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23
Rain
Becky and I walked into the tractor pull like we were the belles of the ball. It was a ridiculous event, in both of our opinions, but I knew it would be full of local farmers who I could give my cards to as we made our rounds. Fast, simple, and effective marketing—for free. These people were much more likely to use my services if they knew me, and though I was familiar with many of them, I had been gone for long enough that they viewed me as a stranger, in some sense. This was my chance to get reacquainted, to be accepted back into the fold.
“I told Jenx we would meet him here at the ticket booth, but I don’t see him. I’m going to stand here for a few minutes and wait. He should be right along,” I told her.
“I’ll wait with you so we don’t have to hunt each other down in this place,” Becky said, looking around.
I didn’t blame her for that. The tractor pull always took place at the old rodeo site with bleachers of questionable durability set up on either side. It was already packed with people from several counties here to see the usual tractors but also the spectacle of monster trucks steamrolling their way across derelict cars brought in for just that purpose. It was a time-honored tradition in Muskrat Creek. The rodeo had moved on to a larger venue over in Moseley, but the tractor pull remained, held every year for as long as I could remember.
“Hey, Rain,” a voice said from behind me, startling me from my thoughts.
“Oh, Jenx. There you are. This is my friend, Becky Bolin. Becky, this is Alfred Jenkins.”
“Jenx will do,” he told Becky, reaching out to shake her hand.
I couldn’t help but notice a moment of awkward eye contact and a slight flush to Becky’s face. Jenx seemed just a tad bit overwhelmed himself. It was fascinating to watch two people who were both so attractive, yet clueless to that fact, but capable of recognizing it in the person they were looking at. There was a definite spark though, and I couldn’t say I had a problem with that, though I did feel a bit like a third wheel.
This year’s tractor pull had a couple of surprises, according to the announcer’s line up coming over the loudspeaker. They had added some motorcycle stunts, and with the rodeo blowing away at its new home, I was guessing the rodeo clowns needed another gig, so here they were traipsing around the edges of the arena with their glorious red noses and oversized shoes, honking horns and engaging people walking near the fenced-in area with playful banter. Ah, small-town life.
While we waited for things to kick off, the three of us wandered around to meet and greet folks, putting my card in the hands of as many as possible before the show got started. Finally, it was time to take our seats and watch the carnage. At least one tractor was bound to get stuck, and another would overturn and require medical assistance. There might or might not be an accident during the monster truck or motorcycle segments. It was rare that these things went off without a hitch.
I was surprised when I heard my name being called over the loudspeaker in the middle of the first half of the tractor competition. There was no mention of what it might be about, just a request that I come to the concession stand. My heart flip-flopped a little as I realized it might be Jon. Perhaps he had come home and was here to find me.
“You want me to come with you?” Becky asked.
“No. It’ll be fine. You just hang out here with Jenx. I’ll be back in a bit,” I said.
Hopefully, with Jon, I thought to myself. Besides, Becky and Jenx seemed to be hitting it off too well for me to tear her away from him. I eased myself down the bleachers, annoying the people riveted to the drama of the tractor in front of them, as it struggled to pull its way through the muddy field with the weighted trailer behind it. It wasn’t always done in the mud, but there had been a heavy rain this afternoon that had ended in a perfectly sunny day.
I was all smiles as I made my way to the concession stand, convinced that Jon was here and everything between us was going to work out. Instead, I found myself looking at another familiar face, and the smile disappeared from mine.
“Shaun. What are you doing here?”
“You called me. I came out here to talk to you, and someone in town said you’d probably be here.”
“I called you to tell you I was ready to sell my half of the clinic to you. I didn’t mean for you to bring the paperwork all the way out here yourself.”
