The Remington farm, Legend

[Trucken]

The Remington farm, Legend (closed for SwanLake)

The passing scenery was really quite beautiful. There were parts where the only thing you could see was the dense forrest just outside which offered a wonderful combination of different shades of green with the sun shining through the branches, making strands of light play between the trees.

Then the trees would suddenly disappear, and you would be greeted by a grand view combined of big fields of different colors, each growing different type of crops. You could see farms scattered around the fields, most of them painted in a classical red color. You could see horses, cows, and sheep, their varied colors adding to the view. Behind all this was a mountain range, covered in trees, the different shades of green melting together to provide a magnificent backdrop to the farms and fields below it.

"This is such fucking bullshit!" was the only comment Tyler Andersen had about the scenery. He angrily slammed his hand against the train's window, pouting and crossing his arms after he did so, paying no attention to the small town they just passed. He stared at his sneakers angrily, thinking about how unfair all this was. Summer had just started and now he's being sent away a thousand fucking miles to work on a goddamned farm over a year while finishing his senior year? All this shit just because of a fucking car?

"You're such a fucking asshole dad!" he said to, well, noone in particular as he was all alone in the passenger cart. He kicked the seat in front of him out of anger, the seat protesting by letting out a cloud of dust from it's cushion which made Tyler cough violently. He left his seat and walked over to the bathroom, turning on the faucet and splashing water in his face. He wiped himself off and looked at himself in the mirror. He never liked what he saw. His face was round due to him being overweight by at least 60 lbs. His skin was bad too, red blemishes and zits scattered around his face. His brown hair looked even darker due to it being greasy. He cursed his poor genes, but the fact was that he usually spent his days in his room playing games, smoking weed, eating Twinkies and downing soda like his life depended on it. He had been told before that if he stopped doing that and started exercising his skin would probably clear up, but he refused to listen and blamed it on his genes.

With a sigh he turned off the faucet and threw the paper towels on the floor. Someone was being paid to clean that up, he argued. He adjusted his navy blue Minnesota Twins baseball jersey and pulled up his saggy jeans which were too big for him, but he thought they made him look thinner. Fact was that wearing clothes that were too big for him made him look more like a burlap sack.

He returned to his seat and pulled out his smartphone. At least his parents had let him keep that, but he was on a strict limit of just 180 minutes a month. The clock on the phone said that it was almost 3 PM. He was almost there, just a few more minutes and he was officially in hillbilly hell. Or so he thought at least, he was actually going to a small town which was basically on the border between Tennesee and North Carolina, but as far as he was concerned there wasn't any difference between that place and the most inbred parts of Mississippi. Not that he knew anything about that, he just figured that the entire south was full of inbreeding.

A door leading to the cart suddenly opened and the conductors voice rang out. "Next stop, Legend! Next stop, Legend." Tylers stomach churned. This was his stop. What the hell was he going to do? He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to do this. He wanted to be home, spending his summer hanging out with his friends and getting high. He wouldn't be able to do any of those things here. He considered just staying on the train, but he didn't have any money. How the hell would he survive?

The train started slowing down, the squealing of the brakes heard throughout the cart. Tyler looked at his bag and sighed heavily. He was fucked, and he knew it. There was no turning back, he just had to try to get through this year, then he could go back home to his friends. He grabbed his bag and walked over to the door, waiting for the train to stop. He could see parts of the town pass by, but none of it really registered.

The train came to a halt and the doors opened in front of him. The heat rushed in through the doors and Tyler felt like he had been punched in the gut. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he complained, definitely not prepared for this heat. He hesitated, but eventually stepped out of the train, and was now officially in Legend.

 

[SwanLake]

Zoe had no idea what to expect, Pa didn't say much and what he did say left much to be wanted. All she got before she was told to go pick up the kid was that Tyler was in need of a new life path. What did that mean? Was he spending the next year with the family because he was a troubled kid or did he get mixed up in something that he needed to get away from? All these questions and no answers and she wasn't going to ask Pa. He said all that he was going to say about it and that was that.

The Andersens used to live in town back when Grampa and Grama were young. Being next door neighbors the two families had been really close, in fact Pa and the Andersen's oldest son were lifetime best friends. Pa still regarded him as his best friend and even if it had been more then twenty years since he had seen his best friend they still talked on the phone when Pa had the free time.

What it boiled down for Zoe was she knew nothing about this kid and only stories from back in the day about the Andersen's. And yet because her Mama didn't seem too bothered by the family's new hosting job Zoe was more or less okay with it too. Willa was the one that was excited about the new arrival and had it in her mind that she was getting a new best friend.

Following one of her Pa's favorite sayings of 'If you're late, you're in trouble. If you're on time you're late and if you're early then you're good'. So even though Tyler was supposed to be there at three Zoe got there a little before two thirty. She had worried that she would be late as she showered and got cleaned up to pick Tyler up. Knowing that it was a nice warm day outside she didn't bother drying her hair before sweeping it to right and loosely braiding it, taming the honey brown blond wavy curls. Getting away from the farm gave her the chance to dress up a bit and get out of jeans and boots. It wasn't often that Zoe was able to wear a skirt and she took full advantage of the opportunity by putting her her favorite one, a cute leather belted layered floral that had lots of movement without looking bulky and a simple complimentary lace backed tank top. Having the rest of the day off Zoe played her look up with some makeup; mascara, eyeliner, blush and shimmer nude lips gloss. Nothing too much but just enough to highlight her flawless skin and sun caressed complexion.

Because she had no idea as to who she was waiting for she took a piece of paper and wrote 'Tyler Andersen' in large bold letters. Zoe left the truck on and the radio on her favorite classic country music station and took the sign with her as she got out of the 1965 Chevy 4x4 pickup. She didn't go far as she climbed up on the hood of her truck and laid back to watch the clouds, the handmade sign tucked in the hood gap, easy to see in case she started day dreaming. Not that she could miss the sound of the train as it came rolling to a stop some handful of songs later.

Because of the way Pa called Tyler 'kid' Zoe she was on the lookout of someone in their young teens maybe even preteens but as the trail emptied there was no one that matched her mental image. Just an older couple that she knew were Conner's in-laws, a mother and son couple, a teenage boy that looked about her age and another male that looked a few years older. Of the two that she didn't know, the two males, she was hoping that the Tyler that she was looking for was the younger of the two. The older looking one didn't give her the creeps and looked like he didn't smell. Where as the younger of the two was just plain gross. Zoe hated to be the person who judged someone on how they looked but there was nothing about the younger male that said he cared about himself. From his greasy unwashed hair, pimpled face, heavy set and baggy frumpy clothes everything said 'I don't care'.

"Tyler?" Zoe approached the younger male, of the two he looked more like someone who needed a new life path and as the older one glanced at her and walked on by she knew she had picked the right one. "I'm Zoe Remington. You're staying at my family's farm." She explained awkwardly trying not to show her disgust that this was the new comer that would live in the same house as her for at least the summer.

 

[Trucken]

Tyler stood on the platform and looked around. He had no idea who would pick him up, but he figured it would be his dads friend, mr Remington. Not that that assumption would help him in any way, he had no idea what he looked like. His dad had talked about him on several occasions, saying that he was his best friend. Tyler thought it sounded stupid. He hadn't seen him for over twenty years but he's his BFF? That's dumb.

Tyler's 5'11 frame took a few steps forward, stopping at the edge of the parking lot in front of him. He kept looking around, but now he wasn't looking for someone, he was looking at the town and it's people.

"Jesus Christ, it really is hillbilly hell." he thought to himself, basing this on seeing two people wearing cowboy hats and one of those Mom and Pop stores. He frowned, wondering how the hell he was going to survive hear an entire year.

"Tyler?" A voice called his name and Tyler turned towards it. A girl that looked about his age was standing there. "I'm Zoe Remington. You're staying at my family's farm."

"Oh, OK. Hi." he muttered the words while looking her over. She was hot, that was for sure. Her skin looked soft and she smelled nice, and his eyes lingered at her chest for a while. She seemed to have a pretty nice rack. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Yeah right." he thought. "She's probably like all the other chicks, only wanting to date someone who's being a jerk to them and has perfect looks. Sorry for not being able to live up to those unnatural beauty standards, I have shitty genes. Fucking bitch."

"So, yeah. I'm Tyler. Good to meet you, I suppose." His Minnesotan accent, which most people thought sounded friendly, clashed with his words that were full of contempt and spoken in such a way that showed he clearly didn't mean it. He didn't care, he considered her a part of his problem, which was that he was there against his will. Had they only said no to his dad he could still be at home, smoking a joint right now. He wondered if this town, if you could even call it that, had any dealers.

Tyler looked behind Zoe and saw a pickup. He thought it was pretty cool, but the paint job looked stupid.

