"He Quit Everything to Come Home. She Never Left."

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I’m delighted to share chapters 1 and 2 with you….

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Peter Gunderson’s fingers held the top of his locker door, unable to let go. His eyes searched the empty space one last time. He removed the Yoda sticker from the door and latched it shut. A grin crept up as that log had a child snuck into his mind. The We’ll-Miss-You sign, colored in by Kaitlyn Monroe and Tina Halverson was taped to the wall. He couldn’t help but smile as his eyes slid over the various items, he’d been so familiar with the last three years— stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, IV poles, syringes. All symbols of times of caring. Times of pranks.

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat. Daniel pulled him close, his elbow crooked around Peter’s neck.

“Stay out of trouble!”

He released him. Like Peter was going to get into any trouble now without the Invincibles. He pulled off his name tag and key card and laid them next to his vocera on the charge nurse’s desk.

“You know they’ll always take you back. You know, like if you change your mind,” Kaitlyn said.

Peter thought back to the many mistakes he had made in the past three years. Nah, taking him back was never going to happen. He shrugged on his Carhart jacket over his scrubs covered in John Deere tractors that Kaitlyn’s mom had made for him and started down the hall.

“Game night at my house Tuesday,” Tina called.

He turned and gave her a slight nod, knowing that that part of his life was behind him.

Outside he looked up one last time at the lit Mercy Hospital sign, placed his helmet on his head and straddled his motorcycle. He started his old friend and sped away. He needed to get home to his mom. Her fibromyalgia was preventing her from the passions of her life, and he wasn’t going to let anything interfere with being there for her. This time.

He sped down I-5 thankful that it wasn’t raining and not much traffic. What could he have done for her, really, when their house burned? He had been finishing his final studies for the NCLEX when their house caught on fire and there was no way he could leave. Well, now he’d make up for it. She’d see.

The summer sun had dried the soil around the farm, causing dust to fly as Olivia hopped off her 4-wheeler. As she dusted off her jeans, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She glanced at the screen. Peter’s goofy face, his bangs falling over his eyes, his crooked smile. Huh? He hadn’t been home in over a year. More than that, come to think of it. Had she forgotten about an occasion coming up?

Olivia scanned the five-acre flower field, her pink baseball cap shielding her eyes from the bright sun.

“Evelyn?”

“Over here, Olivia.” Her blonde hair was covered with a straw hat, and she held pruners in gloved hands. As Olivia walked to her, she took in the beauty of the plethora of flower varieties and colors.

“I could use some help. These dahlias need to be dead-headed.”

The fragrance of the blooms was nearly overpowering. Olivia snagged a pair of pruners from the shed and started clipping. The fading pinks and yellows towered above her five-foot five frame. She gazed across the long rows of breathtaking beauty, envious of the skill ensconced in the field. She was okay with digging holes and throwing in some bulbs. But what happened after that was anyone’s guess.

Evelyn had such talent with things that grew. And everyone in the valley knew it. They came from miles around for photo shoots and to buy her beautiful blooms and produce. Gunderson Farms had even been listed online as one of the top Oregon growers.

Evelyn looked up. “Why are the chickens squawking? Seems like they’re all riled up.”

Olivia turned to look where chickens were squawking and scattered everywhere. A loose pig ran through them, with their border collie, Gus, on his heels.

“Oh no! I’ll go see what I can do.”

Oliva set down her clippers and ran toward the wayward animal. She gave a whistle, and Gus crouched low. The pig stopped, put his head down to snuffle in the grass. She walked towards him, one slow, quiet step at a time, but as soon as he looked up he was off again, followed by the border collie, crouching down to herd the wayward pig.

“Gus, you’re worthless when it comes to pigs!”

Jake rounded the corner. “Hey, what’s going on? Here, let me help you!”

Her boyfriend ran towards them and stopped outside the fence.

She strolled towards the back of the pig hoping he’d stay there a moment longer. The pig snorted as his nose grubbed in the grass. She gave a lunge and grabbed its hind leg, skidding along behind him. Jake strode over, his muscular shoulders taut and ready.

“Here, I’ve got him,” he said.

She gave him a look that would cause a ripe cornstalk to instantly shrivel. It was enough to make him hold up his hands in surrender.

Peter pulled up and parked in the driveway. He removed his helmet and replaced it with a ball cap. The smell of fresh cut hay caught him. In the distance, he could see his father on the John Deere slowly making his way in circles, the mower leaving cut golden alfalfa laying strewn behind it. He remembered sitting on that tractor on his dad’s lap, learning the ways of the machine.

“You start the engine like this,” his dad would say. “Be careful not to….”

