Twelve Tiny Truths Read online

  "Yes. You paid for the entire place."

  "Good. I'm starving."

  "I'm heading next door to grab beer. You want one?"

  "Nah. I'm good."

  The door slams behind her, just another one of her weird quirks, and I grin. She's the greatest friend I could have in this life. Everything else around me fell apart after that party. Literally everything. It'd only been a week when we moved here and she already landed a job in retail, the rest of her free time was spent attached to my hip. Even on the days when I was the devil to her, and there were plenty of those. She never leaves my side unless I force her too, and she's fiercely loyal. I'm lucky to have Frankie in my life.

  "So you're serious about this whole 'date interview' thing?" Her words are garbled around a mouthful of pizza.

  I smile and take a big bite before grinning and replying, "Yep."

  "Maybe it's a good thing you never take these boys up on dates. Your eating habits would scare them away."

  I chuckle and shove more pizza into my mouth.

  This is something my parents and Frankie will never understand. I don't need a man in my life. Honestly, I don't really want a man in my life. Things are…complicated as they are. I'm a busy person with my business. I've been trying to be independent for this long. Why would I want to get an anchor and add more complications into my already hectic life?

  Nah. I'll stick to doing what I'm great at. Hooking people up.

  Happily ever after with your knight in shining armor isn't for everyone. Like me. I like finding the knights, then locating their princesses. In my own personal life, I'm good with the occasional hook up. I don't have the energy, time, or care to devote to dating. That shit's a lot of work. I would know, I'm a master at the dating game…just for other people.

  "Travis, is that you?" Bev's voice travels through the house. Looking at her, you wouldn't think she could project her vocal chords like that, but even at seventy-two, she's got a set of lungs.

  "Just me, BB," I yell loud enough she can hear me.

  "Are you hungry for lunch?"

  I quietly chuckle as I head for the bathroom. We just sat down an hour and a half ago to eat the pancakes and sausage she made with homemade gravy. I won't be eating until tonight.

  "Uh, not yet. Just need the head," I holler.

  "You need something for your head?" she asks, tracking me down in the hall and I smile at her still in her nightgown, though I know it means she's low on energy today. She's usually dressed and ready to head out into the orchard by nine.

  "No, I'm okay. You feeling okay?"

  "Oh yeah," she lies as her eyes dart away from my face.

  "Bev…" I approach her. "What's goin' on today?"

  "I'm heading to the orchard." She points toward the back of the house.

  "You're not dressed yet. You want me to get you in to see your doc?"

  "Oh, no, no." She starts to wander away from me, but I don't stop her. It'll only piss her off if I press. I watch as she closes her bedroom door then I head into the bathroom.

  Bev took a chance on me three and a half years ago. A punk like me needing a job to make honest money. She never looked twice at the tattoos covering my flesh head to toe. The same tattoos that prevented me from getting at least two dozen other jobs when I moved into town. The only thing Bev cared about was my honesty. At the time I didn't know it, but she ran me through a course of tests my first week working for her. Apparently I proved my worth. She kept me on board and we slowly became family. She's not just my employer, she's my best friend, and if I hadn't found her, I couldn't tell you where I'd be right now.

  Getting a job at Bev's Blooming Orchard is the best thing to happen in my life. Harvesting cherries is the last thing I thought I'd end up doing. But here I am. Waking up every morning looking forward to going to work. It also allows me to spend every day I can with Bev.

  It's not just us on the farm though. She runs through a lot of employees. Usually high school kids, and every time they encounter me, they're scared shitless. I'll admit I may not fit the profile you'd expect to find working on a cherry farm in Boring, Oregon, but those award-winning cherries don't grow by luck. Bev's vast knowledge and my hard work supply people with the best produce they've had in their lives. We're an unlikely duo, but nothing's going to separate us.

  "Travis?" she calls for me just before I hit the back porch.

  "'Sup?" I round the corner and she smiles up at me, a smile that squints her eyes and makes her crows feet predominant. "What's funny?" I huff, knowing whatever she's thinking, I won't find any humor in. This smile is the one when she knows I won't be amused, but she is.

