You cant rush love, p.5
You Can't Rush Love, page 5
“You'll find that Gran can be very giving when she wants to be.”
Lawrence was going to ask her what she meant, but when he got ready to move his foot, he realized there was someone wrapped around it. It seemed as though Yin and Yang had taken up residence around his feet. And now he could feel the extra weight of the cat on his shoes. He wasn't able to lift his foot very high off of the ground and he didn't want to reach out to Rachel on his first sign of a possible incident.
“I think the safest thing for you to do is to pick up weeds,” Rachel said.
Lawrence followed her out to the small shed in the back along the cobble path. Inside of the shed, she rummaged around and then finally came out with two sticks. Well, that's what it looked like to Lawrence.
“What exactly is that?” Lawrence asked. The object in question was maybe a foot long. It had a firm comfortable handle, but a very long tip. At the end of the long tip, it forked out in two directions. Rachel looked at him and then handed it to him.
“What is this?” Lawrence asked.
“I think the first thing that we should try to do is to remove some of the weeds that we see around the property. It will give Gran a good idea if you can do some basic work.”
Lawrence turned around and looked at the garden. It all looked the same to him.
“Exactly what are the weeds out here?”
He heard Rachel suck in a breath and then let out a deep sigh.
“Do you see those pretty yellow short squat flowers everywhere?”
Lawrence nodded yes.
“Those flowers are called dandelions. And they have got to go.” Lawrence took another look at the field and decided those flowers were everywhere.
“Are you sure they’re weeds? I mean they are everywhere, as if they belong here.”
Rachel laughed.
“I bet they do, but then that’s how all weeds try to overwhelm you. The weeds try to fit in and look pretty.”“So, this is what you do. You take the point and push it around the weed and then lift it up bringing the weed with the tip. Be careful, weeds have other bulbs at their roots, so if they break, they will leave bulbs so more weeds can grow up in their place. So, you have to be careful.”
Lawrence nodded. If just removing weeds was this troublesome, he was starting to understand why people had plastic plants. He looked at his feet and saw the offending dandelion and stabbed it straight in the middle. The ground was a bit hard, but he pushed in with his weight and down it went. The dandelion would be no more!
“What are you doing?” Rachel asked him.
He looked at the skewered dandelion and gave her a smile.
“You like my work? No, no, don’t say it. I know, I’m a natural at this and–”
“You are naturally making a mess, city boy.”
He looked at her and then the dandelion. She shook her head and came to stand next to him. She placed her hand on his wrist and guided the pick at an angle to the dandelion.
“You are supposed to be approaching from the side to hopefully scoop around the bulbs.”
He could feel her hands on his wrist. How did she keep her skin so soft doing this type of work? When she bent over, what was that scent that she wore? He thought it smelled like candy, but he couldn’t be sure without leaning in closer to her. He took in his environment and smiled. This wouldn’t be happening in the city, and it was surprising to him that he wasn’t stressed or upset by the delay in his plans while he was with Rachel. There was something about having Rachel's hands on his that was soothing and brought him a peace that he hadn’t known. Just then, she put all of her weight on the pick and fell into his arms.
“I'm so sorry Lawrence, I'm just used to doing this on my own and I slipped,” Rachel said.
“It's no problem for me. You can fall into my arms anytime you want to,” Lawrence said with a smile.
“Dream on city boy. That pretty smile of yours may get you all sorts of places in the city, but out here it's all about the work,” Rachel said as she pulled herself out of his arms. Lawrence let her go and then turned to apply himself to the dandelions in front of him. It must have been about an hour later when he heard someone come out with a tray of lemonade. As he stood up, he almost fell down from the pain that shot up his back. Unwilling to let on that anything was wrong when he heard the woman’s voice ask him if all was well, he waved it off.
“It’s a shame you are so tired. It looks like one of Yin and Yang’s sisters is about to give birth,” Lisa said. “You want to go see?”
Lawrence felt the pain leave him right away.
“Hmm, no. I’m trying to prove my worth here for Gran. I don’t think that includes my non-existent midwifery skills.”
“Oh, you mean you’ve never seen a birth, or are you just opposed to the process?” Lisa asked with a smile on her face.
Lawrence had seen plenty of births on television, but he could tell that statement wouldn’t end this discussion with him being in a great light. He snuck a glance at Rachel who was digging up dandelions but getting suspiciously closer to them as she uprooted the weeds.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a birthing.”
Lisa nodded behind him to see Rachel looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
“You can’t possibly think this is a good idea,” Lawrence said, hoping that Rachel would agree with him. “I’m here to… I don’t even know.”
Rachel touched his arm.
“Listen, no one will force you to go see the birthing. I completely understand, city boy.”
“So true. I mean you city guys see this sort of thing in the zoos all the time. I mean if you go to the zoo. Maybe you don’t because I can’t see you in those clothes at the zoo.”
Lawrence knew he was being goaded into this and still he knew he was going to go.
“Why don’t we go see this birthing now while it’s in motion? However, if the labor gets stalled, I’m leaving. No way am I staying up waiting for a cat to give birth.”
