Everything I Want is Right Here

This is chapter one of a story for the great american novel challenge. It takes place in the western USA. It is a modern day take on the US

"Follow me," He said. She looked around her at the countryside. So this was going to be her new home. The end of her travels, her final destination, The idea of going to the western USA had made her heart jump. She sat next to him on the bus. He had asked her more questions than she had been able to answer. He sensed she was lost, emotionally and physically. He had offered her a room to rent. She followed him off the bus. She only had one suitcase, so it was easy. In her old life following a man on the bus would have led to disaster. But he seemed so pure, so innocent like all he wanted to do was help people.

He led her over to a blue truck, he had the keys in his pocket. For a flicker of a moment she had doubts, but she forced herself to climb into the truck. She knew she should be scared and cautious, but she was amazed by the beauty of the world around her. There were acres of what looked like wheat. Yellows and browns surrounded her. And a few minutes in the scenery changed. All of a sudden there was green grass, and horses and cows. She couldn't figure out where their mates were, there were no bulls or stallions. She was wondering where the residents were. All she could see were acres of land, blue sky clouds, and female animals. Her companion was the only male in sight.

He seemed to enjoy watching her take in her surroundings. He finally interrupted her thoughts, "we are almost there. " She could see a small dot in the distance. He seemed to read her mind. " Don't worry your room will be big enough to move around in. She smiled, it was hard to believe that he was not married. She gasped when she saw the house. It must have been designed by a professional architect. "Did you design this she stammered? " I had some help, he said, I have a design partner. He didn't want to stay here. He thought people would think we were gay. And no he is not a closet gay. We are just good friends. We went to school together. I went for architecture and he went for structural engineering." "A good combination", she said. "Skill-wise and personality-wise, " he said.

Her room was so modern, and it had an adjoining full bathroom and a clothes washer. Was she going to need to do her clothes daily? The room already had a desk. She plugged in her laptop. She noticed stationary in the desk drawer. It answered a lot of her questions. Bill Stanton and Ron Haward. Ron was his partner. For the first time since she left the city, she was nervous. These were nice people, she was afraid she might let them down. She just wanted to put her past behind her and move on.

Someone was knocking on her door. It was Bill."What do you think? " he asked. "I love it she said. Is it the laundry room?" He laughed. "We have several throughout the house. After a day in the fields, our clothes are a mess. Unfortunately, laundry is a daily thing. I was hoping you could help with the cooking as part of your rent. Not today, of course, you would need some warning., She laughed, one less thing to worry about. "I was wondering how I was going to afford it. Can I see the kitchen" When she saw the kitchen, she couldn't wait to cook in it. Thank God for culinary classes in high school. She was scared but happy. She wanted to sit at her laptop and voice her doubts. She wanted to cry. Was this the real her just waiting to emerge. She just had to escape for a moment. Bill offered her some soup. They ate in silence. He had to go but he left quietly leaving her alone. But she was relieved. After he left she unpacked her stuff. She grabbed her camera and went outside to explore. No flowers and no waterfalls but fields of yellow, and the sky, the blue. It was like a painting. She wanted to wrap herself in a blanket of the sky. but instead she sat in the field of wheat, and dreamed of erasing her past. She tried to focus on the present, why should the past ruin her present.

She tried to capture the feeling with her camera. The peace erased the fear. She started walking through the field and singing the most ridiculous song. "I'm Henry the Eighth I am. She felt like the king of her life. Maybe finally she had found her castle.

Bill returned at around 7pm. She was in her room working on her laptop. Photos matched with poems. Each photo aspired to a different dream and hope. But this feeling was hard to portray. The new value of life could not be bought in merchandise. She erased her Facebook page. She kept her store, she had to make her location untraceable.

