After Dunkirk [Discontinued]

Twenty-Two ~ Talk

A/N: 🚨Trigger Warning🚨
Domestic Violence is acted out in this chapter.

After another hard day of herding sheep and shoveling manure on my father's farm, the thought of a nice hot bath when I get home is making me drool. Thanks to the sun making its way over the mountain, I can tell it's time to head back to the barn.

With my shovel in one hand, I wipe the sweat from my brow on my dirty sleeve and start heading back through the pasture. A cool November chill makes me shiver and I pick up my pace because if I'm late for supper, I know what punishment I'll receive from my father.

The memory of my last punishment for not putting my father's tool in its rightful place is still burned into my brain, and my skin.

And with that thought, I walk even faster.

My attention is diverted to the sound of laughter and I look over, stopping in my tracks. Across the way, there are two young girls, one who looks around my age; no older than eleven or twelve, I'd say, and one a little younger, who are throwing rocks in the stream. I set the shovel down and lean it against the rotting wooden fence and whistle to get their attention.

"Hey, lassies! Don't be throwing those stones in the water. You'll kill the poor fish! Don't you know they're spawning?"

"Sorry! We didn't know!" the older lassie yells back, dropping a handful of stones onto the grass. She urges the younger one to drop hers and I grab my shovel, shaking my head. "Hey, you!"

I look over to see both lassies running across the pasture toward me and I feel the grass beneath me keeping my feet still as if magnets were attached to the soles of my shoes. I'm greeted with both a smile and a scowl and I'm starting to wonder if I should've just minded my own business.

"I've seen you out here before," the older one says a little out of breath as they slow their stride to the fence.

I didn't realize how pretty she was from across the way, but now that we're a mere two feet apart, she's the most beautiful lassie I've ever laid eyes on. Her chocolate brown skin is obviously darker than mine but I couldn't care less.

"Are you alright there?"

"Mhm, yeah," I nod quickly, glancing at the younger lassie who is still scowling at me. "This is my father's farm. I help tend it," I explain, fitting my eyes to the older lassie. "I'm Alex Rutherford. What's your name?"

"I'm-"

"Don't tell him your name," the younger lassie interrupts. "We shouldn't even be talking to him. Father and Mother wouldn't approve."

"Oh stop it, Winnie," the older lassie chides and extends her hand out to me. "I'm Dorothy Meikle, and, well, you already know my little sister's name," she laughs at her joke and I shake her hand.

"Father wouldn't approve of this."

"Of what, Winnie, meeting someone new?" Dorothy rhetorically asks, turning her attention back to me and I realize our hands are still together. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rutherford."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Meikle," I politely tip my head, slipping my hand from hers.

"Alex!" a harsh voice makes us look over at the barn several yards away and a shiver runs down my spine.

"Who's that?"

"My father, I'm afraid," I answer, fitting my eye's to Dorothy's. "I have to go, but it was a pleasure to meet you, Dorothy, and you as well, Winnie."

She doesn't even so much as look in my direction and I realize I'm getting nowhere with her, but then again, I'm much more interested in her older sister.