33. Chapter 25
Chapter 25
E lijah went down the aisle in the pig barn, putting feed mix in the troughs. The pigs were waiting, ornery and vocal, giving him what for because he was ten minutes late. They attacked their breakfast the second it hit the trays. They knew feeding times to the second, and God help anyone who didn't follow the routine. Benny, however, took a few seconds out of chomping to look up at Elijah and give him a grateful flurry of oinks. The pig patriarch was saying thanks for all of them.
Elijah was working overtime to make sure his work—and Jon's—got done as it should. He'd been keeping his head down for four days, ever since Jon fell off the ladder. And he intended to go on so, at least till Samuel or Eddie told him to hit the road.
They hadn't talked about what'd happened that day. Eddie and Samuel had spent time at the hospital, and Elijah had done double chores, so there hadn't been a lot of time for talking—other than the two of them asking, worriedly, about his health every time they caught sight of him.
Elijah was fine. He'd been super tired for a few days, is all. He'd overdone it, but he didn't regret it. And Eddie had said, I don't know how you did that, but thank you for helping Jon. That was something.
Samuel though… Samuel hadn't said a word about what had happened, and his smiles were as thin as April pond ice. The power scared him, and Elijah couldn't blame him. That's not what he'd agreed to when they'd taken in a youth from the street. So Elijah kept as low a profile as he could, worked hard, and prayed the hammer wouldn't fall.
The thought of leaving Pig Bottom Farm, of being back out on the streets, gave him fits of cold fear whenever it entered his mind. Which was often. And he'd known when he pulled the pain that he'd have to leave. But now he couldn't help but pray they'd let it pass, just this once. His gut was in a constant bundle of knots.
He finished the feeding and went out to open the pasture gate. The animals would be going out soon for a few hours in the winter sun. He heard the sound of an engine and saw Eddie's pickup truck trundling up the driveway. Elijah paused to watch it. There were at least three people in the cab. When the truck stopped in front of the outbuilding with Jon's apartment, Elijah knew Jon was home.
Eddie hopped out and went around to the passenger side. Elijah's fists clenched as he watched Eddie help Jon from the truck. He had a cast on his foot that went halfway up his calf, and he had crutches. Even from a distance, Elijah could see Jon's mouth was set in that determined line Elijah knew so well. He was in pain. Or he hated being helped. Or both.
Eddie hovered as Jon made his slow way to his door. It wasn't until he was inside and out of sight that Elijah noticed a woman had also gotten out of the truck. She was standing near it in a red coat and a hat with a white feather in it. And she was staring at Elijah.
She raised a hand to him in greeting, a smile on her face. Elijah turned away and went back to work, his heart skipping a beat. She looked like Jon. She had to be a relative. His mother?
An hour or so later, Eddie entered the barn. "Elijah? Come up to the house. We're having a family meeting." He left without explaining further.
Dread settled over Elijah like a shroud. A family meeting? What did that mean? He wasn't family. The only family was Eddie and Samuel. They'd decided his fate, most likely. They were going to tell him he had to go. Had they waited to drop the hammer until Jon was home? Maybe they'd waited to hear his opinion, and now it had been settled. Or maybe Jon's mother insisted they get rid of the idiot who couldn't hold a ladder still and had done magic on her boy.
With heavy steps, Elijah walked to the house. He would tell them he hadn't had a choice, that Jon might have died waiting for that ambulance. He had the arguments lined up in his head like cows waiting to enter the milking parlor.
When he entered the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see the woman seated at the kitchen table with Samuel and Eddie.
"Grab some coffee and have a seat," Eddie said, pushing out the empty chair with his foot.
Elijah poured a cup of coffee, no longer sure what was going on, especially when he approached the table and got a good look at the woman. She was definitely related to Jon. She had the same light-brown skin, the same narrow nose with a little tilt at the end. She was thin and wore a dark red silky shirt thing over black pants. Her eyes were friendly, as if she knew him, and her smile seemed sincere.
