Fourteen Days of Valentines

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My submission for the Valentine's Day contest of 2020.

I realize the Superbowl is now held in February, but for the sake of this little tale, please assume it is held in January, as it once was in real life.

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Dear Blabby,

My lovely and attractive college graduate daughter dresses like a frump. She doesn't seem to be able to get past one or two dates with any guy and she is lonely, I can tell. Every time I suggest she dress nicer so that she can meet some nice young man, she says she is "just fine" and to "leave her alone." I have even suggested she use my credit card to buy a new wardrobe and she refuses.

How can I get my beautiful daughter to clean up and present herself better so she can find a nice man?

Signed, Frustrated Mom

Dear FM,

What century do you come from? This sounds like a letter from a mother of the 1950s. Maybe your daughter doesn't want to date men right now, or ever. Maybe she's a lesbian. Maybe she is perfectly fine being alone. Maybe she's asexual. As long as she is ably working and taking care of herself, you, Mommy Dearest, have nothing to worry about. Back off.

Blabby

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"Mom," screamed Beth. "Did you send a letter to Dear Blabby?"

"Honey, what? What, uh, are you, uh, talking about? Letter?" responded her guilty-sounding mother Louise.

"Shit, I knew it. You can't even lie to cover your tracks. How many times have I told you to just leave my clothes and me alone?

"You know," she went on, "This is actually a good thing. I now know you have no limits to your meddling and I think it is time I move out."

"Now, Honey, there is no need to be rash. I admit that I did send in a letter and she really scolded me, don't you think? If you would just calm down, then maybe we could work something out."

"Work something out? What is there to work out? I have told you I will not change and even Blabby tells you to 'back off' and yet you want to work something out. I am not changing and since you still want to 'work things out,' well, that tells me you will not accept me for what I am."

"Beth, that is no way to have a rational discussion..."

"There is no discussion! Either you accept me the way I am or I'm outta here, and since you obviously can't accept it, I'm outta here."

With that, Beth went upstairs to her room, grabbed two duffle bags of clothes and a small suitcase of her personal items. From the garage, she grabbed some camping gear. "You know my number. If you want an update, feel free to text me and I'll let you know if I'm doing OK, but I will not take a call from you for the next few weeks. See you later, Mom. Oh, and in spite of everything I still love you."

Beth walked down the steps to her pick-up while hearing the sobs from her mother back in the house. Fortunately, the pick-up had a large canopy so Beth planned on staying at the local state park for a few nights while she looked for a place to stay. Thirty minutes later she registered for three nights at the park, grabbed a few power bars from her work supplies and crawled into her sleeping bag in back and fell sound asleep.

Beth was the only child of Louise and Charles. He had been an investment banker until the combined effects of smoking, martinis and stress caused a massive heart attack while Beth was still in college. What she missed the most about him was his calming influence over Louise and now that he was gone, Beth felt her mom was becoming even pickier about Beth's lifestyle. Even the free rent at the old house was no longer worth the nagging.

Beth had majored in horticulture at State University and after coming home she found a job at a large, local nursery. Her main work involved plant care, pruning, grafting and propagation. As a result, in winter she wore overalls with a flannel shirt and in summer with a T-shirt. Once she got home, she would strip off the overalls and put on sweat pants for comfort. She would even wear this outfit when she shopped, something which drove her mother crazy. Beth had lost most of her interest in men, particularly after an accounting major dumped her during her senior year. He too complained she would not dress up nicely enough when they went out, though he never complained when she crawled nude between his sheets.

The next morning Beth woke, had a quick breakfast cooked over the camp stove and headed into town. At work she requested half days for the next week while she looked for an apartment. After several days, she was unable to find something which was reasonable in price and near to her work.

She expanded her search and finally found a small cabin for rent on a nearby truck farm. According to the website, the cabin was a renovated chicken shed, barely 15 by 20 feet in size. It was basically a large common room with a kitchen, desk, small sofa and a Murphy bed. Off the room were two doors, one to a tiny bathroom and one to a closet. The price was right so she went to the farm to see it for herself.

