Chapter 12
My feet hit the floor and I'm out of bed before the sun. I couldn't possibly be more excited about today. Today my garden gets started! After the fastest shower I've ever taken I put on my new gardening outfit. It's the first and only outfit that I've ever picked out and purchased on my own. Granted it's only something I'll be able to wear around the house but I still feel like it's given me a sense of independence. Funny how good overalls and a tank top can make a girl feel. I forgo the makeup, knowing I'd be sweating it off as the morning went on anyway. I do pull my hair up and off my face and place my mothers hat on my head. I don't have many pictures of her from when she was younger but I'd bet that I look a lot like she used to right now. And I really, really like that.
I head down to the kitchen for breakfast when I remember that Mabel won't be coming by today since it's Sunday. Hmmm, what to do for breakfast? It's too early to go to the café in town which is my usual Sunday option. They won't be open for another hour or two. I wonder if I can make it to the bakery and back before Gale and Thom get here to start work. One glance over at the clock tells me that if I hurry, I can make it. I grab my purse and slip on my sneakers.
I'm at the bakery right as they open. Mr. Mellark holds the door open for me and gives me a hearty welcome. His eyes look tired though and I think to myself that he must not be sleeping very well. Probably worried sick about Peeta. I doubt I'd be able to even function if I had a child reaped for the games.
"Good morning, Mr. Mellark. I'm so glad you open so early every morning, I'd be without my breakfast otherwise." I say with a smile.
"Well, I've always felt that the very best baking is done in the wee hours of the morning. What would you like me to wrap up for you today dear? I recommend the cinnamon rolls myself." He responds with a smile and a wink.
"Cinnamon rolls it is then. I'll take 3 please."
After he's boxed up the rolls for me I thank him and head back home as quickly as I can without running. Thankfully, I make it back to the house before the boys. I want to really start the day off on a good note and have a little breakfast ready for them before they start working. Maybe my gesture will make Gale a little less hostile towards me. I'm honestly surprised that he even took the job in the first place. I can't lie and say I'm not eternally grateful for whatever twist of fate made him accept the position. He's such a mystery to me and I can't get my mind off him. In a good way. I set out the cinnamon rolls, glasses and a pitcher of orange juice on the little bistro table on the porch. The smell of cinnamon is wafting through the air and the sun just starting to break on the horizon make me smile from ear to ear. I know this is going to be a wonderful day.
"Morning! I call out, waving as I see Thom and Gale rounding the side of the house. Thom smiles back and nods but Gale just stares at me. I can't figure out the look on his face though. It's like he's never seen me before. I sigh internally and think again how mysterious this boy is to me.
"Wow, what's all this?" Thom asks as he eyes the table of breakfast stuff.
"Well, since the job is going to take so long it was decided that meals should be included. As part of your pay for all the work. My father wouldn't have it any other way." I say quickly. I say it because I can tell from the look on Gale's face that he's on the verge of a snide remark and I'm suddenly remembering how angry the leftover dessert had made him the other night.
"Don't mind if I do." Says Thom as he bites into one of the rolls.
"Uh, thanks I guess." Gale says, not looking at me but reluctantly taking a roll. I feel relief wash over me and make a mental note to call and order lunch from the café for us later.
After we've eaten every crumb of breakfast, we get to work. Well, they get to work. I'm not sure how I can help at this phase of the project. I look around, trying to see anything at all that I can work on without being in the way. Thom and Gale are pulling up dead shrubs and roots and such. I decide my best help at this point is to begin dragging the stumps and roots into a large pile off to the side. We'll have to burn all this later so I figure getting everything piled up is the best thing I can do. I slip on the pale blue gardening gloves I picked up at McFerrin's and begin to drag the stumps over to a pile.
"What the hell are you doing Undersee?" Gale bellows from across the yard.
"I'm making a burn pile with the dead stuff. Why?" I say, suddenly nervous that I'm already in the way.
"I can see that. My question is why? Why hire us if you're going to do the work yourself? That's stupid."
"It's my yard and my job. I can help if I want." I say defensively trying to hide my fear that he'll make me go inside and stop being a part of this.
'Suit yourself." He replies, scowling.
I see Thom elbow him and give him a look that's clearly asking what his deal is. Gale just shrugs and goes back to work. I've been dragging shrubbery across the yard for nearly 2 hours when I decide it's time for a break. I pull off my gloves and shoes and leave them on the porch, heading through the screen door into the kitchen. I turn on the faucet at the sink and wash my hands. It feels so refreshing that I go ahead and splash cold water on my face too. It's amazing how exhausting a few hours work can be. I'm sure the boys must be exhausted as well but I know better to think that they'd say anything about needing a break. And I know they want to finish the job today to get the bonus my father offered. I soak two hand towels in the cold water and pour two glasses of water.
"Thought you two could use a little cooling down." I say as I hold out the wet towels and water."
"Thanks Madge." Thom says as he gulps down the water and wipes his face on the wet towel.
Gale doesn't say anything but does the same as Thom. They both hand me back the empty glasses and turn back to their work. I look around the yard and smile a little at the progress we've made. Most of the yard is cleared and then we'll just need to till up the soil.
"Lunch will be ready in about 2 hours. I'm going to have it delivered from the Café in town. I'll let you know when it's here." I say and head back into the house.