"So, I'm guessing that that's our ride?" he said while pointing at it and wiping away some sweat from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Looks very cool." he said sarcastically.

 

[SwanLake]

Tyler didn't look that much taller then her own 5'3½ but as he got closer she could see just how wrong she was. Maybe it was just her mental evaluation of him or his heavy set that made him look shorter then he truly was.

Zoe wanted to mention his accent, so different from her own blue ridge mountain accent but there was something about the tone of his words that wanted to set her off. It wasn't in what he said but more of how it felt when she heard them. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt creating excuses for him as to why he seemed to be in such a foul mood. 'Give him a break. He just got off the train and it was a long ways getting here.' She reminded, putting herself in his shoes and picturing how she would act having lived in a tiny box for any number of hours let alone possible days.

"And you as well." Zoe smiled trying to make the words sound as genuine as possible.

She looked over her shoulder when he asked her about their ride and nodded her head with pride that was quickly deflated by the strong note of sarcasm in Tyler's voice. There were a dozen things that were begging to be said but Zoe merely raised her head and swallowed it all. She wasn't going to let his bad mood shame her with nasty said words. "Yeah." It was the only thing she felt was worth saying to him. If he was too blind to see all the wench time up into it, then it was his blindness and wasn't for her to pick at.

"You can throw your bag in the back. We have to pick up some sweet feed for Gram Cracker before we head to the farm. But if you're hungry we can get something to eat before that." Zoe didn't know when the last time it was that it, oh!, she meant he, ate but it would be a few hours more before dinner was set. She also figured that the food on the train had to be awful and he would be looking forward to some good food. Not as good as her Mama could make but still top of the bar in her honest opinion.

 

[Trucken]

"You can throw your bag in the back. We have to pick up some sweet feed for Gram Cracker before we head to the farm. But if you're hungry we can get something to eat before that."

"Jesus, does everyone here talk like a redneck?" Tyler thought after hearing Zoe talk. Her accent was a bit difficult to understand and he had no idea what the hell 'sweet feed' was, or who 'Gram Cracker' was. But he did understand her talking about eating, and he was hungry.

"Yeah, food sounds good." he said while placing his bag in the back of the truck, first checking that it was clean. He took out his wallet and checked if he had any money left after his trip, on which he bought way too many overpriced sodas. He did have a couple of dollars left, which should be enough for a meal.

They got in the truck and drove away. The radio was playing some country-bullshit but Tyler didn't say anything about it, instead he kept looking out the window, watching the buildings that passed them by. He didn't see any store that seemed to be a part of a major chain which he thought was weird. Did this town even have a McDonalds?

"Hey, Zoe?" He turned to her, sneaking a quick glance at her chest. "So, like, how many people live here? Is there anything to do?" It was a genuine question, and even though it wasn't laced with sarcasm it had a hint of doubt in it. He could tell it was a small town, so there couldn't be a whole lot to do for fun. Maybe they tipped cows for entertainment.

 

[SwanLake]

Zoe smiled hearing his voice for the first time not hold some hostile tone in it. 'Maybe his bad attitude is just cuz he needs to be fed.' She assured herself as she hopped into the truck, started it and threw it into reverse. As she waited she spotted the Alder brothers still sporting their cowboys hats from last season's USTRC route. Legend was more of a baseball cap kind of town but the brothers were proud of their time with the USTRC and weren't ready to live it down yet.

"Hey!" Zoe shouted out of the open truck window. "Tell Mama Clara that we have some early strawberries all ready to pick and we could sure be happy to trade her a fox or two for some of that sweet pis of hers."

"Have your Pa throw in a jar of whiskey berries and we'll be there for shearing day." Roy countered.

"Whatever!" Zoe snorted. "You know you're going to be there just for the food anyways." The brothers nodded knowing she was right. "But I'll see what Pa will do if you feel like help repair the south forty."

"Deal!" Hollered Clint.

"See you next weekend then."

By the time she was done talking to the Alder brothers, Tyler was already in the truck and waiting. Unsure how he felt about country music Zoe turned the radio down but not off.

"Hey, Zoe?"

She was turning left heading to Apple Dumplin', a favorite of hers since she had been a kid and glanced at Tyler when she heard him speak up.

"So, like, how many people live here? Is there anything to do?"

He sounded so scared that Zoe couldn't help but tease him a bit. "Well there's about 1,380 of us give or take a hundred and we all like to dress up in jean overalls and play banjos. It's a hoot when we can spook up a lost Northerner and chase him about the woods, just for a laugh." Her tone of voice matched the large smile on her lips as she turned down another street just two street over from the cafe. "Seriously though." She sobered up felling that he deserved more then just jokes. "We have some of the most beautiful hiking trails. The National Parks have some nice rivers and lakes. We got a new movie theater that shows almost new movies and the sport complex might be getting a pool here soon. But Old Cody's is where most of the kid out age hang out. Well there or the Dike."

Old Cody's started out as a general store but when he passed away his son turned it into a hobby store with a pinball machine. When he got married to a city girl and brought her back home she urged him to turn a corner of it into a coffee and desserts bar and it yet again changed when they had a child. Adding more coin operated games, comics, toys and wifi. One of only three places in town to have it, the other two being the commercial food strip and the library. Where as the Dike was a privately owned stretch of land next to Red Deer lake. The rumor was that the land belonged to a millionaire, thus the landing strip parallel to the lake, and that he had loved a mountain girl. The father hadn't approved so he left never to return. It was a dull and not at all exciting rumor but that was the way of it. If Zoe had her way there would have been heart ache, action and betrayal.

The gravel parking lot in front of the Apple Dumplin' was mostly full and Zoe parked where she wanted. With there being no lines it didn't matter when you parked as long as you didn't box someone in or bump into them. Strange as it was people were more likely to get upset about being blocked or boxed in then they were a new ding on their side door. "Here's the best place to get peach cobbler, just don't tell Mama I said that." The building was one of the newer once despite the Apple Dumplin' being in town since the way way back. Three years back when Legend was hit by the big wind storm a tree fell on Apple Dumplin' and the town all pitched into help repair it and all the others that had gotten damaged int he storm.

Leaving the keys in the ignition Zoe jumped out of the truck not even bothering to lock the door behind her. It was a small town where people still trusted each other and deals were sealed with a handshake. Everyone left their keys in their vehicles and everyone knew to leave it alone. Plus when everyone knew who owned what it raised an alert when someone different was seen driving it.

"They also have some good catfish and fried chicken but Mama's gonna make chicken and dumplings so I don't know if you'd want to eat chicken twice in a day." Zoe waited on Tyler at the front of the restaurant holding the door open for him.

 

[Trucken]

"Well there's about 1,380 of us give or take a hundred and we all like to dress up in jean overalls and play banjos."

"Well that doesn't surprise me." Tyler thought and looked out the window again.

"It's a hoot when we can spook up a lost Northerner and chase him about the woods, just for a laugh." Tylers head quickly turned, his wide eyes staring at her. Was she serious?

But the smile on Zoes face told him that she was joking. The tone of her voice would've been a dead giveaway if he had been more familiar with her accent. It was actually kinda funny, but Tyler refused to admit it and pretended to scratch his cheek to hide a vague smile. He was still pissed about being here and he wasn't going to allow anyone to cheer him up.

"Seriously though. We have some of the most beautiful hiking trails." "Hate hiking." "The National Parks have some nice rivers and lakes." "Hate the nature." "We got a new movie theater that shows almost new movies and the sport complex might be getting a pool here soon." " 'Almost' new movies? Jesus christ." "But Old Cody's is where most of the kid out age hang out. Well there or the Dike." Tyler didn't say a word in response to Zoe who had just been answering his question, instead he scoffed slightly, uncertain if she heard him. He didn't care either way.

Tyler looked out the window again and started thinking of home. Home was Grant Park, a suburb to Minneapolis which was located a few miles to the north. It wasn't really a big town with its 70,000 inhabitants, but compared to Legend? It was a freaking metropolis in his mind. In recent years he had complained about how small Grant Park was and how he wanted to move somewhere with more people, but right now he wanted to go back there more than anything. Back to his laid-back life where he would get high and just chill with his friends for hours. His parents could fuck off for all he cared, screw them for sending him away.

Tylers mind wandered to the conversation Zoe had earlier with the two guys in cowboy hats (now that he thought about it, had he seen anyone else wearing one?). Their thick accents made parts of their conversation sound like gibberish to Tyler, and the parts he did understand confirmed his biased view that this place really was full of hillbillies. Trading foxes for pies? Trading whiskey berries for help with repairing a south forty? And what the fuck was 'whiskey berries' and a 'south forty'? Tyler refused to do anything without being paid with actual money, and even when he was being paid to do something he usually half-assed it or made sure to be paid in advance and skip out on the job and go buy some sodas or weed instead.

