Fragmented Dreams

Chapter 8: Welcome to the Farm

Once we got off the train, I ended up pushing my bike through town to walk alongside Casimir. I pointed out some of the best restaurants, the popular tourist spots, and my favorite bakery as we made our way home. It was sort of nice to play tour guide for the afternoon. A few locals stopped to talk with me, asking about Grandfather and the farm. I chatted happily with each of them until they asked if Casimir was my boyfriend. I sputtered out an embarrassed 'no' each time.

"I'm sorry about them," I told Casimir as we walked away from Beth, the local baker.

"It's fine, they seem nice."

"Oh yeah, real nice and real nosey," I scoffed, stopping at the curb to wait for passing cars. "The longer you live here, the more you'll learn."

"They all seem to like you a lot," Casimir observed. "The last person even gave you free food." He pointed down to the cookie Beth had given me. She liked to experiment with new recipes and I would never say no to a free dessert. Casimir followed me as I pushed my bike forward, we were almost to the farmhouse.

The route to and from school was pretty easy to learn because there was only one major road leading through town. Once you got past the dense set of buildings, nestled between the lake and the mountains it was only open fields until you hit the forests. Our farm was only one turn off the main road but still easily visible thanks to the barn. I was momentarily distracted as I looked out towards the lake, smiling as I did. It was always nice coming back to this small town after the stress of school. I much preferred this place to any part of the big city. I glanced over at Casimir who seemed to be watching me quietly. I blushed and stared down at the road.

Once we safely crossed the street I finally responded. "Yeah, everyone around here is friendly but if you want to know the truth it's actually Grandpa who they really love."

"Oh?"

"He's pretty much a local hero," I stated firmly. "One time, some kids got lost in the forest and it was Grandpa who found them."

"Wow, that's cool," Casimir commented, glancing over at the vast forests in the distance. "Were the kids alright then?"

"Minor injuries if I remember correctly," I said, not actually sure of this fact. "Although, just a heads up, Grandpa hates it if you mention that story."

"He has always been modest," Casimir noted, nodding his head as if he was remembering something specific.

"Yeah." I eyed Casimir for a moment, wondering what else he knew about Grandfather. We walked in silence together and it was strangely peaceful. I took another moment to focus my thoughts on the new boy, hoping to hear a glimmer of his emotional state, and still, I felt nothing, which was an entirely new experience for me.

As we approached the farm there was a large sign sitting on the side of the road that was painted by yours truly which read, 'Welcome to Hartmann Farms'. The sign had an arrow that pointed to the area we opened for apple picking season, which led off into the bulk of the orchard. The barn was located there, along with some old fashion wagons that we only used to hold decorations and apple baskets. Grandfather had built a couple of picnic tables under the trees near the fence and next to that was a small awning where we would set up the scales and registers. The area was empty for most of the year except during the Harvest Festival. Just past the barn, I could see the farmhouse and I was relieved to finally be home. I had forgotten how long it took to walk from the train station.

"Well, this is it," I said, gesturing at the farm. We continued up the small dirt road along the fence to get to the side entrance. Once we were at the gate I opened the nearby mailbox but found it empty. Grandfather must have gotten the mail already.