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Callum always had a reason not to go the whole way with me. He had always been so sweet and gentle about it that I had never questioned why. Maybe I should’ve realized the signs then. He hadn’t loved me. He hadn’t even liked me enough to take advantage of what was offered to him.
* * *
Days passed, and there were no signs of Callum. He hadn’t returned, and I felt the guilt and repentance with each day that passed. I had laid deliberate blame at his door. I’d tried to seek the revenge I had wanted for so long it was blinding me. I wanted to hurt him with my words as he had with his. But the vision of him on the driveway took me back to the days when we were still kids, a glimpse into the past when I’d loved him for so many reasons, even if he hadn’t had it in him to return those feelings.
When I woke to the sound of the rumblings of the tractor, I had hoped Callum had returned. Wrapping my dressing gown around me and sinking my feet into my rainboots, I moved slowly from the house, across the yard, and into the shed.
The door protested as I yanked it open, stubborn against the swollen door frame.
Inside, I found Charlie sitting atop the old tractor seat, tinkering with the levers and steering wheel—the anticipation of seeing Callum was quickly replaced by disappointment.
“Alina.”
Charlie’s smile was warm, and I did my best to return it.
“Hi, Charlie.” I moved closer to him, scanning every corner in case I missed Callum’s presence before my eyes fell back on Charlie. “So, you got it going?”
“Yep.” He flashed a smile filled with pride. “She just needed a little love and understanding.” He slapped the steering wheel with his oily rag. “You’ll be out turning over those fields in no time.”
Charlie hopped down from the machine, bringing himself down to stand in front of me.
“You’re here on your own?” I ask.
“Yep. Cal’s taken off for a few days… said he had some shit to take care of or something.”
“Oh.” I did my best to keep my voice even, masking the reaction I had on the inside to the fact Callum was not here and wasn’t likely to be showing up again today. “Well, thanks for the work on the tractor, Charlie. Send me the bill when you’ve got the final costs.”
Judging purely by his expression, he was confused. “Yeah, okay,” he answered dismissively. “You do know how to drive this thing, right?”
It had been years, decades even, but I remembered riding around the fields with my mom, sitting on her lap as we bumped along the lumpy soil. “It’s been a while,” I answered sheepishly.
“Step on up, and I’ll give you a quick refresher.”
Charlie walked me through the mechanics of operating the tractor. Then, when it was time to move it out of the shed, my smile was as wide as a child’s on Christmas morning.
After a couple of failed attempts, I finally maneuvered the piece of machinery out of the shed and was idly putting it toward the field.
Charlie was jogging alongside me, his smile almost as big as mine. “This old girl will have the field ready in no time.”
I appreciated Charlie’s optimism. He’d done a miracle of a job getting the tractor going. It definitely got the soil turned a lot quicker than doing it by hand would have done.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“The plan?” I asked, having no idea what he was talking about.
“Yeah, now you’re back home. What’s the plan?”
I sighed, slowing the tractor. “My plan is to get this house ready and sell it.”
Charlie glanced at me sideways as we made our way steadily onto the field. “So, you’re not sticking around? I thought you’d be back for good.”
I laughed at his assumption based on the merit that humbly eluded me. “No chance. There is nothing for me here anymore, Charlie. What’s the point of staying somewhere that no longer feels like home?”
My answer was rhetorical, but he still answered it after some thought. “Maybe you might surprise yourself. We’re all different people now, if you know what I mean.”
“Doesn’t seem like the people in town have changed all that much, though. I’m still the villain around here.”
“Yeah, sometimes the wrong people end up the bad guy, huh?” He slid his phone out of his pocket. His attention moved down to the little screen as the ringtone bellowed out. “Well, I better get going.”