The truck suddenly stopped and Tyler returned to the real world, having been lost in his thoughts.

"Here's the best place to get peach cobbler, just don't tell Mama I said that." "Huh? What?" was Tylers articulate response. He looked out the window again and saw a sign on a building which said "Apple Dumplin'".

"Oh." he said, hiding his disappointment as he realized that this place surely didn't serve pizza. "So we're eating here. OK." There was a touch of sarcasm to his words.

Zoe parked and they both jumped out of the truck. Closing the door, Tyler noticed that she left the keys in the ignition. "Hey, you forgot your keys." Zoe left them there, and Tyler took note of it. It did give him an idea.

Zoe held the door open for Tyler. "They also have some good catfish and fried chicken but Mama's gonna make chicken and dumplings so I don't know if you'd want to eat chicken twice in a day." "Oh. Well, I could go for a burger or something like that." he said as he passed Zoe and entered the Apple Dumplin', a bit disappointed knowing that he wasn't going to get any pizza today.

 

[SwanLake]

The look on his face was priceless and it only made Zoe smile grow. It seemed that he at least had some kind of sense of humor, must be more to him then just a sully attitude and bad appearance.

That was all forgotten when that tone in his voice came back realizing that this was where they were eating. "Yeah." Was the curt reply, a frown tugging at the corners of Zoe's lips. "They got burgers here and chicken sandwiches. A hot beef sandwich, one of my personal favorites. It the gravy that makes it. Oh you should try dippin' some onion rings in it. It's pretty amazing." Zoe wanted to stay mad at Tyler for his lack of appreciation of her town but she was just so proud of her home that she couldn't help but be happy sharing it with someone new.

"Sheriff Forest." Zoe wasn't going to wait on Tyler anymore, there wasn't any action in his step. Just moved like a cow with no reason to move or get anywhere.

"Zoe." Sheriff Forest was in his late fifties but looked ten years younger. His hair was thick and wavy, with a strong face and a beard that was always clipped and neat. "You Pa said ya'll got a house guest staying with 'chu." The last word was spoken around a mouth full of homemade cornbread.

Zoe nodded sliding into the seat across of the much older man. "His name is Tyler." She pointed to the one mentioned with her chin and snaked a fry off the Sheriff's plate with a sweet ol' smile.

"Hmmm. Well if he's as much trouble as you the whole town will be in for it."

"You know it." Zoe smiled, sticking out her tongue as she nabbed another fry and scooted from the table before she could get into trouble. "Oh and Mama said she finished coping those recipes Mrs Forest wanted."

Sheriff Forest nodded. "We'll come by on shearing day and get them from ya'll. And don't forget to thank her for me."

"Yes sir."

As Zoe moved away from the Sheriff's table she nodded back behind her when she neared Tyler. "That's the town's Sheriff, Sheriff Forest. He's a born and raised but joined the Army when he was 18. Was special forces all his active career but came back home to life a quite life." She informed Tyler taking a seat at an open booth near the window. "He married Widow Maggie, one of Mama's best friends."

"Hey Zoe- oh. Hi." A strawberry blond with curls for hair skipped up to the table and skidded to a stop when she spotted Tyler. Pearl's eyebrows brew together and her hands fluttered in the air, making forms and shapes as she asked her friend questions about the newcomer. You know it was kind of strange how many people in town now knew sign language.

"Don't be rude." Zoe scolded. "Pearl this is Tyler, he's the one who'll be staying at the farm for the next year. "Tyler this is Pearl, my friend."

Zoe noticed that Pearl didn't offer her hand either as she nodded a quick hello. "So are you having the catfish or open face?"

"Catfish." Zoe was pretty predictable when it came to ordering. It was either the catfish with ochra and fried spuds n' onions or the open face hot beef sandwich with onion rings. "But if you can bring Tyler a menu and wait to put in my order till he knows what he'll have that'll be great. Toots." Zoe teased winking at her friend.

Pearl nodded and then turned back to Tyler. "Is there anything you want to drink?"

 

[Trucken]

"They got burgers here and chicken sandwiches. A hot beef sandwich, one of my personal favorites. It the gravy that makes it. Oh you should try dippin' some onion rings in it. It's pretty amazing." Tyler had to admit that sounded good. There was a place in Grant Park called Stanley's that served hot sandwiches and onion rings that were great, if the ones they had here were half as good it would definitely be worth it.

Zoe and Tyler had barely entered the Apple Dumplin' when Zoe suddenly took off to talk to a cop. Tyler nearly reached for her, desperate for her to stay by his side. He didn't like going out alone in public due to his rotund physique, and even though he was determined to dislike Zoe it felt better having her close to him so he could concentrate on her and ignore everyone else around them. Now he stood there alone, feeling like everyone was staring at him, when in fact there were only a few giving him curious glances. Tyler decided to pull out his phone and check out 9gag before he realized that this place didn't have any wifi.

"You fuckin' kiddin' me?" he muttered quietly right before Zoe returned.

"That's the town's Sheriff, Sheriff Forest. He's a born and raised but joined the Army when he was 18. Was special forces all his active career but came back home to life a quite life." Tyler looked over at the Sheriff as Zoe led them to an open booth. The Sheriff gave him a slow nod as if to say 'hello' and 'stay out of trouble' at the same time. Tyler gave him a quick nod in return and diverted his eyes while Zoe continued talking. Mostly because he didn't want the cops to be all over him, and he didn't want to piss off someone that had been in special forces. "He married Widow Maggie, one of Mama's best friends." "Oh. How did her other husband die?" It was a question out of genuine curiosity, but Tyler lacked the common courtesy to realize that you simply didn't blurt out that type of question like that.

"Hey Zoe- oh. Hi." A cute waitress with hair a light shade of red stopped by their table and greeted them. Before Tyler could say anything she started making gestures with her hands towards Zoe, her fingers changing their direction with every motion. "Huh?" was Tylers response as he looked at her sheepishly, wondering if she was having a stroke or something.

"Don't be rude." Zoe suddenly said. "What did I do?" Tyler responded before realizing she wasn't talking to him. His shoulders slumped, feeling incredibly stupid. "Pearl this is Tyler, he's the one who'll be staying at the farm for the next year. Tyler this is Pearl, my friend." Pearl nodded a hello at him and he gave her a limp wave with a barely audible 'Hi' in return, still feeling embarrassed.

"So are you having the catfish or open face?" Tyler frowned with a puzzled look. Open face? The hell was that?

"Catfish. But if you can bring Tyler a menu and wait to put in my order till he knows what he'll have that'll be great. Toots." Tyler noticed the wink and briefly wondered if they were a couple. He discarded the thought quickly though, he doubted there were any lesbians in a small town like this. If there were they probably wouldn't be open about it.

"Is there anything you want to drink?" "Uh, yeah, I'll have a large coke." That would be his eight soda of the day. "And also, I'll have a, um, Zoe talked about a hot beef sandwich with onion rings?"

"The open face, yes?" Pearl replied. "Oh, so that's the open face."

"Yeah, I'll have that. Thanks." His words drifted at the end and the last part was barely audible, not because he was trying to be rude, but because he felt uncomfortable. He thought it was hot in there and could feel himself starting to sweat under his jersey.

"So, uh, how is it here? Socially I mean? Like, does everyone know everyone?" The question was mostly an attempt to break the silence which he thought was uncomfortable and made him sweat even more. He wiped away some sweat from his face with the sleeve.

After a few minutes the food was served and Tyler looked at his hot beef sandwich with a frown. It didn't look anything like the ones he usually ate at Stanley's. Fact was that this sandwich looked ten times better than those, but all that mattered to Tyler was that it looked different and therefore it couldn't taste that good. But his stomach growled, and he would have to pay for it anyway.

"Ah, fuck it." he thought as he dipped an onion ring in the gravy like Zoe had told him to do and tossed it into his mouth, quickly following with a bite out of his sandwich. He chewed a couple of times before slowing down, his jaw coming to a complete stop. He stared at the sandwich in his hands, swallowing the food in his mouth.

"Ho-holy shit." he laughed with a smile on his face, suddenly looking up at Zoe. "You weren't kidding, this is an awesome sandwich." It was a genuine smile and he took another bite out of it, chewing happily, forgetting that he was supposed to be too cool for this little town.

 

[SwanLake]

The question didn't catch Zoe off gurad, everyone here was blunt and to the point. It wasn't out of rudeness but that beating around the bush took too long and everyone had things to do and places to go. "Cancer. Took them by surprise and took him fast. He didn't suffer through years of sickness. It was a shame to lose him, real nice guy and the sort to help you out no matter what." Zoe shrugged.

