"You joined the Marine Corps?" I half yell. I wasn't sure how to feel.
"Yes. I leave on June 27th."
"But what about the house? What about our plans? What about, us?" I stutter, beginning to cry.
"Baby, it's going to be okay. I only rented the house, and I'll come and see you when ever I get the chance."
I knew it was coming, he had always dreamed of becoming a Marine, but I was still unsure of how to feel.
"So you dragged me in to living with you, not telling me that you hadn't even bought the house?! Then you run off to the Marine Corps and leave me here alone, desperately trying to pay the rent and make it until September?!"
I ran out of the kitchen and in to the bedroom.
I kicked off my boots and slipped out of my dress. Then I rummaged the boxes for a pair of barn jeans and a shirt. I threw on the outfit and put on my old pair of boots, stuffed a bag of clothes and basic necessities, and ran out to my truck. Braxton followed close behind, trying to reason with me.
"Braxton, I just want to be alone!" I slammed the door and tore out of the driveway.
Ten minutes later I ended up at Jeff's house.
"Ah, CJ I was just about to call you." Jeff hugs me when I get out of the truck. "I bought some new horses I'd like you to see." He motions for me to follow him to the barn.
"That's great, but could I check them out later? I kind of just want to ride Diesel right now." I try to fake a smile, although knowing that he can see right through me.
"Alright, but it's fixin' to get ugly out there so I don't want you too go far. And don't stay out too long." He turns to go inside.
I throw myself up on to Diesel's back. We race out of the barn and down a trail as fast as we could. I could feel his heart beating through his unsaddled back, and the warm tears streaming down my cheeks. The wind whipped my hair around violently, and I knew damn well what I was getting in to, but I kept on riding.
The rain began pouring and the thunder was booming. A flash of lightning spooked Diesel and he reared up, nearly throwing me off. "Diesel baby it's okay!" I said over the sound of thunder. He bolted for home and I held on for dear life.
I eventually got him under control and we came tearing through the yard and right in to the barn. I put cross ties on Diesel and ran to find my uncle.
"Jeff!" I check every room in the barn. "Jeff!" I began to panic. I could hear the storm sirens blaring in the distance.
He rushed in to the barn. "Blanket and halter the ones in the inside! I'll take care of the ones outside!" He ran back out of the barn.
I grabbed 12 halters and 12 blankets, one for every horse in the barn. I started with Firestorm, calming her down as I worked to fasten the buckles around her growing belly.
Soon, I had every horse in the barn haltered and blanketed. I looked out a window to heck on Jeff, but I couldn't find him.
As I started to panic again, Kathy ran in to the barn. "CJ you need to get inside." She tugged at my arm.
"Help me with something first." She followed me to the loft. "Here, fill these with hay and hang them in the stalls." I handed her six hay bags and took six for myself and we got to work. We finished giving the horses hay and ran to the house.
"Where's Jeff?" She asks.
"He went out to check on the horses in the back pasture." I point to the general direction of where he went.
"God damn it Jeff." She mumbles under her breath, and turns to go outside, I follow her.
Pea sized hail was battering down on everything. "Put your truck in the garage." Kathy yells. I go to my truck and see my duffel bag sitting in the passenger seat. Just as I park my truck in the garage, my phone rings. It was Braxton.
"I'm alright, are you?" I say when I answer. "Yes I'm okay, and I want to apologize." "Save it. I love you, but I don't want to talk right now. Call me later." I hang up and go back to the wrap around porch.
"Has Jeff come back yet?" I throw my duffel bag through the door and go to Kathy's side.
"No, I haven't seen him yet." She looked worried.
"I'll try calling him." I take my phone back out and ignore a text from Braxton- "I love you too." It rings three times then goes to voicemail, so I hang up.
"No answer?" She asks. I shake my head.
"Don't worry, eventually this'll all blow over and we'll find him and everything'll be okay."
I lead her back inside, where the TV is beeping with an alert from the national weather service.
"Shit there's a tornado just south of town!" I panic once more.
"Let's go to the basement." Kathy pulls me towards the basement door.
We go down the wooden stairs in to a dark room with only one window at the top of the cement wall. She turns on a light and the creepy atmosphere of their basement surrounds us. We light some candles and turn the light back off. Lightning lit up the room through the tiny window. Kathy went to shut the curtains while I sat on the cold cement floor against the wall.
My phone rings again, this time a call from my parents.
"Oh my god Caitlin are you okay?" My terrified mother asks. "Yes mom I'm okay, I'm at the farm." "Is Kathy and Jeff okay?" "Kathy is sitting here next to me in the basement, but we don't know where Jeff is, we can't get a hold of him." She relays the message on to my father, who takes the phone from her. "Caitlin, stay where you are, wait for the storm to end, then go find him. We'll be down tomorrow." My mother takes the phone back, her fright clear in her voice. "What about Mike and Amy, have you heard anything from them?" "Not since the storm started, I actually just spent the whole day with Amy picking out dresses. But otherwise I haven't heard from them or anyone else in Winona for that matter. I'll call you in the morning." "Well as soon as you can, let me know. I love you." "Love you too. Bye." I hang up and put away my phone.
