36 All Is Well, Victoria
2081 Words
You would probably think that Victoria was going to say that she wants Noah back despite being married to a decent guy.
It wasn’t anything like that.
Noah’s ex-girlfriend, the only girl he allowed into his life besides his mother and sister, had said her apologies to him—and for the first time, she sounded so sincere.
Noah waved his hand in dismissal when she asked her what she can do to make it up to him.
“Nothing.” He answered simply. “Just be a good person to your husband.”
With that, Noah left for his parents' hometown.
Fitch recommended a rent-a-car place for him when Noah told him he would go and visit his family.
Driving along the way, Noah felt nostalgic. This was the view he’d always pass through as a child. And now, they’re the view he passes by when he’d gone home from another country.
When he parked at the huge garage of his family’s new home, Noah honked his car three times. He unbuckled his seatbelt and walked toward the front door.
Before he can even ring the doorbell, his mother’s voice appeared on the screen below the doorbell.
Noah?! She called. And Noah could hear her voice inside.
He heard a few shuffling feet as his mother pried the door open, her face lined with wrinkles, and yet, she still looks youthful to Noah’s eyes.
“My son!” she chirped as she pulled Noah into her arms. She planted a soft kiss on his cheeks, “I missed you!”
“Is that Noah?” His father called from the kitchen.
His mother hummed happily as she kept Noah in her arms as if he was still a baby.
“Hey! Is that Noah?” His father repeated, “Noah?” he called Noah’s name this time.
“Son, are you home?”
“Yes!” he yelled so that his father can confirm his arrival.
The floor trembled, and his father appeared behind the arc of the living room. His face softened when he seemed to smile on his face, his apron messy with flour.
"Son," he said, patting Noah's shoulder hard. The flour left a mark on his dark clothing.
“Dad, what have you’ve been up to?”
“His cooking his own pasta,” his mom said, a smug look on her face. “He’s good at it. He even bought those machines that let you cut your dough and make it into noodles!” from the way her mother had said it and the look his father had on his face, Noah assumed that they'd been up to it for a while.
“Come inside.”
Noah and his parents spent their entire time together. For the rest of the afternoon, he sat with them in the garden to trim flowers and bushes. Noah's whole body began sweating when the clock turned three in the afternoon. His clothes stuck at his skin as if it had added another layer to it.
Beside him, his father wiped at the sweat that lined his face, “It’s a hot day today.” He commented.
Noah sighed and adjusted his gloves and straw hat, “When are we getting inside, mom?”
Noah’s mother was still bent on the soil. She was watering the remaining seedlings that haven’t sprouted yet.
When she craned her neck to look at them, her eyes looked solemn, "I think I'm about to faint from this heat." A smudge of soil was on her cheeks.
His father stood and walked over to her. He ran his thumb on her cheeks, his mother mumbling her thanks as his father aided her in standing.
Their actions reminded Noah that they’re not getting any younger.
“Come now. I’ll make peppermint ice tea.”
“Make it peppermint lemon ice tea!”
Noah gestured his hands at them, “I’ll make the beverage you two.” He hurriedly ran home. When he found the AC’s remote, he began putting on the lowest temperature.
The door creaked open, and his mother slumped on the sofa. She sighed on the pillow as his father removed her gardening shoes that left a trail of soil on their ivory floor.
"I'll take care of that," his father ran to the kitchen while Noah took out the ice tea from the cupboard. He sliced lemons and brewed peppermint tea. Then, he took some ice and placed them inside the glass before pouring in the drink.
The took out bread and called, “Mom, dad, snacks!”
His mother appeared quickly and snatched at the peppermint tea Noah had made.
She sighed from the pleasure of the cooling beverage. “Always love these.”
His father pulled the kitchen stool and sat next to Noah.
Noah slid the beverage his way. “Have some,”
His father nodded and gladly accepted the drink. He then stuffed some bread in his mouth, the crumbs falling on his white beard.
“Yummy,” he commented.
“Feeling better now, you two?” Noah grinned at them as his mother drank the entire contents of the cup.
“It’s thanks to you, of course.” His father said. “We shouldn’t have planted with that kind of heat.
“And to think we work thick clothes,” his mother laughed a bit. “It was a bit silly…”
Noah couldn't agree more. It was silly. They wore layers of clothing to avoid being sunburned.
“Make sure you’d do it in the morning.” Noah reminded them. “We don’t want you both to have heatstroke.”
His parents nodded as their roles have reversed. It wasn't long before when they were the ones who kept reminding Noah.
A smile resurfaced her mother’s face, “Yes, yes.”
“By the way, do you know any store that sells native animals here?”
“By native, you meant they’re bred here?”
“Bred here, nurtured here, the animal itself is inhabited to this place. Something like that.”
“We haven’t been to farms that much…”
“Maybe we can check around the neighborhood?” his mother said, “or ask that friend of yours from America—what’s his name again? Brie?”
“Brice,” Noah corrected. “And he’d been wanting to meet you guys.”
“Why didn’t you bring him here, here?” his father asked. “We’d gladly let him stay in our house.”
“Well… he’s with his wife. And I think they’re still at their honeymoon stage.”
His mother hummed. “That explains it. Are you telling me almost of your friends are married?”
Noah shrugged. “Should we be worried about that?”
His mother’s scowl made him feel uncomfortable about the idea. “Don’t you want to give me grandchildren?”
His father leveled him a stare, “Stop pressuring him. He’s an adult.”
The front door opened, and the three of them turned their heads toward the living room's view.