It was kind of funny to watch Tyler react to everything and everyone. It was painfully obvious that he didn't belong but it was made worse by his reactions to things. If he wasn't being a smart ass he was awkward and something akin to shy but with this aura of hostility. Part of it could be from his uncomfortably and for a moment Zoe felt bad for him. This must be so different and maybe even a little scary. If it was her in a big city she couldn't imagine how she would be. Heck, the biggest town she have even been in was Ashville.

"Socially?" Zoe repeated the word like a question. "I mean, I guess..." Zoe shrugged her shoulders and nodded a thank you as Pearl handed off their food and drinks. "It's a small town and who you don't know-know you know of by a friend of a friend or a family member." She wasn't all that hungry but the smell of food had her mouth watering and seeing her two pieces of perfectly fried catfish made her stomach grumble. Instead Zoe popped a piece of okra into her mouth and waited for Tyler to take his first bite.

At first he didn't look too convinced but he picked up an onion ring and dipped it into the brown gravy and then a bit of the sandwich. Zoe sipped on her ice cold water and waited have no doubt in her mind that he would love the food here.

"Ho-holy shit. You weren't kidding, this is an awesome sandwich."

Zoe smiled pleased that he was so happy with the food. "And Mama cooks better then that." She happily bragged knowing it to be true, not just a bias preference because her Mama was, well her Mama. "But the secret here is the homemade butter and cooking with love." There were other secrets Zoe was sure but it was never polite to ask for them all.

Knowing that Tyler was enjoying his meal, Zoe turned to her's unwrapping her work from the paper napkin it was rolled in. After a few bites Zoe noticed the silence at the table and felt it was her turn to ask questions. "So what's it like back where you're from? In fact where are you from?"

 

[Trucken]

"And Mama cooks better then that." Tyler looked up at Zoe who almost beamed from pride. "Really?" Was his response which had a hopeful tone to it. "With food like this... maybe I can actually get through this year." he thought as he took another bite. "But the secret here is the homemade butter and cooking with love." Tyler looked a bit sceptical about that last statement. Food was food in his mind and he doubted that different types of butter, homemade or not, could make a change to how it tasted. And love... nah, he didn't buy that, but he took another bite, enjoying his meal.

"So what's it like back where you're from? In fact where are you from?" Zoe suddenly said. Tyler looked up from his sandwich, surprised by the question.

"Oh, I'm from Grant Park, it's a few miles north of Minneapolis." he said while swallowing the bite he had in his mouth. "It's pretty big, about a hundred thousand people live there." He tossed another onion ring into his mouth. "It's cold as hell in the winters, usually slightly above zero degrees and at least one feet of snow. You ever seen snow?" He made a pause while taking a sip of his soda, not sure if they got snow in Legend. "Anyway, it's a great town, a lot to do. Go to the movies, ice-skating, batting cages, the arcade, almost anything you can name and we have it, not like here." In his mind he wasn't being rude with that last comment, to him it was more a matter of fact, his town was better than this one. Why he mentioned things like ice-skating or batting cages as things to do when he never went there was anyones guess. He hadn't been ice-skating for at least 6 years, and hadn't been to the batting cages in at least 4. In fact, he hadn't exercised for real in 4 years.

Tyler finished his food before Zoe and let out a burp into his closed hand, wiping it off on his leg. "Aah, that was good." he said contently. "What's 'sweet feed' anyway? You said earlier that you needed to pick some up, is it some kind of pie or something?" His mind was still on food and he could go for some pie if they were picking it up.

 

[SwanLake]

Zoe nodded a yes. At first Tyler had seemed so negative about being here and now with that smile it seemed that he was turning for the change instead of against it.

"A hundred thousand people?" Just hearing how many people he lived around made Zoe's head spin. How noisy it must be. And the smells. Zoe shivered and tried to imagine how a lide in a city with that many people would be like and automatically picked the life she lived over the one Tyler was describing. "We get snow up in the mountains, about thirty minutes from here but it also acts as a barrier from some of the worst Canada cold fronts." She answered finishing the last of her catfish leaving a bunch of okra and spuds to finish.

The burp wasn't at all charming and Zoe's face reflected her thoughts on the outburst of rudeness. At Tyler's question she brushed away her feelings on the burp and answered the question. "No, sweet feed isn't pie. Sweet feed is a feed for older livestock animals. Gram Cracker is one of Pa's horses and while he's still a great ranch horse he's getting older and it's just a another way to take care of him and make sure he is healthy and happy." In fact... Zoe checked her watch cleared the remaining bits of food from her plate and stood up. "Are you ready to go?" Zoe reached into her wallet and dropped enough money to cover the food and drinks for both of them. "We should get home before evening chores."

Bass and Smith was just down the road on the way home and loading up the truck bed shouldn't take too long with the two of them. "See ya Pearl." Zoe waved in farewell as she headed back out to the truck. "So what is it that you do for fun? Because while we might not have batting cages you can find a number of people at the complex to throw a ball for you."

 

[Trucken]

"No, sweet feed isn't pie. Sweet feed is a feed for older livestock animals. Gram Cracker is one of Pa's horses and while he's still a great ranch horse he's getting older and it's just a another way to take care of him and make sure he is healthy and happy."

"Oh, ok." Tyler groaned on the inside, he had to work already? He just got here, he thought he would get a day or two to settle in. "Well, it can't be that much, I don't think horses eat a lot." he thought as Zoe stood up. "Are you ready to go?" "Yeah, sure." Tyler reached for his wallet, but Zoe paid for him. "Oh, thanks." It was probably for the best that she did that as he had no intention of leaving a tip.

"We should get home before evening chores." Tyler let out a groan. "What the hell, MORE shit to do?" Didn't these people do anything beside working?

Tyler gave a quick wave goodbye to Pearl when Zoe did and they left the Apple Dumplin'. "So what is it that you do for fun? Because while we might not have batting cages you can find a number of people at the complex to throw a ball for you." It was a simple enough question, but it still left Tyler speechless. What did he do for fun? All he ever did was play videogames and smoke weed with his friends, and he honestly didn't want to say that. It would make him sound lazy. "Well, uh, you know." he was looking for things to say. "Go to the batting cages sometimes, go see movies with my friends, sometimes we play football in the park. Go to the mall, go on dates, usual stuff you know." Tyler had probably never told so many lies in such a short period of time. He never went to the batting cages, he never exercised period. He never did anything with his friends since they were usually to blazed to do anything but watch TV. And dates? He had never been on one, fact was that he was still a virgin. He'd been somewhat popular with girls when he was younger, but when his weight spiraled out of control and he started smoking weed all the time the girls stopped thinking he was cute, instead they thought he was gross and creepy.

"How about you?" he asked as they jumped into the truck. "What do you do for fun?"

 

[SwanLake]

Football in the park? Dates?

Zoe hated to be the type of person to call someone a liar but half if not all of what Tyler had just said sounded like one. She also hated to be the type of person to judge what someone's hobbies are but she didn't think playing football was even in the ballpark of what he did for fun. Maybe throw a ball around but anything more then that she doubted.

"I like to go fishing and floating. Love camping. Horseback riding when it's not for work." Zoe shrugged figuring that anything she would list he would think was stupid or just out flat hate so she left her answer at that. The fact that she loved her life and all the parts of it made questions like 'what do you do for fun' difficult to answer. Especially when the person asking the question wouldn't get it. Sure it was hard work and fixing fences, running tractors and tending after all the animals sometimes were a drag but even if she had the free time off there was rarely a reason to leave the farm. Everything she wanted to do was right here.

Starting the truck and turned off the music enjoying that they were finally to the talking point. Even if Tyler's answers weren't up an up or he sometimes annoyed her with the things he said or did. For the most part it was interesting to see and hear how someone from a big city lived. "Do you need anything before we get to the house?" She had noticed what he was wearing and while it was all fine for a day out mucking out stalls called for a different kind of dress. "Maybe a set of good working boots?" For some reason Zoe doubted that Tyler had thought to pack a good set of boots and since they were in town. "Bass and Smith's had a little bit of clothing and footwear if you want to take a look." She offered as she pulled into a gravel lot in front of a large tan and red metal building. Off to the other side of the parking lot was an older two story red brick building and though Zoe parked in front of one of the loading bays at the metal building she jumped out of the tuck and headed over to the brick building.

On the front of the building an old faded sign announced that this was 'Bass an' Smith'. Inside the building was a collection of all manor of things from chainsaws to post drives and lawn mowers. In the spring there was even baby chickens, ducks and sometime turkeys, all depending what Old Man Smith had extras of. On the fist floor is where you could get your farm equipment and supplies, the larger of the equipment in the back lot. Livestock supplies took up the far back corner of the large building with antibiotics to ziggers and everything in between. The front half was where the register was, manned by Cody Bass, son of Marshal Bass one of the owners of B&S. Upstairs was clothing, footwear, children and the repair shop. You could take any kind of small thing and get it fix at B&S. Shoes, glasses, chainsaws, watches and even get a coat sewed if Miss Laura had the time.

