Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
“I’m not wearing shoes.”
“I will carry you to the barn. No worries.”
It feels strange and wrong to go outside in my sleep clothing, but what about this day doesn’t feel strange and wrong? I must ignore that feeling and get past it. I need to get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. I know Aithar is suggesting all of this to help me and I’m being a baby if I moan and groan about it. I paste a smile on my face and when I get to the front porch, lift my arms up so he can carry me out to the barn.
Aithar lifts me up into his arms easily and begins walking across the lawn. “See, isn’t this fun?”
I hold tightly to his neck as I bounce in his arms from his enthusiastic steps. “I don’t know if that’s the word I’d use, but I appreciate you helping me, all the same. I know you could be doing other things.”
“There is nothing I’d rather do than help you out, Michaela. You know you only have to ask.”
It’s that whole “asking” part that I’m terrible at. But I hug him because he’s such a wonderful, sweet person. “I’m lucky to have you, you know.”
“Hearing that is all the thanks I need.”
We make it to the barn and the sensor-automated doors roll open, letting the overcast day’s sunlight trickle in. The barn is empty, as the bots have taken the cattle out to the field for their scheduled grazing. The milk gauge shows that the tanks are full, which means there’s a lot of butter that needs to be made. I can only hold the milk for so long before the entire tank spoils, and I didn’t get anything done yesterday after I had my meltdown.
I move to the computer that runs most of the functions of the barn—so strange, to think that so much has been automated on a farm—and have it run diagnostics. There are chips on each cow’s ear that send back their stats, and all of them are healthy except one that is flagged as a “potential illness.” The computer prompts “Quarantine?” and I hit the symbol for “yes” and turn to Aithar. “I had to check to make sure everything was fine. There’s one cow I’ll need to check on later. If it’s sick, it’ll infect the others. For now, I’m having the bots herd her back to the barn.”
“What could she be sick with?” he asks, curious.
“Beats me. She’s a cow. I don’t know if it’s something in the air or something she ate, or something she caught from rubbing up against another cow.” I shrug. “The computer will tell us.”
He nods sagely. “So running a farm here is more utilizing the correct equipment than manual labor, yes?”
I shrug again, not trusting his reason for inquiring. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I know nothing about farms but I do know about using computer equipment. I’m sure I can help you.”
“I didn’t ask for help.”
“You would never ask for help,” he agrees. “But I am volunteering it. Why exhaust yourself trying to do everything on your own when your lover is freely offering to assist?”
I have no answer for that, other than I haven’t had a lover around before him. I’ve gotten used to doing things on my own simply because I’ve been all alone. I have to wonder, if Rafaela was here and living with me, would I insist on doing everything myself? Or would I tell my sister to help because it would be expected of her?
“Quit making me think,” I mutter.
Aithar laughs with delight at my cranky response. I’m glad he’s not offended by my mulishness. I don’t know what I’d do if I hurt his feelings. He heads over to the churning rig and puts a hand on the crank, looking up at the machine with enthusiasm. “Shall we get started?”
“We?” I ask, curious. “You’re going to let me help you?”
“By ‘help,’ I mean that you will be providing me with instructions and guidance. Nothing more, my dearest beauty.” He glances around and spots a bucket, then grabs it and brings it over to me. He flips it over and pats the bottom of it, a makeshift seat. “You stay right here and instruct me, and I’ll do everything.”
I sit, but as I do, I stare up at the nearest milk tank and the way the needle is hovering at the “full” line. That’s a lot of milk. That’s a lot of butter that could be fucked up. “But…what if you do it wrong? I get that you’re trying to help me, babe, but this is also the way I make a living.”
“You called me ‘babe.’” He gives me another adoring look. “It is the first time you’ve referred to me as a baby creature as a term of endearment.”