Last of the Summer Tomatoes (6 page)

“Either is fine. But um, do you have a couple of aspirin? I don’t think I’m as used to the sun as Walt is.”

Glenda nodded. “No problem. And you’ll probably want to take a couple before you go to bed. I’m afraid tomorrow you’re going to learn you had muscles in places you never dreamed had muscles.” She went to the cabinet and handed a bottle to Kyle. “Just keep the bottle, use as you need. I’ve got another one in the cabinet.”

“Thank you.”

“Now eat. After lunch we’ll head to town. Walt said you needed a few things.”

“I… I didn’t know I would need stuff, otherwise I would have said something yesterday. You said you don’t usually go to town very often, and I don’t want to—”

“Hush right there. Yes, it’s true we try to only make a visit a week, but if things happen, we go. It’s not like an extra trip or two to town a week will break us. We just try to be conscientious of gas prices and whatnot. Don’t you worry. I can always find something I need in town when we go. Eat.” Glenda patted his hand, then grabbed a pen and paper. “You have any food allergies I need to be aware of?”

Kyle took a bite of his sandwich, expecting the meat to be the sliced deli stuff his mother got. He was pleasantly surprised to see actual hunks of turkey that melted in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before answering. “No. Not that I know of.”

“No nuts, fruits, heaven forbid, chocolate?”

Kyle smiled. “Nope. Actually my favorite candy bar is a Snickers, so I hope I never become allergic to nuts or chocolate.”

“Ah, okay. Get some Snickers bars for snacks. Can do.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply….”

“Kyle, remember the talk this morning? I want you to feel comfortable here, and if you want a Snickers candy bar, then we’ll get some.”

“But I don’t have to have one. We don’t usually keep candy at home….” Kyle stopped talking as the memory of wanting to steal a candy bar at Mr. Powell’s grocery store came to mind. The whole reason he was here.

“Sam loves candy, so I usually do keep some fun-sized ones around. He is coming home tomorrow, so it’s best I stock up. And he likes Snickers as well. So, there’s no problem. That is, unless you plan on eating the whole bag at one sitting?”

Kyle looked up from his plate. “No, ma’am! No, I’d never—” He stopped talking when Glenda winked at him.

“You’re gonna have to get used to my teasing, Kyle.”

He grinned. “I’ll try.”

“Because if you think I tease you, wait until Sam gets home. He’s always wanted a brother to boss around.”

“Boss around?”

Glenda reached over and tossed his hair. “Teasing. Get used to it.”

Kyle went back to his sandwich, finishing it off and not hesitating to take a second one. He swallowed it all down with what Glenda called apple juice, but it was a hell of a lot more strong than the bottled, piss-looking stuff he’d had back in the city. This new lifestyle was so vastly different it was like he was on another world.

Glenda got up for a moment, dumping some things in her purse, pulling some things out. “You ready to go?”

“Yep.”

“Here, add to this anything you can think of.” Glenda plopped the notebook and pen down in front of him. He noticed the list contained a pair of boots, jeans, shirts, socks, and a question mark next to underwear.

“Um, I don’t think I need underwear.”

“If you were only able to bring a couple pairs of jeans, I can only imagine what else you weren’t able to bring. I only do laundry once a week, so you’d better have seven pairs, heck eight in case of rain.”

Kyle lifted an eyebrow. “Rain?”

“Honey, we do everything rain or shine. You will certainly want to change clothes at least once on those days.”

“But this is a lot of things to buy for me.”

“And your point is?” Glenda stood with her hands on her hips.

“I’m not… I’m not worth it.” He dropped his eyes, his voice quiet. He wasn’t used to being really cared for. Yes, his mother and Hank gave him a roof over his head, food, and clothes, but they never really went out of their way. Well, Hank never went out of his way. Kyle knew he was just another mouth to feed to Hank.

He heard Glenda pull a chair over to him; he felt her hand on his arm, her other hand brushing his hair back from his face. “Kyle, you are worth it. You are worth some clothes and so much more. Can I give you a hug?”

Kyle didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t been hugged much since he was a kid and certainly never hugged because he needed one. He nodded. He felt her arms come around him; she settled his head next to her chest, holding him close. Tears threatened to fall.