"Wanna take a look around?" Zoe asked unsure of how Tyler would take a place like this.

 

[Trucken]

"I like to go fishing and floating. Love camping. Horseback riding when it's not for work." That sounded boring as hell. He had actually liked camping when he was younger, he used to go with his dad. But then he suddenly decided it was stupid and that he was too cool for it. He didn't tell Zoe that, instead he just nodded and said "OK, cool" without really meaning it.

"Do you need anything before we get to the house?" Tyler looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What, like a soda?" "Maybe a set of good working boots?" "Oh." Crap, he was going to have to work during his time here, he had almost forgotten about that. "Bass and Smith's had a little bit of clothing and footwear if you want to take a look." "Uh, yeah, sure." he said, hesitating.

Zoe parked the truck and they started walking over towards Bass an' Smith. Tyler looked back at where she parked. "Is it OK to park there? If we parked in front of a loading bay in Grant Park we would get towed in like 5 minutes." He exaggerated, it would probably be closer to 45 minutes. Grant Park was a pretty friendly place, but parking in loading zones was not appreciated since it hindered delivery drivers from doing their job. Besides, there were plenty of parking spaces, so the only reason to park in a loading zone was to show others what an asshole you were. Needless to say, Tyler had been towed. Three times, actually. Tyler thought it was bullshit, he had always been gone 'just a second'.

They entered B&S and Tyler looked around him at various machines. He had no idea what most of them did, but he did recognize a chainsaw. He pulled a brown envelope out of his backpocket. His dad had given it to him just for this cause, to buy workclothes. It contained $200 and Tylers first thought had been to try to find a dealer so he could get some weed. His dad knew him all too well though, and told him if he spent that money on anything else he would have to work in his usual clothes and shoes. The thought of his new Adidas getting covered in horseshit wasn't too appealing, so he hanged on to the money.

"Wanna take a look around?" "Yeah, sure." They walked upstairs and looked at the clothes and shoes lined up on the shelves. Nothing was really his style, but since working wasn't really his style it made perfect sense. He looked around for a couple of minutes while rubbing his thumb against the envelope. He had no idea what he was looking for. He didn't know what he would be doing, and even if he did he still wouldn't be able to pick out what he needed. He felt embarassed, and was too proud to admit that he was clueless, so he tried a different tactic.

"So, uh, Zoe. What do you think would look good on me? Could use a womans perspective here." Zoe probably didn't buy it. The fact that he had been looking around in silence for at least 10 minutes with an uncertain expression was probably a dead giveaway.

 

[SwanLake]

"Is it OK to park there? If we parked in front of a loading bay in Grant Park we would get towed in like 5 minutes."

Zoe nodded. "That's the feed building for B&S and as long as you don't park there on loading day then everyone is okay with it. Plus it makes loading the truck easier." She answered simply.

Tyler agreed to look around and for the first few minutes Zoe stayed by his side but after three or four minutes of nothing but staring she drifted off to the children area and picked up a toy horse. She didn't know what he was doing just standing there looking at stuff. It seemed obvious to her that he need some boots and pants that fit properly but to do that a person needed to try things on and make sure they fit.

"So, uh, Zoe. What do you think would look good on me? Could use a womans perspective here."

It was horribly mean but Zoe doubted anything would look good on him but she didn't say that believing that if you had nothing nice to say you don't say anything. "Well..." She walked to the children's aile and returned the toy from where she got it and came back. "I'm a sucker for a good pair of Wolverine or Red Wing boots." Saying that she moved towards the footwear and pointed at a few that she liked. "I have a pair of these and I love them." Zoe pointed at a pair of Wolverine lace ups with dura-shock non-slick soles and oiled and weather resistant leather sides. "And a pair of these for winter." She pointed at a pair of insulated oiled leather lace ups. "I like Red Wings insulated boots better then Wolverine, more flex to the Red Wings then the Wolverines in my opinion."

From the shoes she headed towards the jeans. "Carhartt makes these great double front jeans for when the horse' hooves need trimming." But this early in Tyler's stay she doubted he would make any use of double front jeans. "On the other hand you can't ever go wrong with Wranglers or Levis. But for long saddle days I like a tough stitched cargo, I'm a fan of pockets." She smiled. "Which brings around simple cotton shirts with a front pocket." Zoe pointed to another area of clothing where the shirts were. "Cheap enough that you don't mind getting them dirty, made well enough that they live long enough not to have to buy new shorts every week."

Zoe took a seat on a bench near the shoes and waved her hand around the store. "Pretty much anything you get from B&S is going to be quality at as best of a price you can get." She didn't know what it was that Tyler had packed, if he even had anything worth working in but she doubted it. "Oh and don't forget to get a good pack of socks. Socks can make or break your day when you're on your feet all day." That wasn't quite true as it was a good fitting boot that made the bulk of one's comfort but socks were easy to overlook and it did made a difference after a long day. "And a rain jacket, nothing worse then working in the rain and being soaked to the bone."

"Just get whatever it is that you need and if you don't have the money to cover it we'll put it on the farm tab." She didn't know if that was the kind of perspective he was looking for but she hoped that it helped regardless.

 

[Trucken]

"Well... I'm a sucker for a good pair of Wolverine or Red Wing boots." Tyler followed her closely, knowing that this was his chance to find the stuff he needed without actually asking and looking stupid. "I have a pair of these and I love them. And a pair of these for winter. I like Red Wings insulated boots better then Wolverine, more flex to the Red Wings then the Wolverines in my opinion." He looked at the shoes she pointed at, nodding in agreement with what she said.

Zoe headed towards the jeans and Tyler followed like an obedient dog. "Carhartt makes these great double front jeans for when the horse' hooves need trimming. On the other hand you can't ever go wrong with Wranglers or Levis. But for long saddle days I like a tough stitched cargo, I'm a fan of pockets." "Wait, saddle days? Like, riding horses?" That made Tyler tense, he didn't like horses. He'd been bitten by one when he was a kid and just didn't trust them since then. That time it hadn't been Tyler's fault, it was just the horse that was mean in general. Even so, he steered clear of horses at all times. He'd have to figure something out during his stay so he could stay away from them.

"Which brings around simple cotton shirts with a front pocket. Cheap enough that you don't mind getting them dirty, made well enough that they live long enough not to have to buy new shorts every week." He looked where she pointed and could see several shirts hanging on a rack. "Cheap and tough? Cool." Tyler meant it as he was used to cheap meaning it was crap.

"Pretty much anything you get from B&S is going to be quality at as best of a price you can get. Oh and don't forget to get a good pack of socks. Socks can make or break your day when you're on your feet all day. And a rain jacket, nothing worse then working in the rain and being soaked to the bone." "Holy shit, I'm getting a entirely new wardrobe." Tyler had not been prepared for this. He thought he would be able to get by on his regular clothes, but he was realizing that they would soon be ruined if he used them as work clothes. He was doubting that the $200 in the envelope was enough for all the stuff he needed.

"Just get whatever it is that you need and if you don't have the money to cover it we'll put it on the farm tab." "Oh, well that makes things a lot easier." he said, turning towards the shoes, looking for the ones Zoe had pointed out earlier. He grabbed a few pairs that was his size, humming for himself now that he knew what he was looking for. "Ha, it worked. Goddamn I'm good."

After about 20 minutes Tyler had found the stuff he needed. Two pairs of shoes, one to use in the winter. Two black and white checkered cotton shirts, a pack with a dozen white t-shirts, a green rain jacket, two pairs of Wranglers jeans, twelve pairs of socks that looked sturdy and a belt. He didn't bother to get a pair of double front jeans or the tough stitched cargos that Zoe recommended as he had no intention of ever going near the horses.

He came out from the fitting booth carrying the stuff he was going to buy. He was actually smart enough to change into work clothes, knowing that they would be working soon, loading the sweet feed onto the truck. He walked over to Zoe who was sitting on a bench, waiting for him.

"So?" he said while putting the stuff down. "How do I look?" he said jokingly, holding out his arms and doing a little twirl. "Will I fit in now?" He smiled and picked up his stuff again. "I don't think I have enough cash, I only got $200. I guess you'll have to call my dad later and make him send you some money to cover this." He shrugged, not caring if this would cost his dad more money. "Anyway, you ready to go?"