He was allowed to choose the music in the glassed-in cab— Raffi or sometimes KidSongs. They would change the words and sing Bumping up and down in our big green tractor, till our work is done.

The tractor would hum its way through the fields. Peter’s gaze travelled from the field to the greenhouse next to the cooling room where buckets of flowers were sorted and stored, ready for his mom’s stand at the weekly produce market. Peter had been glad there had been a commotion and no one had looked up as he approached. He could surprise his mom this way.

He scanned the flower field and saw Evelyn’s sunhat. It took only a few steps in that direction to realize what all the turmoil was about. Olivia. Right where he would expect her to be— in the middle of some pandemonium. He watched the pig scenario. Gus squatting on the ground, black ears back and eyes eager. Olivia grabbing the pig’s hind leg with her good arm as it squealed to high heaven. Jake jumping in to save the damsel. Olivia giving him that look. Jake holding up both hands in surrender, frowning and shaking his head. Peter’s mouth turned up in a grin.

He turned back to the flower field and searched for his mom. Seeing her standing between two rows of red and purple mums, he snuck up behind her and put his arms around her waist. She jumped and turned.

“Peter! What are you doing here?”

She grabbed hold of his forearms. “What’s the occasion? We haven’t seen you since forever!”

“Hi Mama.” He grinned. “More than a day off. I quit my job today and am going to stay here and help you and dad out.”

She waved her hand like she was swatting flies. “You quit your job? Why in the world would you do that? Nursing is a good job!”

“Yeah, I know. The patients will be better off without me. I wasn’t really cut out for it anyway. I’d be better off being here with you guys taking some of the load off.”

He moved his hands to her shoulders, holding her eyes.

“And you and I both know that your health isn’t that great. I want to be here to help you do as much as you can, so you’re not overwhelmed.”

“Does Ross know you’re here?” Peter squinched up his nose, making his eyes wrinkle.

“Okay— so obviously you and your dad have been scheming. Well, judging by the sun, it must be getting close to dinner time. Let’s go see what we can wrestle up.”

“Men!” Olivia leaned against the pig pen with her hip and latched the gate. I do not need to be rescued. I’m a strong independent woman. If there’s something I can’t accomplish, I’ll ask. She reached over and scratched the top of the pig’s head before it snuffled away. Animals were so much easier to be around. They didn’t have expectations. Or jump in to try to fix things.

She reached out and gently picked up the grey kitty that walked the top of the fence towards her. “Hello, Miss Molly. What did you think of all that chaos?”

She snugged her soft, thick fur under my neck. Molly purred and her sandpaper tongue licked her chin.

“See, you don’t care if I’ve only got a stump.”

She had never known life with two hands. Really never thought about it. That is, unless someone thought she needed them to step in to rescue her.

“I do alright on my own, don’t you think? I certainly don’t need some guy stepping in thinking they’re all that. Gotta put you down now sweet kitty.”

The cat jumped out of her arms and ran between the hay bales. Olivia had looked for the rest of the litter when she found the tiny, scraggly kitten taking shelter from the pouring rain under the deck. She never found the rest of the litter or the mama cat. She had put the shaking little thing into a shoebox, lined with an old flannel pillowcase and fed it with the tiniest baby bottle, one droplet at a time until it gained strength.

Olivia settled onto the four-wheeler and started towards home. Working at her neighbor’s farm had been a godsend. Olivia’s last job ended surreptitiously coinciding with Peter’s dad, Ross asking her to help Evelyn out at the farm. Saying yes was an easy choice. She wasn’t a stranger to this place. After all, she’d spent many hours here hanging out with Peter and his family. And this job gave her the flexibility to study for her accounting courses, which would lead to a job with benefits.

A job that should make her parents happy. She had thought of all sorts of jobs she could do— barista, technical support hotline, a fitness trainer, a marketing specialist. In the end, she chose accounting. It was solid and safe.

She pulled up in front of the home where she grew up. The single-story white house had four pillars framing the entrance. Large picture windows provided views of the neighboring farm. Her dad rode a riding lawn mower, earbuds in, presumably listening to his favorite podcast, Stuff You Should Know or This American Life. He always kept the lawn manicured and the bordering boxwoods, azaleas and hydrangeas trimmed and weed free.

It might be time to start thinking about moving out of her parents’ home. She was, after all, turning twenty-nine soon. And Peter. He was coming home? They were close growing up, but when he left for nursing school, it seemed he had pretty much forgotten about his family. Olivia had relayed his occasional texts or snapchats to Evelyn to keep them in the loop.

She stepped into the kitchen and walked to the stove where she lifted the lid on the cast iron Dutch oven releasing smells of garlic, beef, and onions. Nicole, the best mom in the world, walked in.

“Hey Mom, smells delicious.”

