“Well, it’s bad. It’s a terrible disease, it truly is, but the worst part is not knowing how quickly it can degenerate the body and mind. He’s struggling right now. He’s been waking up with a lot of pain lately, and he won’t tell anyone about it. Gertrude has found him folded over in the shower. She’s talking to the doctor, but I fear things might change sooner rather than later at the ranch.”
“What can I do?” I ask. There’s only one thing I know Icando: find out how I can do the job I was hired to do while helping make Arnie’s last few months, years, or whatever he has left easier.
I knew when I applied for this job that there would be a transition period between switching over from Arnie leading the job, to me taking the lead, to eventually him retiring, to the Banks hiring another ranch hand to help me. They were looking specifically for someone who was willing to take over. At the time, I had no clue if I was a good fit. I had some knowledge of ranch operations, but not enough to do this on my own.
Then, I met Arnold.
Or I met himagain,I should say. I spent most of my childhood summers on this same ranch, running wild and free with a bunch of kids my age at the summer camp. Arnie was here; he said I was always in the middle of trouble, but they could never kick me out because they could see in my eyes I had something special. When I interviewed, he didn’t blink twice before he was calling meDom Trouble Diaz.He gave me the job right away, whether I deserved it or not. But now, at thirty-six years old, I’m not that troubled kid anymore. I found my calling—or so I thought.
That calling, the ‘business man Dom’, was fine for a while, but it slowly ate me inside. I’m here, trying to find who I really am and what I can do with my life beyond just working in an office in front of a computer eighty hours a week. I wanted to be happy again, so I came to the place where I remembered being blissfully happy once.
They gave me a chance and put their trust in me, and now, it’s my turn to prove it was well-placed.
“Well, I might need you to take the lead more and to come to me if you need help. We both know it’s never easy here, but summer camp will start before we know it, and that’s when things really get busy. I might not have a bunch of extra hands to send your way, and I definitely can’t have major accidents happening while we’re getting the ranch ready for campers.”
I nod. “Understood.”
“That’s not all.”
Jesus, what else can there be? This poor family.
“I’m sure you’ve met Riley already.”
Shit. “Mm-hm.”
“She’s not really like me. She’s a little wild, that one, and she’s also flighty.”
“What do you mean?”
“She never stays in one place, never follows rules, never follows through. She wants a job, which I gave her. She owns this land too, I guess, but I don’t trust that she’ll be able to do it all. She’s young, and she’s said many times she doesn’t want to live here forever.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. She, um, might need extra hands, and I know, I know, I’m already asking a lot from you, but if you can let me know if she comes to you drowning, so I can mitigate a little bit.”
“You want me to babysit your sister?”
She looks panicked. “No, not at all. I just want you to be extra eyes and ears, especially since her cabin is next to yours.”
“I can do that.”
“Good. And I’m sorry about that.”
“About what?”
“Her being next to you. I didn’t know she was coming home, or I would’ve said something. I’m sorry in advance, and I would get some earplugs if I were you. She doesn’t understand what it means to be quiet, even if her life depended on it. So good luck.”
Well aware, Lilly. Well aware.
7MISTER GRUMPY PANTS
Riley
Today went by in a flash.Cleaning and organizing that shed was harder than I thought it would be, but it’s almost done now, except for the shelf I tried to reach and couldn’t. I need to find a ladder, but I won’t bother Lilly with that. Maybe I can ask Mr. Grumpy Pants next door.
My cabin is clean too, and dinner didn’t get burned. I’m winning.I’m so lucky, and everything goes my way, I keep repeating over and over so my brain can get the memo that we live in this frequency and we stay in it.
I knock on Dom’s door with a mini chicken pot pie I made him, not burning it or my house in the process. It’s only eight o’clock, so I hope he’s not sleeping, because I would feel like an ass if I woke him. After our breakfast encounter, I haven’t seen him. Must have been a busy day on the ranch.