When she arrived, she was struck by how tidy the five-acre farm was. The main house was quite modest but there was a moderate sized barn with a small John Deere tractor and some tilling equipment right inside the open doors. In the far back there appeared to be at least two greenhouses. The rental cabin sat off from the two main buildings by a hundred feet or so.

After she got out of her truck, she rang the house bell with no response. Out behind the house she found the bent over shape of someone hoeing the rows of kale and chard. Once she had his attention, he came forward, introduced himself as Jeff, firmly shook her hand and offered to show her around.

Inside the cabin was pretty much as suggested in the advertisement. What struck her was how clean and new everything appeared. When asked about this, he responded that the renovation was his project from the previous winter and there had been only one prior tenant who had just left to go to school in Montana.

She agreed to the lease terms and to have a credit check before moving in. When he asked her about her job, he was impressed enough that he agreed to let her move in while the credit check was being done. "Anyone who is in horticulture is honest until proven otherwise," he said before adding, "If you're interested, there might be an opportunity for a bit of work around here during the summer."

"I don't know, I'm usually pretty tired at the end of the day, but I appreciate the offer."

"That's fine, but I'll let you know if I need help before I go out to the 4H club to look for high school kids who need a little extra cash."

Since Beth had one more day at the park, she agreed to move in the next day. She went by home to find her mother out, so she quickly emptied her closets and drawers and took a few extra supplies which she needed from the garage. She left her mother a note explaining that all was well, she had a place to stay and would give her mother the details in a week or so.

Once she settled in her life became much quieter and more comfortable. She was able to wear whatever she damn well pleased without her mother harping over her choices. As it was fall, her work had slowed down somewhat and on a few days she was able to sneak out early and go home to relax. On those days she would sometimes shoot the breeze with Jeff as he worked on his farm and she even helped him with some of the light chores.

He was about three years older than she was. He also had majored in agriculture, but focused more on the business side. When the little truck farm came up for sale he decided to go back to basics and become a farmer. With his background in business, he was able to optimize his financial situation by a well-thought-out publicity program to all the local restaurants and farmers markets. His vegetables had become very popular with the upscale restaurants featuring locally grown, organic foods.

Although he was rather talkative about the farm and his business, Beth found he was far more reserved when talking about himself. She gathered he had never been married and had no family in the area. He was pleasant with her but did not seem to go out of his way to be overly chatty. She found as long as they discussed Ag issues their conversations could go on and on.

Beth found him to be definitely handsome. He was moderately tall, she guessed about six foot one, and had a head of thick, brown hair which merged into a well-trimmed beard. He obviously was in good shape due to his work and did not seem to have an ounce of fat on him. On more than one occasion she wondered if he might be worth going after, but he seemed to be way too shy for her more outgoing personality. Over the fall she remained friendly with him and eventually decided to go out on a limb and invite him over for dinner. She was nervous about how to approach him when she decided to use Thanksgiving as an excuse.

"Jeff," she said to him in mid-November, "I won't be going home for Thanksgiving. Mom told me the other day she will be going to visit her sister in Copper Springs. Would you like to come over Thanksgiving and share a turkey breast and the fixings with me? Nothing big, but we can share the cooking and cleaning. I'd like to watch the Lions get beat again but I don't have a TV."

"Well," he replied, "I'm not a big holiday person, but a nice meal could certainly be worth considering. Sure, I'll do it. My kitchen is bigger than yours. Do you want to cook at the house? Then we could watch the game on my TV."

"No, I've invited you, so we'll cook at my place. Anyway, the smaller kitchen means we'll keep things simple and cleanup will be a snap."

He volunteered to bring green beans, the last of his fall crop, as well as a few yams which he was experimenting growing on his farm. She would do the turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie.

They had a nice meal and went to his place to watch the Lions go down by four points when the Cowboys scored on the final drive of the game. Any time she brought the conversation around to him or his life, he seemed to become quieter, though he was very animated talking about the farm.

In spite of his reserved nature, after that meal Jeff seemed to loosen up somewhat. He would wave and smile when she came home and even brought her fresh vegetables now and then. Their talking included teasing about each other's universities, which, as it turned out, were archrivals.

