This is not a true story. This is Pure Fantasy.
Who would've thought something bad could turn out so good!
I was expecting a visitor so I never gave it a thought... until afterwards. Who would way out here in the country? Hell, you couldn't even see the house from the road. I'd lived here for over four years and the only person I'd ever had visit was those I expressly invited. Even my mail always went to the post office box on the edge of town. I've had new repairmen call and ask where I was three times at least, every time a new one came out. In fact, I ask for the same repairmen from the different utilities so that I don't have to repeatedly tell them how to get out here, once usually suffices after a first visit. I'm a bit hard to find out here for someone new. It's not always easy to answer the phone when I'm working so I like to keep it simple. It'd probably help to put a sign out by the road, but I preferred it this way.
All my friends think I'm nuts, living out here all alone, but I love it. I have all the space I could want for myself and all the silence I'd ever need. I have the nature I need and the privacy I require. Even my few friends, that know where I am, rarely come out and never without calling first. They rarely come out though. I usually go into the city where I was born and raised, yet detested, whenever I wanted company.
I knew young that I'd live in the country as soon as I became an adult... well, as soon as I could afford the cost. I didn't waste time, though. I worked from the age of fifteen with my goal foremost in mind, squirreling away every dime I could and even worked two jobs when I graduated high school just to get up enough money.
While I did a year in college I found this place by accident, happily so. It had a two bedroom house that sat on 3 acres and was all mine now. The best thing was that it was surrounded by woods and around my three acres was a huge farm that hadn't cut down the farthest edges of their woods either, creating a small forest. I loved it. So quiet.
The sound of a vehicle pulling up out front brought me out of the barn where I'd been working and I headed up to the porch as I listened to two doors closing. That'd be the men to work on the well. The pump had quit working earlier that morning just as I'd got my work water run, thankfully. It'd been acting up for days and I'd tried to fix it myself, but it was beyond my handywoman's skills. So, I'd had to call them out to fix it for me. It still irked, as I preferred to do for myself, but I knew when to quit also, I thought wryly as I circled around the porch that wrapped the west side of the house, shading it from the hot summer rays.
Just as the two men were about to ring the bell, I stepped around the corner. "Gentlemen, the well's out back." I said as I eyed them.
The one reaching to push the buzzer was carrying a clipboard in the other hand and used it to push back his black cowboy hat as he turned to look at me. He was a several inches taller than my five foot three inches and stocky looking, but not overly so. Very good looking. He wore low heel work boots and jeans that were scuffed and speckled with mud. His shirt looked fairly clean for this late in the day, just a couple of sweat stains. His partner was similarly dressed and a bit muddier, but taller by a couple of inches and wearing a grey cowboy hat. He was also thinner and not as good looking, although that was hard to tell with that heavy stubble on his jaw and the scowl he was giving her.
The shorter spoke to his partner without looking at him, saying, "Jim, take the truck around back. We'll meet you there." With a nod, Jim turned on his heel and went back down the stairs to the truck as the other one came towards her holding out his hand. "That was Jim and I'm Rick. You're Emma Walker?"
Taking his hand I nodded, then let go and motioned for him to follow me as I said, "Thanks for coming out so soon. I can't have the pump down too long." He followed me around to the back of the house again and I took him down the steps watching as Jim brought the truck around, following the drive. I pointed over to the well house and he continued past us as we took the walkway over to it. Jim parked the truck and got out to go over to the small shed that had been erected over the well pump. The door was already open and my smaller toolbox was still inside on the floor.
Stepping back, I let the two men enter, then knelt and closed the toolbox before pulling it out of the shed to give them room. "Pump's about 10 yrs old. I've been nursing it along for the eight months, but it's beyond me now. The woman I spoke to said a new pump would cost about two grand and that you can take cards for repairs. Let me know what you find. I'll be in the barn." I told them as they tipped the work lights I'd installed and turned them on. Rick nodded without looking up and I turned away only to turn back and say, "Oh yeah, I changed that switch you've got your eye on just last year and it still seems to be working fine."
As I said this, Jim looked over to me, gave me a look me up and down, then frowned as he huffed, "When's your boyfriend getting home?"
Arching a brow, I shook my head. "What the does he have to do with anything?" I asked with a frown, not about to admit I didn't have one coming home.
With a snort, he muttered, "Wanted to discuss how he put in the switch."
I frowned, but before I could say anything, Rick growled, "Don't worry about it Ms. Walker. I'll come find you when we figure out what's wrong."
"Thank you, Rick." I said, then turned away, still frowning at Jim until he was blocked from my view.
Rick glared at Jim as she disappeared, then moved over to the shed door to watch until she disappeared into the barn. Turning back to his partner he snapped quietly, "What was that about?"
Shrugging, Jim pulled his meter out of his tool belt and said, "She wasn't wearing a ring, wanted to see if she had a boyfriend."
"What the hell does that matter?" Rick demanded as he moved over to look at the well.
Jim shrugged again. "Pretty little thing, isn't she."
"Yeah, too bad you angered her. If she doesn't have a boyfriend you just screwed up your chances with her." Rick scoffed.
"Perhaps, perhaps not." Jim said with a soft chuckle.
Rick stared at him a few minutes, then shook his head. "I know that look. Whatever is going on in your mind, just forget it, Jim."
A half hour later, Rick appeared in the door to my barn and I moved into sight using my stained apron to dry off my dye gloves that were dripping on the hard, dirt floor. As I'd thought, the pump was shot. Rick said that he had a new one on his truck that he'd be able to fix it with, he just needed her permission. He told me the price, a hundred more than estimated, but I'd expected that, and said they could finish by supper time.