as they passed it and several cement foundations ready for building. All the activity seemed to be taking place in a central area though, where she could see some cabins already formed and more cement pads where walls were being raised. Maggie quickly stopped by the second cabin on the first row of cabins that already had walls and roofs.
"Grab that smaller jug, will you?" Sandi grabbed it while Maggie pulled out some paper cups and led her inside the cabin where a man with brown shaggy hair was instructing a young boy helping him to hold some drywall steady. Just as they approached and the man was about to use the nail gun to nail the drywall down, the boy lost his grip and it started to slip. Sandi quickly set the jug down and jogged over to help, sliding it back in place and helping the boy hold it steady while the man nailed it down, giving her a nod in thanks.
The boy looked up at her and his face lit up like he was happy to see her. That's weird, she'd never seen this boy before. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Maggie interrupted.
"Daryl, Carl, I want you to meet Sandi," she introduced them. "She and her kids are helping out today. We brought water, y'all want some?"
The boy's face fell as Maggie talked, but then he looked tentatively at her as she moved to hold the jug for Maggie so she could fill the cups.
"You brought other kids with you?" the boy asked. She wasn't sure if he was Carl or Daryl, but she nodded.
"Yeah, I have four. They went with Beth to see the horses, cats and find other kids."
"Oh, they must be looking for me! Duane, Sophia, Andre and I are the only other kids here right now. Do you still need me Daryl, can I go find them?" He looked pleadingly in the man's direction. Ah, so the boy was Carl and the man was Daryl.
Daryl looked at her and nodded his head. "Good ta meetcha," he said. Then his gaze shot to Carl. "Forgettin' yer manners kid?"
Carl looked contrite and said, "Really nice to meet you Sandi. Do you mind if I find your kids and introduce myself?"
Daryl huffed out a laugh. "Go. I'm done here anyway." He'd barely finished speaking when Carl was already out the door. Sandi chuckled at his enthusiasm while Daryl took the cup Maggie handed him and took a deep drink.
"Did we just cost you your helping hand Daryl? Why are you working in here today? I thought we were getting all the outside walls up and worrying about the insides later?" Maggie asked as she glanced around at the drywalled inside. That was the last missing piece of drywall they'd just done that Sandi could see.
"Morgan and Jenny want ta move up here from Macon as soon as they can, so I was helpin' get some of the drywall done so they could move in here. It's as done as it's gonna get today though. Thanks fer the water, I'm gonna head over and help on some outer walls now. You bringin' the water round to everyone?"
"Yeah. Tell them the water truck's coming," she said.
Daryl nodded at Sandi and turned to go out the door.
"Nice to meet you and your son," Sandi called after him.
Daryl turned back with a look of confusion on his face that then cleared as he realized her meaning. "Nah, Carl ain't my son. He's Rick's," he said before turning and heading out the door.
Rick had a son? Sandi had no time to ponder that thought as Maggie had her back at the cart to take more water around. As soon as they had loaded the smaller water jug back on and swung around the corner into another lane of cabins, Sandi saw some blueprints come flying toward them, the wind whipping them along.
"Grab those," a dark haired man yelled as he was chasing the flying paperwork. Maggie stopped the cart and Sandi quickly bailed to grab one flying by. She turned around and the second slapped her in the face, wrapping around and blocking her view.
"Thanks," a voice loudly proclaimed very close to her. "I was afraid I was gonna have to chase those through the fields." Hands started to unwrap the blueprint from around her face and when she was free she handed the other one to him.
Maggie laughed. "Shane, the woman who saved your blueprints is Sandi, a friend of mine from work. Sandi, this is Shane Walsh, he's Rick's partner on the force."
Shane's eyes sharpened and gave her comprehensive once-over after Maggie's introduction. Sandi held out her hand.
"Nice to meet you Shane," she murmured. He took her hand and shook it, while he still gave her an assessing eye. Almost like he was judging whether she was worthy. For what she didn't know.
"You too Sandi," he said. "You the one Rick's been having lunch with lately?"
She frowned at that. Why would Rick joining Maggie and her for lunch be of concern? And it was definitely concern she saw on that face.
"Yes, Rick has joined Maggie and I a few times for lunch at work." She gave him an inquiring look. He just nodded and then gratefully took a cup of water Maggie handed to him while holding onto the blueprints with his other hand. He downed the cup quickly.
"Well, welcome to the chaos," he said.
Maggie laughed again. "Shane's been leading our construction efforts. He seems to think directing us all is like herding cats," Maggie confided in a lower tone.
"More like a pack of demented koalas," Shane muttered under his breath. "Your Dad up at the house?" He said that louder, as he looked at Maggie. She nodded and he pivoted, "Gotta get his opinion on something. Most of the group are further down the street, I'm sure they'd appreciate the water," he called back as he was already striding away. Maggie looked at her and shrugged and they got back in the cart.
Twenty minutes later, Sandi's head was full of names she was sure she'd never remember who they belonged to. Morgan, Jenny, Frank, T-dog, Otis, Louise, Thad Fischer and his wife Eileen, Tom, Greg, Jacqui, Michonne, Duncan, Doug, Arnold...the list went on and on and on. So many friends and neighbors were here helping out which she thought was just wonderful.
However, there was one name that she'd never forget who it was attached to. Merle Dixon. He had a way of talking that made you underestimate him and then bam! He said something unexpected and outright genius. She shook her head, still impressed by his idea to make the roofing process easier. She couldn't say she was all that familiar with roofing, but even she could see how his idea would save hours and be safer.
She just smiled and handed out water to all of them with Maggie's help. They were a talkative group and grateful for the water break. Soon they'd quizzed her on her life-everything from her marital status (widowed) to her preferred hot drink (hot chocolate) or where her children were (she had no idea but Maggie assured them all they'd be around soon and were fine). They were an inquisitive bunch for sure. She had started to understand Shane's reference to demented koalas as she fielded their questions and watched them interact with one another..
Soon, Maggie pulled her away and said they had some more water to deliver. Back into the cart they went and pulled further down the lane where they could hear a saw operating.
"Last stop," Maggie said.
They entered the last cabin on the left that looked a bit bigger than the others. As they walked in she recognized Daryl and then Rick emerged from behind the saw as it stopped and he set it down. Daryl took the wood he'd been holding onto off the sawhorse. Rick looked up and saw her.
"Sandi! I'm so glad you came," Rick exclaimed, striding toward her.
Crap, he looked like hugging was on his mind. Familiarity hadn't bred contempt with him quite yet, not as far as this crazy attraction went, so she avoided touching him when she could. It was uncomfortable and brought questions to mind she'd rather continue to avoid. She quickly held up a cup of water, directly in his path.
"You look parched. Water?" she asked.
Rick came to a quick halt so he wouldn't knock the water over and reached over to grab the container from her. His fingers brushed over hers as he took it, meeting her green eyes with his blue ones in a searing stare. She had to fight to resist the shivers that wanted to race through her at his touch and that look. That spark hadn't let up yet, not even a little bit.
Crap. She was in some serious trouble with this man.
A/N I wanted to do a chapter from Sandi's perspective. She and her kids are OC, so you just don't know her much yet. I wanted to give a little look at the farm through her eyes. And the fact that she's fighting this attraction like crazy. She likes Rick just fine, she just doesn't think she's ready for anything at this point. We'll see how long that lasts. :) There is still more to come of the cabin raising, this is just early afternoon! I had to cut it off somewhere though, it was already over 3000 words. More cabin raising coming next chapter! Again, thank you all for reading especially when I made you wait so long for the next chapter. I promise the next one will be up sooner!