During the early part of December, Beth was able to speak with her mother without a big fight. She even went over to visit one time. To try and prevent another harangue about her clothing choices, Beth put on a fresh sweater-blouse which hung down to her mid thighs and some skin-tight leggings. Louise's eyebrows rose slightly when she met her daughter, but she kept her mouth shut, to Beth's delight.

They had a friendly chat, shared some wine and discussed the upcoming holidays. Louise gingerly asked if Beth would want to come over for Christmas and Beth agreed. After a couple of hours Beth stood to leave and Louise said, "It has been really nice having you over. I hope we can do this more often. I have to confess that I miss you being here."

"Mom..."

"No, Beth, this is not an attempt to get you to move back here. I actually think we get along better with some space between us. I just want you to know I do miss my only child."

"OK, I'll be willing to come over, but we both know that it will be on my terms. You know, I am quite happy with my life right now. I enjoy my work, my friends at work and I have a nice little place to live. You should see it sometime, it's really little, but it suits me perfectly."

"Well, Honey, I'm glad for you. Yes, maybe someday I'll come out and visit."

For the rest of the month work responsibilities slowly increased as Beth worked setting up the starts for the spring sales. She would often drag home after dark and fall into bed exhausted. On the weekends that she did not work, she tried to rest and catch up with simple chores. Jeff dropped by one time to invite her over to watch an early bowl game featuring his alma mater. She was amused to see him get so excited when they scored and he was overjoyed his team won by a touchdown in overtime. At the moment the running back crossed the goal line he jumped up and high-fived Beth and gave her a big hug.

"Wow, Jeff," she said. "I had no idea a quiet truck farmer could get so excited about a football game."

"Look, when I went there they won only one or two games most seasons, so even being in a bowl game is exciting, but winning is so much better."

She teased him some more over the next few hours before she went back to her place. 'I've never seen him so loose and animated,' she thought. 'It's like he is almost human.'

Just prior to Christmas she received a text from her mother finalizing the plans for the holiday. Beth was to come over for dinner on the twenty-fifth around noonish. Apparently it would be only the two of them as no other relatives were in the area. As she thought about it, she wondered about Jeff. She felt almost guilty about him being alone on the big day so she asked her mother if it would be ok to bring her landlord.

"My landlord is a nice guy and has no one to share Christmas with. Is it OK if I bring him along?"

"Sure, Honey," her mother replied. "Is he someone special in your life?"

"Mom! He's just my landlord and lives in the big house next door. We see each other occasionally and have even watched a game or two on the tube together, but he's not a boyfriend or anything. I just don't want him to feel lonely."

"Well sure, go ahead and invite him."

When Beth went over to invite him, he declined at first. "Christmas is for families and since I'm not family, I'd feel funny being there."

"Jeff, Christmas is really about the season. You know the Christians stole the midwinter's festival from the pagans and changed it into a celebration of the birth of Christ. But you, a good farmer, should know that it is truly a celebration of the return of the light marked by feasting and candles. Why don't the two of us just celebrate that, call it whatever we want to."

"Well, I might, but no presents! Just dinner, OK?"

"Sure, OK. Now I'll let Mom know to set the table for three."

"I'll drive you in my SUV. I think your truck will get your clothes too dirty."

"Are you saying I'm a slob?" she teased.

"No, but your truck is a working vehicle and if you wear something nice, well, just say I'm concerned."

"Why is everyone concerned about my clothes? Did Mom put you up to this?"

"Put me up to what? I don't even know your mother, never have talked to her. Look, Beth, I just made a simple offer to drive. Take it or leave it," he said with a bit of hurt in his voice.

"Oh Jeff," she said as she reached out to give him a quick, friendly hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump on you, but Mom has been on my case for years about my clothing. I guess I'm too sensitive. Forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive. Pop by around eleven and I'll drive you over there."

On Christmas Beth took considerable time to get ready. Since she was going in a nice vehicle, she thought she might dress up. After her shower she looked at her nude figure in the mirror. She always believed her boobs were too small, though she liked their shape. And her hips were too broad, but fortunately her ass didn't stick out too much. She did have a reasonably nice face with freckles (oh how she hated them) but the rest of her skin was smooth and flawless. Unfortunately, her brunette hair was fairly straight and almost lifeless. She did like her nicely sculpted and slightly muscular legs, though.

