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“I built an apartment in the hay loft. It’s completely sealed off from the elements. Has its own HVAC system, running water. The works.”
“But why?”
“Our parents were done with the farm but we weren’t. This place has been in our family for generations. When they decided to sell it, neither of us could afford to buy it alone so we went in on the mortgage together.”
“It’s such a big house though. Seems silly to go to the trouble of building another one.”
Marta grins. “Spoken like a true only child. We both wanted the farm but we didn’t want to live together anymore.”
“Would have made date nights pretty awkward,” Boone jumps in. He puts a hand next to his mouth and whispers to an imaginary person next to him, “Hey, we need to keep it down so we don’t wake up my sister.” He grimaces and shakes his head.
“Not to mention, I never want to hear that.” Marta fake gags. “Ever.”
“Anyway. This is your room,” Boone says as I follow him into the country chic bedroom. It’s not offensively country. The furniture isn’t covered in plaid or gingham but there is a lot of fake aged wood. The bed frame, dresser, desk and chair. The cabinets and closet doors are like the one on the barn that slides open on wheels on a rail over the top of the frame. The floor is wood but there are an extraordinary number of shaggy rugs in various shades of green to match the bedding and a soft chair in the corner by the window seat.
It’s not my style but it’s clean, cozy, and I have a cool view out the window of Boone’s dirt track in the backyard.
I set my pop on the desk opposite the foot of the bed as I gaze out the window at the track with the farmland backdrop.
“Do you still race?” I ask him admiring how, from here, the track looks like it was painted on the grass. I get excited at the images buzzing around inside my head. Being exiled from the constant movement of the city, I worried I’d be hard up for inspiration. But here I am, finding it already.
“I’m officially retired,” Boone says. “But Hodaka kept me on as a spokesman. I do signing tours and races to promote the company and my signature bike.”
“That’s awesome. It’s good to know the accident didn’t take you out completely.”
Boone was the best in motocross and supercross before the wipeout that almost killed him. So sad. Even though we haven’t seen a lot of each other over the years, I kept up with his career. He’s kind of one of my heroes. He’s done with his life what I want to do with mine. He found the thing he loves and makes a living doing it. So has Marta. Pretty much. She still has a day job doing something with computers at a bank in the city but then she moonlights as a DJ at one of the hottest clubs, The Triple Threat.
“I’m thankful every fucking day,” he says with a sad sort of smile.
“Alright. We can catch up later. We should leave you to get settled,” Marta says.
“Oh, yeah,” Boone says like he forgot he had something planned and she just reminded him.
“What’s happening later?” I ask.
“Bonfire. Great place to meet people your own age. Theron’s sister will be there.” Marta looks to Boone for confirmation.
He just shrugs. “Am I my best friend’s sister’s keeper?”
Marta playfully punches him in the arm.
“Anyway…” Marta groans. “You in?”
Meeting people sounds fun but I don’t much like the idea of standing in a field watching a fire while bugs eat me alive all night. I think I’ll save that experience for after I’ve gotten more acquainted with country living. “Thanks, but I’m exhausted from the trip. I think I’ll get to bed early tonight.”
“Absolutely. Take your time,” Marta says. “I’ll leave you the keys to my car in case you need to go into town for anything. But you shouldn’t need to. You’re welcome to anything in the house. Make yourself at home. Oh, and just so you know. So you're not too freaked out if someone drops by. Our place here is kind of a hub. People drop by randomly to use the track and stuff. We leave the door open.”
Now, I guess I know why they didn't flinch when I called them up out of the blue and asked if I could stay with them, even though we've spent so little time together over the years. Taking people in? Trusting them in their space? It's just what Boone and Marta do.
“Good to know. And thanks. Seriously. Both of you. Thank you for letting me live with you. I promise it won’t be for long. Just until I can get my feet under me.”
“You stay as long as you need to. You’re family.” Marta throws her arms around me and squeezes me tight. After a second, she grabs Boone’s arm and pulls him into the hug with us.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I know what that means.
two
THERON
