“Well, I can’t pay you but minimum wage, and I don’t offer benefits. I just need someone for three days a week, and it’s pretty much basic work. Stocking shelves, running the cash register, bagging groceries, collecting the produce and eggs from local farmers, gathering carts, answering the phone, and being here at five in the morning to get the pick-ups finished. I have a nice work shirt for ya and it comes with a bow tie on it. Real nice looking, but the tie is just sewn on. Kind of closes and looks real when the shirt’s buttoned up.”
Bow tie..sewn on..looks real…
“I was looking at doing some farm work to be honest.”
“Well, head on out to Montoose Farm. It’s about eight miles north of here. Just stay on this road and mention that Clyde sent ya.” At this, he smiled widely, rocked on his heels, and hiked his pants up.
“Uh, okay, thank you.” God…
Daniel found the entrance to Montoose Farm. It was a pretty good size, thought Daniel, who didn’t know anything about farms to begin with. A slightly heavyset woman, with short gray hair, stepped out of the house wearing jeans and a light blue short sleeve shirt.
“Can I help you with something?”
“Yes, is your husband here?”
“He sure is.”
“Can I see him, please?” Daniel was trying not to get impatient again.
“Yep, you’re more than welcome to see him. Just go on back about twenty acres and you’ll find him. Just dig him up first or he might not hear ya.”
“What?”
“The name is Rosie Montoose. I run this farm just fine on my own. My husband has been dead for over ten years.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you and I shouldn’t have assumed that it was your husband I needed to speak with.”
“You and every man that comes here. It’s okay, I’m used to it. You got a name?”
“John Williams, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Daniel put his hand out, and Rosie squeezed it tight enough to mimic any man’s firm shake.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Williams?”
“Please, call me John. I was looking for some work. Are you hiring?”
“I can always use a spare set of hands. I’m not getting any younger.” With her boots off, she couldn’t possibly stand taller than five foot.
“When do I start?”
“I pay well for hard work, and I offer the room in the back of the barn free of charge, if you need a place to stay. I also feed my boys during the week; keeps us treating each other like family. Breakfast is at five.”
“I have an apartment,” Daniel cringed as he referred to that place as an actual residence.
“Oh, where ya stayin’?”
“I think it’s called Rolling Waters.”
“That damn hellhole that Beatrice runs?”
“I’m thinking we’re talking about the same place. I’m in apartment four.”
“Honey, you need to go get your things and come on back here. I’ll show you the place. It’s definitely better than there. Make sure you get your money back. She isn’t supposed to be renting out those rooms until she cleans them up. She’s had three warnings so far from the county.”
“Could I see it first? I trust you and all, but it’s just the way I function I guess.” Live in a barn…
“Where you from?”
“New York.”
Rosie eyed him suspiciously. “What did you do in New York?”
Daniel was dumbfounded. He didn’t even think about having to answer a question like this.
“I worked at a Lamborghini dealership. I spent too much time there over the course of a couple months. I just wanted to take life in the slow lane for a bit.” It doesn’t get slower than Prairie, Tennessee.
“Come on, John. I’ll show you where you can stay.”
Daniel wasn’t expecting what he saw. He thought maybe there’d be some loose hay for him to sleep on, with hopes of not getting stabbed by a forgotten pitchfork in the pile. What he saw lifted his mood and made him smile.
There was a large, separate thick-walled room built onto the back of the barn. He could either enter it through the horse stables or use the outside entrance that went directly to his room. Both doors had locks. Daniel was amazed that the floors in the room were oak. The bed was queen size with a thick mattress and box spring, and a beautiful quilt with small blue flowers was spread on top, which Rosie had informed him she made. There was a window with a clean white curtain, a small table, television, lamp, and microwave. It smelled clean.
“Well, what do you think? You can hear the horses at night if they’re talking, but that’s why the room is here. I want to make sure my babies are safe. If something happens I know that help for them is only a few steps away. You also have a phone, it’s in the nightstand, and I can give you the number if you decide to move in. You’re welcome to use the internet inside the house if it’s working, and the shower. All I ask is that you clean up after yourself. I pay once a week, but if you’re short on cash I can pay you a little each day. I only pay in cash.”
“I’ll take it! When can I move in and start working?”
“You can move in today and start work tomorrow. Set your alarm for five and come on up to the house. I’ll have breakfast waiting for you and the coffee will be brewing. I keep the room clean, but I do expect for you to pick up after yourself.”
“Thank you so much, Rosie.”
Daniel drove quickly to his disgusting apartment, packed his few belongings, dropped the key off to Beatrice, and asked her for a refund for the remainder of the month. He said if she didn’t give him the money he’d be happy to talk to an attorney and call the health department. Beatrice quickly handed over the three hundred and seventy-five dollars in cash.
“You charge people four hundred to live in this place?” Daniel laughed and shook his head. The next stop would be the bar. Hopefully he’d find Katherine.
He heard her singing before he actually saw her. She had a voice that made him close his eyes just so he could concentrate on the sound.
“John, I didn’t know anyone was in here!”
Daniel noticed how cute she was when her face was flushed.
“You can keep singing if you’d like. Your voice is absolutely beautiful. You sing like an angel, Katherine.”
“Yeah right,” said Katherine as she blushed even further. “We have some karaoke on Saturday nights. I sing sometimes.”
“Remind me to stop by.” Daniel gave her a warm smile. He couldn’t take his eyes off of hers.
“Can I get you anything, John?”
“Nah, I just stopped by to give this to you.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out forty dollars and handed it to her. “I wanted to thank you for being so kind and apologize for the way I acted at the apartment. I moved so I don’t have to worry about that place anymore.”
“You moved away?” Katherine asked suddenly. She didn’t mean to sound so panicked.
“Just up to Montoose Farm. Rosie offered me the room there and I got a job working for her. Anything is better than where I was. As a matter of fact, you’ll have to come by sometime. It’s a pretty nice little place.” It’s a third of the size of my bathroom in New York, thought Daniel as he laughed to himself.