Chapter 2: Meeting Mama
1224 Words
ABIGAIL'S POV
I pulled up to the two-story white house. It had wood paneling and a wraparound porch. Blue shutters lined each window, and the door was a gorgeous burnt red color. I loved the house. It was always my favorite and one day I wanted to own it myself.
I parked in front, causing the crunching of gravel beneath my tires to stop. I loved that sound. Something about it was so comforting versus the silence of a tarmac coated road.
“Gorgeous house." He sighed beside me, and I peered up at him to see how his face lit up brighter than the fireworks on Fourth of July.
“Yeah, she sure is. I wanna own her one day, if I'm honest." I sighed and went to grab the bag from the back with the groceries in it.
“I got it." John gently touched my shoulder, and his hand burned on my skin like a brand.
I shifted quickly out of the way, and he grabbed the bag from the back of my truck. He had touched me more than anyone had in a long time, and it was alarming. I didn't like to be touched, not since then.
“You coming?" He smiled at me with his pearly white teeth showing and I swallowed hard.
“Yeah." I walked after him.
Our footsteps made the steps creak and thump with low sounds. Another thing that brought me comfort and memories from being a kid. I sighed and hoped my mama wouldn't make a big deal about some stranger coming over.
I opened the front door and the hinges creaked, “Mama, I'm home!"
“Oh good! I was just about to go into town to check on ya." Mama came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a white kitchen towel that was tucked into an old vintage apron. “Who's this? He looks like trouble."
John peered over at me, and I nodded to say, 'I told you so'. He smiled at my mama and held his hand out to her. “Hello. My name's, John. I accidentally ran into your daughter and to apologize, I offered to take her out to lunch."
“You're not from around here, are ya?" Mama squared him up for a moment with her hands on her hips.
“No, ma'am," he shook his head.
“Thought so. Big city type. Ya know, my daughter went to college in New York City." Mama gestured at him and turned around to stir something on the stove. “You can put the bag on the table."
“I heard she stayed there and just moved back from the shop down the way." He set the bag down on the round oak kitchen table.
“Marty never knew how to keep his damn mouth shut." Mama laughed and I wanted to die.
“Mama, we really should get going. I was just stopping by to—"
“Nonsense, you stay here, and I'll whip something up for y'all." She shook her spoon at us, and I peered up at John.
“I'm really sorry," I mouthed at him, and he nodded.
“Sounds lovely. That is if Abigail doesn't mind." He stared at me like it was my decision and I suddenly felt different about him.
If he was some creepy man from New York, certainly he wouldn't be okay eating lunch with my family. I couldn't figure him out but eating lunch in my family home seemed safer to me than being alone in a restaurant with him. Even in this small town.
“Okay." I gave in and walked over to help my mama cook.
My mama stopped me right as I went to grab my apron. “No, no. I want you two to relax. I got this." She pointed to a sign beside the oven. “Mama's kitchen, remember? My kitchen, my rules. And I don't want you to lift a finger. Why don't you show… what was your name again?"
“John," he smiled.
“Mr. John, here, around the farm." Mama wiggled her spoon at me.
“Fine…" I sighed and walked past John, gesturing for him to follow me. “Come on then. Let me show you Abigail Farms."
“Named after you?"
“First born in the family." I sighed, rolling my eyes.
“Ah, know how that is." He laughed and I peered up at him, as I opened a gate.
“You have siblings?" I searched his gaze and he nodded.
“Three brothers." He held up his middle, ring, and pinky fingers. “All of them a pain in the ass."
I laughed for the first time around him and nodded. “Can say the same. My sister is actually on her way here with her new husband."
“Oh really?" John seemed interested as he followed me around the farm.
“Yeah, I'm one of six kids," I laughed.
“Damn, that's a lot." John was blown away and I knew it.
To many people that was a lot of kids and a big family, but you needed that many hands to help run a farm. Now my parents hired on people to help them. I helped out when I could, but I had been gone so long that there wasn't much I could do anymore.
“So, why'd you come back?" John kicked a big rock across the gravel.
“I missed the small-town life." I shrugged with my hands in my pockets. I wasn't going to tell him that he was right. He didn't need that validation.
“Is that really all?"
The question made me spiral back to New York City when I had been there for college. The stunning man named Aaron, who had offered to show me around the big city. The hands that burned me after his suave words had melted into poison. The sharp shrill sounds of the hardware on my bags as I swiftly packed them and fled back home. Home to a place where I had lied and told everyone that I had missed small-town life.
I could feel his gaze burning into my soul and I didn't want to come clean to some stranger. Not that he would tell anyone, who could he tell? He wasn't staying here forever.
“So, when do you head back to New York?" I sighed and peered up at him with a smile, evading his question.
“A week or so." John shrugged.
“Or so? You planning to never leave or something?" I laughed and opened another gate before a sharp ringing of a dinner bell echoed out. “Lunch is ready."
“You have a literal dinner bell?"
“We have a literal dinner bell." I nodded and led him back towards the main house. “One of my mama's favorite things to use. My father would rather just shout over the intercom system."
“Oh my God, I'd love to hear that sometime." John chuckled and got the gate for me.
“Doubt it." I laughed and slipped through the gate with him following me. “Lock that for me, please."
John spent forever trying to figure out how to lock the gate. I laughed and shook my head. “Big city trouble."
- Writer
