CHAPTER 1: QUITE POSSIBLY THE TALLEST 16 YEAR OLD ON THE PLANET!
A plane from Sparkyville touched down in an airport in a rural town in Oklahoma. Lucy and Schroeder exited the plane and went to meet up with Schroeder's uncle Judd. Judd Klimt was Schroeder's dad's older brother. In fact the Klimt family were all from this small town originally. But Frederick Klimt wanted a better life for himself and moved to Sparkyville after graduating college. He was the only one in the Klimt family, thus far, to go to college. And Schroeder planned to follow suit, being the second Klimt family member to do so.
As soon as they made their way through the small airport, Schroeder smiled as he saw a heavy set man with blonde hair, but slightly balding on top. He recognized him to be his uncle.
"Uncle Judd!" said Schroeder.
"Woo-ee, is that my favorite nephew Schroeder?!" said Judd. "Come over here, boy! Let's take a look at ya!" After exchanging hugs, Judd said, "Damn boy, you grew like a weed. You may give Sadie a run for her money! But not by much, I reckon." Judd looked over and saw Lucy. "And you mus' be Lucy. I see my nephew has good taste."
"Thank you, sir," said Lucy, smiling.
"Well, let's not keep hootin' and hollerin'," said Judd. "Les' get yer things and head back to the Klimt homestead!" And Schroeder, Lucy, and Judd gathered the suitcases and placed them inside Judd's old pickup truck and headed for the house.
They pulled up to what looked like a nice-sized plot of farmland. Lucy was astounded by the size of the place.
"How many animals do you have here?!" she asked, bewildered.
"Got about 20 cows, 50 chickens, 50 ducks, 15 goats, 30 pigs, and my bloodhound Buford," said Judd.
"My uncle is a farmer by trade, Lucy," said Schroeder.
"I also raise crops like corn, wheat, watermelons, apples, and pumpkins," Judd continued. Once they pulled up to the house, a lady in a long dress came out. Following her was a young preteen boy and a younger girl.
"How's m' nephew?" said the woman, who came in and kissed Schroeder on the cheek.
"Pretty good, Aunt Rose," said Schroeder. "Lucy, this is my Aunt Rose, and my cousins Buck and Ophelia."
"Nice to meet all of you," said Lucy.
"Youse was right, cousin," said Buck. He wasn't that bright. "Yer gurl is very purty!"
"I like your hair," added Ophelia.
"Thank you," said Lucy, blushing.
"Sadie should be back soon," said Judd.
"Sadie?" asked Lucy.
"My oldest girl," Judd replied. "She's 16 and she runs some o' th' errands like bringing the crop deliveries to th' stores with her friend Tate." And another pickup, this one a convertible, pulled into the place. A blonde-haired girl was at the driver seat, and a boy was in the passenger seat.
"There she be, now," said Rose.
"Is that my cousin Schroeder?" asked the girl.
"Hey, 'Stretch'!" greeted Schroeder.
"Why is she called 'Stretch'?" asked Lucy.
"You'll see in a moment, Lucy," said Judd. And as Sadie got out of the car, Lucy was shocked at how tall this girl was. She was a giant of a teen. She wasn't fat or chubby; she was pretty thin and lean, but she had to be about 6' 7", at least. Lucy looked up to her, literally.
"You must be Schroeder's girl, Lucy," said Sadie.
"I am," said a still-shocked Lucy. "So you're Sadie."
"Yeah, but family an' friends call me 'Stretch', on account of m' tallness," Sadie replied. "An' this is m' best friend, Tate Gruber." She pointed to the boy who was with her in the truck.
"Mighty nice t' meet you, miss," said Tate to Lucy.
"You too, Tate," Lucy replied.
"How've you been, Tate?" asked Schroeder.
"Pretty good, Schroeder," Tate responded. "Been a while since I last seen ya. You grew almost as tall as 'Stretch' here."
"Even if I kept growing, I don't think I'd be able to reach 'Stretch' in height," said Schroeder.
"Well let's go in," said Rose. "I have dinner ready. Tate, you're welcome to join us."
"Thanks, ma'am," said Tate. And everyone went inside to eat. Lucy got to know Schroeder's family pretty well and would continue to get to know them as the week progressed.
NEXT CHAPTER: SAVING THE AMPHITHEATER