Big Shoes to Fill
As I was approaching my high school graduation, I was under a lot of pressure from my family to proceed to college right away. I was hoping to take a gap year and work. I didn't want to incur too much debt in school. I would do some construction work in the summer, a job where I could make some serious coin. My parents understood but were disappointed. I had turned 18, so they didn't want to push the issue. I had younger siblings at home, and I know Mom and Dad wanted me to set a good example.
The ongoing discussion pretty much ended when my Uncle Joe, my father's younger brother, called one night and talked to Dad. It seems that Uncle Joe was being recalled to active duty; he was a Marine reservist. He was going to have to ship out for about a year or longer.
My dad later asked me to call my Uncle Joe as Joe had a proposition for me; my father explained it was my decision.
Uncle Joe had heard about my gap year idea. He asked me to come up to Vermont to help Anna run the farm while he was deployed. He told me he would try to help me with my tuition after he got back. I didn't have to think too long; the farm work would be just as hard as construction. I also would be out from under my parent's "wings." I had always liked my Uncle Joe and his wife, Anna. I had a few memorable summers on their farm.
I had enough credits to graduate, and I decided to skip graduation to get up to the farm and learn the job. I figured Uncle Joe would appreciate some time to prepare for his deployment as well, less than a month before he shipped out. The school understood, my parents also understood, and before I knew it, I was on a bus heading to White River Junction, Vermont.
My uncle met me at the station and drove us to the farm. He told me how much he appreciated the sacrifice I was making. I told him it wasn't near the sacrifice he was making and that I was glad to help. I was uncomfortable with my uncle's mood. He was always the strong, silent type, and now he was wearing his feelings on his shirtsleeves.
My uncle was a mountain of a man, larger than his brother and me. The Marine Corps had physically built him, and farming maintained it. Underneath that burly exterior, he was gentle as a lamb. He and Aunt Anna didn't have any children of their own; I don't know why; it wasn't any of my business. I loved both of them, and I was happy to help out.
We arrived at the farm, where my aunt came out to meet us. We enjoyed a round of hugs and some small talk. She said that I had outgrown my Dad and that I might catch up to Uncle Joe. Aunt Anna was a petite woman, but she was a natural beauty. In my early adolescence, she was the subject of many fantasies.
We had a nice lunch, and they filled me in on the details of Uncle Joe's upcoming deployment; he said he had a month to bring me up to speed. The farm wasn't too busy yet; everything had been planted and coming along fine. When harvest time came, it would be busy. I had helped a few years before, so I knew what it would take. Anna would help me plant the following spring.
They had some projects left going on in the house; they had been rebuilding it for a few years. All that was left was redoing the walls and windows in a few rooms. I told Uncle Joe that I would try to make a dent in those as well.
He spent the afternoon showing me around the farm, showing me the things that had changed. I noticed that he added a dock with chairs to the pond we had used as a swimming hole. He said that he and Aunt Anna liked to sit on it at night and stargaze. He said it was still ok to cool off in the pond.
We sat down to dinner. Aunt Anna is a wonderful cook, and she pulled out all the stops on this meal. She joked that I would need my energy because she and Uncle Joe would put me through my paces. I helped Aunt Anna clean up from dinner while my Uncle Joe spent some time in his office.
Aunt Anna told me that she appreciated my coming to help them. Uncle Joe's deployment did not come at a good time; they were glad I could help because they didn't want to hire extra hands. She hoped I wouldn't be too bored or feel overworked. I told her I enjoyed working hard and that she and her husband were my favorite couple in the world. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my gap year. She hugged me and thanked me.
After dinner was cleaned up and everything was put away, I moved into my bedroom. It was on the small side, but it was comfortable. My aunt and uncle were right down the hall. There were other bedrooms. My aunt and uncle could have had a big family in that house. As I said earlier, it was none of my business.
I read in my room for a while before I went to sleep. I looked out the window and saw my aunt and uncle sitting side by side holding hands. They were chatting, watching the stars come out. I told myself that I hoped to find true love like theirs.
I woke up early; I wasn't too far behind my aunt and uncle. We had a nice breakfast, and then it was time for work. We took the tractor around and inspected the cornfield; all was well. My uncle and I discussed what I would need to be doing, he was impressed with what I remembered, and he joked that I might think about farming, screw all that college shit.
We spent a good part of the morning and early afternoon working on the woodpile. They heated their house with wood. Early in the spring, Uncle Joe had a truckload of logs delivered. Now we had to cut them, split them and stack them for the winter. Uncle Joe joked that wood warmed you twice. I agreed with him that doing this in May would be better than in August when it got hot. Uncle Joe said that I was quick on the uptake, a lot better than most "flatlanders." Despite the kidding around, there was some love showing through that gruff exterior.