“Walt’s out back. If you need to let them fall, it’s okay. I won’t tell. You can be yourself with me, and I swear, I’ll never tell.”

One tear, then two fell. He felt like such a baby, crying in front of this stranger, but she made him feel wanted, truly wanted for the first time since his own family was torn apart by a drunk driver.

“I… I’m not usually like this. I try to keep my emotions under control, like a male should.” He pulled back from her, wiping his face. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”

“Kyle, don’t you ever apologize for having feelings. Males cry, hun, they do. Even Walt’s cried a few times. When his brother died… he’d fall apart at the most unusual times. I found him crying in the barn, trying to milk the cows through tears.”

“But Hank has always said that males have to toughen up, be strong.”

“Hank’s your…?”

“Stepfather.”

“Well, Hank’s wrong. Is that why you emulate this emo lifestyle? To keep your emotions under control?”

“You know, um, emo stuff?”

“I may be old, but I still read. I still try to understand Sam and his friends. He’s got one friend, Jack, who is into the emo lifestyle. Not really because of anything, just because he likes it, the music, the way to dress. Although I think he smiles much too often to be truly emo.”

“It kinda spoke to me. The music first, then the way everyone was so….” Kyle shrugged. “Unemotional. I guess it was what I needed. I ended up escaping into the music and into my art.” He hugged himself, trying to get back to that even keel that had kept him sane in Hank’s house.

Glenda placed her hand under his chin, making him look at her. “You want to be emo, that’s fine by me. You want to go goth, I’ll get you the black mascara and eyeliner. You want to go metal, I’ll buy you the mousse and hairspray. You be who you
want
to be, not who you
need
to be or who you think we want you to be, okay? Walt said you took to the cows so well this morning. I knew you were going to be a good fit with us from the moment I saw you.”

Her words made him want to cry again, but he held it together. One crying session a day was about all his brain could handle. “It was neat to be around such huge creatures that were so peaceful.”

“That they are. Except the bulls during mating season. Then best to stay out of their way.”

“Mating season?”

“Each spring and fall. Don’t worry, we’re well past it. Walt will be finding out which ones are pregnant soon.” Glenda got up, pushed the tissue box toward him and picked up her purse. He plucked a tissue out and dried his eyes. “So, shall we go now?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.” He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders; her caring about him, caring about a teenaged criminal, without any expectations, without wanting anything from him, had eased his broken heart that had been severely damaged that rainy night when he was eleven.

The next thing Kyle knew, the car was stopping in front of a row of stores. He rubbed his eyes and straightened up. “Sorry, I guess I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay. You probably haven’t ever had a morning like today, huh?” Glenda unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her purse. “This isn’t a Macy’s or Gap, but they’ve got some decent stuff. Maybe we all can head to the city one night for an actual mall experience.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.” Kyle got out of the car, blinking against the bright sunshine. A row of cowboy boots and mannequins with jeans filled the store’s window.

“Not a huge selection, but if we’re only here for jeans and such, they should have it.” Glenda held the door open for him, and they escaped the early summer humidity.

The store smelled of leather. It seemed to hold more boots than anything else. Kyle picked up a fancier pair.

“You probably don’t want those. They’re more for show than anything else.” Glenda picked up a more practical pair. “These will work. What’s your size?”

“Do boots have the same sizes as sneakers?”

“Yep, pretty much.”

“Twelve, then.”

Glenda rummaged around and found the right size. “Here, try these on, make sure they’re okay.”

Kyle plopped down and kicked off his shoes. After pulling the boots on, he stood up.

“So, how do they feel?”

“A little tight, but okay I guess.”

“Not okay. Let’s go a half-size bigger. Believe me, you don’t want to get a blister.” Glenda found the size, and he put them on. “Now, how about these?”

“Better.”

Glenda kneeled down and felt the sides of his shoes, then pressed down on the toe. “Doesn’t seem to be tight. Walk up and down the store in them.” Kyle did so. “You feel any rubbing on the inside?”

“Nope, seems to be okay.”

“Good, we’ll get these.”