She was surprised, he came and found her as soon as he got home. He had brought home dinner. She hadn't seen any restaurants so she was surprised. He had brought them southwest salads and a bottle of diet Pepsi. She thought out west that a southwest salad would be different than in the east. But it had fried chicken, lettuce, corn, and a delicious salad dressing. They took the food outside and ate. "I hope you aren't expecting me to do much frying," she said. It's hard to make it as well as at a restaurant" he said. "Your clothes don't look dirty, in fact I can't imagine working in the fields wearing what you have on." "It was a design meeting. He bought my design. He will be building my house three counties over. When it is completed maybe we can go over and see it." She felt pride in his accomplishment even though they didn't know each other well. She said "sure" she actually was excited to see it.

Life soon became automatic. They now knew her around town. She had an account at both the meat and produce markets. The beef was fresh and local. Bill usually cooked it on the grill. Chared on the outside and medium-rare on the inside. Both the hamburgers and the steaks he prepared that way. She had been there two weeks and had still not met Ron, She was curious, so one day she asked Bill. He replied " Ron isn't crazy about this house, he has a house in the mountains. He comes here to work on projects. He might be here in a couple of weeks he is curious about you. He calls you the stray that I brought home. And no I do not regard you as a pet or cat. The two of us text. Nowadays so much can be done on the internet. He freelances with other people as well. "

Two weeks later Ron showed up. When he walked in her heart skipped a beat. He did not look like an engineer. He looked like a surfer, with his long curly tan hair. He was sort of short and muscularly thin. He seemed just as captivated with her. She wondered what she would have to share with this type of man. Good looking, well educated and financially well off. She and Bill were sitting outside eating when he arrived. Bill was thrilled but she was worried that she hadn't made enough.

He went into Bill's office and Bill joined him. They were having a working dinner. She finished the meal by herself and cleaned up the kitchen. She took her camera outside and noticed his car. A jeep with four-wheel drive. She could imagine sex on the beach. A deserted beach at that. A dream, but in actual reality, it would never happen. A quick meeting and he would be gone.

Bill came out and joined her. He brought some pastry. Ron had brought it with him. It looked like french pastry. She was excited and nervous. It was reminding her of her past. He doesn't seem anything like you she said. Bill's response was a little bit off-topic. He asked if we were dating. I told him no. He said you were cute. She blushed. I don't have anything to offer him, she said. He smiled, well we'll wait and see, he'll be back for the weekend. Don't worry you won't be cooking. He'll be cooking. He is a real renaissance man. He left a grocery list, and money. I can shop with you. I know how to pick all the best cuts, and which products he likes. Everything needs to be perfect. He worked hard to afford the best and he expects it. She was. sort of confused. Ron looked so relaxed and easygoing and yet he sounded sort of hard to live with. But like Bill said we'll have to see how the weekend goes. It sounded like everybody would just be watching Ron.

She was not excited when Ron arrived that weekend. She and Bill had done all the shopping the day before. She could hear the music when the jeep pulled up. 1980's rock and roll. Her mood softened slightly. He introduced himself to her on the way to the kitchen. She offered to help. She sliced the mushrooms. The right thickness or so he said. She also diced the onions, something else she knew how to do. He wanted a melon salad. She had offered to take the rind off of the watermelon and the cantaloupe. He hesitated, she knew what he was thinking. Can a woman handle a watermelon? Bill had bought two watermelons. Ron had decided that he'd cut one and she'd cut the other. It ended up being a competition between the two of them. He was faster, but hers was more exact. He had one spot where he had missed some of the rind, hers was perfect. He finally turned and spoke to her. "Can you cut the cantaloupe just as well?" "Let's find out," she said. Again they raced and again he won, but in his mind, she had some skills. In her mind, he did not seem so perfect. He seemed more normal than she had originally thought. He wanted strawberries scattered over the melons, so she fixed them as well. She was more than just a cute puppy. She excused herself after doing most of the prep, and went and sat with Bill. He was working on a sketch. "I think I did okay she said, although no one is perfect." Bill smiled, he didn't want to admit he was just waiting to see what would happen. Ron tended to attract women, but it never lasted. Bill couldn't tell what she thought of Ron, but then she didn't know what she thought of Ron either.