  "I've got two nice girls coming from the high school today."

  "Okay?" I lean against the doorframe and wait while she ties up her gray hair.

  "It's a warm day out there." She glances out the back screened-in porch while stringing her bonnet strap under her chin.

  "And only getting hotter," I state, not sure what her point is.

  "Stay cool. Maybe work on your tan." She tugs the sleeve of my t-shirt and my eyelids burst open.

  "Bev!" I blurt. "You're trying to whore me out!"

  "Oh, come on." She pats my arm then shuffles around me. "I'm just trying to keep some good helping hands for longer than a week. Give the girls a reason to stay, Trav." The wood door creaks as it closes behind her and I can't help my laugh. She never ceases to surprise me on a daily basis.

  "I refuse to work at Bev's Brothel!" I say as I exit into the yard.

  "I didn't say that!" She's laughing from somewhere hidden in the corn stalks.

  It's not only cherries we're hustling over here. Bev's got a variety, but she doesn't allow anyone but me out into the cherry orchard alone. It took a year for me to gain that privilege.

  "Yeah, yeah." I find her smelling the corn and chuckle. I never understood this, but she swears she can smell when they're ready. I believe it. There's no better produce around, but she's got some wild methods.

  "I'm not sure I'll be much help. Ya know the tattoos sometimes scare them away."

  "No," she scoffs like I'm crazy. "You're a handsome boy with or without the body art. Nice, tall, and a body like Steve Reeves." She giggles.

  "I don't know who that is, BB, but you're creeping me out." I grin down at her and she waves her fingers at me to get me back to work.

  She wasn't kidding about it being hot out today, and every forty minutes or so, she finds me and has some sort of beverage. I've had to piss since noon but once I get going, I don't want to stop until I have all my crates filled. Traveling back and forth to the house is a pain in the ass I like to avoid. Twenty crates is my minimum before I'll go empty them into the cooler then head back out. It usually takes me a little less than an hour to fill twenty, but Bev's screwing up my routine today.

  "BB, you should stay in the house today," I grumble before drinking down her homemade lemonade in a few gulps.

  "It's hot out today, Travis. I think you should come on in now too."

  "I'm fine, but you need to stay out of the sun." I grab my t-shirt from my back pocket and wipe off my face.

  "I'm fine, come on in." She starts the four-wheeler and heads back toward the house.

  I've been out here six hours, and I have at least four more ahead of me, but the only way to keep her out of the sun is if I come in for a bit. I load the crates then jump on my ATV, taking my time to get back to the house. The heat feels more like taking a dip in a warm pond today. Mainly because it's hot enough that I'm sweating balls, but I love it. I love being in the sun. Especially while in the orchard. I never knew beauty like this until I moved to Boring.

  The heat's not good for the cherries, but I'm only one guy so I work as fast as I can to get them to the cooler. Loading these crates into the chilled box is awesome, but it doesn't take long for the sun to heat my sweat-drenched body, making it feel like I was in a sauna. Before going in, I grab my phone from the back porch and open a text from one of the few friend
s I have around here. I try to lie low, keeps me out of trouble, but Jeff says Thursday night I'm giving him a tattoo, then we're headed to the bar. If the guy wasn't going through a nasty divorce, I'd shoot him down about the bar, but he needs it. Women can get nasty, and the one he's divorcing is head of the evil pack.

  I shoot him a thumbs up then grab my water bottle and dump it over my face 'cause I'm going back out. Bev hasn't come out of the house again, so I'm hoping she knocked out for a nap. These cherries need off the trees before they get too soft and she loses money. The past few days have been hotter than usual and my job is to make it so she doesn't lose profit. Well the sun's my biggest competitor right now.

  "BB?" I quietly call into the house through the back porch screen. Not hearing anything, I get back on the four-wheeler.

  "Hey."

  I look behind me toward the voice and see two young girls trying to hide their giggles while they stand by the fence. These are the high schoolers Bev was talking about. Who are these kids’ parents? I'd join the Amish community if I had a daughter and she tried to dress like this. Man, I don't remember much about high school, but I don't remember the girls I chased looking like these girls do. They look like they could sneak into a bar and get drinks handed to them all night.

