The events written below are true and happened between September of 2015 - August of 2016, at a guest ranch.
THE INTERVIEW:
I take a deep breathe. The sun was high in the sky, shining bright through the cracked windshield of my car. I lean back into my seat, waiting for the time I needed to go in, I take another drag of my cigarette, nervous as hell while waiting. I check the time again, 12:45. Fifteen more minutes. It was a warm September day, and I had just moved back to my home town after a couple years away. It was strange starting my life over again in a town I had once dreaded, but you can never really run from your demons, you can only hide for a little while. I look around again, taking all the scenery in. I look to my right and see The Sign, the sign I would come to dread in the following months. "Whispering Willow Guest Ranch" Was burned across a giant wooden wall, it looked so beautiful, the ranch looked peaceful with the animals, almost like a piece of heaven tucked away outside of town. It was finally time to go inside, I slide out of the drivers seat, check my makeup one last time in the mirror, with another deep breathe I head towards the office.
I walk in and the smell of dust hits me, I see two old desks hiding in the corner of the small room, a pair of swinging doors blocking the entrance to another room with a small sign that says Employees Only". Four tall shelves filled with jams, jellies, and dry mixes covered the remaining walls. "Hello?" I call out, standing in front of the desk nearest to the door. The swinging doors open and a mans head pops out. "Hi, can I help you?" He asks wearing an apron and cowboy boots. "I-I'm here for my interview" I say with a stammer, "My names Roxie, Roxie Harth". "Oh okay, my name is Matthew, let me get the boss" He said as he emerges from the hidden room. "Take a seat" gesturing to the chair behind the second desk and disappears out the door. I grow more nervous with every minute that passed, the old office chair squeaked with the slightest move. The bells on the door chimed as She walked in, I stood up to greet her.
"Hi, I'm Roxie, I called yesterday inquiring about employment." I say with as much confidence as I can work up. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sherrie, the owner of Whispering Willow Ranch." She says extending out her hand to be shaked. "Please have a seat." I give her a slight smile and take my previous position on the squeaky office chair, Sherries face was that of an old woman, she looked to be about in her early seventies, her hair had turned gray but had bits of blond were left in it. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a shirt with a picture of running horses printed on the front, a plaid long sleeve over the top, covering her arms. "So, do you have any experience working on a ranch?" She asks. Great, I don't. Fuck what do I say? Do I lie? No, don't lie, that'll look worse. I think as my mind races, "Honestly I don't, but I've worked many jobs with no experience and I've learned how to do them very well in just a few days." I answer, surprised by my own confidence. She seemed pleased with that answer. "Do you like horses?" She asked as her second question. Odd but okay? "I use too, but I haven't ridden in a long time and not really into it anymore." I answer honestly. "Good, when can you start?" She asks with a cheerful voice. "Whenever you like!" I say excitedly.
DAY ONE: I arrive thirty minutes before my scheduled time, parking in the same spot I did the day before, I was nervous to start my first day at a new place, with new people. I glanced up at and noticed the sky was overcast and it made the ranch look a bit dull. The man who greeted me yesterday was now on a tractor hauling hay to some animals behind a building. Deep breathe, it'll be okay. "I know that!" I say to myself aloud trying to calm down.
When I walk through the office door, people were buzzing around, unlike yesterday, today seemed like it was going to be hectic. I knock on the swinging doors and a woman came out. She had long, dark brown hair, she was short but slender, her eyes were a bright green and she was very tanned. "I'm Amy, I'm suppose to be training you today." She said very cheerfully.
"Hi, my names Roxie, nice too meet you." I say trying to sound more enthusiastic and less nervous. I followed Amy around the building, through doors to other rooms. "This is the dining room." Amy said signaling to go through a door I hadn't notice the day before. The room was big, Old tables and chairs scattered around, there was an older woman with a clip board at the other end. "This is Pam, Pam this is Roxie." Amy said, introducing us to each other. Pam was taller than I'd thought as she grew closer to me, "Hows it going?" She asked me, Pam was older but seemed fairly young for her age, she had light orangeish blond hair, she wore the brightest blue eye shadow I've ever seen but it matched her just as bright eyes. She was wearing cowboy boots but that was all the western themed attire she had on. After being shown the bar located around the corner, I followed Amy outside. The sun was starting to peak and the sky seemed to be a little more brighter than before. "So what do you think about it so far? Amy asked me. "It seems like a great place to work." I answer with a smile. I follow her out towards a pasture where four cabins were hidden, she goes up to the first one to unlock it. We step inside and was greeted by boxes, boxes stacked up taller than both of us combined. "What is this?" I ask curiously. "Its one of the cabins we rent out, during the off season we use them as storage." Amy answered. "I know you're new here, but you'll learn fast that Pam is not your friend." She added What? Why is she telling me this? I ask myself. "Okay?" I half-assed questioned her, she continues. "Nobody lasts here long, its like this place is cursed or something, but nobody lasts here longer than a week." "Whys that?" I ask, Is she trying to scare me to get me to leave? Almost as if she didn't hear me, she changes the subject. "Someone committed suicide over there." She said, pointing out the window to a small house off in the distance. "Haha you're kidding, right?" I chuckle a little as I say that. "If that were true, than it would've been all over the news!" "No, I'm not. I'm just warning you, that's the kind of power Sherrie has."
