Pickin' Berries, and a problem I can't fix...

Chapter Thirteen: Berry Good Day

I could smell ‘em before I saw ‘em. Berries. Fat, ripe, and hangin’ low like they were beggin’ to be plucked. I stood at the edge of the patch with a wicker basket under my arm and squinted into the endless sunshine.

“Alright, boys,” I called. “Let’s get to pickin’. Don’t eat more’n you bring back, or I’ll be countin’ seeds in your teeth tonight.”

Seis and Quattro laughed, already ducked into the bramble like a pair of hounds hot on a scent. Lu came walkin’ up with an apron tied tight, her sleeves rolled and her hair tucked back. She looked more determined than a county fair judge.

“I want the blackberries for a cobbler,” she said. “And the gooseberries for jam. If you find any of those tiny strawberries, they go straight to me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I grinned, tipping my hat.

I made my way to the pecan grove once I saw the boys had the berries handled. The trees were droppin’ their bounty like rain. Good year for it. I cracked a shell open and popped the meat in my mouth. Sweet and earthy.

By mid-mornin’, we had bushels of each. Lu took command of the kitchen like it was a battlefield. She had flour on her nose and pecan bits in her hair, mixing like a woman possessed. Instead of brown sugar, she reached for the honey jar.

“You sure?” I asked.

“We’ve got plenty,” she said. “And I want this to be ours—not a recipe from some book.”

Fair enough.

I found Seis out by the hives, all ten of ‘em hummin’ like an old tractor engine. He had my smoker in hand and a veil on his head—but the rest of his technique left a lot to be desired.

“Hold on,” I called. “You gotta puff the smoke first, not wave it around like you're swattin’ flies.”

“I am swattin’ flies,” he muttered. “With stingers.”

He did alright for a minute. Then he got too bold, reached in without mindin’ the queen box, and sure enough, a bee zapped him right in the nostril.

“GAAAHH!”

He came flyin’ outta that area like a rodeo clown, hand over his face and hat tumblin’ behind him.

I caught him and sat him on a stool. “You alright?”

“My face is hummin’,” he sniffled. “Do bees hate me?”

“Nah,” I said, tryin’ not to laugh. “They just don’t like bein’ surprised. You did good. You just gotta respect ‘em.”

Lu came out with a jar of cool water and dabbed his nose gently. “You’re very brave,” she said. “I’ll let you lick the bowl later.”

“Worth it,” he grinned.

Back inside, the pecan pie came out of the oven lookin’ like heaven in a dish. The crust was golden and flaky, and the honey-glazed top shimmered under the kitchen light.

We didn’t wait for supper. We cut that pie right then and there, each of us takin’ a slice like it was a treasure.

I leaned back in my chair, crumbs on my shirt and a full belly, watchin’ the kids wipe their plates clean.

“First pie of many,” Lu said, smiling at the empty dish.

“Just make sure Seis don’t sneeze into the next one,” I added.

“Hey!” he said, blushing.

Even in a world where the sun never set, that afternoon felt like golden hour. Not just because of the light, but ‘cause of the laughter, the pie, and the feelin’—that deep-down settlin’—that I was right where I needed to be.

Chapter Fourteen: Long Shadows

I woke up hollerin’.

Cold sweat clung to me like dew on a barn roof, and my chest heaved like I’d been runnin’ fence line all night. My breath came in sharp bursts, fast and shallow. The walls of the room looked too close, like they were pressing in, and my heart thundered against my ribs.

The door flew open.

Lu stood there in her nightgown, eyes wide, hair all wild and loose from sleep. “Ron! What happened? Are you okay?”

I sat bolt upright in bed, breath still ragged. Couldn’t get a word out. My hands went to my face, and I just let the tears slide down, no use pretendin’ they weren’t there.

She came straight over and sat on the edge of the bed. Didn’t ask again. Just waited.

“It was Peg,” I finally choked out. “I was dreamin’... dreamin’ about the night she died.”

Lu didn’t say a word. Just laid a hand on my shoulder and kept it there, warm and steady.

“She was hooked up to all them machines,” I said, voice rough. “Hospital bed in the middle of a cold room. Beepin’ slow and steady. And then they all stopped. Just this awful silence and the flatline sound... I never felt so useless. I held her hand and it went cold. I sat there like a statue. Just... couldn’t stop it.”

The tears came harder now, quiet but deep. It’d been a long time since I let anyone see me like this. Since I’d let myself be like this.

Lu slid in beside me and pulled me into a soft hug. Not too tight. Just enough to let me know I wasn’t alone.

She rocked with me slow, like swayin’ on a porch swing with no wind.

“It’s alright,” she whispered. “You don’t have to carry it all yourself.”

I nodded against her shoulder. My throat was too tight for words, but the weight on my chest started to ease.

“I miss her every day,” I finally said.

“I know,” Lu replied, brushing her fingers over the back of my hair. “But you’re not alone anymore.”

I don’t know how long we sat like that, but when I finally laid back down, she stayed. She didn’t try to fix anything or talk more than needed. She just sat there, keeping me company through the last of the storm.

And somehow, sleep found its way back in. Not because the dream was gone, but because someone was there to help me carry it.