The meal went well, he was a very good cook, in fact, she wasn't totally sure the names of the dishes they were eating. Ron said the dishes were French-based. The wine went well with the meal. It was the first time she had had alcohol since she'd been here. Men were creatures of habits. But they were business partners and their habits were so different. She was enjoying watching the two of them. Dinner tonight was at the Dining room table. If the weather permitted they usually ate outside. Tonight there was music instead of nature's noises. Tonight she was an observer. What were her habits she wondered? Women usually molded to her man, but how pliable was she. He was her dream man on paper, but what about reality, and he seemed more interested in conversing with Bill than with her. She went to clear the table and Ron motioned for her to sit down. "I will do it he said. For you, this is a night off" She blushed. Both men noticed but neither of them mentioned it.

Both men cleared the table and cleaned up. The music was still playing but she went and sat outside. Just her and nature. She actually felt like working on her photos. Every day she added a few more to her computer. But Ron was a guest. When she went back in, the kitchen and dining room were empty and the music was off. She felt alone but went to her room to work. She rarely went to bed this early.

In the morning she was awakened by the smell of french toast. She usually fully dressed before going into the kitchen. So today she dressed quickly. There was Brandy in the French Toast. This guy was amazing. He had been cooking when she entered. he gave her a plate with two pieces on it. And yes the butter was melted in a small pitcher. She felt like she was in a restaurant. Bill had already gone to the fields so she had no safe haven. "Have you ever worked in a professional establishment?" she asked. He laughed, "They don't pay enough. he said, I just cook for my friends. Plus I like to do it my way. Bosses always think they know better. " "It tastes very good. But doesn't it get very tiring always being perfect? " He looked stunned. " I'm not always perfect if I was perfect I wouldn't be single now."

He looked at her, like a lost puppy. He felt very hurt. She could tell. She really wanted to go out in the fields with Bill but she also wanted to fix the mess she had created. But seconds later Ron was gone. The stove was off, and everything had been left out. Was it there for her to clean up. How unlike Ron. She honestly didn't know what to do. She cleaned the kitchen and went out to talk to Bill, but Ron was already there. She told him that she had cleaned the kitchen. He thanked her. "Perfect was too kind a word," Ron said. "Tonight I will not show off. We will do something for dinner that you like. In reality, not image. I'll do the shopping this time." and then he was gone. She felt slightly lost after he left. Bill turned on the water. She ran as fast as she could to escape the mist. It was a game, they played. Somehow she always got wet and he remained dry. It was good to laugh. Bill went and ate the leftover breakfast and she returned to her room. She grabbed her camera and went for a walk. His jeep was gone, but he would be back. How could he be causing her so much confusion? She walked further than usual. She actually saw people this time. They let her take their pictures as they worked. Their grandmother was on the porch sipping lemonade. She seemed excited to have her picture taken.

The house was empty when she got home. Everybody has a life she thought. She loaded her new photos onto her laptop. The grandmother looked so modern and cool, so none traditional, sitting on the traditional porch.

She smelt the dinner before she saw it. He had bought steak and hamburgers. Hopefully Bill was cooking them. Not that she thought Ron couldn't cook on the Grill. She ran out of her room, yes the dining room table was not set. It was back to normal.

She was hoping Ron did not bring a date. And there he stood talking to Bill. No woman on his arm. All of a sudden she was scared. This was seeming too perfect. Her ideal man was being flexible and bending to her desires. Both men noticed her excitement but only she knew why. Ron brought her her diet coke. Alcohol free "This is more perfect than my french meal." he said. "There is a time and place for everything," she said "I have to leave after dinner he said. I will be back next weekend. Please don't acquire another male admirer before I get back. She was smiling when he left, and she was smiling when he returned