  "Uh…" I almost want to tell them we don't have any work, 'cause just by looking at them, they're not the type that'll get anything done. As their giggles get louder I start to think they think I'm interested in more than putting them to work. That is not the case. I'm trying not to go inside and grab them a few of Bev's sweaters and knickers.

  Damn kids.

  "You two ever worked on a farm?"

  "No. We're doing this for a Home and Agriculture credit."

  I don't know what that means, but I hope it means we don't have to pay them.

  "Cool, so uh." I glance toward the house. Bev usually deals with this. "Gloves." I point at the garden box. "If you don't wear 'em, you'll stain your fingers red."

  They're conjoined at the shoulder while they giggle their way to the box.

  "So hop on and hold on. I'm taking you to the orchard, I guess," I mutter and wait for them to get on back.

  "So who's that old lady? She your grandma or something?" One of them calls out as I slowly, painfully slow, make my way out to the trees. Last thing I need is one of these girls falling off and then their irresponsible parents trying to sue Bev or somethin'.

  "She's my best friend," I snip, not wanting to talk. "Look." I point to the trees. "You're just gonna pull the cherries and put them in your crate. If they're too soft, like mushy, skip it. Got it?"

  Their response is giggles and I huff, putting out two crates for them, not even expecting one to be full in the two hours they'll be here.

  "Alright, listen." I hand the more talkative one a walkie. "If you need anything, just call me through this, okay? Any troubles, the bathroom, water, whatever. It's kinda hot out today so my suggestion is staying in the shade. I'll be back there." I point toward the back of the orchard and when they giggle, I get moving.

  I shove in my headphones then turn up my music before clipping the walkie on my side so I'll feel it vibrate. It only takes thirty minutes before it goes off and I groan. I thought they'd last at least an hour.

  "What's up?" I grumble into the box.

  "We have a question."

  "Okay? Shoot."

  "No, I mean like, we gotta ask you here."

  I scrunch my brows, trying to have patience, but this isn't a place for little kids.

  "Yeah, alright, I'll be right there." Having noticed their exploring eyes before, I pull my t-shirt back on. As I get closer, I call out. "What's up?" then I smell it. Cutting the four-wheeler, I jump off and try not to jump into a tirade. "Are you two smoking pot?"

  "We wanted to share." She holds it out.

  "What the hell! No! Get the hell out of here with that! What are you doing?" In their crate, they actually have more cherries than expected, but still.

  "You don't smoke pot? We won't tell that lady."

  "Let's go. Grab your crate. You're done." I point to the crate.

  "Why are you being lame? We'll put it out. But we need this credit or we'll fail."

  "I don't care," I scoff.

  "You look like a guy that would smoke pot. You're covered in tattoos and have your nipples pierced. You probably deal."

  "Well, that's extremely judgmental," I mutter, snatching up the crates. "I don't smoke pot. I don't condone little girls smoking pot. And you're not going to smoke pot on Bev's farm. Let's go." I point to the ATV, wondering when I became the angry dad type. I don't give a shit if these girls smoke pot, just not here.

  "Chill, okay?" she says, showing me she put the joint out. "I kinda thought you'd be cool."

  With one more scowl at her, I jump on the four-wheeler and dart toward the back, actually pissed these seventeen year olds think I'm not cool. I used to be fucking cool. Shit! When did I care about being cool?! I think the sun's getting to me today.

  I don't hear a peep out of them for the next hour and a half, but when I ride up, the one mouthy one has her shirt tucked up and into her bra, bearing more skin than little kids should be.

  "Let's go," I call out.

  "We need more basket thingies." She points to a heaping pile on the ground and I'm actually shocked they filled both crates and probably have another crate and a half worth in a pile on the ground.

  "Damn," I mutter, grabbing two baskets then start scooping them up, ready to get these girls out of here.

  "Oh, I wouldn't do that," the quieter one warns before saying, "There's a lot of bees." And damn if I'm not stung a second too late.