Kyle sat back down, putting the new boots back in the box. He noticed the price and nearly dropped them. He tapped Glenda’s arm. “Um, I think these are a bit much. Should we try something cheaper?”

Glenda looked at the price. “No, these look about right.” She sat down next to him. “I don’t want you to worry about the cost of anything, okay?”

“But I’m supposed to be working off my—” He lowered his voice. “—my sentence. Not costing you money.”

“And you’ll be doing no work if you don’t have the right clothes. This is an investment in our farm and its success. If you’re constantly cold or have wet feet, you won’t be doing a good job and everything suffers. So, this is just as much for us as for you. Now, go pick out some jeans.”

Kyle walked the aisles, picking a couple of nondescript jeans and three shirts. Glenda dropped a package of socks into his arms, then pointed him to the underwear.

“Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, whatever, just grab your size. I’ll meet you by the front register.” Glenda went off to the back of the store while Kyle found some underwear to his liking. He got to the front register and found Glenda there with a leather jacket and a leather and silver hair tie.

“Here, try this jacket on.” She held it up.

“I have a jacket.”

“That flimsy thing you’re wearing? Isn’t going to cut it if you go out riding in the evening.”

“I don’t know how to ride.”

“Well, something else for you to learn. Now, put this on.” Kyle hesitated, and Glenda gave him a stern look. “Now.”

He shrugged the jacket on; it fit perfectly, fit like it was meant for him. He felt quite odd wearing something so expensive. He took it off and handed it back to Glenda. “It fits, but really, maybe I could just get another hoodie or something.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“Huh?”

“When’s your birthday?”

“August eighteenth.”

“Ah, your golden birthday. So, happy birthday.”

“Golden birthday?”

“When you’re as old as the date of your birthday. You’ve never heard of it?” Glenda motioned for the clerk to start ringing up the items.

“No.”

“Well, it’s special. So it deserves a special present.”

“But I—”

“Did your mother teach you to accept gifts graciously?”

Kyle dropped his shoulders and looked down. “Yes.”

“So accept this gift graciously.”

Kyle nodded, a growing feeling of uneasiness in his stomach. When all was totaled up, he blanched. He didn’t think he’d ever owned clothing worth that much at one time. Once all the items were bundled up, Glenda pulled the hair tie out of the bag and handed it to him.

“Might help keep your hair out of your face. I see you constantly brushing your hair back.”

Kyle fingered the intricate silver design. He pulled his hair back into a ponytail and secured it.

“Now, that fine face is out from all that hair. You look nice.”

“I feel so… exposed.”

“There’s no need to hide here. And there won’t be anything to hide.” Glenda held the door open, and they trudged out to the car. She popped the trunk.

“Anything to hide?”

“I’m not blind. When you arrived, you still had a bit of yellow-green around your right eye.”

Kyle drew back, dropping his head and feeling surprised when his hair didn’t hide his face.

Glenda turned to look at him. “Don’t be ashamed. I’m just more aware than most.” She situated the bags and slammed the trunk.

“More aware?”

Glenda took a deep breath and squared off with Kyle. “I can relate to you. And we can leave it at that unless you wish to talk.”

Kyle’s eyes grew wide. “
Walt…?
”

“Oh, hun, no,
no
. Not Walt. My father. He was… not very loving.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s a long time ago. But I can recognize another… survivor.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “So, ready to get some food? Gotta get those Snickers, you know.”

Kyle gave her an uneasy smile. “Sounds good.”

Food purchased, car gassed up, and the sun was well into the afternoon, Kyle and Glenda headed back to the farm. They barreled down the drive, Glenda doing her own special parking job with the radio blaring. Kyle was tired beyond belief, but he felt happier than he had in a very long time.

Walt came around the corner of the house, wearing a large apron and carrying some huge tongs. He reached out to Glenda to kiss her before eyeing the purchases.

“Did we get everything we needed?”

Glenda handed some packages to Kyle. “Yep, I do believe so. Kyle, take your stuff upstairs, then get cleaned up for dinner. Looks like Walt is barbequing.”

“Hope you’re hungry. How do you like your steak?”

Kyle took his bags, trotting up the stairs.

“Kyle?”

He turned around. “Yes?”

“How do you like your steak?”