When her mother told her she wanted her to come spend winter break with her new husband's family, Nash was less than excited. She had zero desire to spend her entire break with strangers and a stepfather she had met twice. But family was super important to him and he wanted her to come. Her mother had pleaded with her, telling her it would be a one time thing since this was my last winter break in college. Next year she would have a job and be too busy to spend the holidays at home.
Nash had agreed, reluctantly.
That was how she found herself pulling up to a giant farmhouse surrounded by huge outbuildings and a plowed cornfield on both sides. She had never been to a farm before and she stared in horror at all of the chickens running around the huge yard. She also stared at all of the people watching them pull in, gathered around some sort of small cleared away dirt patch with benches on each end, like it was for a game. She imagined it was horse shoes.
Fan-fucking-tastic. She sighed and fell back in her seat as they pulled all the way up to the house, parking between two old trucks. This was going to be hell.
"Hank!" an older woman was calling as she hurried out of the house, wiping her hands on an apron. "Oh, my Hanky, you came!" she laughed, running up as her step dad jumped out of the car and hugged the woman.
"Hey Ma!" he laughed. "Supper almost ready?"
"Always with the jokes! Come on now and introduce!"
"Elle, come on out here! You too Nash!"
Her mother hurried around the car, but Nash was more slow, watching all of the approaching people.
"This is my wife, Elle and our daughter Nash," Hank told all of them proudly as people started hugging Hank and even her mom. Nash stepped back when it looked like people were coming to her for hugs, giving Hank a hard look. HIS daughter?!? Her mother gave her a worried look, but Nash stayed quiet, gritting her teeth.
She still dodged hugs, moving around the car as all of the people talked at once, asking about the long drive and how was work and how had he met her mother. So many questions! Her mother was smiling, happily answering questions and letting Hank's mom hold her hand as the woman looked down at her.
"All of you, come inside!" his mother finally called, shooing away most of the gathered people. "Let them breathe! Go back to your game and let me catch up with my boy! Joey, you go and get your pa, he's in the pig barn. Come on inside, all of you," she called, leading Nash's mother by the hand.
Nash skirted wide of all of the people watching her curiously and followed her mom and stepdad into the huge house. The kitchen was large, with a huge table and very old fashioned with the wooden floors and worn wooden cabinets. It looked rustic enough to be in an old time movie.
His mother led Nash's mother to a stool at the island and Hank sat next to her. Her mother looked back at her and patted the other stool next to her. Nash rolled her eyes and sat down.
"Well aren't you just a darling?" his mother asked, stroking Nash's hair back and taking her shoulders to turn her to face her. "Nash, what is that short for?"
"It's just Nash," she answered, a little tersely. People always asked that.
"When she was younger, we called her by her first and middle name together," her mom said quickly. "Nash Ella."
"Oh, is she named after you?"
"No, I am Elleanora, she is named after my grandmother, Glenella. She went by Ella. Nash was from her other grandmother, Berinash. She was from Europe."
"I've never heard that name!"
"I've never heard it since, but I grew up hearing it so I didn't know how unusual it was. Still, it's a lovely name and I thought Nash was so cute for a little girl."
"It's adorable, just like her. How old are you, Nash? What grade are you in?"
Nash gritted her teeth and looked at her mother in misery.
"She's a senior in college," Hank volunteered quickly. "Just short like her mother and her mother's mother."
"Oh, well isn't that wonderful! You will be just the second college graduate in our family! It's not a big thing around here, most people go into farming or work at the factories."
"Even the women?" Nash asked, a little surprised.
"Well no, of course not. Most are married right out of school and start their own families. The few that don't work up at the diner or one of the shops in town."
Nash flinched again.
"What are you going to school for, sweetheart?"
"Engineering."
"Oh! Well, goodness, aren't you just a little smarty pants!" the woman giggled. "Hanky, you never told me she was so smart! Just that you had a daughter now!"
"I'm not his daughter," Nash interjected quickly. "I've met the man twice. I have a father and his name is Eric."
"Oh..." his mother answered, her face falling as she looked at Hank, who blushed. "Well, we are all family here and we are glad to have all of you. I'm glad you came!"
"Nash!" her mother whispered. "He is so proud of you and proud to call you his daughter! You don't have to hurt him like that!"
"I don't even know the guy! I met him after your honeymoon for like, fifteen minutes and then at Felicia's wedding for about ten minutes."