Elijah couldn't stop himself from looking at her with that other eye, only for a few seconds. Warm golds and rich ochers swirled around her. She wasn't angry.
He sat down, nearly missing the chair in his confusion. The coffee sloshed in the cup but thankfully didn't spill.
"Okay, so we need to figure out the schedule from now until the end of the year," Eddie said. "Jon's completely sidelined until then at least, and we've got a lot of events coming up."
Elijah looked up hopefully. The invisible burden weighing down his shoulders eased.
"Like I said," began the woman, "I'm here to help. I can fill in for Jon. Best as I'm able, anyway."
Samuel and Eddie looked at each other. "There's a lot of physical work," Samuel said.
"I've been fillin' in for Jon," Elijah said quickly. "I don't mind."
"We appreciate that, Elijah," said Eddie. "But you can't continue to do it all, especially not with the events coming up. We don't want you killing yourself."
Elijah felt so grateful; he had to swallow down a lump in his throat. They weren't firing him!
"I'm stronger than I look," the woman said. She smiled at Elijah. "I'm Jolie, by the way. You can call me Aunt Jolie. Everyone does."
"Sorry," Eddie said, grimacing. "Jolie, this is Elijah. Elijah, this is Jon's Aunt Jolie. She came from Louisiana to help out. Which is really nice of her. But Samuel's right. A lot of the barn work is not really fit for…" he hesitated.
"An old lady?" Jolie said dryly.
"I could do the muckin' and the heavy stuff," Elijah put in quickly. "There's feedin' and cleanin' up the chicken yard and other stuff that's not so hard."
"Oh, I know all about chickens!" Jolie chuckled.
"The garden's under snow," Samuel said. "So I can pick up most of Jon's work. After all, that was my job before he came."
Eddie frowned and lowered his voice. "You know I don't like you doing a lot of heavy lifting."
"My foot is fine," Samuel said stubbornly. "And it's only until Jon gets better."
"What is it you normally do around here, Samuel?" Jolie asked. "Anything I can handle?"
"Cooking," said Eddie.
"And bakin'," added Elijah, because he did love Samuel's bread.
"And taking care of the house. Events," Samuel added. "We have a youth hotline, but no one hardly ever calls it. But you don't have to do any of that."
"Well, you sound like a man with too much on his plate," said Jolie. "As it happens, cooking—and baking—" She winked at Elijah. "—just happen to be my specialty. And you all might enjoy having some Cajun food for a change."
Eddie looked doubtful. "We're vegan though, so—"
"Child, I have no issues with that! My daughter is vegan, and I've adapted all her favorite recipes. You can eat red beans and rice, can't you? And I've got a killer meat-free gumbo and an étouffée made with white beans instead of shrimp that you'd swear was the real thing. Don't worry. I got you."
Eddie smiled and shrugged. "Okay. I wouldn't mind trying some new dishes."
Samuel gave him a dirty look that Eddie didn't seem to register.
"And Jon will need tendin'," said Jolie smoothly. "I was thinkin' Elijah could take him over his meals. Maybe sit a spell since Jon'll need some company. Is that all right by you, Elijah?"
"Um…." Elijah said.
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Eddie.
"If that's okay with Jon," Elijah said. He felt so relieved to be staying on the farm at all, after using braucherei, that he'd agree to anything. Though seeing Jon would never be a hardship.
Samuel nodded. "That could work. So between me and Elijah, we can handle the farm chores, and helpin' out with Jon. I can prep for events too, if I don't need to cook or worry about the house. That is, if you're sure you want to stay, Jolie. You're not obliged to."
Aunt Jolie picked up her cup with a satisfied smile. "Oh, I'm stayin'." She looked at Elijah, and he wasn't sure what to make of her expression. He thought about the colors he'd seen around her. Strong colors, but not bad colors.
Then he remembered what Jon had said about Aunt Jolie approving of the remedy he'd made for Joy, about how she did that kind of work herself. Suddenly another layer of her, and of this whole situation, opened in front of him.
He wasn't sure he liked it. He wasn't sure at all.