Authors: Kate Sweeney
Epilogue
Kit grinned happily as she sat in the tractor, waiting for instructions from Roz, who climbed up and stood next to her. Kit was itching to cut the nearly six-foot-tall grassy area. She could only imagine the pollen count.
“Are you listening?” Roz asked.
“What? Oh, I was just thinking of the allergens in that grass. Can you imagine the pollen?”
Roz rubbed her forehead. “Honey, this is… I’m sure the pollen is bad. Now…”
“Good thing we’re not allergic. How long has this grass been growing back here?”
“I don’t know. Okay, so this gear is to go forward.”
“Okay,” Kit said, paying attention. “What’s this for?”
“That’s not important. You won’t need to worry about that. If you shift into that, you’ll go too fast. So, please, please don’t. There’s no rush here. We’ll go slow and steady.”
“But you go fast, don’t you?”
“Please remember the last time you were on the mower. This is much, much more difficult. And harder to control. Now, please, honey.”
“Okay. Show me. I’ll be good.”
“This puts it in gear. And this goes forward. So go slow and steer straight ahead, then when you come close to the end, just turn right and go, it’ll be like the mower, only bigger. Now see the fence?”
Kit squinted and nodded.
“That’s where our property ends.”
“
Aww
.”
“What?”
“You said our property,” Kit said happily.
Roz laughed and rubbed her forehead. “Yes, it is our property. But beyond the fence is Dave’s property.”
“Oh. I haven’t met him yet.”
“I know, you will. Now…”
“We should invite him over for dinner. Don’t you think?”
“Sure. We can whenever you want. Now just remember, this is like the mower, only much harder to control.”
“And faster,” Kit said with a gleam in her eye. She laughed at Roz’s expression. “I’m just kidding.”
After several long arduous minutes of instruction, Kit was chomping at the bit to get going.
“Okay. I got it. Shift this…” She looked at Roz, who nodded. “Pull this to lower the hog legs.”
“Blades. Whatever. Yes. Okay, start the tractor.”
Kit bit at her lip and giggled. “Here goes.”
The tractor came to life, scaring Kit. She jumped and put a hand to her heart. “It’s so loud…” she yelled.
Roz nodded and handed her a pair of headphones. “It’ll help with the noise. Remember, you don’t want to go fast. And you don’t need to touch this…” She pointed to the gear that moved the dozer shovel in front. “Now slowly…”
Well, that was all she got out. Kit shifted the gear, and the tractor lurched forward, knocking Roz off the side, and Kit was off. The tractor, with the bush hog on the back, took off toward the tall grass.
“I’m sorry,” Kit yelled over her shoulder as she laughed.
Roz groaned and rubbed her knee as she stood. “God, help me, please.” She watched as Kit drove like a drunken sailor on leave. She tried to keep it steady, but all in all, she was doing very well for her first time.
“Okay,” Roz said to herself, “nice and slow. Now turn…” She limped forward. “Turn, baby,” she said louder as she watched. “Oh, fuck me. Turn!” she yelled. Why she did this, she didn’t know; Kit couldn’t hear her.
Just as Roz started to run, Kit turned the tractor and started in the other direction. She was doing well until she wavered and went too far before she made her loop back. She headed right toward a sapling. It was the apple tree Roz planted last fall.
“Oh, man, not my apple tree,” Roz said. “Well, there it goes.”
And there it went. The sapling turned into kindling, and all Roz heard was Kit screaming she was sorry. And now she was heading back, right at Roz, who saw the look of terror in Kit’s eyes.
“Brake!” Roz said. “Brake!”
Kit seemed to know what she had said because she nodded and reached for a gear. With that, the dozer shovel rose.
“Oh, my God.” Roz groaned. “Not that one!”
Kit shifted again, the bush hog rose off the ground. She was still heading right for Roz.
“I don’t know what to do. I forgot how to stop it!” Kit yelled frantically, grabbing the gearshift.
Roz watched her life pass before her as the tractor seemed to come alive. The dozer shovel lifted higher, then came down. The bush hog blades lowered, mowing a swath of tall grass. Then the headlights came on, then off. Roz figured Kit pushed and pulled every control.
She ran, well limped, out of the way, and ran alongside the tractor until she was able to jump on the side. She reached over and shifted the gears. The tractor stopped, and she cut the engine.
Kit was wild-eyed as she stripped off the headphones. “What happened?”
Roz was speechless.