"Well if you had sat with us..."
"I was IN the wedding party! I had to sit at the main table, I told you that!"
"Well you could have come around after!"
I stayed long enough for the dance with the groomsman and pictures, then I had to go. I told you I had a project due on Monday that I had to go over and double check that night. You could have invited me to your wedding, you know."
"I told you, we just went to Vegas! Neither of us wanted to wait or have a big to-do!"
"You can't lay it on me that I don't know this guy. You guilted me into coming on this trip when you know how I feel about crowds and animals. You failed to mention his family was enormous and they lived on a farm with more animals than there are people!"
"Well, sweetheart," Hank's mother interrupted sweetly, "we have things besides animals. An orchard where you can have your space! And your room will be nice and cozy and you don't have to share. We have a television and all kinds of movies too, and an older TV in the basement with a video game machine. Hank used to love to play his games on it!"
"Thanks, but not really into TV," Nash mumbled. "I brought books and homework."
"Oh... well, I will make sure you aren't disturbed then! I do hope you'll be able to join us for Christmas dinner and gifts? There will be a lot of people, but it's only a few hours?"
The woman was trying to be so nice and accommodating that Nash could only nod and blush.
"Wonderful then, it's all set! If I may ask? Most people just love animals, you don't like them?"
"Nash is allergic," her mother said quickly. "We got a dog when she was younger and her eyes swelled shut and she had a hard time breathing. The same with her friend's cat. It's such a severe reaction and a little bit terrifying to her. She was tested and she has to have shots every month because of her allergy to so many animals."
"Well, goodness! That's just terrible! Well we have plenty of places where there aren't any animals and none ever go. Hank will be happy to show you a few!"
"I'd be glad to," Hank offered with a tight smile, his look hurt.
Nash sighed again. "Thanks," she half whispered, feeling a little bad. "Can I get my bag and go to my room?"
"Of course, I'll bring in the bags!" Hank smiled. "Come on with me and I'll point out a few places to you!"
Nash followed him, hugging herself and keeping her head down. "That's the hay barn there, it has a loft and a window that gets good light. I used to read there myself when I was younger. No animals in there. Over there is the orchard, we keep that fenced off too, no animals. Right up in there, that's the combine. It's got an enclosed cab and a comfy seat to sit in. Lots of light and stays nice and warm."
"Thanks," she offered, grabbing her laptop bag and backpack. Hank grabbed her clothes bag before she could, then his and her moms bag. He showed her to her room first and she looked around at the tiny room with the slanted ceiling that was more like a glorified storage space. The bed was tiny, the mattress thin. She sighed and turned on the light, sitting down next to her bag that Hank had set on the bed. It smelled musty and like it was ancient. 9 days here was going to be worse than hell. There wasn't even a window and it was stuffy in there.
She left her other things but grabbed her book and went back downstairs, sitting next to her mother who was happily telling his mom about her job selling art for artists. Hank gave her a tight smile as she sat and she quickly looked away.
"Nash, sweetheart, there's a game of Rolle Bolle going on outside. Do you like games?"
"What's Rolle Bolle?" she asked, confused.
"It's sort of a cross between horseshoes and bowling. You have a bolle and it's a beveled wheel and you try to get it to curve into the peg. Closest team to the peg gets the points," Hank quickly told her.
"Umm... no thanks. I think I may go walk around a bit though," she mumbled, hopping off the stool and going outside. Looking around, she decided to go around back and not near the people. She was halfway to the combine when someone yelled.
"Hey!" a male voice called and she turned around. Three young men were walking towards her, grinning. "You're Hank's daughter?" the tall one asked.
"Step," she corrected quickly.
"I'm Bill's boy, Uncle Hank told dad all about you."
"I don't really know who anyone is... I don't even really know Hank at all. I've spoken to him twice before the trip and I had my headphones on the whole trip here. Umm... excuse me," she offered, turning to head to the huge machine.
"What's your name?" one of the other boys asked, all of them keeping up with her.
"Nash."
"Like... Nashville?"
"No, like Nash."
"Hank said you were a real city girl," the first boy grinned.
"I am, but I'm also not gullible, so don't try anything."
"Wasn't gonna. You have a boyfriend?"
"Are you really asking me that? You're literally my cousin."
"Step," he shrugged. "No real relation."
"It's none of your business."
"I'm Gavin, this is my little brother Darren. This is my cousin Beau. You really in college?"
