Birds, Secrets, and Love

Chapter 2

Damiano Belgravia woke up with his mind buzzing about that strange lady who almost ran him over. He had first thought that she was an irresponsible driver, but it was later revealed that she was trying to avoid a stroller, which is pretty noble. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. "Breakfast is ready, bro! Rise and shine!", his little sister, Sophia exclaimed. "Thanks sorella. You're getting pretty good at speaking english!", he said as he got out of bed. Sophia nodded and ran down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"MMMmm! I think your cooking skills have even surpassed mine!", Damiano exclaimed as he munched on a perfectly cooked frittata. "Only because you stopped cooking...why did you stop anyways?", Sophia asked. Damiano put down his fork. "You know why. It reminds me too much of mom and dad", he muttered. "But...it's been 12 years. Don't you think it's time to get back in the kitchen?", she responded. "I just can't. I have to focus on studying birds right now. When would I have the time?", Damiano asked. "I guess you're right. Sorry I brought it up. Hey, guess what I just remembered! I have my first job interview today!", Sophia said, trying to change the subject. "Oh, yeah! It's at a farm, right?", he smiled proudly. "Yep! It's at Whitbrooke Farm. I hope I get to pet some cows!", Sophia exclaimed excitedly. "I'm sure you will", her brother responded.

A couple of hours later, Sophia put on her only blazer and pet Pepperoni, her and Damiano's pet cardinal. "Bye Pepper, wish me luck on getting this job!", she said to the bright red bird, who chirped in response. She waved goodbye to her brother and drove to the impressively sized farm known as Whitbrooke Farm. There was a tall brick archway near the entrance. Fertile green fields covered hundreds of acres along with pomegranate, apple, and orange trees. There were also some cows, goats, and horses, but mostly plants. There was only one other vehicle in the entrance; a tractor. She walked up to the humongous barn and was approached by a chestnut colored emu. "AH!", she exclaimed and fell backwards. She then got up, brushed herself off, and pulled on the doors. Inside the barn, she was greeted by a tall guy milking a cow.

"Oh, hello. You must be Sophia. I'm assuming by your scream outside that you've met Cornflakes, my emu. I'm sorry, lemme just finish milking this cow and then we can get to the interview. My name's Isaac", he said. "If you don't mind, I once took a class on milking animals. I could do the other side", Sophia suggested. Isaac smiled and pulled up a stool, "Have a seat. Thanks for the help". She sat down and began milking the cow and petting it. The cow mooed loudly. "She likes you!", Isaac exclaimed. Sophia laughed. "So where are you from? I like your accent", Isaac asked. "I was actually born in Italy", she responded. "Wow, Italy!! That's so amazing. Italian food is the best!", he exclaimed. Sophia giggled, "I'm a pretty good chef, I've been told that my frittatas are five star quality". "I'm sure they are. I'd love to try it sometime", Isaac said. Sophia thought about how amazing it would be if she got the job and was able to bring different meals for him to try. After the last drop of milk fell into the bucket, Sophia patted the cow and said, "You did such an amazing job! Good cow!". Isaac burst out laughing and asked, "Do you talk to every animal you meet?". "Hey, I'm not a crazy person. I just thought she deserved a compliment", Sophia said proudly. "If you say so. Alright, Let me interrogate you now", Isaac said as he led Sophia into a small office next to the barn.

"Alright, How do you feel about waking up at the crack of dawn?", Isaac asked her as they sat down. "I'm actually a morning person so that works out nicely. My family owned a restaurant so I would wake up early and help prove the bread", Sophia responded. "Oh, cool! Where is it? Could you score me some free food??", Isaac asked. Sophia's eyes drifted off and she looked down. "Hey, what's wrong?", he asked, concerned. "It's just- my parents. They passed away a while ago so the restaurant had to close", she sulked. "I'm so sorry...I didn't know...", Isaac apologized. Sophia looked up and shook her head. "Let's just move on with the interview", she urged. "Right. Of course. How much do you know about soil?", Isaac moved on awkwardly. "Umm..It's in the ground?", she giggled. Isaac laughed and added, "You sure are funny. You know what? I think with your skills with animals, you'll be a perfect fit for this job. How soon can you work?". Sophia's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Tomorrow morning!! But you have to remember, I'm starting college in two weeks so we can discuss shifts later". Isaac nodded and shook her hand, "Welcome to the farm".