Bridget Anderson - Something About You

Kyla stood up, stretching her long legs, and smiled. “Okay, everyone, can I get your attention, please?” She tried not to laugh at two teenage girls sitting at the end of the truck who were trying unsuccessfully to fan away the dust that had kicked up after Kevin, her co-worker brought the truck to a halt.

A couple from Tennessee with their young son, another couple from Michigan who had flown in to attend a niece’s wedding, and Ms. Barbara Jean, who checked into the B and B for her birthday every year, all sat attentively, awaiting Kyla’s instructions.

“Start on the rows to my left and work your way down the vines. The truck will stay right here should you need another basket.” She reached down to pick one up. “I know everything here is organically grown, but we ask that you not eat more strawberries than you put in your basket,” she said with a smile.

Several of the guests laughed and nodded.

“I always have my share,” Ms. Barbara Jean said, with a chuckle and roll of her eyes.

Kyla grinned at the group, knowing they couldn’t wait to pop a juicy red berry into their mouths. “And remember, you’re picking enough for strawberry pies for dessert and a few other treats.” She moved past everyone and jumped down from the back of the truck. She reached underneath the truck bed and pulled down the steps Kevin had installed to assist guests on and off the truck.

“So, how much time do we have?” someone asked.

Kyla looked down at her watch. “How does forty-five minutes sound?”

“Good, that’s plenty of time,” a voice responded.

Kyla walked around the side of the truck as the guests headed for the fields, swinging their baskets. Kevin stepped out from behind the driver’s seat in the same uniform as Kyla, khakis and a beige polo shirt. He had worked for her cousin Rollin, who owned The Coleman House farm and B and B, for over five years now. Every morning he drove guests of the B and B out into the fields to pick fruits and vegetables that her Aunt Rita, the cook, would later prepare for dinner.

“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” Kevin asked in a chipper voice.

Kyla inhaled the sweet country air. “That it is,” she agreed before shoving her hands into the back pockets of her khakis and staring off into the vast green fields of the farm. Since she’d joined the farm crew nine months ago on a part-time basis, her favorite job was assisting Kevin with the morning tours. Anything she didn’t know about the farm, he could fill in.

“Well, are you ready to present at World Hunger Day?” he asked. “You look cool as a cucumber this morning, but I bet you’re nervous as all get-out.”

“I am. I was up half the night rehearsing my presentation, but I can’t keep the quiver out of my voice.”

“You’ll do fine,” he assured her. “I’ve never met anyone who knows more about organic farming than you and Rollin.”

“Yeah, but not only will there be University of Kentucky faculty members present, but other authorities in the field. And I’ll be speaking on a panel with some really smart and educated people, and some of them know far more than I do.”

“Bet they’re not working on their PhD like you are. Besides, your professor wouldn’t have asked you if he didn’t think you’d make an excellent speaker.”

Kyla laughed. “Thanks Kev. I think I’m the only student of Professor Abraham’s who’s created a business plan for their non-profit with a long-term plan of action for the organization. That’s what he’s impressed with.”

One of the teenage girls came for another basket. Kevin reached inside the truck and handed it to her, smiling as she walked back to join the others.

“So, how’s your girlfriend these days?” Kyla asked.

Kevin looked at her and started laughing. “What? All I did was look. She’s cute.”

“Uh-huh. Don’t get yourself in trouble again.”

“Isn’t it about time for you to leave for Lexington? Wouldn’t want you to be late. And why did you choose to come out here, anyway? I could have handled the tour myself this morning.”

“I don’t have to be there until after noon, and working kind of settles my nerves. Takes the edge off.” She shook her hands out, and took a deep breath.

* * *

After the strawberry fields came the vegetable gardens, followed by a brief farm tour before the guests were carried back to the B and B. As the truck turned in, Kyla noticed something she didn’t usually see at the Coleman Farm—her older brother Gavin’s truck. Gavin worked with their father on their small farm in Nicholasville. At nine in the morning he should be miles away, busy at work. So why was he here? She hadn’t seen her parents in almost a month, since she moved out of student housing and into the B and B for the summer, so she hoped everything was okay. As she climbed off the truck, she cursed herself for not going home more often.

She hurried through her goodbyes to the guests before going inside and walking to the back of the house where the family quarters were located. The house staff was finishing up breakfast, but she didn’t see Gavin anywhere. Corra, Rollin’s sister, walked into the kitchen.

“Morning, Kyla, how was the tour this morning?” Corra asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Great, as usual. Lots of questions.” Corra and her two kids were Kyla’s favorite cousins. When she had the time, she helped Corra in the gift shop and just loved being in her company. She was funny, and she never asked nosy questions, trying to pry into Kyla’s personal business like some other family members.

Rita Coleman, Kyla’s aunt by marriage, came whirling through the kitchen. “Kyla, honey, grab yourself something to eat. You don’t want to sit down in front of them folks with your stomach growling.”

“I’m fine. I ate something this morning.” Rita was the backbone of The Coleman House. After her cousin’s parents were killed in a car crash, Rita had stepped up as a surrogate mother and later joined the staff of the B and B. They couldn’t run the house without her. She cooked all the meals, tended a beautiful garden out back and did a little housekeeping, all before going home to her husband at night. It was her personal touches that helped distinguish their B and B from others in town.

“Oh, that’s right. It’s World Hunger Day, isn’t it?” Corra asked. “Kyla, aren’t you supposed to be at the University of Kentucky this morning?”

“I don’t have to be there for a little while. I saw Gavin’s truck out front. Is he here?”

Rita set a plate in front of Corra and instructed her to fill it up. “He’s out back with Rollin. Sure was glad to see him this morning. Gavin and your daddy are so busy these days, we hardly get to see them.”

“I know. I haven’t seen him myself in a while. I hope everything’s okay at home.”

“I’m sure it’s just fine. But why don’t you run on out and say hello before you go. You know how Gavin is—one never knows when he’ll be this way again.”

“I think I will.” Kyla looked down at her watch. She had a few minutes.

Several yards behind the B and B was a large barn where Rollin kept a lot of the smaller farm equipment. Kyla spotted both men standing just outside the barn as she crossed the yard. Her younger brother was almost as tall as her cousin Rollin.

After graduating from high school, Gavin had gone straight to work with their father. No amount of prodding and persuasion could talk Gavin into going to college. He said he’d go to the local community college and take some business classes, but that never happened. Instead, Gavin married a local girl, began having babies and never left the farm. He’d moved his family in with their parents last summer.