| General Fiction posted February 6, 2018 | Chapters: |
...11 12 -13- 14... 
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The kids are finally figuring out life and it's raining!
A chapter in the book Black Blizzard, White
A New Beginning
by charlene7190
| Background The kids have helped save the neighbor's farm, and Lloyd realizes he has a life partner in Betty. Betty on the other hand does not see it that way. AND it starts to rain!!! |
Everyone left to go home. All were happy at the outcome especially the Brinks. The folks in the community stuck together and it worked out in everyone's favor.
Lloyd and Betty sat on the porch for a while a little nervous but very exuberant at what had happened that day. They did make a difference and most importantly Thurber and his family had their farm back. And it was starting to cloud up a bit, not the ugly brown roiling clouds coming in from a distance but a slow darkening of the day. The two kids sat watching the clouds form and they could feel a dampness in the air. It was still hot but there was definitely rain in the forecast. Then a sprinkle! And another sprinkle and the two sat relishing the drops as though they were diamonds falling from the sky.
They sat in silence for awhile letting the droplets of rain wash over them sticking their tongues out to catch the bounty.
"Betty, I need to tell you something. Just listen to me." Lloyd took a deep breath and said "I'm gonna marry you--"
She interrupted him, "NO Lloyd, no, I'm never getting married! NEVER" and she stood up as if to run away.
"Why not Betty?" Lloyd was really hurt by her refusal of what he deemed was a proper proposal.
"Because Lloyd when you get married, you have kids and when you have kids you have heartbreak, you lose them, they go hungry, you can't buy what they need and you can't save 'em, that's why!"
"Betty listen to me a minute. I'm gonna be famous, I'm gonna be a singer and I'm gonna be rich. I'll buy you anything you want, a nice house with a pond full of water and fish, a place to garden and a yard with grass and trees, fruit trees so we can just go out and pick what we want to eat. I promise Betty, I won't let you down, ever."
He sat silently looking at her, this SMALL, skinny 12 year old with blond hair and big blue eyes, sad, unhappy eyes. Rain was starting to turn the dust to dirt, starting to clean the air around them. For the first time in a long time Lloyd could smell the damp earth and he knew in his heart he loved Betty and that she would be his one day, not now but one day.
Betty sat looking at Lloyd for a minute and realized he meant it. She had never in all her 10 years had a proposal of marriage and it really threw her off guard. Betty was always very guarded. That was life on the South Dakota prairie, you never once let your guard down, it was too harsh, just the day to day living was a challenge. Being a Prairie child brought challenges everyday along with heartaches and pain, real physical pain. She thought about her parents struggling to feed and care for so many with never quite enough and she thought about her baby brother and she knew his tiny little life would be forgotten over the years when all of them were also gone. She thought about Thurber and his family. They certainly weren't out of the woods yet. Hunger was always just around the corner and there didn't seem to be an end to this Godawful drouth swallowing up everything green and living, leaving nothing but dirt and grasshoppers in its wake.
Her mind wandered to the small town where everyone eked out a living, just barely subsisting having only neighbors to help. But then she realized there was hope, hope in that band of people who chose to come to the prairie, to build homes and live their lives honestly (well almost honestly, her mind reenacting the episode of the Banker).
"Betty, did you hear me?"
She had.
"I'll consider it in a few years Lloyd if you are that serious. I will think on it. I won't promise but if I ever DO get married, I will let you know first."
And Lloyd was happy! He had a promise of things to come, he had his horse Scout, a future with his mom and sisters, when he could knock on her door with a big box of chocolates in hand, a place he could escape to, Betty's place and maybe, just maybe a partner in life." And life was good.
"What day is it Betty?"
"I don't know Lloyd, it's the 13th I know that, why?"
"We need to remember this day, the 13th, the 13th of summer. I'm gonna marry you on the 13th of summer."
And it started to pour down rain.
The End?
I think not.
Lloyd and Betty sat on the porch for a while a little nervous but very exuberant at what had happened that day. They did make a difference and most importantly Thurber and his family had their farm back. And it was starting to cloud up a bit, not the ugly brown roiling clouds coming in from a distance but a slow darkening of the day. The two kids sat watching the clouds form and they could feel a dampness in the air. It was still hot but there was definitely rain in the forecast. Then a sprinkle! And another sprinkle and the two sat relishing the drops as though they were diamonds falling from the sky.
They sat in silence for awhile letting the droplets of rain wash over them sticking their tongues out to catch the bounty.
"Betty, I need to tell you something. Just listen to me." Lloyd took a deep breath and said "I'm gonna marry you--"
She interrupted him, "NO Lloyd, no, I'm never getting married! NEVER" and she stood up as if to run away.
"Why not Betty?" Lloyd was really hurt by her refusal of what he deemed was a proper proposal.
"Because Lloyd when you get married, you have kids and when you have kids you have heartbreak, you lose them, they go hungry, you can't buy what they need and you can't save 'em, that's why!"
"Betty listen to me a minute. I'm gonna be famous, I'm gonna be a singer and I'm gonna be rich. I'll buy you anything you want, a nice house with a pond full of water and fish, a place to garden and a yard with grass and trees, fruit trees so we can just go out and pick what we want to eat. I promise Betty, I won't let you down, ever."
He sat silently looking at her, this SMALL, skinny 12 year old with blond hair and big blue eyes, sad, unhappy eyes. Rain was starting to turn the dust to dirt, starting to clean the air around them. For the first time in a long time Lloyd could smell the damp earth and he knew in his heart he loved Betty and that she would be his one day, not now but one day.
Betty sat looking at Lloyd for a minute and realized he meant it. She had never in all her 10 years had a proposal of marriage and it really threw her off guard. Betty was always very guarded. That was life on the South Dakota prairie, you never once let your guard down, it was too harsh, just the day to day living was a challenge. Being a Prairie child brought challenges everyday along with heartaches and pain, real physical pain. She thought about her parents struggling to feed and care for so many with never quite enough and she thought about her baby brother and she knew his tiny little life would be forgotten over the years when all of them were also gone. She thought about Thurber and his family. They certainly weren't out of the woods yet. Hunger was always just around the corner and there didn't seem to be an end to this Godawful drouth swallowing up everything green and living, leaving nothing but dirt and grasshoppers in its wake.
Her mind wandered to the small town where everyone eked out a living, just barely subsisting having only neighbors to help. But then she realized there was hope, hope in that band of people who chose to come to the prairie, to build homes and live their lives honestly (well almost honestly, her mind reenacting the episode of the Banker).
"Betty, did you hear me?"
She had.
"I'll consider it in a few years Lloyd if you are that serious. I will think on it. I won't promise but if I ever DO get married, I will let you know first."
And Lloyd was happy! He had a promise of things to come, he had his horse Scout, a future with his mom and sisters, when he could knock on her door with a big box of chocolates in hand, a place he could escape to, Betty's place and maybe, just maybe a partner in life." And life was good.
"What day is it Betty?"
"I don't know Lloyd, it's the 13th I know that, why?"
"We need to remember this day, the 13th, the 13th of summer. I'm gonna marry you on the 13th of summer."
And it started to pour down rain.
The End?
I think not.
My book was originally named "The 13th of Summer" but for some reason would not allow it (did I post something before with that name?) and if I publish it, that will be what I call it.
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