'I wonder if I even make it to a 'five' on the looks scale,' she complained to herself. She decided to wear some nice, sexy underwear thinking it would help her feel prettier, even if no one could see it. The dress she chose had a dark green thin material that draped nicely over her figure. 'It might accentuate the positive,' she thought. Finally, she spent extra time with her hair putting on some light spray to give it more body. 'Now maybe I'm up to a six point five, maybe even a seven,' she smiled to herself.

As Jeff's door opened she was struck by how handsome he was. He had trimmed his beard to a sexy face-fitting shape and he wore a nice sport coat with no tie. And no boots! She had never seen him without them.

"Uh, Beth," he teased. "I can't believe how well you clean up! You are absolutely beautiful."

"Well, you don't look so bad yourself, but I have never thought of myself as beautiful."

"I happen to disagree. Come here, look in the mirror." He led her over to a closet door off the entry, opened it and stood her in front of the full-length mirror. Standing behind her and holding her shoulders he looked at her in the mirror and said, "What I am looking at is beautiful."

"Thank you," she said as her eyes misted up. "I don't ever think anyone has ever told me that."

"Well, it's true. Come on, we'll be late." He gently steered her to the car with his hand guiding her elbow and they drove over to her mother's place.

"Just a warning, Jeff. Mom may think you are a 'date', so expect to be grilled. She may ask you a lot about yourself."

"Don't worry, I can handle myself. Since I deal with prima donna chefs all the time, I can deal with her."

At dinner Beth was relieved at how nice and reserved her mother was. There were no probing questions, no insinuations about a relationship, nothing. Beth was able to relax and enjoy the meal, aided no doubt by a second glass of wine on an empty stomach. The two had agreed not to exchange gifts so Jeff would not feel left out or obligated in any way. They worked together to clean the dishes, chatting, joking and generally enjoying the festive atmosphere. After several hours the two said their good-byes and went back to the farm.

After he pulled up to the main house he turned off the engine and turned to Beth. "I really enjoyed myself today. Thanks for the invite."

"The pleasure was all mine. Thanks for being there. I think it helped my mom and me to keep from killing each other, truth be told."

"I know you've had your issues, but I thought she was actually a very pleasant lady. I'm glad I met her."

"Thanks for driving, Jeff. Hey, wanna watch the playoffs on Sunday?"

"Sure, I just hope the Patriots get their butts kicked."

"Since I don't have a TV, I guess I kinda invited myself over. You don't mind do you? I'll provide the suds."

"Sure, no problem. See you then." Jeff held her eye for a few seconds before turning away and leaving the SUV. Beth hopped out and ran around the car and stood in front of him.

"Jeff, I consider you a good friend, in spite of being a money-grubbing landlord," she teased. "It's Christmas and good friends show each other how much they mean to each other. So, I get a Christmas hug, OK?"

His answer was a slightly stiff wrapping of his arms around her upper body. She melted into him and felt the warmth of the contact. "Thank you. Merry Christmas, Jeff. Sleep tight."

She turned towards her cabin leaving him staring at her until she closed the door. Once inside she leaned back against the door and relived the hug. He was obviously tense, but his arms felt so good around her. 'Maybe he just isn't into me. I'll need to take it easy around him. He's a great guy and if nothing else, he is good 'friend' material,' she thought.

On the following Sunday she brought over a six-pack of Skunk Tail Ale which they drank while watching two games. Unfortunately, the Patriots crushed the Titans and the NFC game was a lopsided one as well. There was a moment of slight hesitation on his part when she went to leave. He escorted her to the door and thanked her for coming over. Beth wondered if there might be a hug or a kiss but then she figured he was not interested, so she smiled pleasantly and slipped out the door. The following weekend they had a repeat game watching session and a similar bit of awkwardness when she went to leave. On this occasion she grabbed his hand with hers and gave it a little squeeze before she turned to go.