Chapter 3

"Stop. Where are you going?"

"Relax dad." Kashi said, grabbing her car keys from their hook in the kitchen. "You told me to go to college or get a job. I'm going job hunting." she snagged a pear from the bowl of fruit on the table.

"Hardly an appropriate outfit for an interview." Her dad scoffed, evidently trying to recover from the shock that she was doing something he asked.

Kashi looked down at her old ripped jeans, and sleeveless flannel shirt. "Well if I don't get the job then you are free to say I told you so." She said, spitting the words out and offering him a half smile, half grimace. "And I am so on to you Felix." She pointed. He smirked.

Kashi slammed the front door behind her and swiftly slid on an old pair of work boots before jumping into her truck. Kashi started the truck, connecting her phone to blare music. Her favorite pair of sunglasses was on the dashboard. She slid them on with a smile. Last step was to roll down the windows.

Kashi sped down the long driveway along the length of a pasture full of cows. The dirt flew up in a cloud behind her. "Woa-a-ah, I just want to be out in the fields, I'm not drinking and smoking you'll see…" She belted the chorus to an outdated country song on her playlist.

The main road was so rundown it may as well have been the gravel of her driveway, but a short ten minutes later she pulled up into a steep driveway up a hill to a magnificent and sprawling one story blue house. New landscaping over the front hill greeted her. It looked good.

She parked her car at the top of the paved driveway leaving enough space for the other vehicles to pull out should they need to. She adjusted the bandana holding the loose hairs that didn't fit into her braids thrown behind her shoulders. She hopped up the three stairs to the covered porch and marched to the front door to ring the bell.

"Be right there!" A feminine voice shouted. When the door swung open, a short woman with graying hair smiled broadly. "Kashi! I wasn't expecting you! And so early too? I didn't know that you could get up before nine."

Kashi laughed. "It's good to see you Auntie Cee"

"Come in, won't you?" Her aunt said, "It's getting to be very warm outside as late summer rolls in. "I was just starting to make lunch for all the hired help. And the boys of course." She added. "Takes me a few hours to do it now. Ever since your uncle bought out Mike's old land we've had nearly double the workers."

Kashi nodded, "Dad was mad when he heard Uncle Hudson bought more land. What is with those two always trying to outdo the other?"

Her aunt waved a hand, "They're just stubborn old men, aren't they?" She walked into the kitchen with Kashi in tow. "So what brings you here?"

Kashi pulled out a stool by the island table in the middle of the kitchen. She sighed then relayed the whole story to her aunt. "...He said that I have to find my own job or go to college. College just isn't my thing. I know Uncle Hudson is always looking for more help. So...?"

Her aunt nodded. "It is a heavy workload, but I'm sure your Uncle would love to teach you what to do. He said the other day that he missed you and your brothers."

"Dad doesn't like us visiting. It's like he's afraid we'll 'switch sides' on him." Kashi laughed, using air quotations.

"Well come help me get these sandwiches made and we'll ask your uncle when he comes in for food." Her aunt said with a smile. "Wash your hands dear."

Her uncle, and a stampede of other hungry heplers, rambled into the covered porch each grabbing a prepared plate of food.

"Get over here Hudson, your niece came to visit!" Aunt Cee shouted from where she was sitting next to Kashi, eating her own meal.

Her uncle came over with a smile on his face. "Good to see you Kash, what brings you over here? Your dad didn't send you, did he?" Kashi couldn't tell if he was hopeful or surprised.

"No, dad told me I wasn't working hard enough. I needed to get a job or go to college. I just had to pick one." She exhaled before repeating the story she told Aunt Cee to her uncle.

He nodded when she finished, taking an extremely large bite of the sandwich on his hands. She waited on his response and he pensively took a few pacing steps in Aunt Cee's direction. "Well I've known you to be a hard worker." He said finally. "But your dad might not be pleased with the prospect of you being here."

"I'm an adult." Kashi said, tugging at the braid in her hair. "He'll get over it."

"You'd have to wake up early." Her uncle said, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow.

A smile bloomed on Kashi's face. "You got it Uncle."