2. Samuel #2
“Sure,” Benji muttered, his lips curling slightly as if he were stifling a laugh, before he turned around without another word and headed for the locker room.
“So,” Mr. Farley said, nodding at Gordy. “How did our new guy do today?”
“Overall, I’d say good. But if you want to keep him out in the fields, we need to teach him how to climb a ladder with a bag on his shoulders.”
“Is that so?” Mr. Farley scrutinized me. His eyes were curious, but although they seemed kind, my legs still shook a little. “How was it for you?”
“Better than I had expected,” I said, nodding far too enthusiastically, considering my feet were on the verge of giving out and my back ached like I had aged forty years in eight hours. “It was hard, but I enjoyed it. Gordy and Benji also really helped me get into it quickly.”
“Splendid.” For a moment, Mr. Farley fell silent, studying me as if he were trying to read my mind. “The thing is, Mr. Cauley, I might need you out on the field longer than I had initially planned.”
“Okay,” I said, trying not to show that this was what I had feared ever since I overheard Gordy’s and Benji’s conversation earlier. “How long are we talking?”
“Probably five to six weeks. Two of my guys will be back tomorrow, and the third will likely return by the end of the week. Unfortunately, Brandon will be out for the rest of the orange season, and we need every hand on the field. I don’t want to force this on you.
I’ll find another solution if you don’t think you’re up for it.
However, I must admit that this would be the most convenient arrangement.
So I’m going to ask you now: would it be okay with you to keep working in the field? ”
If someone had asked me this question yesterday, I would’ve said no—or at least thought hard about denying it.
I had still held onto the hope that I would get into college, become a teacher, and land a job that would actually make me happy.
But after two years of trying and with no signs of receiving a scholarship or being accepted, I had to take every opportunity to work, even if it meant doing something far outside my comfort zone.
I had made it through one day; I could make it through another.
“Of course. I’m happy to help if I can. And I’m sure I will manage to learn and get better.”
“It’s not just about learning,” Grace cut in. “You have to know, being out there with those heavy bags on a ladder is dangerous. Why do you think Brandon will be out for a couple of weeks? Because he fell from one of those ladders. These bags get heavy.”
“Oh, come on, Grace,” Gordy snapped. “Brandon fell because he was inattentive.”
“She is not wrong, though,” Mr. Farley said. ”There is a chance you might get hurt, even though we will make sure to teach you how not to.”
“I’m not that fragile,” I blurted out. “I can handle it. It might only take me a couple of days to adjust.”
All three members of the Farley family looked at me.
Grace shook her head, while Gordy and Mr. Farley narrowed their eyes in unison.
But after a short moment of consideration, Mr. Farley said, “It is settled then. Gordy will be tasked to safely get you on the ladders, and we’ll reevaluate by the end of the week.
However, if you realize that this is too much for you, you can come to me anytime.
I still need someone for the shop, and I still plan on training you there once the orange season is over.
” With a nod at Gordy, Grace, and finally me, Mr. Farley closed the matter. “Good talk. Good work. Get some rest.”
Somehow, it still felt like all eyes were on me when I climbed back into Dad’s police car, despite the parking lot in front of the store being empty.
“I’ve heard that someone did a great job today,” Dad said before I’d even sat down, grinning from ear to ear.
“It hasn’t been five minutes, and you already called my boss?”
“I pulled all my strings to get you an interview. I need to make sure I don’t lose my credibility.”
“Reasonable.” I pulled the door shut behind me.
“I’m proud of you, Sam. Working out in the field on such short notice and making it through an entire shift on your first day—that’s a huge accomplishment. Half of the people who try give up halfway through.”
“Do they?”
“If I can believe your boss, yes.” His grin grew even wider, before he—without warning—patted my left leg right where the sunburn burned worst. “I know this wasn’t your dream, but you still put everything into it.”
A sizzling pain shot through my body as he slapped my leg once more before retreating his hand. I still managed to force a smile through the lingering tingle.
“You’re also going to love this,” Dad added. “Guess who unfroze some of that wagyu beef we brought from Larkfield last year as a reward for our hard-working man?”