Nicole gave her a side hug. “Thanks. I made a big pot. I invited the Gundersons to join us. You know Peter’s home, right?”

Nicole side eyed me. She did know. And it caused her cheeks to redden and involuntary butterflies to swirl. What would Peter think of Jake?

“Yeah, he texted and said he was coming. When did he get here? I was just over there and didn’t see him.”

“Today, I guess. Apparently, he quit his job and is sticking around to help Evelyn with the business.”

Yep, that would be Peter. Always looking out for someone else. But quit his job? It seemed like he loved it there. Then again, thinking back on his posts, maybe he just loved his zany coworkers. She looked at a large, framed collage hanging on the wall— photos of her coming in first across the 1000-meter finish line in track, her with my swim team wearing a first-place medal for an 800-meter freestyle, and her as team captain of her soccer league. She wasn’t sure she would have accomplished any of these if my parents hadn’t pushed her. They were under the assumption that a person needn’t have all their limbs to succeed in life.

Buck it up, buttercup. You can do this!

“Do you need help with anything?” Olivia took a dishrag and wiped the counter.

“Nah, there’s already a fruit salad in the fridge and rolls are in the oven. They’ll be over in about an hour.”

Good. Just enough time for her to create a YouTube post. She entered her bedroom and shut the door. She had started a channel talking people through living with one hand. Some basic how-tos about living life. Like how to put your hair in a pony. Or putting toothpaste on your brush. You know, ordinary living.

Today she’d share about catching the pig. She sure wished she had some footage of it. A chuckle escaped. The look on Jake’s face when she shooed him off. Priceless. There was a signature knock on the door, and she put her computer to sleep. She checked herself in the mirror. Glanced at the tiny card peeking out from behind it. The one that had Baby girl, 6/1/93, missing hand scrawled on it. She slipped a hair tie over her fingers, gathered her long hair, and twisted it into a rope and then slid the tie over her hair at the nape of her neck.

Not that Peter would care. He was just that way— take her for who she was. She hadn’t seen Peter for almost two years. The tingle of excitement surprised her.

“Peter!”

“Olivia! Hey gorgeous!” He walked up to her; arms open wide and enveloped her into a warm embrace. She pulled away and placed her hand in front of her like she was going to shake his. Then she glanced at him—a twinkle formed around his eyes. He grinned and placed his hands together, palms touching. He slapped the palm of her hand with his, then the back of her hand and returned to the front. She slapped his hand, below and then above. Together they snapped their fingers twice and both broke into laughter. Some things you never grew out of. Olivia couldn’t remember where they’d learned to do that, but it had become a ritual since grade school.

“What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in a million years!”

Peter glanced behind him. His mom and Nicole were catching up in the kitchen.

“I quit my job.” He lowered his voice. “I’m gonna help my mom with the farm. I don’t want her to feel like she has to give up her dreams. I just want to be here for her.”

“Well, she’ll be glad to have you. You know I’ve been working at the farm every day, right? Just trying to fill in the gaps.”

Peter shook his head. “Thank you. I know that means a lot to her.”

They walked down the hall to the kitchen where she handed Peter some plates as she grabbed the silverware. A fluid motion—just like old times. Olivia’s stomach gurgled at the mixture of familiar aromas and familiar voices, her dad’s signature hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, fresh corn from the field and blueberry cobbler. She was reminded that she had only scarfed down an apple earlier that day. Her dad, Cody, stepped between them and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders.

“Peter, nice to see you. I hear you’ll be around for a while.” Peter grinned and nodded. They sat, blessed the food, and dished up. Nicole scooped fruit salad onto her plate.

“I’m going to start volunteering at North Peaks Park working on their trails.”

“That sounds like fun.” Cody reached for a roll. “And probably a lot of work.”

“Yeah. I need something to do now that I quit my job.” Nicole looked at Olivia. “You might want to join me. Some mama-daughter time?”

Olivia shook her head. She had enough on her plate as it was.

“Maybe when my accountant classes are over.”

She wouldn’t mind volunteering with her mom. It would take away some of the stress. Just not right now.

Evelyn took a sip of her water. “I’m glad Peter will be here— that big flower festival is coming up and I can use all the help I can get.” Evelyn smiled at him. “There’s a lot to do to get ready, the least of which was to get a handle on those weeds.”

“Olivia, I’ll need you to get the bouquet buckets ready. And maybe you could be in charge of graphics—signs, stickers, postcards, price tags?”

“Yes, of course. I’d totally love that.”

Ross and Cody shared a glance. “What?”

She looked from one to the other and took a sip of her iced tea.

Ross shrugged. “It’s just nice to see you two. I feel like this is just one big happy family.”

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