Season of Love

July 11th

The sun looked absolutely scorching as it hung low in the light blue sky. A couple of fluffy and almost transparent clouds floated like boats in the blue and sometimes partly covered the big yellow orb. The horses trotted around in the paddock with silly covers over their eyes to protect them from the ever so annoying flies. Even from my place by the window I could see small black dots buzzing around the big creatures. Why does flies even exist? I ask myself that question almost every single time I go outside the door. The same question can be asked about ticks and midges.
Sure they are nutriment for birds and other small animals, but then again there are tons of tiny insects in the world which would be perfect replacements for the horrible things called flies.

I sat in my room by the window and gazed through it, which basically was all that I had done the past two days in an attempt of hiding from my mum. She was not on the list of people I would like to talk to at the moment since I knew how much she detested that I had dumped Gabriel. My intuition also told me that she knew that there was another man involved in my relationship with Gabriel - and if there's something mum really hates with every drop of blood in her heart it's cheaters.
I knew that I had to talk to her soon though since Jared would arrive Friday night, which was tomorrow. My biggest fear was that I'd be kicked out of my parents' farm as well after being kicked out of the house Gabriel and I shared.

I heard footsteps downstairs walking around in the kitchen and I inhaled sharply. This was it. Sink or swim. I opened the door to my room and exited it for the first time in two days - apart from the necessary things like visits to the bathroom.
My tangled curls bounced on my shoulders as I went downstairs into the kitchen.

There stood mum with clips in her mottled hair. She was furiously stirring a pot with a wooden spoon. Greasy fumes violated my nostrils. The area right next to her eyes was badly wrinkled and now she looked a lot older than her 57 years on earth. She had her scruffy and old housecoat on and I could see how small drops of the soup, or stew, flew from the pot and landed on the white fabric. I cringed. It was difficult getting used to how unpolished everything seemed here compared to the environment in Los Angeles.
What would Jared think of my mum's food? He would probably fall into a food-coma and gain 20 pounds in the blink of an eye.
I cleared my throat loudly and mum gave me her full attention. She put the wooden spoon down and corrected her housecoat. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but I cut her off.

"Mum, you know nothing about how my relationship with Gabriel was. Please let me bring my friend here tomorrow," I splurted out quickly so that she wouldn't have time to interrupt me. Mum put her hands to her sides and by the look she gave me - she wasn't amused.

"You cheated on him, right? You know how I feel about people who does that! It's a disgrace! A woman should stick by her man through tsunamis and fires," mum preached. I had heard it all many times before and it was starting to get old. I could feel my blood starting to boil.

"That's your opinion and I honestly think you're stuck in the 18th century, mum. Why would I stay with someone who can't make me happy? Why can't I be a strong young woman of the 21st century and look for the love of my life?" I asked, hands to my hips. My voice got higher and I don't think I've ever sounded this convincing. Mum looked taken aback and her jaw dropped.

"How dare you speak to your own mother like that? I tried so hard to teach you the right values, but for what good? You don't have an education. You don't have a job. You cheated on your boyfriend and now you're disrespecting your own mother. This isn't the person I raised you to be," she scolded and sounded defeated. What she said really hurt my feelings. I already knew that I was a failure and didn't need my own flesh and bone to state the obvious too. The pot on the stove started wheezing and mum reluctantly starting stirring it again.
My hands were trembling.

"I'm sorry that I don't share your values and I'm sorry for becoming my own person. I'm sorry that I can't be the daughter you want," I managed to squeeze out through clenched jaws. I bit my lip by instinct as I fought back the tears. Mum noticed my condition and pulled the pot away from the hot stove plate and raced towards me to pull me into her big soft arms. That was it, I simply couldn't hold the tears back in any longer. They started cascading down my face and I could only think of how bad my life had turned out to be and that I had hit rock bottom.
Mum rubbed my back comfortingly as everything that had been building up inside me was let free.