 

[SwanLake]

While Tyler tried on the things he grabbed Zoe went downstairs and bough the feed. She wasn't the best at just sitting and doing nothing and used the in between time to fill her order. When Tyler was finished they could mark up a tab for his things and together they could fill the truck bed. Even with the detour to talk to Cody, Zoe made it back to the bench minutes before Tyler exited the changing rooms.

He was smart in the sense that he walked out of the wardrobe room dressed in work clothes because she doubted what he had on before would have been efficient in doing chores. "So? How do I look?"]/b] He asked twirling around in a circle. "Will I fit in now?"

He still looked like a slick, less of one then before but now he just looked like a slick trying to fit in. But because that wasn't a nice thing to say Zoe ignored the questions as if he hadn't asked them in the first place.

"I don't think I have enough cash, I only got $200. I guess you'll have to call my dad later and make him send you some money to cover this. Anyway, you ready to go?"

Zoe waved away the $200. "Pa will cover any work expenses, deducted from your allowance." She informed him. "You can get paid $50 a week or $200 a month." The farm wages was the same for both Zoe and Willa. "Food, utilities and board is covered. We have dial-up internet and while we don't have cable we do catch most of the free broadcast channels." Zoe stood up and lead the way downstairs towards the register. "Breakfast is at seven in the morning but if you don't finish your morning chores before breakfast Mama won't feed ya." Pa was likely to go over this in more detail at the house but Zoe wanted Tyler to be prepared for it. Pa's words weren't always the gentlest and sometimes they came off sounding mean even if he didn't mean them that way. "Summer days are filled with chores mostly. Living on a working farm and all there is always something to do. Unch at 11:30, a light snack at 3:30." She hopped up on the register counter and continued talking expecting Tyler to unload his things so Cody could ring them up and they could get on their way. "Dinner at 6:30 and Sunday is church and our only free day though feeding is checking on the animals in the morning and night is still something that needs to be done. And other then that we are ready to go."

With a smile on her face she turned to Cody. "Cody this is Tyler, he'll be staying on the farm. Tyler his is Cody Bass son of Marshal Bass the part owner of B&S." Zoe made the introductions and then slipped off the counter and started heading towards the metal building hollering out for Greg to pull out a pallet of sweet feed from across the parking lot.

 

[Trucken]

Zoe made a dismissive gesture. "Pa will cover any work expenses, deducted from your allowance." Tyler raised a surprised eyebrow. "Allowance?" "You can get paid $50 a week or $200 a month." His eyes widened in surprise. "What, I get paid? Really? Wait, how much..." his voice started drifting as he started counting in his head, his eyes looking at a toy bunny but not focusing on it. "Twelve... times twohundred... minus this..." He murmured but when he was done with the math he got a huge grin on his face. "Holy shit, I'll have over 2 grand when I'm going home! Fuckin-a!" His mind drifted to all the stuff he could do with that money, but he knew he would buy a fucking mountain of weed and get high for a year straight. This deal wasn't all bad, he'd be rich when he returned home. The fact that he would've finished high school by then and should be looking for a job or going to college didn't even cross his mind.

He stood there with a stupid grin on his face, counting money in his head when Zoe spoke again.

"Food, utilities and board is covered. We have dial-up internet and while we don't have cable we do catch most of the free broadcast channels." Tyler snapped out of his state of ecstasy. "What, you have dial-up?" He couldn't believe what he just heard as he followed her down the stairs. "And you don't have cable?" Was this some sort of joke? Dial-up internet and no fucking cable? What the hell was he supposed to do all day?

"Breakfast is at seven in the morning but if you don't finish your morning chores before breakfast Mama won't feed ya." Tylers jaw dropped. Breakfast at seven!? He rarely got out of bed earlier than nine, he usually skipped the first classes of the day, and now he was expected to get out of bed at seven? "Wait, breakfast at seven after chores? How early do you get up?" he said to her back, still following her.

"Summer days are filled with chores mostly. Living on a working farm and all there is always something to do. Lunch at 11:30, a light snack at 3:30." She hopped up on the counter and got a first look at Tylers stunned face as he put the clothes down on the counter, staring her in the eyes with disbelief. "Dinner at 6:30 and Sunday is church and our only free day though feeding is checking on the animals in the morning and night is still something that needs to be done. And other then that we are ready to go."

Tyler felt like he was about to faint. He knew his dad had sent him here as punishment, but this was insane. He would basically be working all the damn time with only sundays off, and they weren't even completely off. Not that that mattered, what the fuck was he supposed to do with no cable and shitty internet? Build a tree house?

"Cody this is Tyler, he'll be staying on the farm. Tyler his is Cody Bass son of Marshal Bass the part owner of B&S." Cody gave him a friendly greeting but Tyler was too stunned to give him a proper response, instead he said something along the lines of "Uh, yeah, hello, nice to meet you..."

Cody put the clothes in two bags and gave them to Tyler. Zoe had already walked outside and he heard her yelling at someone something about that sweet feed. Tyler went after her and followed her towards the truck, thinking about everything that she had told him.

"This is crazy! I can't do this fucking shit, I'll have a fucking heart attack in a week!" He looked up and saw the truck and remembered his earlier idea. It also made him think of the $200 in his backpocket, realizing that he had more than enough to make his plan work. He smirked for himself. "It's plan B. If plan D, as in Dad or Dickhead fails, I'll use that." He was satisfied with himself, knowing he had just outsmarted his parents.

He put the bags in the truck and looked over at Zoe. "So, how much of this stuff are we getting? Two pounds or something?"

 

[SwanLake]

"Allowance? What, I get paid? Really? Wait, how much... Twelve... times two hundred... minus this... Holy shit, I'll have over 2 grand when I'm going home! Fuckin-a!"

Zoe shook her head knowing that it was a dream to think that he could live on what he was getting now for a year. "I'd love to say that is how it works but you forget that when winter comes about you'll need things." She didn't mean to pop his bubble but this was the reality of the matter. Living on the farm didn't give Zoe or Willa a change to get a job, not that Willa was old enough yet, so Pa made sure they had the money they needed for the extras in their life. For the Remington girls that didn't amount to much but she had a feeling that it would be different for Tyler. Like for one thing, they didn't carry soda in the house and that would have to be something he got on his own. Mama was real strict about what her groceries money went to and that meant little sweets and snack foods that were more healthy then greasy, fatty or surgery. Zoe expected that the whole experience would be a shocking life change for Tyler and she pitied the hard time before him as he got used to his new life.

"What, you have dial-up? And you don't have cable?"

It wasn't that big of a deal but for Tyler it seemed to be. "Don't worry." Zoe smiled trying to make him feel better. "There's lots to do on the farm." Unaware that it would more then likely make him feel worse.

"Wait, breakfast at seven after chores? How early do you get up?"

"Anywhere between six and six thirty." There wasn't much to do in the morning so it didn't take long to get them all done and with one more person it would take even less time. But when she saw Tyler's face she started to worry. He looked, well she wasn't sure what that look was but it wasn't a good one. Something akin to sickness. She was going to ask if he wasn't feeling good and maybe point him to the bathroom but in front of Cody she held her tongue. She didn't want to embarrass him in front of a stranger if he wasn't feeling good. "Put it on the tab." She told Cody before leaving hoping that Tyler would have the sense to ask Cody where the restroom was before they drove to the house. There wouldn't be any stops from here to the house and it would take them about twenty, maybe thirty minutes of Doug's mules got out again.

Zoe was standing on the concrete loading dock when Tyler made his way to her.

"So, how much of this stuff are we getting? Two pounds or something?"

"Two pounds?!" Zoe cracked a huge smile but kept herself from laughing out loud. "Do you even know how large a horse is? Wait- Have you ever even seen a horse before?" She hadn't even considered that he could possibly be this green. Waving it away she answered his questions. "We're going to get about twenty bags." Zoe's smile returned as she got ready to inform him of how heavy the bags were. "That is twenty fifty pound bags." She couldn't wait to see his face at what she had just told him. Oh sure Greg would help load them but she wasn't about to ruin her fun by telling Tyler that.

 

[Trucken]

"Two pounds?! Do you even know how large a horse is? Wait- Have you ever even seen a horse before?" Zoe smiled at him, almost laughing. Tyler felt embarassed but he didn't show it, instead he frowned.

"Of course I've seen horses before, I just... didn't think they ate that much...." The last part he mumbled after realizing that two pounds of feed propably wouldn't last a horse one day. Those things were big after all. Tyler scratched his neck, studying a bottle lying on the ground next to a wall, just trying to avoid eye contact with Zoe.

"We're going to get about twenty bags." "Oh, OK." "Well that makes sense. At five pounds each it should last, what, two weeks?" Tyler still didn't look at Zoe, he was still inspecting that very interesting bottle a few feet away.

