46 Through the Stormy Night
1503 Words
It’s now late in the afternoon, and Noah had no one to come hang out with him.
The work inside the ranch had been too busy that he wasn’t able to talk with Wynn, Thomas, and Nancy. He had to eat a sandwich as his form of lunch since the three of them were still working like busy beasts that didn’t have the time to socialize with the owner of the said Stream Ranch.
After spending the entire has of his day working on the field and tending for animals, Noah flopped on his bed. Joanna’s face appeared in his mind, and Noah had a sudden itch to send her a text message or something.
He sat upright. “What am I going to do?” Noah looked at his calloused hands.
The woman looked to disinterested in him now than when they first met at the bar. S
Sighing deeply, Pizza roamed his tiny hands-on Noah’s cheeks, squishing them and then forming it into a smile.
“Thanks, buddy,” the monkey was obviously trying to comfort him. It had sensed the sad emotion within him, and he wouldn’t have thought that animals had heightened senses—not until Pizza continuously caressed his head.
After an hour of walking around the house, Noah couldn’t take it any longer.
When he was about to go out of the door, Thomas opened it and the wood almost hit his face.
“Woah there!” he shouted.
Thomas halted and quickly closed the door.
Noah took a step backward. “Thomas? You can come inside now.”
Thomas quickly opened the door, the cool breeze hitting Noah’s face. He had a peek at the sky and it seems like it was beginning to darken despite being only two in the afternoon.
Noah ripped his eyes away from the sky and had it settled on Thomas.
“How’s the preparations been going?”
Thomas walked to the kitchen counter. He didn’t answer Noah, and instead, he went to the fridge and grabbed hold a pitcher of what.
When he placed the pitcher on the counter, Noah had to look to see if Thomas was willing to talk to him.
“Hey?”
Thomas raised one hand to stop him from talking.
Noah immediately shut his mouth, and it was in a thin line.
And then, after drinking plenty of water, Thomas sighed loudly.
“That was so refreshing!” he called out.
Noah scrunched his eyebrows, “Are you alright?” he repeated, a confused expression plastered on his face.
Thomas nodded. “I’ve just been too tired cleaning the molds in every inch of this ranch,” he touched the tender spine on his back, “and I’ve been having backaches for the past days.”
Noah sighed, “I told you to take it easy.”
“It’s just probably the cold weather. My bones tend to be rusty when it’s cold.”
Clicking his tongue, Noah crossed the distance between them, “Probably. But you need a rest, old man.”
He grabbed Thomas’ shoulder and had his face toward the stairs, “Head up and rest for the remaining day.”
“What? No…”
“No buts, old man.” Noah pushed him to edge closer on the stair’s railings. “You’re heading upstairs whether you like it or not.”
Thomas glared at him, his scowl deepening. “Can’t I just work?”
Noah didn’t exactly know if this is how older men think when the young ones try and coax them into taking a rest for the remaining day.
Maybe because it was the sense of wanting to do something, or that it’s when they didn’t know what to do when they just sit around in the chair and served with everything they requested. Noah can definitely relate if it’s like that. After all, he knew Thomas is the type of person that didn’t want to be served food with. He’s the kind that goes in the buffet and takes whatever he can get.
“You definitely need rest,” Noah insisted.
He can see that Thomas was already crouching and bending his back like he’s about to collapse on the floor.
“I’m not that old, you see. I’m still able to walk and do all the work that normal young lads do when they’re in a ranch.”
Noah couldn’t agree more with him.
Despite being already past the age of youth and adulthood, Thomas had been someone who can do most work that youngsters have a hard time performing.
Noah had to take care of the older man to preserve his talents.
“Come on now, Thomas,” pulling the older man’s hand, he led him up the stairs.
“Noah, I can do this,”
Noah shook his head with Thomas’ protest. “I need to make sure you’re fine and well.”
“But I am well—”
“With that aching back?” He countered.
Thomas kept quiet, and Noah had both his hands in his pocket as Pizza went down his shoulders and walked behind Thomas.