"You will always be my daughter and I love you. I'm just very disappointed with the choices you've made," mum whispered into my ear and maybe I just imagined it, but I think she was crying as well. Sure, I didn't like what she had said earlier on, but she still stood by my side and I could feel that.

"You know almost nothing about me. This guy that's willing to come here tomorrow could be the love of my life. Then again, maybe he isn't, but I really want to explore every option available out there in this world. I want to become happy," I sobbed and mum held me tighter to her chest. Her chubby fingers went up to stroke my hair. I giggled softly through the sobs as her fingers got stuck in the massive tangles.

"Is he the lover?" mum asked and I could hear a tiny bit of resentment in her voice.

"Yes, he's the lover and his name is Jared," I replied. Mum let go of me and smiled softly.

"He can stay in our guesthouse, but I can't promise that I'll be on my best behavior when he arrives," she said and the smile grew bigger. I felt a smile appear on my face as well and good feelings started to bloom inside my dehydrated body. I hadn't felt this close to my mother in ages and it felt like a huge victory to have her on my side - at least partially. Even if things didn't work out with Jared, mum would still be there to hold my hand. We both had our fair share of flaws and I think she's understood that no one is perfect. Except for Kim Kardashian maybe...

"You should go and clean the guesthouse right away, Mandy. It looks like a horse has lived in there for years," mum said and turned her full attention towards the food she was cooking once again. I nodded and went outside to have a look at the place in which Jared would be sleeping. Mum was never the type of person who liked to show her emotional sides and therefore I think she wanted me out of the house for a while.
Actually it's embarrassing that I cry into my mother's arms at the age of thirty, but under these circumstances I couldn't care less about what other people would think.
My mother loves me and a celebrity is about to come to my house because he likes me. Can it get any better than that?
Well, probably. If I had Sally here, an income and no Gabriel in my past.

I had to use every ounce of strength in my body to crack the door open to the guesthouse and the mess inside made me want to pull my hair off. There was so much crap that I couldn't even see the bed which was supposed to be in the room. The place also smelled awful. I groaned loudly and placed my head softly against the wall. There was no way that I could clean everything out in just one day.

"Damn it," I huffed to myself.

"Can I help you?" The voice came from behind my back and I turned around in shock only to see one of mum's employees standing there. It was the man I had seen exiting the stable a couple of days earlier. As I could see him close up in person I could see that his eyes were blue. They reminded me so much of Jared's eyes. His dirty blonde bangs fell into his eyes and he seemed to always have his hands up his face to shove the strands back.

"Bless you. That would make my day. I really need to get all of the shit out of the guesthouse to make it look presentable," I said. The man nodded. He seemed to be a couple of years younger than me.
We started cleaning the place and after a couple of hours I could see the floor again. The man had introduced himself as Stian, a 27 year old man with a thing for horses. We really got along well and I really wished that I'd found a friend.

"Seems like we're all done!" Stian stated with a big grin on his young-looking face. The only things left in the guesthouse were an old bed, two beautiful paintings, a couch and a bedside table. I grinned as I noticed that there was no toilet in sight. That meant that Jared would have to either go inside the main building or go out into the wilderness to pee. The picture in my mind of Jared cursing with his pants down in a pair of bushes was hysterical.

"Yes! Yes, we are! Thank you," I said happily. Stian gave me a nod and started wandering off to his truck. He seemed like a true gentleman and I understood why mum had employed him. There are so many bad eggs out there that it's started to get difficult to find people that will work honestly for you.

The guesthouse still needed some improvements before Jared would arrive, but it was pretty much done and I felt happy with what I and Stian had accomplished. Maybe I could go and buy some flowers to put in the window before the big celebrity's arrival?
The list of things I could do was eternal.

My stomach fluttered at the thought of Jared lying in the bed right in front of me. That this man who could snatch every girl's panties went through this amount of effort for me. I really hoped that Jared would prove to me that he's willing to commit.
I had reached the bottom, but now the light was visible again. The only issue left was how the hell I would get mum to cook a nice meal to Jared under the 4000 calorie limit.