The Café in town is small but the menu is great. I have no idea what the boys will want to eat but something tells me not to ask them. It must be difficult to let other people feed you when you live in the Seam. In town, we all have ample food but many, if not all, in the Seam dance a fine line with starvation. That much I knew from how hard Katniss had to work to feed her family. I ponder the menu for awhile and decide simple sandwiches, chips and iced tea are the way to go. I use the kitchen phone to call in the order for delivery, knowing I'm far too much of a mess to venture out and pick it up myself.
I go back outside and finish dragging the rest of the shrubbery over to my now massive burn pile. It occurs to me that it will take quite awhile for the pile to burn down. I wonder if we'll be able to finish today after all. I decide the burn pile doesn't count as being finished. It can be saved for last and therefore shouldn't affect the finishing bonus.
Thom and Gale have begun tilling the dirt but I can tell it's a hard task. The ground is extra dry and therefore harder than usual. I'm at that point where I once again don't know how I should help so I just decide to ask them. Gale of course just seems annoyed at my presence but Thom humors me and suggest I walk the length of the garden and pick up the larger stones and rocks that lay about the soil. He explains that will make it easier for them to till up the soil.
I spend the next hour or so collecting rocks. I've amassed quite a collection when I decide to start making a ring around the burn pile. As dry as it's been lately it wouldn't take much for the fire to accidentally spread and the rocks will help prevent that. I think I read that in a book once. After I'm finished, I stand back and look at my work, proud that I've made a decent sized contribution to this job. I again leave my gloves and shoes on the porch and head inside to clean up before lunch. I've just barely gotten my hands washed when the doorbell rings. Must be our food. I head to the front door and open it, still drying my hands on a kitchen towel.
"Oh, hi there Madge! My father sent me over with this lunch order. Where's your housekeeper? I hadn't expected to see you answering the door." It's Tripp Krull. He's a year older than I am so I don't see him much at school but his family owns the café and I occasionally cross paths with him there. Not that we ever talk much beyond the usual formalities.
"Hi there Tripp. Sunday is the housekeepers day off so it's just me here today. Thanks for bringing the food by. I appreciate it." I say as I go to take the food from him.
"Oh, just show me where you want it and I'll put it down. Kind of heavy and I'd hate for you to drop it."
"Sure, c'mon, kitchen's this way." I reply gesturing for him to follow me as I walk towards the kitchen.
He sets the food down on the table and then I walk him to the front door, thanking him again for the delivery. I decide to plate the food to make a better presentation of it. Once I have all the plates piled high with club sandwiches, potato chips and pickle spears I remember the almond cookies I bought yesterday and add one of those to each of the plates. I go out to the porch and call the boys in for lunch.
"Bathroom is down the hall, 3rd door on the left if you want to wash up before you eat." I tell them when they come into the kitchen.
They get washed up and return to the table where I'm waiting to begin eating. There's a long awkward silence as we silently chew our food. I try desperately to think of anything worth talking about.
"I think we made good progress so far. Do you think we'll be finished tonight?"
"Think so. We need to finish tilling, wet down the soil and get rid of the burn pile."
"Well, let me know if I can help with anything. I don't know much about any of this and I'm not exactly strong or anything but I definitely want to help however I can."
They nod but continue to chew quietly. Lunch is quickly over and I stand to clear the table.
"Thanks for lunch. " Thom says and then they disappear through the screen door.
After I've cleared the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen I try to figure out what to do next. There isn't much for me to do out back but I want so badly to be a part of the project. I decide to go out to the porch and sort out seed packets. Eventually the mid afternoon sun is radiating heat down upon us. I'm practically melting and all I'm doing is sitting on the porch. I look up and across the yard where the boys are working to see if they are suffering from the heat. My jaw practically hits the porch and I quickly snap it shut. Gale Hawthorne is working in my yard without his shirt on. He must have removed it because of all the heat. He looks stunning. His skin is darkened from the sun and without the shirt I can see all his muscles. Sweat making him glisten ever so slightly in the sunlight. As if he senses my staring, he looks over at me and I have to quickly look away, embarrassed that he caught me looking. I hear Thom laughing but I don't know what it is Gale said that made him laugh. Probably a joke at my expense I think. I get up and go back inside. I repeat the wet towel and glass of water routine from the morning and take them back out.
"Here, thought you both might need a break." I say handing over the items. Gale is still without his shirt and I'm desperately focusing on Thom but I'm aware my cheeks are still blushing.
"We're about finished tilling. Just need to spray it all down and work on the burn pile."
"Okay. There's a water spout over there for you to hook the hose up." I tell them, pointing to the side of the house. I let them finish working and resume my seed organizing on the porch. I'm lost in my own thoughts, admittedly daydreaming about Gale and his shirtless beauty when Thom comes up to ask for matches. I startle at his voice and he smirks a little. It's only now that I realize the sun is setting. How long have I been daydreaming?
"Watering's all finished. Just gotta kill the burn pile." He says.
"Oh, let me go find some. I'm sure there are some somewhere around here." I return to inside the house and wonder where on earth I would be if I were a box of matches. I try the kitchen drawers to no avail but locate a fancy lighter in the library. Some Capitol guest of ours must have left it there last week.
"Will this do? " I ask holding up the lighter.
"You bet." Thom says taking the lighter and moving back towards the pile of debris.
I watch as it quickly blazes up and burns a glowing shade of orange against the night sky. It's almost beautiful.