College is the fresh start Mackenna Baker is hoping for, but her past follows her from the small town she left behind like a ghost. She does her best to ignore them and no matter how hard she tries, she can never seem to actually let them go. Shovin...
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"Are you sure you have to leave this early?" my mom asks me before the sun has even set on Labor Day while we're standing out in the driveway with my little sister.
"Sorry mom, I gotta hit the road," I tell her as I wrap her in a hug. I'm a good six inches taller than her and my arms could encircle her twice. "I promise to call after I get there."
When I walked through the front door all those months looking as rough as I did, it didn't take her long to pull the truth of why I was really back out of me. I confessed to everything, leaving out the PG-13 and R-rated details my mom didn't need to know about.
She understood I needed to nurse the broken heart I caused myself. She never pushed, until a few weeks ago, claiming I'd "moped all summer and it was time to either get my shit together and win her back or move on."
Guess which one I chose?
That's right.
Her.
I'd always choose her.
"Alright, fine," she sighs, her weight sinking into my embrace.
"Tell dad I said goodbye and I love him," I say before pulling away. "Alright kiddo, behave!" I voice to my little sister, Emma, who's playing with my approximately three-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever, Hank.
I found him on my road trip back home over the spring on the side of the road during a quick pit stop for gas since it was a spur of the moment decision to come home. Trying and failing to find his old owner resulted in him staying with me. It helped how he was well behaved and didn't destroy my parents house when he'd been left home alone.
"Yeah, yeah," she shrugs me off with a smile despite stretching up to give me a hug.
"Trust me, I'll hear about it if you don't."
"I'm sure you will," she rolls her eyes.
"Alright, come on Hank, we gotta go," I call to my dog before opening the passenger door of my almost decade old black Chevrolet SIlverado. It's got some miles on her, but she's reliable and I can't afford anything new.
Yeah, maybe if you'd been ranching the past six months, you could.
I find my mom leaning against my door after I round my truck. "I'll send some money when I can." I softly speak to her, not wanting Emma to overhear anything about our parents' money issues
Our lives changed drastically a couple years ago when dad got sick and even with insurance, the medical bills have gone through the roof. Our dad hasn't been able to work as much as he used to and mom works more hours than I want her to.
I ran out of choices of decent paying jobs in Billings that would take me on without a college degree. Even the surrounding areas weren't great, so I started ranching, knowing you could earn some good money there. Rodeo was always a good way to go, but that had too much of a safety risk than I was willing to take considering my dad being sick.