DAY FOUR:
Sherrie was a sweet old lady, stressed? Yes but why was Amy telling me all that? I thought trying to shake the other day off, but it kept on creeping back. I pushed the words out of my mind and made my way towards the kitchen behind the swinging doors. I dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt because today my task was to deep clean the kitchen, right away I got started. Nobody came in for almost twenty minutes but I was enjoying the silence. As I was moving a big tub of flour off the shelf, Sherrie came in, coffee mug in hand. "Good morning." She said through a yawn. "Morning" I replied, setting the container off to the side and began scrubbing the shelf it sat on. "What are you wearing?" Sherrie asked abruptly. "My cleaning clothes."I replied with confusion, as Sherrie told me to wear clothes that could get ruined the day before. "No, no, no." She began, "This is a western themed ranch, and I can't have guests see you wearing that!" Sherrie exclaimed, making me jump back a little bit. I looked at her in complete shock. "You said yesterday-" "No." She interrupted. "I didn't, you're mistaken." What? No I'm not! She continued "Don't dress like that again, if you can't follow the rules, than don't bother coming back."
I finished cleaning the kitchen and snuck away for a smoke break. I hid behind one of the storage sheds and found an old bucket to sit on. What the fuck? I thought as I lit the cancer stick, upset at what Sherrie had said earlier. What if Amy was right? What if she really is crazy?... No, no, she probably just forgot. "Probably." I agreed with myself aloud. She handled it very unprofessionally though. "Maybe I should find somewhere else to work?" I ask myself. No, don't do that, you won't find another job fast enough to cover bills. "Fuck, that's right." I mouth as I grudgingly stand up to go back inside.
"Hey!" Amy exclaimed as I walked through the door, the bell jingled slightly as I gently closed it. "Whats up?" I ask as I make my way into the kitchen. "Well." She began, "I was wondering if you want to do me a favor?" She asks. "Uhh sure?" I reply. "I gotta take off early, can you finish for me?" She asks, looking at me with eagerness and excitement. "Yeah, that'll be okay, what do you need finished?" I asked a little flustered at the thought of working another minute, but I was still new and didn't want to come off as 'lazy'. "Well-" She began, "I was just starting on one of the orders-" She cut off, Okay? Why is she taking so long to spit it out? I ask myself waiting for her eyes to quit shifting around the room, She seems nervous... I thought while watching her. When the coast seemed to be clear enough for her, she began again "I started on a order that's a few months late and I know your new and Sherrie wouldn't like that I'm asking you this, but I really need to leave to go pick up Marie from the baby sitter." She sounded anxious at this point. I nodded in understatement, "Go, I got this." I told her. "Thank you!" She exclaimed once again and headed out the door.
I headed through the swinging doors into the kitchen. The recipe book was laid out on the table in the center of the room, the sinks were located across from where I was standing. The stove was behind me on the far left corner, next to it a plastic storage bin with drawers. On the other side of that was the refrigerator. Most of the counters have already filled back up during my break. I looked at the page Amy was on, "Okay, Huckleberry Deer Bread." I say out loud to myself, I gather the ingredients listed and begin. A couple hours fly by and I'm in the middle of sealing the last bags I had filled when Sherrie made an appearance in the kitchen. "Oh you're still here?" She asks surprised to see me in the kitchen alone. "Yeah I'm covering for Amy while she picks her kid up." I answer, it was nearing seven-O-clock by this point and I was a quarter away from finishing the order. "Oh, well you can take off if you like, Amy can clean the kitchen in the morning." She says cheerfully. "Are you sure?" I asked cautiously, remembering our encounter this morning. "Yeah it'll be fine." She said in a much less enthusiastic tone. Okay then.. My mind began to wonder as always, I guess I'll go.. "Okay" I mutter, as I began to gather up my purse and clock out. "See you tomorrow!" I call into the kitchen, "Night!"
I make my way towards my rustic piece of shit, the sun was barely in the sky when I started my car. I began backing out and pulling away, my cassette tape rumbling as it rewound, the white noise filled my car. Feeling relaxed I started to think about what Amy had said the first day I was there.