The monkey thinks he’ll escape as Thomas gave him a side-eye.
“What are you doing there?” he asked in a flat voice.
Pizza tilted his head to the side in response.
“Does the little guy know what I’m saying?”
“He does,” Noah looked behind Thomas, “I think?”
Thomas had his eyebrows raised, “You think?”
Pizza had spent a short amount of time inside the Magic Ball, and Noah hadn’t had all the time in the time in the world to constantly check on them, although he sometimes use that one breath technique he’s able to see what was happening inside the Magic Ball even if he isn’t physically present to be with the animals.
The both of them walked a few steps in the hallway on Noah’s farm house’s second floor.
Thomas was grumbling the entire time, but Noah didn’t have the time to argue with him.
The older man was persistent in going back to work because he reasoned they need all the help they can get, especially when the rainy season is close by.
Noah stopped in front of Thomas’ room.
“Alright, Thomas. Get inside.” He opened the door for him.
Thomas scowled and looked at Pizza behind him, “I’m fine. Can you convince your master?”
Pizza shook his head.
The expression on Thomas’ face can’t be deciphered, and Noah had to chuckle at his reaction.
“Seems like he really does understand us,” said Noah as Thomas entered his room. “I’ll see you once you get a full night’s sleep.”
The sky grew darker than he expected it to be. The storm kept brewing faster—the thunder louder and clear, the wind colder, and the animals seemed as if they were turmoils happening inside their heads. Noah thinks they can feel the impending storm that has yet to hit their homes in a few hours or so.
Nancy held her straw hat. She pressed it down atop her head as her hair danced with the wind, making it bristly with the cold, afternoon air.
“How much further can this storm go?”
Wynn continued arranging the dried grasses on top of the boxes inside the barn. These were all the gathered grasses they collected and dried underneath the little sunlight left earlier this morning.
“I heard—” Wynn said as if he was already shouting, “—in the news that its going to be a super typhoon.”
He turned and laid his eyes on a surprised Nancy. Her mouth was slightly ajar, and her eyes weren’t lying when it looked scared from what’s yet to come for the crops and animals they had in the ranch.
Noah suddenly emerged from the nearby barn, his hand pressed on top of his newsboy hat, holding it so it wouldn’t fly with the wind.
“Everything seems fine now.” He declared as two of his employees sighed with relief.
He wasn’t sure why they sighed so, being the usual Noah, opted to ask the youngsters.
“Why the long sigh?” said Noah as he scraps off imaginary dust on his shirt. “I just checked the entire barn and I think we’re fairly doing well in preparing the ranch.”
As expected, Nancy was the first one to have step-up. Her eyes cast on Noah when she opened her mouth to talk, “It’s the first time we’re experiencing a super typhoon,” she ran her hands up and down herself, “and I’m scared for what’s to come for this ranch. The animals might become distressed.”
Noah managed to make himself look calm even though his nerves told him otherwise, “It’s alright, girl.” He took a few steps beside Nancy. He scooped her shoulders as well as Wynn’s, “You’ve done well. All we need to do is monitor the animals and await the storm to pass by.”
Both Wynn and Nancy managed a firm nod.
Wynn finally looked up, a small smile playing on his lips. “Guess we better head inside now.”
Nancy couldn’t agree more, “I’ll make hot beverage for the three of us.”
“Don’t forget Thomas,” Noah countered. “I kind of locked him in his room since he’d been having backaches and continued insisting that he was okay even though he isn’t.”
Wynn scratched at his head, “Yeah, that’s really like Pops. I have to literally pretend that I was angry for him to stop working.”
Noah patted his back, “He can be a handful—but he’s useful.”
“Then, I better make the hot beverage four instead of three. We need to hurry. He might suspect we’d been going against him.” Nancy said as she gave out a laugh.
Wynn and Noah followed suit.
And so, the three of them closed the barn and headed straight to the farmhouse.
- Writer
