The Gin Shot

It was my third assignment for the Cohol Tribune. My boss thought it would be best for me to go and interview an upcoming environmentalist, named Caleb. Stewart. I didn’t realize I would need to travel to Scotland for this interview.

I was on the next flight to Scotland to the most rural area you could imagine.  Once I arrived in the town closest to the address I was given to meet him. I felt like I could slow down a little. The city was quiet, but the people walking past me kept looking at me. I don’t like sticking out like a sore thumb.

I checked into the little B&B  in town and went through my bags to find a pair of jeans. I packed my Dockers just in case it rained, and yeah, I decided on a white shirt since it was a nice 80° day with a light breeze.

The sky was so bright and blue. The bluest I’ve ever seen, it put a smile on my face.  There’s less pollution here than in the cities, so the sky is clearer. I called one of the black tops, that’s what they call cabs over there, and I  made my way to Hindle Farms.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was surprised by the amount of acreage on the farm. The cab dropped me off in front of a beautiful 4-bedroom house. It must have been built…. I don’t know about the late 1900s. There was a flower bed that wrapped around the house and a trellis around the front door. With the vines intertwined all through it.

I knocked on the door, and nobody answered. I decided to walk around now. I know this is wrong because in the States, people walk around your property, and you do not know them; they would pull out a gun on you.  I decided to take my chance and take a walk. 

I found two men arguing out in the field. One, as we now know, is Caleb, and the other was a man who jumped off a tractor-trailer, claiming he hadn’t been paid enough and was no longer working unless he received payment immediately.

They seemed unaware that I was behind them, as the argument escalated beyond just raised voices.  That’s when I whistled to get their attention. 

Both men looked at me as if  I sprouted two heads.

The man who jumped off the tractor stormed off past me as Caleb watched him go. Then Caleb’s sight was on me.

“Lassy. Whit urr ye daein’ oan mah property? ah didnae expect a’body tae be ‘ere th’day. Sae, unless ye hae a guid damn reason how come you’re oan private property, ah advise ye tae gang back whaur ye cam from.” 

Usually, I would turn on the charm, but seeing that he had just gotten into an argument with the other guy. He was not up for the New York experience.

“You’re Caleb Stewart. My name is…”

He stopped me right there and shot me a glare as if he did not want to hear what my name was.

“Again. Yer oan private property. Ah dinnae care whit yer name is; ah hae a lot o’ wirk tae dae. In a short amount o’ time, ‘n’ unless ye ken howfur tae take the motor a tractor, yer o’ na uise tae me. Please leave?”

That’s the second time he told me to leave. But what he did not understand was that when I’m on assignment, I need to get the story. I’m going to get the story.  Standing right in front of him and staring him in the eyes. Eyes the color of warm honey. I began to unbutton my white shirt, revealing that I had a sleeveless white undershirt underneath. I tied it around my waist, climbed up on the tractor, and started it.

I gave him a look as if to ask What did you want done? He was in shock. He yelled at me to get down. Once I put the tractor in gear, that was it. I worked tirelessly for two hours clearing a field, assuming that’s what needed to be done, based on what I could gauge from the other guy’s work. 

Once I was done, I turned off the tractor and I hopped down. I went looking for Caleb and found that he was in the barn taking care of some of the animals. I walked up to him and said, “My name is  Renee Andrews. I was sent here to interview you from New York.”

He continued taking care of the animals and did not look at me once.

“I was sent to get an interview on this new experiment that you have. To rejuvenate the soil. Can I have that interview?”

He mumbled something about ‘A’m juist a jimmy ‘

Caleb turned around and walked past me.

I grabbed his arm and said, “What?”

That was when I realized what the issue was. He could not take his eyes off what I was wearing. The temperature ratcheted up 90 degrees. The sweat soaked through my top, and I still had a sheen of sweat on my body.

I was breathing hard from something other than me walking across the field in the heat. I must have been a sight. My hair, I knew, was a curly brown mess all over the place. I had tried it once I started working, but anyone with curly hair knows that it will not be tamed.

“Wid ye lik’ dinner ?” he asked.

That caught me off guard? 

“How do you know how to drive a tractor?” He asked, looking into my eyes, and he swallowed back whatever else he was going to say.

His tone is different. “Just because I am from New York does not mean I grew up there. I was raised on a farm, and I know my way around equipment.” 

He seemed to have more respect for me now. Without waiting for my yes for dinner, he walked towards the house, and I followed. Looking at his walk and how he held himself, you can see that he was a man who knew who he was and was confident in who he is.

He held the door open to the house, and at a glance, I could tell that an older person decorated the house. It does not seem like something that I would see in a late twenty, almost thirty-year-old would live in.

He caught me assessing and said, “This wis mah fowk hame, ‘n’ ah didnae see th’ need tae chaynge anything.” 

“I did not say…”

“Lassy. yer eyes said a lot in a short period o’ time. Are ye sure yer cut oot tae be a reporter? yi”ll need tae wirk oan yer poker face.”

Again, he caught me off guard, and I started to laugh.

“Th’ bath is up th’ stairs to the richt if yi’ll want tae freshen up. Food will be ready in a bit.”

Conversations and Time

We talked into the night. He gave me the interview, and then we just talked about how hard life is on a farm, how people judge you when you do not act as people expect. He pulled out a bottle of gin. He said he liked the notes of elderberry and flowers in it. Made from a local distillery. 

He offered, and I nodded yes. Then things started to turn in another direction. I noticed things that I had tried to avoid. He had hair with a red hue at the tips, and his nose had a slight deviation to it, which made him look hard, not soft. His lips were neither thin nor full. A pair of lips that held a promise to be hard yet tender.

The conversation turned to Is thare someone waiting fur you in New York”?” then “Tis late, ye kin bade in a guest bedroom.”

There is one thing about me. I don’t like wasting time on trivial things, like the “I want to get to know you.” I knew I was attracted the moment he yelled at me.

I stood up from the couch and moved to the lounge chair. I leaned over and kissed him. Caleb must have been alone for a while because he kissed me like I was water, and he hadn’t had a drink in a long time.

That night was more than just gin, but of longing for connection.

Bar

“Then what happened?” Elaine asked.

“We spent a week together, and he wanted me to stay. I said I wanted my career, and as hard as it was, he let go.” I told them.

“Girl, the way he is looking at you. He did not let you go.” Joni said

I glanced at Caleb and remembered our first night together, and I smiled.

“Choose him,” Elaine said

“Don’t you dare. You got three other shot glasses, and I need the stories behind those.” Alex said. Sebastian second.

This was going to be a long night.