OCTOBER;
Sherrie was frantically running around, papers were gathered in her arms and falling faster than she could gather them. "We have to get ready for The Denver Trade Show!" She yelled. I went over to help her organize the papers she had given up on retrieving from the floor. "Whats a trade sho-" I began to ask, Sherrie seemed to not have heard me as she walked over to her desk and flopped down with a frustrated sigh."I have a lot of things to do, I don't have time for stupid questions!" She began, by this point I grew accustomed to her rants, but this one seemed to be a new level I haven't seen before, Oh shit, not again, I thought as I waiting on the eruption that was about to follow. "I need people to do their jobs, I can't stand here and do it for you!" She started to yell. Amy and Matthew emerged from the kitchen. Pam, who was taking some of the jams off the shelf and packing them away, stopped and looked up to watch as Sherrie continued. "I have a lot on my plate and it's not my job to babysit!" Amy seemed to have grown numb to this and frankly I was starting too as well. I make product, I clean, I do all the extra stuff nobody seems to want to do. What is she talking about? I asked myself, I began to turn away to finish organizing the bread shelf when she started up again.
"Don't turn away from me! Nobody turns their back to me ever!" She said through gritted teeth. "I-I'm sorry." I stammer out, "I was just g-going to finish this." I say gesturing towards the shelf that was half finished, WHAT.THE.FUCK! Leave now, this is bullshit! "No, I'm tired of being taken advantage of by people like you!" She yelled at me, "And another thing!" She turned towards Amy, "When I expect you here, you better be here! No more of this swapping bullshit!" Before I, or anyone could respond, she got up, slapped the remaining papers on her desk and walked out. Amy went back into the kitchen, Matthew followed. I stood there staring at the floor trying to figure out what the hell happened. Pam came over to me and began to say, "Shes under a lo-" but I interrupted to ask if I could leave, Pam agreed that it would be best and I went home.
THE NEXT DAY: I called in that morning, Sherrie didn't answer, but a man did. I lied and told him that my car wasn't starting, which was very believable with the way it looked. After a disappointed, 'not this again' sigh, he told me he would relay the message to the boss. At first I was relieved, I went back to sleep, I lounged around for a few hours. But my mind kept on going back to that place, I've only been there a month and already it's been a pain to work at! I thought, I mean what the fuck, what is wrong with this woman? I asked myself but couldn't answer. I dialed Coles number into my cell. "Hey hows everything at your new job?" He asked excitedly. I lied and told him that everything was fine despite how I was really feeling. "When are you coming to visit?" I asked him, hoping it would be soon. Cole was recently attending college a few towns away and it was the first time in three years that we were living apart.
"I don't know, maybe in a week?" He responded with a question, Well that's helpful, I thought sarcastically. "Okay, will you let me know soon, so I can let my boss know ahead of time?" Not that it would make a difference, not after yesterday.
"Yeah, I'll let you know by tonight." He said. After our usual 'I love yous'. We hung up and I laid back into my bed, feeling stressed and bored, not wanting to waste my 'day off', I got up and took off to my sister's house. When I arrived, she was having a party, not a huge party but there was a gathering of people, her friends. I walked into the living room to a bunch of people sitting in a circle passing around a bong. I planted my ass between her and her roommate Jesse, she handed me the bong and I took a huge hit. It had been years since I had gotten high, but I was stressed, I just needed something to help me relax. I coughed hard as it was burning my throat, but I felt better.
"Hows it going up there?" She asked, meaning Whispering Willow Ranch. "Not good, Sherrie's fucking nuts!" I say through small coughs. "Yeah I know, people have told me things about that place." Megan said, the bong was handed to me again but I just passed it without taking another hit. "What do you mean?" I asked curiously. "Well I tried working there last year, and well Sherrie tried to keep me from leaving." She stopped to take another hit. "She tried to get Matthew?... Yeah Matthew, to stop me from getting into my truck." Oh my god "Oh my god." I said, "So what happened?" "Well obviously I left." She said through a giggle. No shit Sherlock.
Megan changed the subject after that, I was mind fucked at this point and couldn't believe what I was hearing, and I stuck around so I wouldn't be alone, I was relaxed and I was enjoying being surrounded by people. When I got home that night, I let my dog out to use the bathroom. I lit a cigarette as I stood there and waited for her to find the perfect spot to go on. It was about 9:30PM, and my phone started ringing, Coles name popped up and I answered. "Hey." I said, "whats up?" "Hey, I'll be there on Friday. " He said. Oh thank God "Good, what time do you think you'll be here?"
I went back to work the next day, despite my gut feelings and what Megan had told me, I still believed Sherrie was a good person at heart. I walked into the office, to Sherrie sitting at her computer complaining about her program 'QuikBooks.' After I clocked in, I was walking towards the kitchen when she called out my name. "Roxie, do you know anything about computers?" She asked. "No, I'm not computer savvy." I responded honestly, I thought for sure she was going to start yelling again but she didn't. She responded with an "Oh." Just then I got a bright idea, Cole! Cole know's computers! "But my fiance does." I start. Her eyes lit up, "I didn't know you were married!" She exclaimed. No, I'm engaged. But I didn't correct her, I continued. "He'll be in town on Friday and can look at your computer if you want too." I say.
