Hopeless Situation

Chapter 29

New Start

Jared watched from the side, his eyes on her as she chased after the chickens. She ran from one end of the rounded fence to the other, all dirty with mud and dirt like she’d been working all day. Her hands reached for a white hen, she was so close, but then it slipped right out of her fingertips and Sophie went sliding into the dirt. Jared burst out laughing.  

Sophie caught a glimpse of him and stood up on her knees pouting. “What are you laughing at? I almost had it.”

“I know. But almost doesn’t quiet cut it.” Jared walked over to Sophie and on the passing snatched an unfortunate chicken with his bare hands. He extended his other to Sophie and pulled her up and in a single movement she slammed into his chest. He held her there for a second before Farmer Joseph, Joe for short, noisily came into the farm with his large dusty truck. Jared quickly handed his chicken to Sophie and walked an inch away.

“She must be a keeper. Usually they don’t get a chicken on the first day of work, but you ma’am did it. Good for you.” Farmer Joe praised.

“She sure did.” Jared nodded.

Sophie nervously smiled then whispered into Jared’s ear, “But you caught it.”

“What’s mine is yours.” Jared nudged her softly.

Sophie felt her stomach turn.

During lunch the two sat on the top of a hill and shared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with two apples fresh from the farmer’s tree. They weren’t allowed to take the apples, but they did it anyways without telling anyone.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jared looked at Sophie with complete seriousness.

“Yeah, anything.” Sophie paused from taking a bite of her apple.

“Why did you say yes to me?”

Sophie didn’t know what to say. “I… I wanted to give you another chance. It’s unfair to you, and to me, to end things on a note that never ended. It was no one’s fault, just many barriers. Distance being one of them and the newest barrier of all…”

“Nathan.” Jared finished off Sophie’s unfinished sentence.

“Yeah…”

“You don’t have to worry about him now. He’s out of your life. Now it’s just you and me.”

“I wish that was the case.” Sophie said without thinking.

“What do you mean?” Jared lifted Sophie’s chin up so she was forced to look up at him.

“…I need the divorce papers. Until then, I…” Sophie mumbled to try and avoid the fact that she needed not only to rid of their relationship by law, but also to forget him.