Home Sweet Home

This place had been her home for as long as she could remember. The green pastures rolled on for miles beyond the dark red barn. The sky above was such a deep blue as it reflected off the shaded lake around the front.

She sat upon the old, red painted, wooden fence. Her short auburn strands blowing in the gentle breeze. A milky hand moved to keep the light brown cowboy hat on her head. A heavy hearted sigh emanated from within her moving her green plaid, button down shirt clad, breast up and then down. A brown leather booted foot kicked at the fence, as she slid down to stand on blue jean adorned legs. Today was her last day.

For months she had contemplated leaving her farm land home, and for months she had put it off. She never thought the day would actually come when she would leave all she had ever known behind.

She walked over to a grazing palomino mare and patted her side. "I'm sorry old girl. I'm going to miss you..." She whispered softly to the mare as her pale head lifted from grazing, as if to say, "Don't worry, everything will be alright." She only wished her old friend's thoughts were true.

It had started about a month prior. She had making her morning rounds on the farm, feeding chickens, milking cows, letting the horses and cattle out to pasture, when she laid her hazel eyes on him. Sure he hadn't been her type, for one he wasn't Spanish, and for two he was a bit meatier then most of her other boyfriends, but something about him had caught her attention. She dusted her hands off on her jeans and walked over, the light click of her spurs on the dirt path the only sound she made.

She smiled politely, and a bit shyly to the newcomer, "Howdy, The name's Elise. What can I do fer ya?" Her voice was soft, thick with a southern accent. The man smiled in return his six foot frame taking in all of Elise's five foot, two inch exterior. "Hi, I'm John. I was just wandering around and seemed to have gotten myself lost." He chuckled a bit ashamed, his voice was deep, the accent she couldn't place. "Well, where ya headin? Maybe I can help ya." Elise offered. "The Main Land. How far is that from here?" John asked. "That's a ways off. About a day's travel..." She glanced over to his beat up Ford pickup, "From the looks of that hunk o junk, ya won't make it. I do have a spare room if yer interested." John smiled, "Alright Ma'am, thank you...But what about Baby?" He asked referring to the truck. "I can fix 'er u p fer ya, it's no problem at all." She smiled as she led him to a small white house.

"So tell me..Elise... Who tends to all this land?" John asked as they were seated about the small oak dinner table. Elise was seated across from him, dishing mashed potatoes into his plate next to a piece of roast duck, her specialty. "I do." She answered handing him his plate. "Your husband doesn't help you?" John asked as he quirked a brow. "I ain't married." She said a bit defensively. "Oh..I'm sorry." John replied feeling the new tension in the room. "It's alrigh, most assume I am. They don't think a woman can mange land as well as a man does, without hired help." Elise explained. "I think you do a fine job." John smiled.

Elise took the opportunity to change the subject, "So where are ya from?"

"California" John answered. "That's a bit aways from here. What brought ya here? Your girlfriend? Elise asked, figuring it was her turn to evaluate the situation. "No, there is no girlfriend. I just thought I would take a little trip, meet some new people..Maybe find that special someone.." He smiled as he gave a hint to his feelings to Elise. She played coy, "I see... Well there are lots of nice women folk round these parts. I'm sure ya'll find what yer lookin fer." Elise stated as she began to clear the table.

She sighed as this month had seemed to fly by. Who would have ever thought little ole, homely, Elise would have found her true love in a man that lived so far away. Yet here she was, saying her good byes as John was picking up her belongings onto the bed of his truck.

She never would have thought it would have taken a month to fix that beat up old truck, yet it had. Perhaps it was the fact that she had wanted to get to know John better that had prolonged the fixing of the truck. She knew deep down that sooner or later she would fall in love, but it didn't seem likely back then, now it was a fact.

She smiled as John walked over to her and took her in his arms. "Are you ready to go My Love?" He asked as he placed a sweet kiss on her lips. She smiled up to him and nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be" Elise replied. She took one last look around before she walked hand in hand with John to the truck, just as the farm's new owners arrived.

As the truck pulled off the dirt road, Elise sighed again, a smile on her lips , as she watched her childhood home get smaller and smaller. She turned to look at John as he drove down the highway, she smiled brightly to him before looking out the window. She giggled to herself as she said very softly, "Soon I'll be home sweet home."