The old wooden floors creaking under my weight as I got out the warm bed, I hate getting out of the bed when it’s cold out. Sometimes I wish I had a flatmate, but things didn’t work out as I wanted after I left the graveyard. It’s hard to get a job when you don’t have any school records or a university degree. I headed to the kitchen and put the tea kettle on the hob. Whilst the water was boiling, I went to my small room and put my trousers and blouse on. I grabbed the tea kettle off the hob and poured the water into a cup. I put on my boots and grabbed my jumper from the wardrobe, I headed out my flat and walked the short 5 minute walk to Silvano’s farm.

“Rick, my boy how are you this fine morning?” Silvano’s deep harsh voice with a heavy Italian accent called out to me. I waited to get closer so I won’t have to scream, my voice wasn’t so deep either.
As I approached the farm Silvano didn’t let me answer his question and hugged me instead. I felt like the air out of my lungs was being forced out.
“It’s great to see you also Silvano.” I saw him yesterday, but this was an everyday kind of thing. He told me to go help Serena milk the cows. I walked past the barn and into the pasteur that most of the cows stay at. She heard my steps and turned her head, she saw me and smiled showing her teeth. She stood up and hugged me, snugging into my chest.
“Hi, Ricky how are you.” She said the whole time with her face buried into my shirt.
“ I’m good sweetheart, how are you?’’ I wrapped my arms around her. My She was two years younger than me, so she was like a little sister to me more than anything. “I’m great thank you for asking’’ She said looking down with a light pink tint on her cheeks.
“How is Jae doing?’’ I asked.
I’ve heard about Jae a few times before, he’s sounds like real friendly man. He better take care of Serena and treat her like a queen.
“ He’s still breathing….. unfortunately” She said mumbling the last part.
“Ohh come on sweetie, he sounds like he likes you a lot, hell, I might even say he’s in love with you” I said whilst taking another stool and putting by another cow, and putting a bucket under her utter.
“ Yeah I know he likes me but I don’t like him, I have eyes for another man.” She added with a sigh. I sat there thinking on how many guys she knows, i’ve been working at the farm for four years now. I think I know her type, but I’ve never talked about that with her.
“I didn’t even know you looked at men that way.” I said chuckling a bit.
“I don’t but then I saw him, He’s the first and only man I have looked at that way.” She said whilst looking at the tree a few yards away, zoning out. Maybe She’s thinking of him.
But that’s none of my business.
“Hmmm interesting.” As i said that she snapped her head and looked at me with a death glare.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Before I could answer and explain that I didn’t mean anything Silvano called for me in the barn, I had half a bucket full of milk and brought it with me into the barn. I could feel Serena burning holes into my back with her eyes as I walked away.
“Yes sir?” I replied setting the bucket on the table.
“Ricky, I need you to help Zita in the kitchen. We’re having guest tonight.” He said as he lifted a bale of hay above his head and stacking it with the others against a wall. Silvano looked like a lumberjack. Tall, muscular, scruffy looking beard and a deep voice with a strong Italian accent. The whole family had an Italian accent.
“But sir I think Serena is more fit for that task.”
“Nonsense, you are far more experienced as far as cooking goes and she can help out here she’s pretty good at it too.” As I made my way to the kitchen, Mrs. Antorini stopped me before I entered the house and told me to get some ingredients at the local market. She handed me a list of food and gave me 50 pounds.

Mrs. Antorini or Zita has a small 5’4 frame but she is very fierce when it comes to protecting her family and has a lot of attitude. Almost as if she isn’t scared of anything. She was like a mother to me. The list wasn’t so long, she had most of the vegetables crossed out, I only had to get things she couldn’t grow in the garden.
I was heading back to the farm but Something caught my eye. It was a girl, she was beautiful. brown skin, black hair , big honey eyes, and plump pinkish coloured lips.
I noticed I was staring and she did too. She smiled at me and turned to another man looking at a jewellery and smiling. He was a bit shorter than I was, also had dark skin but was darker than she was by a few shades, his eyes dark, I couldn’t tell where his pupil ended or started. He was well built not too muscular but not too skinny.

I kept walking to the farm with all the ingredients in three brown paper bags with handles on them. I thought about the girl in the market, I’ve never seen someone with so much beauty before. I walked into the house towards the kitchen. I set the bags on the countertop near the stove when Zita came towards me and started taking all the ingredients out the bags and placing what need to be in the refrigerator and the rest on the small island in the kitchen.
“Good good, you got is all . Thank you very much Rick. You know that nice man Jae is coming for dinner tonight. He plans on proposing to her. He’s coming with his sister, Lucy this time.” she said as she was chopping up the tomatoes for the antipasto. I was so surprised I accidentally cut my finger whilst cutting the parsley for the Bruschetta with sauteed mushrooms. Why would she agree to marry him?
“It wasn’t a problem Zita, Silvano told me someone was coming he just didn’t say who. I’m happy for Serena I hope she does it because she wants to make you and Silvano proud.” I was trying to get a point across without actually telling her Serena doesn’t love him. But what would she know about love? She’s only eighteen.
“Nonsense, she has been knowing him since she was sixteen. I had a talk with her last night. She truly loves him, and he has a quite a bit of quid too. Win - Win.” She was chuckling and mixing the salad. I mumbled an ok and everything went silent.
The only noise that was left was the sound of vegetables being cut on a wooden board , mushrooms sauteing on the hot oil, crackling every once in awhile and the sounds of wood being split with a grunt. I was trying to finish the dish as fast as possible so I could talk to Serena about the proposal. When I finished helping Zita with cooking and cleaning around the kitchen it was already four PM.

Notes

Sup,

I hope the story is interesting enough so far, give me some feedback. Negative or positive, keep it 100, no fake shit.
Thank you and have a nice day.