Halloween Pumpkins, Gourds, Corn Stalks and Hay.
My work in Bristol finished 2 days ahead of schedule. I had never been to Bristol in my life. But it was a great little town with odd quirks. On my last day, I worked In Tennessee and ate my lunch in Virginia. And all I had to do is cross the road. Seems the state line runs right down the middle of the street.
The entire city, on both sides of the street, were dressed up for Halloween. The people. The stores. It was still a little more than a week before the big day, yet everyone was still in the Halloween mood.
The company that had employed my services had even invited me to their annual company party. It was a costume event and from what I had seen around their business, there would be lots of cute girls, but I declined. I wanted to get on the road as soon as possible.
Finishing early in my job was something that rarely happened these days. It was mostly due to being so short staffed and people working from home. It's always hard to get answers from people working out of office. So today, when I was done early, it was a treat and a small victory for me.
Normally, when a job ended, I would drop the rental car at the airport, grab some shitty airport food, and hop a flight to the next site. Another job. Another paycheck. A paycheck that I promised myself to someday enjoy. Yeah, I spent my life rushing off to my next job, but this time, it wouldn't be the case.
With the year winding down and October already upon us, I had decided before I started this job, to use up what was left over of my vacation days and do some riding. So, I packed up my Road King, went to work, and now I was free to do some open road cruising. With the extra days in my pocket, there would be lots of time for me to explore as many side roads as possible. Because now, I had the time. In fact, I wasn't due back in Raleigh for 12 more days.
*****
For hours and days, I rode. Not once did I ride on anything more than two lanes. No freeways. No multi laned blacktop. Just backroad freedom. Freedom from life and freedom from all those things that made the world crazy.
At each stop I encountered new people. At each corner, I encounter new things. All of this was interesting and new to me.
Resting and stretching my legs, I drank a pumpkin spice latte and laughed at the bad Halloween decorations floating it the store rafters above my head. It was hard to believe the seasons had changed so fast. Summer was long gone. Halloween was a few days away. And Thanksgiving and Christmas were right around the corner. Hiding in wait.
The Harley roared to life under me. But I was in no rush to leave another small town behind me, so I sat for a while and took in the sights.
Yes, my newfound freedom and awakening was screaming at me to slow down and enjoy life instead of being so consumed with work. And with those thoughts racing through my head, my life changed forever.
I had promised myself to slow down and enjoy what the world had to offer. And even if it killed me, I planned on keeping my promise.
*****
Cruising yet another long-forgotten road, a sign appeared. The sign appeared to have been freshly painted. It was promoting a fruit stand up the way.
"Halloween Pumpkins, Gourds, Corn Stalks and Hay. 2 miles ahead."
Just beneath it was a smaller sign proclaiming, "Best tarts and cider in the state."
The windy road followed a rocky stream. It was so scenic that I could picture Hallmark filming one of their T.V. movies here. The kind of movie where everyone was happy and in love. The ones where no one appeared to have a real job and just hung out doing fun stuff.
I daydreamed about it as I took in the beauty of the surrounding area. I could already taste the apple cider in my mouth.
My foot and hand touched the brakes, as the others started to gear the big Harley down. Maybe I was changing. Maybe I was slowing my life down. Because as I geared down, I realized I was about to stop at the first fruit stand I had visited since I was a child.
*****
The sun was high in the sky, and it was blinding my eyes. But for some reason, I was suddenly in a shadow.
The form looked completely black because my mind wasn't fast enough to adjust to the light. Finally, I noticed that it was a "she". And she stood back a bit from the leaning position she was in. Suddenly, everything attached to the shadow was coming into focus.
She was gorgeous.
Everything about her stunned me.
Her pale skin. Her youthful looks. Her long dark hair. Everything.
Her cool smooth skin touched and caressed me on a warm fall day. My face felt relaxed everywhere her fingers touched it. The sensation caused me to jump with surprise.
"Hey. There you are. Seems you dozed off under our trees." Her voice was that of an angel.
The sweet sound of her voice and the feel of her cool touch was bringing me out of my deep sleep.
I couldn't remember a time where I had been awoken and it was this beautiful. All of it. Everything around her glowed with a special kind of beauty.
The girl now kneeling at my side had something about her. Yes. She had something that made her special. A thing that set her aside from all other women. Pure and natural. Untouched by make-up and false eyelashes. A kind of "real" beauty that created a stir among men and caused jealousy among other women. She was that level of beautiful. And the aura surrounding her was something I couldn't put a finger on.