  "Shit!" I snap and fling the tiny death trap off my hand. I reach into my back pocket for my EpiPen that's not fucking there. "No… Shit, no, no." Frantically looking around, I know I could have lost it anywhere between here and the back of the orchard. I'm usually more careful with it. Having to deal with little kids and the sun has me acting like an ass today.

  "What're you looking for?" The mouthy one starts to laugh and I already feel my throat closing.

  Continuing the search, I gasp in a breath, knowing it'll be my last until I get the pen. Grabbing the walkie-talkie, I hit the emergency alarm that will wake Bev if she's napping. I couldn't make it back to the house if I tried. Trying to operate anything when you can't breathe is damn near impossible and that's why I'm on my knees right now, trying to see through my watering eyes.

  The squealing and shrieking of those two girls are distracting me from getting back to my feet and finding my pen! Suddenly I'm punched in my back and then pricked, but it opens my airway a few seconds later and I gasp in a breath.

  "Are you okay?" the mouthy girl keeps screaming at me.

  I'm nodding but stay on my hands and knees, and then I hear the other four-wheeler. When I look up, Bev's racing in like she's in the lead.

  "Travis!" she screams, running toward me with a pen in hand. We've been through this before, and she's tried to fire me a dozen times because of it.

  I put out my hand before she stabs me again.

  "I gave him this," the girl says with a tremble in her voice.

  "Travis, can you breathe?" Bev urges and I nod.

  "Fine," I rasp out. "I'm fine."

  "Come on." She grabs my arm and helps me stand then looks at the girls and says, "I thought you girls stood me up."

  I don't bother explaining I took over. I just get on behind Bev because I know she won't let me ride the other back to the house.

  "Are you okay? Is he okay?" the girl asks again and I nod; my vocal chords feel strained so I don't want to talk.

  "He won't be when I get done with him," Bev grumbles, tightly grabbing my hand.

  Before the girls leave, I thank them. Grateful she found that pen. She stares at me a minute like I'm a sad case. My negative-cool-points just got even more in the negative.

  Bev pulls me in for the afternoon, and it's probably best. I'm supposed t
o go get checked out after I get stung, but she knows I won't, so at least I'll appease her and let her monitor me for a bit. After dinner she lets me go with her to get the other four-wheeler and our loot for the day, then we start locking up for the night.

  "You think you should stay overnight, just in case?" she asks and I sadly smile at her. I think she wants the company, but I gotta get home to Peter.

  "I'll be alright. I'll see you early in the morning. Don't forget tomorrow's healthy Thursday." I grin and she laughs. "As much as I love your home cookin', we're both sticking with oatmeal and fruit or my cholesterol will skyrocket as much as yours."

  "The only thing skyrocketing my cholesterol is you and the damn bees! I wish you'd stay out of the fields."

  "I wish you'd stop repeating yourself." I bend and kiss the top of her head. "Night."

  "Good night. And thanks for dealing with the girls today. I didn't mean to drift off to sleep."

  "I'm not helpless," I mutter, but only so she doesn't apologize for taking a nap again. She hates when I tell her she needs to rest. She also hates she's not as energetic as she was a year ago.

  When I walk into my house, Mambo Number Five is playing and I grimace. "Pete man, this your jam?" I call out, not prepared when he jumps onto my back. "Oh, you bastard!" I grab him and pull him in front of me, kissing him. "You need to listen to better music."

  He replies with a meow and I drop him to the floor before he runs between my legs toward the kitchen, acting as pathetic as a starving man in the desert. He's got food and water for days, but when daddy's home, he knows the good stuff’s coming.

  Shit, I'm really not cool anymore.

  I like to get a start before dawn breaks because Bev doesn't let me go out unfed. We both hit the fields before the sun is up and scorching us. By noon, Bev goes in to prepare lunch and I take a minute to cool off in the cherry box.

  "Hello?" a voice calls and I step out to see that high school girl from yesterday.

  "Hey," I holler back and as I approach the fence, I see her black eye. "Oh, shit, what happened?"