Red Clay

2

It has been three days since my father devastatingly interfered in my life and if I'm not outside running around with the animals I'm locked inside my room. Domonique and I do not interact with each other on a daily basis so I don't know what I'm supposed to be achieving by this but I do it anyway. This was his wish, to keep me out of his way unless he decided to emotionally abuse me. I have a plan to escape this fucking hell but I'm only a fourth of the way in and five months isn't enough time to get much further. I'm fucked. Completely and utterly fucked.

"KoKo, Poppy, come on girls." The goats come speeding towards me, jumping and kicking the entire time and despite my glum mood I can't help but laugh.

"I need your help with the garden." We pass Aja, who's too busy eating to spare us a glance and move about a half-acre out to the small spot I want them to clear for the cucumbers. It would make zero sense to pull up the weeds and throw them away when I have the girls who absolutely love eating them.

They aren't allowed in the actual garden though they'd just eat everything so after I let them into the empty space I close the gate and head over to the garden. I waste no time getting on my knees and pulling up the few weeds that have started growing around the tomatoes. I hate tomatoes but they're one of the easiest things to grow. But my dad loves them and thought makes me pull the entire plant from the ground. I pick up every single tomato, even the ones that are still green, and press my fingers into them until they pop and all of their disgustingness oozes out. I'll feed their remains to Donnie Darko, my potbelly pig. Throwing them into a plastic bucket I finished crawling through the garden, pulling up weeds, and making sure everything was watered properly before I turned the watering system off an hour ago.

"Roux, come up to my office." my dad's voice rings out. He installed these stupid speakers two weeks after the barn was built but he rarely uses them. Sometimes I wish he'd installed them inside so he could scream his commands to the darkness and feed.

When all of the weeds are gone I get back on my feet and go into the chicken pen. Patty's eggs should be hatching soon and I have to make sure everything is in order. There's no dirt in the water and there's enough food to last for days even though I'm always out here. Satisfied with my findings I grab the water hose and the bucket filled with busted tomatoes and head to Donnie's residents. Sadly, Donnie is the only pig I have. I believe it has something to do with the life he had before I rescued him but he doesn't like male or female pigs, I love him though he's my little baby.

"Donnie, come here boy I've got some of Domonique's tomatoes." I hear him grunting from inside his house but he makes no move to get up so I have to go to him.

"Donnie, you sack of lard, I've got veggies." sitting the bucket in front of him I start on his mud puddle. He has a certain spot he likes it in which is a few yards away but when he hears the water hit the dirt his earlier laziness goes out of the window and he comes rushing to it. Being the extremely rude pig that he is he slams right into my leg on his way into the puddle and I go down with him.

"Son of a bitch." I yell but all he does is plop down into the mud. Splashing even more of it on me.

"Roux, now!" Domonique's voice rings out again. Too bad I'm choosing to ignore him.

"No Domonique," I mumble. After double checking all of the pens I let out a huff, there's nothing left to do so I have to go see what he wants. I don't even attempt to brush the dirt from my clothes before jumping into the golf cart to screw up his pretty seats.

"Roux, Roux, Roux." I continue to mumble bitterly as I make my way up the stairs. Pushing the door open I'm met by my father and Ralph Marsden.

"Roux."

"Ralph." I cut my eyes at him.

"It's nice to see you again, uh, this is my son, Clay." he gestures toward the side of the room that is blocked from my view by the thick wooden door. I push it open further and cross my arms, they cannot be serious. Clay Marsden rises out of his seat and my eyes automatically roll. He's all blond haired and green eyed not to mention overly handsome and he's wearing a suit. A stupid tailored dark gray suit while I stand here in my pale pink overalls covered in mud. I look at him, then his dad, and then mine. I stare at him for a few seconds before saying,

"Hell no." and walking out of the room.