“What?” Kit asked again. “I did what you said.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Then why did the lights come on? Why did the shovel have a mind of its own? And you cut down my apple tree!”
“I couldn’t see your stupid apple tree. And who only plants one tree? It’s called an orchard for a reason. That huge shovel was in the way, and I couldn’t see.” Kit climbed off the tractor. “Do not yell at me. I did what you said. And I was trying to avoid the damned fence of our neighbor that I’ve never met!”
“What the hell difference does it make if you’ve met Dave or not?”
“Hey, Roz.”
They both whirled around to see a man, nearly their age, walking up to them. He took off his cap and scratched his head. “Everything all right? I heard the tractor and the yelling… Oh, hi.”
“Hi,” Kit said angrily. “I’m sorry. Hello.”
“Dave, this is my wife, Kit.”
“Ah, we finally meet. Howdy do,” he said, offering his hand.
Kit took it and smiled. “Same here.”
Dave looked from Roz to Kit. “Well, like I said, I heard the tractor and the yelling.” He laughed nervously. “And by the look of the field, I can see.” He looked at Kit. “Don’t worry. It took me all season to learn how to use that contraption. You did just fine.”
“Thank you,” Kit said, glaring at Roz. “Would you like to come in for some iced tea or something?”
“Oh, no, thank you. I’ve got chickens and goats and other critters to take care of. I’ll take a rain check, though. Nice to meet you, Kit. See
ya
, Roz.”
“See
ya
, Dave.”
They stood in silence until Dave disappeared down the path. Then Kit whirled around. “I did what you said. Even Dave said it took him a while.”
Roz held up her hands and laughed. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I was so intent on telling you what not to do. Want to try again?”
“Hell no. That thing is too loud. And my breasts took a beating. Good Lord, they bounced all over the place. I nearly knocked myself out.”
Roz laughed and put her arm around Kit. “I love you,” she said simply.
Kit grudgingly laughed, as well. “I love you, too. Sorry about the apple tree. And the crooked mow job. But at least I didn’t hit Dave’s fence. That was the main objective.”
“True.” Roz saw her disappointed look. “What’s the matter? It’s no big deal, honey.”
“Oh, I know. I just want to find something to do that’s useful.”
“Hey.” Roz turned to her and put her hands on her shoulders. “In the past two months, you’ve done wonders with the marketing and the bookkeeping. And you’re saving us money with the suppliers. We now have better food for less money. And because of you, we have advertisements all over. You have a knack for that. And it’s invaluable to me. You’re invaluable to me.”
Kit grunted, playing with the buttons on her jacket. “Keep talking,” she said quietly.
Roz laughed and pulled her close. “I’m lost without you, Kathleen Weston.”
Kit looked up. “You are?” she asked with a cocky smile.
“I am.”
“I’m lost without you, Roz. What did Robert Browning say?” She reached up and cupped Roz’s face in her hands. “Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be.”
“Through hot flashes…” Roz gently kissed her cheek.
“And arthritic joints…” Kit kissed her swollen knuckle.
“But I might disagree with Mr. Browning. Don’t grow old—grow young along with me.”
“Deal. I love you again, Rosalind Maguire. And the best is yet to be.”
Roz took her by the hand and walked back to the lodge. “As long as you stay off the tractor.”
About the author
Kate Sweeney, a 2010 Alice B. Medal winner, was the 2007 recipient of the Golden Crown Literary Society award for Debut Author for
She Waits
,
the first in the
Kate Ryan Mystery
series. The series also includes
A Nice Clean Murder,
The Trouble with Murder,
a
2008 Golden Crown Award winner for Mystery
,
Who’ll Be Dead for Christmas?
a 2009 Golden Crown Award winner for Mystery,
Of Course It’s Murder, What Happened in
Malinmore
,
A Near Myth Murder,
and
It’s Not Always Murder
.
Other novels include
Away from the Dawn
,
Survive the Dawn
,
Before the Dawn,
Residual Moon,
a
2008 Golden Crown Award winner for Speculative Fiction
, Liar’s Moon,
The O’Malley Legacy, Winds of Heaven, Sea of Grass, Paradise, Love at Last, Someday I’ll Find You, Moon Through the Magnolia, Stone Walls, Second Time Around
,
Love in E Flat,
and
One Night in Paris
.
Born in Chicago, Kate moved to Louisiana, and this Yankee doubts she’ll ever get used to saying y’all. Humor is deeply embedded in Kate’s DNA. She sincerely hopes you will see this when you read her novels, short stories, and other works. Email Kate at [email protected].