"..and then all ya gotta do is make shirley rounds up the sheep, I'll be back soon—i gotta go pick up the misses!"
onika watched her older brother trot away, she stood there—a bit dumbfounded in the position she found herself in.
she was standing in the middle of a barn, she's definitely smelt better to say the least. she had dark overalls—they were definitely too big on her to say the least—her white short sleeve underneath smelt slightly of sunscreen—which she had to slab an absurd amount onto her arms and face for today.
she slowly glanced around the barn, realizing she was infact alone,
"what the fuck." she whispered out.
she wondered if this was worth it. maybe city life was better—atleast then she had tv to distract her from her sorrows. she knew she should be grateful to her eldest brother for inviting her to his farm—they hadn't hung out in years.
she wished it wasn't under these circumstances. she knew he felt bad for her. so he offered her a place to stay—get away from the cameras—the rumors—the pressure of being in the public eye.
she remembers their conversation vividly;
"come on down', i know you been hurtin' baby sis. spend the summer at the farm! till it blows over."
"you won't be disturbin' destiny and i—we're going to be out of town for awhile. i need someone i trust to watch the farm anyways. it'd be nice to know my little sister was there to help."
she was teary eyed and erratic—so she said yes. every move she made to arrive here was with absolute hesitance.
but here she was. in overalls, a tight pony tail, barefaced, and around a bunch of farm animals.
her older brother, joel, had to go back into town—onika called it "real civilization" but he had rolled his light brown eyes and said it was just "the store" to him. and now she had to round up sheep?
she snapped back to what he had said earlier?
"shirley?" she whispered out, and just like that she heard rustling behind her. she quickly turned around, the barn doors were open and there stood a light brown and white border collie looking as happy as ever.
was that shirley? her brother didn't exactly explain much to her.
onika took a step closer and the dog took off. running into the light field ahead. onika looked swiftly behind her and then back—was this her brothers dog? was he running away? why was she given no context on who shirley is?
onika couldn't risk this being her brothers dog and then her letting it runaway her second day on the farm for crying out loud. but she didn't want to run—-get all sweaty—and hot.
but—she sighed heavily. Joel would be heart broken if this was his dog and he was running away.
onika snapped out of her thoughts, with the time she was taking to contemplate she'd assume the dog was long gone but he had actually stopped in the middle and looked back at onika. panting with his tounge out.
onika wasted no time sprinting out the barn toward the dog in frustration, she just needed to to get it back in the house.
but of course, it ran as well.
the chapparrell grasses were no match for a pair of fast short legs and than another 4, running wild in the fields.
onika could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she chased the canine, her shouting and pleading for it to stop wouldn't listen. she wanted to have the energy and sass to roll her eyes, but she couldn't—she had to get this dog.
