Page 25 of Lakeside Little
The ranch had a little map on a visitor’s board that signposted all the areas, from the owner’s nice, big fancy house to all the different animals kept on the land. As well as a swanky looking guest house.
We met Jace again who was giving the tours around the ranch, showing off the goats who were snatching oats right out of palms, going to town with their tongues. Jack took part and immediately rescinded his hand the moment the tongue touched his palm, recoiling and pretending to vomit.
“You gotta feed them, otherwise they’ll just headbutt ya,” Jace chuckled. “They’re the only real animals that will interact with people; all the others will give a wide berth.”
There were also ducks and rabbits around which we learned they hadn’t actively sought out, but they’d made their homes on the land and had become part of the ranch. Jack pulled out his backpack to take his dolls and make content. I sought out the store. It was a small building, centrally located that almost looked like a silo more than anything with a large chimney shape coming off it.Inside the building, there was no sign that the chimney was connected to it. Possibly a reconstruction with access to it removed. It always fascinated me as to how people changed the buildings around them.
Shelves of yarn and eggs, and fridges stocked with milk, butter, and cheese. But there were no plushies.
“Hey, how are you finding Wilde Ranch?” the woman behind the counter asked. I recognized her as being with Jace at the event in town from the weekend “It’s been a busy one today.”
“It’s a beautiful place,” I told her. “But I saw you in Pineberry a couple days ago. I was wondering if you were selling any of those plushies, you know, the—”
She cooed, turning her back on me while holding her pointer finger out. “I haven’t unpacked them, so give me just one moment.” She dug into a large bag behind the counter. “These are all made by hand from the alpaca fibers we collected here. Did you meet them? They’re adorable.” She moved from behind the counter, dragging the bag.
“Yeah, they were being swarmed. Are they the ones that spit?” I asked.
“Yes,” she chuckled.
“So, it’s the llamas that don’t spit.”
“Oh no, they both spit, although we’ve never owned llamas,” she said. “Anyway, you can look through these if you like. Did you see anything in particular you wanted?”
Most of the plushies in the bag were alpacas of varying sizes and colors. I picked one of the medium-sized ones out ina rainbow colorway. I should’ve asked Jack beforehand, but I felt like this one spoke to me. It was maybe even the first thing I’d ever bought that was rainbow colored. There was a tingle, a thrill, it was exciting to buy it.
I also bought some goat cheese as well since Jack had pulled a face, I wanted to make something for him that would make him think again about it. It was my job, after all, to open him up to new things, especially things he was missing out on.
Jack was by the alpacas, his big eyes just glared at the grazing animals while little kids around him screamed, running around them like they were going to spit. The warning was up on the wooden fencing. He looked relieved to see me as I walked toward him.
“Where are you dolls?”
“The alpacas looked at them like they were going to eat them, so I got my pictures and then put them back in my bag,” he said, slowing down as he locked onto the plastic bag in my hand. “What’s in there?”
“A surprise,” I said, although technically it wasn’t.
“I like surprises.”
“Do you really?”
“Ok, no, not really. But I think I’ll like this one,” he said.
I reached in, passing the plushie and grabbed the container of goat’s cheese. “I heard you can do so many things with these.”In the store, Martha, Jace’s mother had told me how they use the cheese to make pastries and tarts. I told her I’d give it a go, but for me, I’d already planned on trying my hand at pizza, I knew it was good on pizza.
“No, no, not that,” he said. “The other thing.”
“I think I might have gotten the wrong thing now.” I put the cheese back and pulled the plushie out.
Jack gasped, grabbing it and squeezing it to his chest. If he wasn’t careful, this too would end up becoming scraps offabric and fibers in his hand too. “Oh my god, I love it!” He rubbed it against his cheek. “This is the one I wanted.”
“Really?”
“It’s a rainbow!”
It was a rainbow, and like a rainbow after a storm, that’s just who Jack was in my life, bringing me color and joy. I was going to cling to him and give him whatever he needed as long as I was rewarded with those smiles and the just as intense full body embraces. It renewed me.
11. JACK
Nobody bought me gifts, I hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time, and when it came to birthdays and Christmas, my folks just direct deposited and told me to buy whatever I needed. The last real time I was given gifts was by my grams, the whole reason I got into playing with dolls, and not action heroes either. She bought me my first, it was a Barbie, and she came with all these accessories and outfits. I was only allowed to play with her at my grams’ house because I think she thought my father would’ve been mad. He wasn’t, he was never mad. I think more than anything, when my obsession came to light, it made me easier to buy for growing up.