"That is twenty fifty pound bags." Tylers eyes widened and he slowly turned his head towards Zoe, his body remaining still. He looked at her with a look that said 'are you fucking serious?' Which, actually, was exactly what he was thinking. "Twenty fifty pound bags!? Is she fucking insane? I can't carry that shit, I have asthma!" He didn't have asthma, he was just lazy. Not that he'd ever admit that, fact was that he had managed to convince himself that he had asthma. Despite that he made no efforts whatsoever to get an inhaler.

Tyler suddenly raised a finger and cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me for a second, I just remembered that I was supposed to call my dad when I got here. I just gotta make a quick call to him." With that Tyler turned around and grabbed the phone in his pocket, going through his contacts and finding the one called 'Fucking asshole'. He changed it from 'Dad' while he was on the train. He walked a few yards away and pressed 'Call', waiting for someone to pick up. "Please God, let Plan D work."

"Hello, this is James." It was his dads voice. It still had a hint of the blue ridge mountain accent, but his Minnesotan accent was clearly dominant after living there for 25 years.

"Dad? It's me, Tyler." There was a hint of panic in his voice.

"Oh hey there Tyler." His voice was cheerful as it usually was. "Have you arrived in Legend yet? Nice town, isn't it?"

"Uh, well, yeah, sure dad, listen-" He was interrupted by his dad.

"Donna! Donna, it's Tyler! He's in Legend now!" His dad was shouting for his mom and Tyler could hear her shout something back. "She can't come right now, but she says hi."

"Yeah, great, listen, I can't do this." There was a moment of silence on the line. "Dad?"

"What do you mean 'you can't do this'?" His voice was a bit more serious now.

"This! Being here, doing all this work they're expecting of me!" He raised his voice unintentionally.

"Tyler, you haven't been there a day, what have you done so far?"

"Well, nothing yet." Tyler was interrupted again.

"You haven't done anything yet but you know you can't do it!?" His dad raised his voice, almost shouting at him.

"Well... Zoe told me what it's going to be like... and we're about to load a fucking ton of horse food on the truck, I can't do heavy lifting like that, I have asthma!" Again a moment of silence and Tyler could hear his dad take a deep breath. What Tyler didn't know was he did it because he was trying to remain calm and not utter every curse word he knew as loud as he could right into his sons ear.

"Son," He always called Tyler 'son' when he was upset or mad at him. "You do not have asthma. As I've told you before, you just need to exercise and watch what you eat and you wouldn't be out of breath from walking down the stairs." He exaggerated. But not by much. "Also, you're going to stay there because you need to learn your lesson."

"For fuck's sake dad, it was just a fucking car! I'm sorry it got banged up, OK?"

"BANGED UP!?" Tyler pulled the phone away from his ear as his dad screamed into the phone on the other end. "YOU CALL THAT BANGED UP!?"

Tyler hadn't 'banged up' his dad's car. One night while high, he wanted some soda and Twinkies and took his dads car to go to the store. Being really thirsty he stepped on it and drove way over the speed limit, eventually losing control and flipping it, crashing it into a tree. The car was totaled, but Tyler amazingly walked out of the car without a single scratch. His neck was a bit stiff, but other than that, nothing. Tyler quickly left the area, hoping noone had seen him. He returned home and a few hours later the cops arrived and told his parents about the car. They asked them if there was anyone in the house that could've crashed it but his parents insisted that it must've been stolen. When the cops left they confronted Tyler after James kicked in the door to his room and screamed 'WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO YOU LITTLE SHIT!?'

Tyler confessed and the next day he was given a choice. Either he would go live with the Remingtons for a year, working for them, or they would call the cops and tell them what had happened. Tyler begged and pleaded, but it was no use, so he chose the Remingtons. But now, he was honestly wondering if he had made the right choice.

"OK, OK, I wrecked it, and I'm sorry." Tyler could hear his dad taking a few deep breaths on the other end, calming down.

"You know what son? If you can tell me why we sent you there and give me an honest apology right now, you can come home."

"Really?" Tyler was skeptical. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just do it and we'll buy you the ticket to come home."

"OK." Tyler cleared his throat and tried to sound as sincere as possible. "You sent me here because I wrecked your car, and I'm really sorry about it. It was a stupid mistake, and I won't do it again." "Nailed it!" Tyler thought triumphantly. "I'm going home!"

Instead he heard his dad... laughing? Not a laugh out loud-laugh, instead it sounded kinda tired.

"Son, enjoy your stay in Legend. It's a good town, you'll like it."

"Are you kidding me!? I said what you wanted to hear!"

"No son, you didn't. You still don't get it. Don't call us until you do."

"I'm eighteen!" Tyler was desperate now. "I can go wherever I want! You can't force me to stay here!"

"You're right son. You can go wherever you want. But not here. You are not coming home until you spend a year with the Remingtons."

Tyler was shaking with rage. This was bullshit!

"Take care, son. Say hi from me!" His voice was cheerful again.

"Dad, wait!"

James hung up on him. Tyler stared at the phone for a few seconds, angry as hell. He showed it back into his pocket and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He needed a few more of those before he actually managed it, and when he did he plastered on a fake grin on his face and turned around, heading back to Zoe, quickly wondering how much of that conversation he heard.

"My dad says hi!" he said with a fake cheerful tone. "So, are we gonna load this or what?"

Tyler had decided, Plan B was happening tonight. He just had to tough it out until then.

 

[SwanLake]

"Of course I've seen horses before, I just... didn't think they ate that much...."

Zoe didn't know what to say. Well that wasn't 100% true, she know what she wanted to say but Tyler looked so uncomfortable that she felt saying it wouldn't be necessary. That look on his face changed of course when she mentioned the weight of the bags. It was as priceless as she had expected it to be ad fought to keep from laughing.

"Um, excuse me for a second, I just remembered that I was supposed to call my dad when I got here. I just gotta make a quick call to him."

"Of course." Zoe smiled, watching as Tyler walked into the parking lot a few yards away.

"I don't know how such a sweet looking thing like you can be so loud." Greg clicked his tongue and shook his head, a crooked smile on his face. Once upon a time Zoe had been in love with Greg and had begged him to take her to the second grade dance. He refused as sweetly as he could, being just ten years younger then her Dad it would have been a bit odd, but he did give Zoe her first rose as an apology. She had been heartbroken for almost a week, Greg the man who gived her the food for her Cupcake (her pony) didn't like her. But the heartache didn't last a second past Matt Johnson giving her a bunch of carrots for Cupcake and asking if she wanted to play old west with him.

Zoe shook her head and mimicked that smile of his. "Well you know us Remingtons." She chuffed using the worse Greg voice she could come up with.

"Who's that?" The phone call was getting a bit loud and it had caught the attention of Greg. He propped a hit against the pallet cart and looked the stranger over with a harsh frown on his face.

"Tyler, the boy who'll be staying with us."

Greg's head flipped so fast Zoe was sure he was going to give himself whiplash. "Are you serious?" He whispered, the anger in his voice giving it a strange sound.

Zoe wasn't sure if she had ever hear Greg angry and just nodded in answer unsure of what he was so upset by the news.

"I don't like it." Greg said slowly shaking his head with disapproval. "I don't like him. He looks like trouble."

To that there wasn't anything Zoe could say because what she knew was that he was here because he was trouble. Just her first take of him had be disgust not anger or distrust. "Yeah, well. Everyone's a bit of trouble." She wasn't defending Tyler, she didn't know him well enough to have a true say about the person that he was but she didn't like seeing Greg so stirred up about the boy.

Greg let a long set breath out and with it his anger was gone. "Just watch out for him, I got a bad feeling with this one."

"That's what you said about Mr Cooper's turkey." Zoe teased breaking the mood even further.

"And didn't he try to attack just about anything he through he could?"

Well that was almost true except. "As I recall it was only you the turkey didn't like."

"Even worse." Greg smiled. "Handsome don't come like this anymore."

Zoe rolled her eyes and pushed Greg hard enough that it threw him off balance. "Old don't mean handsome." She reminded him, regardless of the known fact that Greg Lucas was still a good looking man. Tall, muscle bound, the first touches of gray at his temples, full thick hair and that smile. Zoe no longer liked him as she had in second grade but she knew handsome and Greg was it.

Tyler came back with an overly cheerful smile on his face and Zoe and Greg traded a quick look. They hadn't been listening, it would have been rude, but they had heard the tone of the loud one sided conversation and neither of them thought it was something to return a smile for.

"My dad says hi! So, are we gonna load this or what?"

Greg's frown was starting to return and Zoe shot him a looking cautioning him. It wouldn't do to make a bad impressing on the first meeting. "Tyler this is Greg, he's the guy you go to for feed. Greg this is Tyler, the son of Pa's best friend."