I start mixing flour and other ingredients in a pot when Amy came in, "So." She started, as I'm measuring out three cups of parsley and pouring them in. "Why would you tell Sherrie I left to go party the other day?" She asked clearly upset. I was confused and turned to face her, "No, I never said that." I responded, very confused at this whole situation. Amy was now on the other side of the table and she was watching as I was mixing the parsley in. "Well I had a talk with her the other night and she said that you told her I asked you to cover me to go party." She said in a angry tone. What? No, that's not what I fucking said! "No, I told her you were going to pick up your kid." I said in a matter of fact tone. Seriously? What the fuck? "Oh okay, I guess." She said with skepticism, but left it alone at that.
A woman I haven't seen before came into the kitchen minutes later, Amy seemed excited and introduced us, "Susan, this is Roxie, Roxie this is Susan. She's our live in vet." "Hi, nice to meet you." I say, Susan was short, skinny, and had a hat on but I could see a knotted pony tail underneath, she had no makeup on and I swore she was in her late twenty's, so too young to be an experienced vet.
"She lives in the mobile home." Amy informed me. Gesturing with her head towards where the trailer sat. "Oh cool." I say, then why the hell haven't I seen her until now? I turn on some music and start focusing on my work. Matthew appears a little while later and puts on an apron, "So you're engaged huh?" He asks, as he makes his way around the kitchen to gather the things he needs to can. "Yeah." I say as I'm wiping down the counter and putting away the ingredients from my last project. "Oh nice." He says, before continuing "So are you saving yourself for marriage, or what?" The fuck? "What?" I ask, surprised. "Never mind, it was a stupid question." He says before changing the subject. "You know Amy and I are going to be engaged soon." I didn't know they were dating? I think before I respond. "Oh congrats" I say with as much interest as I would give a dead fish.
"Thanks" He says in monotone, his face blank. "You know, I never wanted to settle down, but I guess you have too eventually." Why is he telling me this? I didn't respond, I started on another project and the kitchen filled with the sound of the radio playing in the back ground. "So did you wear that shirt because you knew I would be working with you?" He said, flashing me a smile. I looked at him in confusion, and realized I was wearing a low cut shirt. "N-no?" I responded. "Well I like it, looks good on you." He said before turning towards the stove. Okay?
I didn't respond, I didn't know how to respond. It was just thrown out there and my brain had a hard time grasping what he was trying to say. "You have to be 'experienced' with men" He began again. "That's really none of your business." I say with a light tone to ease the message of Shut the fuck up. But he didn't get the hint and continued. "Yeah I bet your one of those girls that get offended with these kinds of questions" He said mockingly. What does he mean by that? "No, I barely know you and don't think its a good idea to talk about this stuff while at work." "Well why don't we get to know each other better?" He says in a whisper, pouring some kind of berries in a pot. I stood just a few feet away, sealing the last of the bags, the kitchen filled with flour from top to bottom. I was finishing the last bag when he came closer. "Well?" He asked, more serious than before.
Uhhhhhh, what, what is he talking about? No! I need to leave and go take a break before this escalates any further.I thought "I'll be back." I say, stepping back and slipping out the swinging doors before he could say anything else. It was almost five O clock by this time, and the sun was just setting in the distance. I hid in my usual spot and lit a cigarette. Please, please, please be gone before I go back in. I thought to myself, but I knew he wouldn't be. The whole thing was surreal and out of nowhere. I just kept on wishing Friday would come sooner.
After I was done, I went back into the kitchen and to my bitter-sweet relief, Amy was standing there talking to Matthew, it looked as if they were arguing. Not my business, just finish up and leave. An awkward silence had filled the air. Amy had turned towards me and broke the silence I was enjoying, "Sounded like you two were having fun in here?" She asked with a forced smile. No, your boyfriend was the one having "fun" I wanted to say but didn't. "No? We were just talking" I say looking her in the eye. "See, I told you, nothing fishy." He breaks in. Amy looked at him and then me, I was thinking I should run for the door, because bitches be crazy, and the knives are just above her head. "Alright." She said, starring at me, giving me a cold look, but I just nod, hoping that would signal to her that I understood. The kitchen was silent after that, which I preferred over the alternative.
I cleaned up and clocked out for the day. I got to my car before Matthew could finish his conversation with me, I felt a weight lift from me as soon as my tires were off the property
Submitted March 14, 2017 at 06:40PM by PM_ME_UR_RECIPES_PLZ http://ift.tt/2mnFxFh PointlessStories
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