The long tangles of her chestnut hair were tied back into a ponytail that hung down over her shoulder. She had on a man's long sleeve under shirt that was mostly covered by a checkers. A flannel shirt. Judging be how loose it was, it had also at one time, or another, belonged to a man. But her jeans. Her faded jeans were hers for sure. They were form-fitting and showed off her hips and ass finely. And on the front area that covered her thighs, someone had painted, in purple, white and black, small paisley designs.
When I didn't move fast enough for her liking, she gave me a shake and nudged me with one of her work boots.
"So, lazybones. Do you enjoy laying here in a pile of old leaves or are you just watching me work until you get up the nerve to come over and talk to me?"
"What? No...I..."
"I do," she said. "I like laying in a pile of leaves, that is. Especially on a day like today. When it's a hot and sunny, fall day. I love the smell the leaves give off. It's like a candle or firewood burning."
The smell of dried oak leaves caught my attention when she spoke. Looking around, I noticed the thick bed of brown and cracked leaves piled beneath me. They had an unmistakable smell. A smell that brought back childhood memories. The same smell she told me she loved.
Looking past the tall oaks I noticed rows and rows of apple trees. The orchards went on forever. And to my right was a fruit stand. A sign with old, faded paint claimed to also have the states "best apples". The stand had baskets in many sizes filled with apples and pears. And the ground surrounding it was covered with bright orange pumpkins.
Afterall, it was fall. Harvest time was at its best. Pumpkins. Squash. Gourds and corn stalks. All for sale. You could eat them or use them for decorating.
I had planned on stopping here. But for some strange reason, I didn't remember doing so. But I didn't need to. With the state of mind, I was currently in, I would have stopped to look around anyway. And the idea of a little downtime and an afternoon nap sounded like the best thing in the world to me.
"Sorry, I'll be on my way. I didn't mean to trespass. I shouldn't have taken the liberty."
"Don't rush on my account. It's nice to have some company. I don't get many visitors these days."
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Not all that long."
Her pretty face smiled at me as the tail of her dark hair flowed in the gentle breeze. For the second time, I noticed that she was very pretty, and from where I sat, she had an incredible body.
"I'm Britney. This is my stand. I like to think of it as my own little harvest barn."
"Kyle. I was just out for a ride. And for some reason..."
"It's fine Kyle. Sit and relax. Let me get you something to drink. What would you like?"
"Cider. Please. Some of the cider you advertise would be great."
"Warm or cold?"
"Either. Either would do fine. As long as it's no trouble."
"None at all. Like I said, I enjoy the company. Tart?"
"Please."
The girl disappeared without asking which kind of tart I wanted, but it honestly didn't matter to me. I closed my eyes to enjoy a second to myself, when she returned, she was holding a paper plate with a huge pecan butter tart, and a mug of warm apple cider. Pressed and mulled, with traces and hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.
The light pastry crumbled away from the gooey, nutty and sugary filling. It was a buttery delight. Like the sign said, 'Best in the state'.
"Oh my god. This is so good."
"Try the cider. It's a blend of three apples and five spices. I'm very proud of it."
Putting the warm mug to my lips, I blew on the hot liquid and took a sip. Like the tart, it was amazing.
"You should be very proud. It's the best I've ever had."
"Thank you for saying...but..."
"But nothing. I swear and promise."
The beautiful girl's smile and blush made her seem so innocent.
"Well thank you kind sir. Why don't you sit here a while and rest. I have some chores to tend to. When I'm done, we can hike through the orchards and I could show you around. If you'd like," she said with a flirtatious tone.
My nod made her smile again.
"Good. Yell if you want or need anything."
The heat felt so good as it warmed my body and the bed of leaves where I lay was more comfortable than any of the mattresses I'd ever slept on, even in the most expensive of hotels.
I watched Britney go about her routine. She moved and piled. Placed and organized. Like her, the stand she owned needed to be perfect. Everything in its place.
Time drifted by with not so much as worry. Occasionally, the beautiful girl would turn my way. Sometimes it was a quick peek from over her shoulder. Other times she stopped what she was doing, put her hands on her hips, and look directly at me. But no matter how she did it, she always did it with a smile.
My mind was reeling. This girl and I had only spoken for a few minutes, but I was already smitten.
*****
When the farm girl returned to my side, she sat beside on the pile of oak leaves.
From somewhere deep inside of me, I conjured up enough courage to ask a girl who was leaps and bounds out of my league, out on a date.
"Britney...maybe...I mean...if you're not too busy, after you show me around...we could go out for a coffee or a Frappuccino. A pumpkin spice something or other."