“If you didn’t get a butler, I think it might be Mom,” I replied and kept smiling, even though I never cared for beef.
A salad or loaded potato would’ve made me look forward to it way more, but around here, those steaks were a rare event, reserved for birthdays, holidays, and now, apparently, glowing reviews from Mr. Farley. It was the gesture that counted.
“She also promised me to make some loaded potatoes for you,” Dad added, tipping his head forward so he could look over the edge of his glasses. “Does that sound good?”
“Sounds awesome,” I nodded, my smile turning a little more real.
I reached for the seatbelt, and a sharp sting shot through my shoulder.
I gasped, held my breath until the pain ebbed, but otherwise didn’t let it show.
I couldn’t reveal how exhausting this day had been.
Not yet. Not while we were still on the farm, with Dad beaming so proudly.
I pulled the belt across my chest and buckled up, ignoring the aches that grew sharper by the second.
“Everything okay?” Dad asked.
“Yeah. I’m just a little tired.”
“That’s normal. You’ll get used to it. And if we get you the proper footwear later, you’ll be better prepared tomorrow.” He rested his hand on the shift stick and eased the car out of the parking lot.
The orange trees lining the road blurred past my window.
I couldn’t take my eyes off them as we drove in silence.
Until this morning, they were simply trees.
But now... I didn’t know. They felt heavier, more familiar—important, even.
There was a new connection to them that, somehow, despite everything in my body aching, didn’t feel as bad as I thought it would.
Perhaps because I’d powered through work that I thought I couldn’t do, proving that I was just as much of a man as the others.
Or maybe because I’d met someone who, without realizing it, made me feel like I wasn’t as strange as this town made me believe.
A few minutes later, the last of the orange trees slipped behind us, replaced by gas stations, storefronts, and fast food places as we rolled into the center of Red Creek.
Dad slowed down and stopped at a red light beside the pharmacy.
Four cars were parked out front, and in the middle of the lot stood the very same guy who had made my day a lot more bearable: Benji.
He faced a guy our age in a leather jacket I didn’t recognize, clearly caught up in an argument.
While Benji stood there, his head tilted toward his shoulder like the whole thing had nothing to do with him, the other guy’s face reddened with rage.
He puffed out his chest and took three steps toward Benji, fists clenched.
Benji didn’t flinch. He only shrugged, and for some reason, that made the other guy snap.
He swung.
Benji ducked.
The guy stumbled forward, barely catching himself before he hit the ground. But Benji didn’t use the opening to fight back. Instead, he calmly watched him and retreated a few steps.
“Those disgusting pieces of shit really ruin our town,” Dad muttered, his eyes locked on them.
He glanced at me, then shook his head. “But I’m not letting that ruin our evening.
Someone else can deal with it.” He reached for the intercom in the center console, but before he could press it, the general store’s front door slammed open.
A man in his fifties stormed out, shouting.
He stopped beside leather-jacket-guy and turned his yelling toward Benji.
Benji didn’t get in on it, though. He just shook his head and walked away.
I blinked.
Why were they so angry at him? From where I sat, he hadn’t done anything wrong. He hadn’t said anything. He hadn’t even swung first. He only stood his ground and didn’t let himself get hit.
Dad dropped the speaker back into its holder and, as the traffic light turned green, accelerated.
“Not calling it in?” I asked, curious about his reaction.
“No need to,” he sighed. “I wish that guy would stop causing so much trouble.”
“The one in the leather jacket?”
“No, the other one.” Dad peeked at me. “You know what? Let’s forget about it. I’m off duty, and nothing happened.”
I leaned back in my seat and watched the storefront disappear in the rearview mirror.
Dad and I had watched the same thing happening, but we didn’t see the same thing.
I didn’t know Benji. Maybe he had provoked something, or maybe not.
All I knew was that today, he’d helped me.
He’d looked out for me, made sure I got safely through the day.
He’d stood up for me, even when he didn’t know I was listening.
He’d worked hard. He’d ducked instead of punching back, and still, somehow, he was the problem?
I wasn’t going to buy every rumor this town tried to sell me, not even from my own parents.