We took a break for a late lunch. Aunt Anna asked if Uncle Joe had worn me out yet; I joked that I had plenty of steam left. After lunch, I helped my aunt clean up, and Uncle Joe said he had to drive to town for some errands. My aunt gave him a short list of things she needed since he was headed to town. I helped my aunt with some of her chores. She showed me the two rooms that she hoped we could refinish over the winter. I told her that I would finish them and have everything ready for Uncle Joe's return. She patted me on the back and said that they would be grateful.
Over dinner, my aunt and uncle asked me about my long-term plans. They suggested that I consider a Vermont college, and maybe I could take some courses during the year. They offered to allow me to declare the farm as my residence to get a discount. I didn't want to dwell on the subject, so I told them that I'd look into it. I told them that if I did attend a local college, it would be great to live with them and help them with the farm. They had no complaints about that plan.
After cleaning up the dinner dishes, they suggested I check in with my parents. I made it a quick call. My Mom and Dad were proud of me, stepping up the way I did. I told them about the Vermont college idea, they were thrilled, and my Dad joked that I wouldn't be binge drinking in a frat house that way. We ended the call.
I joined my aunt and uncle on the dock. We chatted a while, and I turned in early, saying that Uncle Joe had worn me out. He joked that that was just the beginning; he said he went easy on me being my first day and all. I joked that I would be up for anything he could throw at me. Aunt Anna told me not to be so sure. I headed to the house and bed. Sure, I was tired, but I wanted them to have some time alone.
The next few weeks, I worked harder than I ever have before, but we got ahead on the work so I could hit the ground running when Uncle Joe left. I took on some more household chores, so my aunt and uncle could spend a little more time together.
Two nights before he was going to leave, my uncle invited me out to the barn to help him with something. When we got there, he opened a cooler that was on his workbench. He handed me a beer from the six-pack and invited me to sit down on a chair that was there. He joked that he was sure that he wasn't giving me my first beer. I told him that he was correct.
We sipped our beers, and in a calm voice, he told me how grateful he was that I was helping him, he was confident that I could help him and Anna keep the farm. Without my help, he was afraid that they would have lost it. His voice was breaking, and he had a few tears in his eyes.
I've had never seen my uncle this way. I tried to make light of it that the pleasure was all mine. Sure, I had to work hard, but I got to get out of the city and away from Mom, Dad, and my siblings.
We started the second beer. He told me of his worries about deployment. He didn't like the mission, but he had to go. He told me that he was worried about Anna. He asked me to watch out for her. She would be lonely, probably worried. He told me that anything I could do to alleviate that would be appreciated. He reiterated the word "anything."
I took a minute to process that.
"What do you mean by 'anything'?" I asked.
"Anna is a woman with needs; a year is a long time. If she gets lonely, I'd rather you comfort her than someone else, Mike," Uncle Joe whispered.
"Uncle Joe, I don't think that will be necessary; I've never seen a couple so much in love as you guys," I said.
Uncle Joe said, "I hope so, but just saying, if she strays, I'd rather it be with you."
The barn grew quiet; Uncle Joe and I opened the last of the beers. I asked him why he and Anna didn't have any kids. He said they always wanted to have a bunch of kids, but although he was very capable sexually, he was infertile. He chugged the remainder of his beer and joked, maybe you could help with that. I was a little light-headed from the beer and answered that it would be my pleasure. He guffawed and said that he bet it would!
We were down to the last day. I told Anna and Joe that I would take all the chores today so they could have that day together. Joe put up an argument, but I said that if I couldn't do it today, what would I be doing the rest of the summer.
We had a cookout for dinner, we all had a couple of beers. We called it an early night as we had to drive to the reserve center real early.
It was depressing at the reserve center, with a lot of goodbyes. I don't know how these guys and gals do it. Anna and Joe were hugging, kissing, and crying. Uncle Joe gave me a handshake that morphed into a hug; he kissed me on the cheek. He told me that he was grateful and confident that I would keep the farm going. He told me to take good care of Aunt Anna; the hug came with an extra squeeze at that point.
The reservists boarded the buses and headed out. The dependents all waved from the parking lot. I hugged Aunt Anna and said I'd be happy to drive home. She said thank you and handed me the keys. On the way home, she napped or stared out the window.
When we got home, I suggested she relax and take it easy. I told her that I would take care of any chores that needed doing that day. She thanked me and stared out the window. I put together a light dinner. She said she wasn't hungry, but I insisted she eat. When she finally ate, she chowed down.
"I can't let the depression get the better of me," she said.
