The rooster only has one job, and he does it well.
I slept on the couch again last night, because William and Ruth needed a room to stay in. With everything they’re doing for me, it was the least I could do for them. But man, I’m tired.
I shower in Catherine’s bathroom since she’s already out with the animals. Then I get dressed, and zip my suitcase—I packed most of my things yesterday. When I come back downstairs, the sounds of the house are more awake.
“Good morning!” William greets me as I’m sitting on the couch tying my sneakers. “Ready to get on the road?”
“Sure. I just need to go say good-bye to everyone first.”
“You got it.” He picks up my bag and takes it out to the car.
I make a quick stop at the kitchen to grab an apple, and eat it as I head out to the farm. It’s all hands on deck with the pigs this morning. I watch from the fence as the farm crew fills bowls, shovels poop, and re-hays the bedding. Jane fills a kiddie pool with water for the pigs to cool off in. One of the goats trots up next to me. I scratch between his little horns and give him my apple core. I’m going to miss this place, but it’s time to move on.
In some ways, whatever’s about to happen next is more of an unknown than what lay ahead of me after I left Francis. This isn’t a fly-by-night adventure anymore. This is an informed decision, a calculated deviation from the path I’ve been on for most of my life. This is what I want. But there are new things to be unsure of. What will it be like living with my grandparents? Will I manage to make friends there? How long will I stay? Will I go back to Francis to get my stuff? What will Sam say … if he’s even speaking to me? And the hardest question to answer of all: How am I going to tell Mellie?
I ignore the way the apple seems to be turning to acid in my gut. The Charlottesville tournament is only a few weeks away, and registration closes in a couple days. I need to get training again.
Catherine turns around and sees me standing by the fence. She points me out to the others, and they all come over to say good-bye.
“Thanks for letting me help out,” I tell them. “It was pretty interesting.”
Meadow laughs. “Good interesting or bad interesting?”
“Definitely … enlightening,” I say.
I give Jane, Meadow, Gabby, and Ezra each a quick hug, and they go back to work.
Catherine stands off to the side squinting up at the clouds in a not-so-discreet attempt to give Matt and me some alone time. I kind of wish she wouldn’t—Matt and I have been tiptoeing around each other since the other night, and I don’t really know what to say now that I’m face-to-face with him. This is what I imagine breaking up with someone and then having to see them every day at school feels like.
“So,” I say, leaning back on my heels.
“Good luck with tennis,” he says. “I’ll be watching for you on TV. ESPN—that’s a sports channel, right?”
I’m relieved for the excuse to laugh. “Yes. And thanks.”
“And I hope everything works out with your mom.”
I clear my throat. “You too—with your dad, I mean.”
He brushes his toe across the dirt. “That ship has sailed, I think. But thanks.” He pauses, as if considering whether to say something else.
“What?” I press.
He sighs. “Sam’s a good guy. You two would be good together.”
It’s the last thing I expected him to say. Does he think that’s why I stopped things between us the other night? “That’s not … what this is.”
He raises a skeptical eyebrow.
I frown at him. He might be only the second boy to kiss me, but that doesn’t mean he knows me.
Matt leans down and kisses me lightly on the mouth. A good-bye. Sam’s kiss on the cheek yesterday contained volumes, and this one, though far more intimate, is empty. But I force a friendly smile as Matt steps back. I’m sure the only reason I’m even thinking of Sam right now is because Matt brought him up.
“See ya around, Dara,” he says.
Catherine walks me to the cars and gives me a big bear hug. I hold on to her fiercely. I’m suddenly scared, standing next to my open car door with no Sam in the passenger seat. Can I really do this on my own?
“Call me anytime,” she says. We exchanged phone numbers last night, and I believe her when she says to use it. But I think it would help to know that I’ll see her again before too long.
“Maybe you can visit Hilton Head soon?” I ask. “Or can you come to one of my tournaments?”
She gives an unconvincing smile. “We’re negotiating with a dairy farm right now for some of their older cows, so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get away …” I feel my face fall, and Catherine sees it. She tacks on: “But I promise I’ll try.”
“Okay.”
With a few final waves and Drive safelys, my grandparents get into their car, I get into mine, and we drive away.