***
Angelica walked through the kitchen door and saw Clayton sitting in the infant carrier on the floor, happily bewitched by the ceiling light. The feeling of unease she had felt earlier in the morning vanished as she smiled, bent over, and put her face just in front of his. Clayton’s eyes adjusted and focused on his mother’s face, and a toothless smile beamed as his body shifted with uncontrollable glee.
Filled with love and bliss in her heart, Angelica rose and began walking toward the living room. After three steps, she stopped abruptly. Fear seized her, sending chills up her spine and down her arms as her eyes widened at the sight of Blake curled in the fetal position on the sofa. Within an instant, her gut swirled with worry and panic, supplanting every loving emotion she had felt only seconds before.
Quivering, she stepped forward and looked down, staring in disbelief at the blood-stained blue jacket that cloaked the lifeless body of her husband, her son’s father. Slowly, her worry and panic began to fade as fury boiled within her.
She bit her lip and bored her eyes into a crucifix above the fireplace for answers, furious emotions stewing in her gut. A river of rage flowed down her cheeks as the realization set in that her dream of a simple life with Blake, an honest family life, was forever shattered. The tears turned bitter as Angelica stormed across the hardwood floor, narrowing her eyes on Blake as she feverishly paced back and forth. “Why didn’t you just return the jacket and do what was right? WHY?”
She stopped and stood there, staring at Blake for a moment longer, finding no answers to her questions. Angelica turned once more to the crucifix, fixing her eyes upon it firmly. “Well?” she asked. “Is he in a better place?” She thrust her arms overhead in exaspiration. “Does God have a plan?” Angelica held her breath and held a stern gaze upon the crucifix.
Movement from the kitchen distracted and disarmed her. She looked back to see Clayton’s arms dangle excitedly over the edge of the infant carrier as he was captivated once more by the ceiling light. Her shoulders collapsed and her tension faded. As she exhaled, tears began to swell, and her sadness, her rage, morphed into forgiveness and understanding.
She walked to the sofa and stroked Blake’s hair. Angelica thought of the day she first saw him. She thought of her junior prom date with Blake, and then thought of their wedding day. Turning her head to see the baby’s dangling arms in the kitchen, she looked back at Blake and smiled as she thought of the day, only months before, when Clayton was born. Of how happy Blake had finally become. She pictured the little Georgia Bulldogs outfit that Blake had bought for Clayton and recalled the smile on his face as he placed it on the baby. For an eternal moment, she looked at Blake’s face, caressed his cheeks, and smiled at him, one last time.
Then, Angelica leaned over Blake’s body. She reached for her walking stick that was leaning against the sofa; its razor sharp root spikes protruding like gnarly hair over the deranged face that had been carved for its head long, long ago. Angelica kissed the beads that hung from her neck as she knelt on the hardwood floor, weeping with the knowledge that justice had been served.
Baldev nodded in approval of the sacrifice.
The End
(see next page)
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About the Author
While flying high over corporate America, Tim Young received a call he couldn’t ignore. He shredded his business cards and said goodbye to the conveniences of urban life, to become a farmer and homesteader. Today, Tim is an award-winning cheese maker and author. He lives in Georgia with the most beautiful and caring woman in the world, and a little dog named Alfie that speaks to him in condescending, broken-English.
Other Books by the Author
THE ACCIDENTAL FARMERS
When Tim and Liz Young decided to leave their comfortable suburban life and become first-time farmers in rural Georgia, they embarked on a journey that would change their lives. The Accidental Farmers reveals how the couple learned that hamburgers, bacon, and eggs don't come from the supermarket but from real animals that forge emotional bonds with their human caretakers. Seeking a middle path between a meatless lifestyle and the barbarism of factory food, Tim and Liz created Nature's Harmony Farm, a sustainable oasis where rare breed animals and humans live together searching for something nearly lost by both humans and the animals...how to live naturally off the land.
Rather than a how-to guide, this book is a personal memoir of the Young's journey to farming and is sure to delight those interested in moving to the country or simply learning more about the struggles of sustainable farming.
Buy and read it today!
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34