Twenty minutes later he had a newborn kitten in his hands wrapped in a washcloth. Like the other four kittens it had come out without a sound.
“Just keep rubbing it and lean it down so if anything is in the nose or mouth it will fall out,” called Lisa.
Lawrence couldn’t believe it. When they walked into the barn, Rachel said something’s wrong. Since then, everyone moved into action trying to help the cat and her kittens. When the kittens did start to arrive, they came out without a sound. Lisa was tasked with getting the kittens out and Rachel with getting them to breathe.
“Keep rubbing, don’t give up on them,” whispered Rachel. Moments later he heard a squeal from behind him. He quickly looked up to see that Rachel’s kitten had squealed and she was on the next one.
Lawrence looked down at the little black kitten in his hand. It was starting to dry up and he could see it was all black.
“Come on little guy, fight.”
Then he heard Lisa on his side.
“You want me to do that?” she asked in a small voice, that to him sounded as if she’d already given up.
“No, I’ve got this,” he murmured back.
“Lawrence… I think...” he heard Lisa speak and he ignored her.
Lawrence did as he had always done. He focused on the job at hand and didn’t entertain the idea that he may not win. A few seconds later his diligence was rewarded with a tiny meow form the kitten in his hands.
“Great job boy,” he whispered. Lisa took the kitten from him and gave him a smile.
He looked over to see Rachel looking at him with a watery smile.
“Come on Lawrence, it’s time to take a break.”
Lawrence couldn’t agree more, and Rachel was the person he wanted to take that break with.
Chapter Six
She would have never thought that Lawrence would have stayed when the cat had problems with her kittens. It was the shock of seeing him work so hard on the kitten that threw her for a loop and prompted her to ask him to go for a walk. It always brought her a semblance of peace to walk the grounds. She hoped today she could share that feeling with Lawrence. Or at least share that with the Lawrence she had just seen in the barn.
They walked the perimeter of the property. They passed by the lavender field, the creek in the back of the house, two gazebos and a manmade pond next to an oak tree. This was why Rachel had come home. She had missed the tranquility of the land. Every so often Rachel felt as if Lawrence wanted to speak but whatever it was, she wasn’t eager to break her peace.
She brought them to the lunch gazebo. It was one of the traditions that Gran had started since she was a child. Gran always said there was someone out there who had less and by leaving a plate for food it allowed everyone a place to come without judgment. There were two servers there with food and the gazebo could comfortably hold up to fifteen people. When they arrived, she could see Lawrence wanted to ask some questions.
“It’s time to get some food, okay?”
“It looks great. How does this work?”
Rachel took a seat and looked at Lawrence. She wasn’t sure which Lawrence was the true one, but she had to admit she was intrigued.
“It’s a free lunch spot. When they come by it will be like a buffet,” Rachel explained.
“For free!” he exclaimed.
The servers came by rolling a cart and Lawrence looked at it, marveling at the selection.
“Well, I suppose since you have already helped out with the cat and the kitten, I can answer a couple of your questions,” Rachel said. “This is an open free lunch spot for everyone, and Gran has had it here for as long as I can remember.”
“I'm just lost at the free part.” Lawrence pointed at the tray and the server gave him one of the small plates with food on it. “This just looks like a whole lot of expense to keep up for a woman who wants to sell her home.”
“Gran has got her own way about her.”
“So I can see.”
“Tell me, why do you think she has me out here?” Lawrence asked. Rachel picked a plate off of the serving tray and then she looked at Lawrence.
“I don't think that's the right question. I think the better question is why are you still here Lawrence? Gran said that you're here for something and I think I believe her when she says it's for more than just this house.”
As if they had summoned her, Gran came walking across the field toward the lunch gazebo. Gran took a seat next to Rachel. Rachel wasn’t sure what was going on, but she waited for Gran to take the lead.
“Morning Lawrence, are you enjoying the lunch?”
He looked at Rachel with a smile and nodded.
“This was started by a very special woman,” Gran said.
Rachel looked at Gran who then looked back at her with a smile.
“Did you think I started this? No, this was someone else’s dream.”
Rachel was confused and she could see Lawrence was invested in the story, too.
“Who was it?” Lawrence asked.
“You’re a smart boy, it’ll come to you. Now, I didn't come to stay, I just came to make sure things were going the right way.”
Rachel was more confused now than she had been before Gran had taken a seat. Before she could ask any questions, Lawrence spoke up first.
“So, what do you think of my character so far?” Lawrence asked
“You are everything I thought you would be Lawrence. I'm 80% sure I'm going to give you the house. Would you be able to stay on for a couple more days?”
Rachel looked at Lawrence as he contemplated Gran and then nodded. It was like she was waiting for his answer.
“Well, I'll leave the both of you to it then.”
Rachel watched Gran leave and when she was out of sight, Lawrence turned to ask her some questions. She just wasn't sure if she had any of the answers. Twenty minutes later, Rachel was grateful that Lawrence had waited until the desserts arrived before he started to ask questions.