Greg grunted and picked up a bag of feed as if it weighed nothing and near enough shoved it into Tyler's arms. "It loads from the back of the bed to the front. Nice and neat like."

Zoe didn't know what Greg's problem was, maybe he knew more about Tyler and his situation then she did and had reason to not like him. After all he and Pa did go hunting and fishing together all the time and men were known to gossip like hens during the quite moments.

"Thank you Greg." Zoe might have said a little heavily as she picked up two bags from the pallet cart, holding them to her body as she would a baby calf. With the height of the truck and the height of the loading dock the truck bed was just about flush with the concrete surface. IT was drop a bit as it was loaded down but it was a simple transfer from dock to bed.

Greg of course was showing off throwing two backs over his one should and tucking another under the arm of his other side.

 

[Trucken]

Tyler climbed up on the loading bay, struggling to do so. He stood up in front of Zoe and some guy, still with the fake smile on his face even though he was a little winded from the climbing. "Man, that dude is huge." Tyler thought as he looked the man over. "What's his problem?" The man frowned when he looked at Tyler, but he kept smiling at him, knowing this would probably be the only time he met him. If he could just leave without getting his ass kicked it didn't matter if he didn't like him.

"Tyler this is Greg, he's the guy you go to for feed. Greg this is Tyler, the son of Pa's best friend." Tyler made a little wave with his hand.

"Nice to meet you." he said with fake cheer in his voice. Greg only replied with a grunt and effortlessly handed Tyler a bag. "Oof!" Tyler exclaimed as the weight of the bag made him damn near drop it and he quickly adjusted his grip, hugging the bag to his chest.

"It loads from the back of the bed to the front. Nice and neat like."

"O... K." Tylers voice was strained and the smile was gone, his entire face clearly showing he was struggling with the weight of the bag. He carried it to the bed of the truck, nearly dropping it but got it in place just like Greg had said.

The loading of the truck didn't take long, especially since Zoe carried two bags at a time and Greg three. Tyler only managed one at a time, but it was more than enough to make him completely winded and sweat profusely. He did actually try to take two bags at once, not wanting to be outdone by a girl, but he couldn't do it.

When they were done Tyler grimaced and held his hands on his sore back, sweat running down his round face.

"Oh shit. Oh Jesus fuck." he cursed between breaths. "Sorry, I have asthma, that's why I could only take one at a time." He turned to Zoe. "How often do you get this stuff?" He gestured towards the bags.

Tyler could feel muscle soreness starting to set in in his back and legs. "Shit, hope I don't get a cramp. Man I need a soda. I'll grab one when we get to her house."

When Zoe and Greg said their goodbyes she and Tyler climbed back into the truck. "So," he asked as she started the truck, "do you live nearby? Or is it just outside town?"

 

[SwanLake]

Zoe couldn't frown at Greg any harder then she already was, there just had to be something and it was going to be him or her Pa that would talk.

Watching Tyler struggle with the single bag was painful. He might have been a bigger lad but that didn't convey into hidden strength. It wasn't like the corn fed town boys that looked like they could flip a hog just by rolling over it while in truth they could take that hog and throw it over their shoulder with ease. Greg snickered behind a bag of feed but Zoe still caught it and kicked him lightly in the foot hoping that Tyler was stared Greg's glee at his despair.

By the time that the bags were loaded, which wasn't all that much faster with Tyler, Tyler looked like he was about the kill over.

"Oh shit. Oh Jesus fuck."

Greg's anger came back and he snapped at the language used. "Mind your mouth, boy." The taller man growled. "We don't take the Lord's name in vain around these part and I'd advise you to keep that in mind." The glare from Greg was hot enough to fry an egg and for once Zoe didn't disagree. If Pa or Mama had heard her say those exact words, wooh-boy she didn't even want to imagine it.

"Sorry, I have asthma, that's why I could only take one at a time. How often do you get this stuff?"

"No you don't." Zoe caught herself saying before she could stop herself. Willa had sever asthma as a child, bad enough that she had a machine that helped her breath when it got really bad so Zoe knew what asthma symptoms looked like and from where Zoe was standing it didn't look to be asthma's fault. Maybe it was just the blatant lie that had caught Zoe off guard or the cursing that had her speaking her mind but now that she had said something she didn't know how to follow it. Ignoring it seemed the best case for everyone and she moved on from Tyler's statement to his question. "A good while but it all really depends on the day Gram has had. The harder Gram works the more we'll feed him. The less he works the less feed he needs to eat. They get the same amount of hay no matter what."

Greg was back to looking like an angry tree but Zoe gave him a hug by outta habit. "Pa has extra catfish if you want some." She brought up before hopping into the truck.

"The Casey's could really use the food." Greg said instead knowing that since Bob Casey passed away the family was having a hard time. "I can pick some up on my way home."

Zoe nodded, she felt for the Casey's and the four kid. Bob worked for the railroad and had given his life to save a family stuck on the crossroads. "See you then."

The first moments after the truck started and Zoe headed for the house were silent. Zoe was a little upset over how Greg acted towards Tyler but not only that she was upset at Tyler for lying to her. It was a big thing but there had been a lot of little moments where she had questioned what he had said, felt the lie in his words and it was eating at her.

"So, do you live nearby? Or is it just outside town?"

"The farm is outside of city limits." She answered blandly. In a normal situation she would have given exact detail but she just didn't feel like it. She was spurred at Tyler and had to give herself a moment to get over it. When that moment was done and over with she turned to look at him as the concrete road gradually turned into country chad gravel. "Why are you here." Zoe asked bluntly wondering if he would tell her the truth. Either way she was going to get the story and she knew the only person who would lie to her was Tyler. In a way it was kind of a mean trick, seeing if there was truth to the boy or not. Almighty above if he lied about this.

 

[Trucken]

"Mind your mouth, boy." Tyler had been surprised when Greg suddenly spoke, his voice clearly showing that he was angry. His face certainly brought home the point too. "We don't take the Lord's name in vain around these part and I'd advise you to keep that in mind." Tyler just stared at Greg, still surprised by his anger. Even though he would never admit it he was actually a bit frightened by Greg, the guy was huge and could easily beat the crap out of Tyler if he felt like it. And right now, he certainly looked like he wanted to.

Even so, Tyler didn't want to apologize. If he did that he would admit that he was scared of Greg and he was too proud (or stupid) to do that. So he changed the subject and told them about his asthma.

"No you don't." Zoe said, catching Tyler completely off-guard. "What? Did she say I don't have asthma? How the fuck would she know, of course I have! I'm constantly winded, it's fuckin' asthma." Tyler was offended by her comment, but he didn't want to start an argument with her, especially with Greg right next to them. Instead, he changed the subject yet again and asked Zoe about the sweet feed.

"A good while but it all really depends on the day Gram has had. The harder Gram works the more we'll feed him. The less he works the less feed he needs to eat. They get the same amount of hay no matter what." Tyler didn't really know what to say, so he just nodded. He kept glancing at Greg who still looked mad and Tyler didn't want to say anything that might anger him further.

Tyler felt like the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders when they left Bass an' Smith. "Good thing I'll never have to see him again." he thought as he looked at Greg out the window as the truck was driving away. He considered flipping him off but decided not to. "That big fuck might actually chase us down and beat the shit out of me." Instead he tried to make small talk with Zoe. He had noticed that she seemed pretty cold towards him, and even though he still was upset at her for saying that he didn't have asthma the silence was uncomfortable and he asked her where she lived. It seemed like a harmless enough question.

"The farm is outside of city limits." "Well, so much for that." She obviously didn't want to talk to him. Fine. Had it not been for the silence and the uneasy feeling between them he wouldn't have said anything anyway. Tyler looked out the window instead, the buildings disappearing and being replaced by green fields and trees.

"Why are you here." "Huh?" Tyler turned to her. "That came out of nowhere." He pondered her question for a moment, scratching his cheek. He could lie to her, but what was the point? She would probably get the truth from her folks anyway. In fact, Tyler was surprised that she didn't know. At the same time he didn't know if he wanted to tell her. Not because he was ashamed, he still felt like his parents had overreacted, he just didn't feel like it.

"Ah, who gives a shit, I'll be gone in a few hours." That was true, he might as well tell her.

"I... got into an accident." He weighed his words carefully. "I borrowed my dads car and... well, I lost control and crashed the damned thing." He made a pause, thinking. "At least, that's what I think got me sent here. It sounded like there was another reason, but I don't know what." Tyler thought it might be because of all the pot he was smoking, but he wasn't sure that they knew about it. They did, and had been dropping hints that they did and that he should quit smoking it, but he never noticed.

"So, who are the Casey's? Why do they need food, are they like... poor, or something?" Tyler was curious, he had heard Zoe and Greg talk about them.