Walk A Different Path 🤍 Jaa/First

Chapter 12 ~ all good things ~

"oh really ... and what thing would that be?" Sam couldn't help teasing him.

"do I need to show you again?" Maskwa growled.

"as much as I would love to say yes, the horses and chickens are waiting for their breakfast and my body needs a break" Sam replied. 

"then follow me my ninâpêm, let me take care of you first" Maskwa said.

Thirty minutes later, both Sam and Maskwa were sat in the kitchen eating breakfast and after breakfast they washed the dishes before pulling on their boots and wrapping up warmly to go and look after the animals.

Maskwa tended to the chickens first and gave them a mix of corn, pellets and oats with a chopped apple then he replaced the galvanised waterer with a full fresh one, after that they both went across to the barn where their horses were complaining about their late breakfast.

"I'm sorry guys" Maskwa said to the horses as he walked inside and scooped up their feed into buckets before pouring it into their feeding trough then he gave them fresh water before making sure their hay bell was full.

"that's cool but I thought everyone used those hay feeder bags" Sam said watching Maskwa fill the bell.

"many do but my family chose not to use them because they can waste a lot of hay and if it falls onto the ground and the horses eat it they might ingest dirt and parasites" Maskwa replied.

"wow, I would have never thought of that" Sam smiled looking at Cara as he glided his fingers across her smooth coat.

"you're so pretty aren't you my sweet Caramel Latte" Sam crooned and Maskwa smiled as he watched them bonding.

They both spent a lot of time in the barn that day, Maskwa couldn't drag Sam away from his new best friend but he didn't mind, seeing Sam happy made him feel good.

"when will we be able to go riding?" Sam asked him a few hours later when they were having lunch.

"I called our local saddler, he's going to drop by tomorrow to fit her with the right size saddle and then we can go riding whenever you like baby" Maskwa smiled.

The following afternoon they did indeed go riding and Sam found Cara to be a sweet tempered young lady, just as expected.

The days passed quickly after that and both men knew that Sam's departure was imminent, Maskwa had received a call from his father saying that they would be coming back up the mountain on Saturday but both Sam and Maskwa were ignoring the elephant in the room.

They spent their last few days and nights taking care of the house, the chickens and horses and making love and at the weekend when Maskwa's parents had called from the halfway farm, Sam had called his agent to arrange his own travel plans. 

It looked as if he couldn't get away fast enough but the truth was that he had imposed on their hospitality for long enough and he had to get back to Thailand and do some serious soul searching.

He knew that he loved Maskwa but he needed to think about how they could make this relationship work and in order to do that he needed to withdraw himself from the current living arrangements and then he could decide how to proceed.

The flight was booked for Tuesday evening giving him plenty of time to travel down the mountain and he would be flying back to Thailand through the night so he could sleep then.

He began to prepare a hearty caribou stew for Maskwa's parents return browning the small chunks of meat before adding them to a casserole dish, then he added chunky carrots, onions, potatoes and celery and a jug full of stock before placing the covered dish in the oven. 

The house was clean and the laundry was done and Maskwa had everything under control outside. He had been chopping wood for most of the morning having foolishly let stocks dwindle over the last few days, their time together taking precedence.

When the mouth watering aroma of the stew slow cooking permeated the air and the wood had been chopped and stacked, Maskwa came inside to shower then they both waited. They sat beside each other on the sofa while a movie played on the tv but neither one was really watching it.

They held hands while Maskwa's thumb absently brushed across Sam's fingers as both young men were lost in their own thoughts and that's how Maskwa's parents found them when they walked inside the house an hour later.

"hey guys" Maskwa's father said.

"father, mother, your back" Maskwa said standing up to greet his parents.

"hello again Mr and Mrs Maskawisiw" Sam said.

"Hello dear, what is that wonderful smell?" Maskwa's mother said.

"I made a pot of stew, I hope you like it" Sam replied.

"I'm sure we will dear, let us just get washed up and we'll eat" Maskwa's mother said

Maskwa helped his father carry their bags inside then led their horses through to the barn where he tended to their needs while his parents freshened up then when he went back inside Sam had set the table and made a pot of coffee.

A while later, everyone came together in the kitchen and sat to sample Sam's cooking.

"it's not half as good as your cooking Mrs Maskawisiw but it's edible" Sam laughed.

"nonsense dear, it's very tasty and I thought we had agreed that you should call me mother?" she replied.

"I'm sorry mother, I didn't know if it was still ok?" Sam said.

"why shouldn't it be, you're my future son in law aren't you?" she said making Sam blush.

"so how is nôhkom, grandmother?" Maskwa asked.

"she's a lot better now son, she asked after you and we told her you have someone now" his mother said smiling whilst looking at Sam.

Maskwa reached across the table and held Sam's hand.

"how have you boys been anyway?" Maskwa's father asked them.

"we've been fine, we took care of the chickens and horses and we've been riding most afternoons, we have a new lodger in the barn, do you want to tell them Sam?" Maskwa asked him.

"I ... er ... well Maskwa surprised me with a horse" Sam said.

"you have a horse? will you show us after dinner?" Maskwa's mother said.

"yes of course mother" Sam replied.

"it's so good to be home" Maskwa's father said.

"did you do anything exciting while you were down the mountain mother?" Maskwa asked her.

"not really, your father asked me if I wanted to go to a restaurant or the cinema ... I didn't want to leave your grandmother alone so we didn't bother not to mention, your father can always take me up to the ski lodge for a fancy meal" she replied.

The four chatted amicably through the rest of their dinner then Sam and Maskwa washed the dishes before asking Maskwa's parents if they wanted to go out to the barn.

"definitely" Maskwa's father said and once inside the barn they all stood watching as Sam went up to his sweet Cara and introduced her to everyone.

"oh my, she is adorable Sam" Maskwa's mother said.

"you have a good eye son, well done" his father patted him on the back.

"I wanted a gentle horse for Sam considering he's not as experienced a rider as we are and I wanted her to be cute too, just like him" Maskwa replied.

"Maskwa ..." Sam said wishing the ground would open up and swallow him.

"what? I'm just telling it like it is" Maskwa smiled.

Maskwa's parents looked at them both before looking at each other and smiling not knowing yet that Sam was leaving in just a few days time and that both Maskwa and Sam had some difficult times ahead. 

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