Mary placed her handbag on the sofa as she called for her parents.
“Dad? Mom?”
“In here!” their mom yelled.
When her eyes found Noah, she had a grin on her face, "Noah!"
Noah hugged her and kissed her cheek. Mary did the same. “How’s the party?” she wagged her eyebrows at him. Her little sister's been updated by the meeting with the ex-girlfriend whom she hated.
“It was fine,” it’s the best he can answer.
“Sure,” Mary said with a grin.
Noah knew what she’s implying, but she’s not letting her best him.
“Very,” he added. “By the way, we’re going farm hunting tomorrow. Would like to come with us?”
The next day, the four of them headed out to hunt local farms around the land.
“Turn that corner,” his mother said.
Noah turned, and the farm's gate greeted them.
When they called for someone inside, a jolly farmer speaking in English met them. Then, he reverted in speaking Italian when his father spoke.
“Are you the owner?” Said his father while his hands are inside his khaki pants’ pockets.
“Yes, I am. Come on inside.” He pried the gate open and toured them inside his farm.
Noah had to ask if he knows any ranchers that sell native Italian chickens anywhere in the land.
The farmer beamed and smiled at him, “Ah! You came to the right place.”
"I can see that," Noah commented as they arrive at a vast space field with chicken houses.
“I supply eggs to the local market downtown.” The farmer walked toward one of the chicken houses. He gently took a chicken in his arms, “Here. She’s a beauty.”
Noah nodded in agreement. “She is. How much would you sell ‘em?”
The farmer thought for a moment. “That actually depends on how many you will buy. The merrier, the lower the price.”
“As it should have,” Noah said as he slipped his head inside one of the chicken’s houses and noticed that it either has four to five chicken laying eggs inside.
“Any roosters?”
The farmer pointed his hand on the left side of the field. “We keep them over there. They usually fight for the hen, so we opted them in separate small houses.”
Noah hummed. That was a wise idea. He'd have to ask Thomas to find him people that could make that.
“I see, I see.”
His parents had wondered about while Mary stood a few meters away looking warry if any of their beaks will peck her legs. She wasn’t fond of living chickens. Maybe it had to do with that one incident wherein our Nana’s chicken chased her all over the place. And when she thought it had gone away, the angry hen appeared in front of her and scratched her chin using its sharp claws.
Noah and the farmer discussed and bargained for the price of the chickens. They shook hands, and Noah and his family drove toward the next place.
Onto the next place, Mary told Noah that she saw a ranch on Google Maps, and people from the market had rated that the farm breeds good quality of geese and ducks.
And so, when they arrived there, Noah immediately bargained for their prices. He had them delivered in a villa he rented out for his last day in Knox city.
Of course, he wouldn’t go unnoticed.
“What are you renting the villa for? And you’re having the animals delivered there?” Mary asked as she and Noah switched places. She drove the car now.
And so, the test of believable lies began.
“I’d have my personal veterinarian check them first before we ship them out at my place.”
Mary arched one eyebrow, “Oh. So, you’re that rich now, huh?”
Their mother’s hand flew on Mary’s shoulder, “Isn’t that a rude thing to say?”
Noah shook his head, “It’s alright, mom,” he took a swig from his water bottle, “I just like to spoil my animals.” He continued as he glanced at a focused Mary.
His little sister shrugged. “I guess you do. To the point that you’d even make your veterinarian go here instead of having them shipped directly at your ranch.”
She had said exactly what he knew she would.
Noah smiled, the lie sliding out of his tongue, “That way, I wouldn’t be able to return the animals without costing me money for shipping back and forth, right?”
Recognition flashed in Mary’s eyes, “You’re right.”
They arrived at their third destination; a pet shop for puppies.
The tiny bell attached above the door rang when Noah pulled the door open.
“I’d like to buy myself some toy terrier,” Mary mumbled as she got lost in a sea of puppies running around her legs.
“What can I do for you?” The pet shop owner asked with a smile on her face.
“I’d like to buy three German Shepherd puppies, please.”
After procuring and buying animals, Noah felt the simple joys of owning animals seep through his chest. He had never felt happier than to take care of them in Stream Ranch. He couldn't wait to put them all inside the Magic Ball.
A nostalgic feeling crept within him. These animals had grown in Italy, and he hopes they wouldn’t feel homesick when he takes all of them back to his Stream Ranch. He hopes the puppies can get along well with the older ones, and that the geese and duck swam peacefully on the small pond near the mini forest he had on his ranch.
Their night ended with the four of them having dinner in a family restaurant downtown.
“Ah, I’m so full!” Nancy rubbed her tummy. “That’s actually the best carbonara I’ve ever tasted.”
“Scallops—” their father said as he swigged an entire glass of orange juice. “I love ‘em here.”
“Elijah would’ve been jealous.”
Noah's little brother couldn't make it to the family reunion since he couldn't find anyway trustworthy to take care of his son Evan.
“Probably by October or in a much earlier date, I’d be able to fly you all in Maple city.”
“I thought we were staying in the ranch?” his father said as he looked up from his plate. Noah saw the urge in his eyes; how could he forget that his father was very fond of horses?
“Right. To the farmhouse it is.” Noah said.
“I thought you were running a ranch? Why’s it named a farmhouse?”
“It’s inspired by a farmhouse.” Noah reasoned. “You’ll see when you get there.”
And so, they ate some more, his father already imagining what he would do in his ranch. Whom horse he would ride, mainly when Noah talked about Bean.
- Writer