“You must know I need to ask you some questions,” he said, looking over his shoulder.
Rachel nodded. She wasn’t so sure he had to ask her some questions, but she would go along with it.
“Shoot.”
“Tell me about your Gran?”
Rachel let out the breath she had been holding.
“Gran is pretty simple. She came to this town when she was a young woman with her mother. They settled here and Gran married a local boy and they fell in love and had kids. She says she learned to always be on the look out to help and always live in the moment like it’s your last.”
“What about other stragglers who come here?”
Rachel snorted.
“In case you don’t know, there are no such things as stragglers or loners in this town.”
“There are always outsiders and most of the time they aren’t welcome, so I might beg to differ with you on that one.”
Rachel stopped to take a good look at Lawrence and then dug into her dessert again.
“What makes a person a stranger or a loner I find has less to do with the people around them and more to do with the person. People do what they know or are comfortable doing and that may or may not include putting themselves out there to be part of something.”
“What makes you stay here?” Lawrence asked. If anyone else had asked, she would have waved it away but not Lawrence. She felt as though the questions had more meaning than he was telling her.
“It’s what I know. I’m like a lot of people, we like what we know and what reaffirms our ideals and belief. In my opinion nothing does that like your hometown.” Rachel changed the subject to tales of Gran when she was young, wild and in love. She didn’t want to talk about why home was safe and what had happened to bring her home. Part of being home was being safe and not having to relive the past. Besides, she didn’t intend on sharing her past with Lawrence. No matter what fleeting attraction she may have thought she had with him, he was leaving in a few days.
Dandelions did not just grow in the garden. They were like unwanted guests who didn’t know when it was time to leave. Instead of them leaving when everyone else had, they just migrated from room to room hoping not to be seen. That is how Lawrence found himself walking the field with Brandy, Lisa and Rachel hunting for and uprooting dandelions.
Before he had to pick them, Lawrence could say he had never even noticed the plants, but now it looked like they were everywhere. It seemed like an impossible task to get them all. Lawrence was sure this was a game he had heard little kids play, as well, and now that he thought about it, they never caught them all, either. Brandy and Lisa were ahead talking and plucking as if they had been born doing it.
“Okay, do you have your tool?” Rachel asked brandishing the dandelion digger. “Remember, you dig at an angle and then go in and pull it out.” Rachel bent over and then jabbed the digger in the ground, wiggled it a bit and then leveraged the handle like a seesaw and then voila, the bulbs came up whole. She shook the dirt off of them and then dropped it into a bag that she had about her waist.
“Again, go at an angle and then dive in and lean on the handle as a lever.”
Lawrence just nodded in awe how Rachel made it all look so graceful and easy.
“Your turn city boy.”
“Yeah, my turn. What could go wrong? I just dig, wiggle, lever and out it comes.”
Rachel stood him up from the bent position. “I just want you to know that the work can be monotonous and cause cramping, as well. Don’t hesitate if you need to take a break or you’re done for the day.”
Lawrence nodded. He was determined not to give up in front of Rachel. He knew that he could do this. Certainly, he had been in worse situations and had had to endure worse things. Besides, it was probably a good thing to be doing something that engaged his body so much it would give his mind time to go over everything else that had been happening. Lawrence knew that there was so much that Gran wasn't telling him, and he felt as though he needed to hear it before he left. What had started as an exercise to prove that the people in the town were just as mean now as they would have been to a single woman with a baby long ago had become way more complicated. His thoughts were broken into when Rachel spoke up.
“I'm on the other side, if you need anything remember you can give me a call. Again, don't let your man pride get in the way, call me, these dandelions are small but they're mighty.”
Small but mighty she said. Rachel didn't know that's how he had started out. Started out small making deals but now he was a person of position that anyone would want to be associated with. Besides, if she could do it, Lawrence knew he was going to go her way.
Well, what he could say was the first couple of dandelions may have gotten the best of him. They were so cute, but they were so hard to pull up. Every so often he would lift his head up to see Rachel pushing on her little digger and then all of the bulbs would come up. Every time he seemed to put his down, he split them in half. He really wanted to say at a certain point he thought he was spreading more dandelion bulbs around than he was actually pulling up. Just when he wanted to go over and ask Rachel to show him how to do it again, he stood up and had to grit his teeth against the pain that went up his back.
Rachel was looking his way giving him a smile. He knew she was really waiting for him to say something about it being too much or that they were done. Needing to hide the pain going up his back he went ahead, and he shook off the dirt from his feet.
“Lawrence?”
He looked up and saw her giving him a questioning look. As if somehow, she already knew that he was in more pain than he had ever been.
“I'm good Rachel, thank you.” Lawrence thought he should have gotten an Academy Award for being able to say any of those words in an even tone.
“I can see that you're fine, Lawrence, but I think I'm ready to leave,” Rachel said.
“Oh, you want to stop for the day? If you want to, of course, let's do that.” Lawrence wasn't normally a praying man but tonight was going to be one of those days that he was going to thank whoever it was that put in her head to let them stop. That was ,of course, if he could get to the car without embarrassing himself.
