Page 60 of Overdue I Love You's
“Well, thank you for letting us stay there, Mr…”
“Just Gabriel is fine. I don’t care much for formalities.”
“Just Gabriel,” I smile kindly. “I’m not exactly looking for love by being here.” I randomly add that last part, because that’s what everyone assumes you’re here for when they find out.
Gabriel purses his lips then shakes his head. “It’s not weird at all. Whether you’re here for love, money, or friendship. It’s an experience, right?”
I nod.
Both of us watch Lottie in silence.
She rests near the edge of the mountain. “Is she okay there? Should I get her?”
He shakes his head, hands now on his hips. “That girl will be the death of me, but she’s fine. She thinks she’s a pet dog and not a farm animal.” He’s smiling at her like a father smiles at their daughter. My chest pinches. “She’s a sweet girl, though.”
No doubt. “Is it okay if I pet her?”
“And feed into her delusions further?” He raises his brow before releasing an amused chuckle. “Go for it. Can I ask you to make sure she doesn’t run too much? One of her legs doesn't function, but she’s too stubborn to sit still.”
My heart breaks. “Can I ask what happened?”
“It’s common for mother cows to step on their children after birth. She didn’t see her below and stepped on one of her legs, but Lottie’s a fighter and doesn’t let it get to her.” he wipes his hand on his pants. “I’ll be inside finishing up some work, call me if she does anything atrocious.”
“What counts as atrocious?”
“Shitting.”
Greatway to lighten up the conversation. “Will do, sir.”
He saunters back into the barn, “It was nice meeting you. And Nova?” Gabriel then turns around, “Even if you’re not here looking for love, I hope you find something close to it.”
Part of my smile falls. The world doesn’t need to revolve around finding love. In my world, if you’re surrounded by it then that’s good enough.
I walk towards Lottie.
She’s sitting on her tiny butt, looking ahead at the sky.
Lottie huffs when she hears me approaching her but says nothing when I push down to my butt beside her. Only staring at me with her curious eyes. “Aren’t you a pretty baby,” I coo while running a hand down her back.
She’s perfect to me.
Lottie watches suspiciously until my palm rubs a spot that makes her eyes shut.
“Did you know,” the shadow of larger mountains illuminates at a distance. “Those mountains over there,” pointing at them. “Are the Swiss Alpines.” Lottie high pitches a moo, but it sounds like she understands me. “Poets like Wordsworth wrote about it—or I think he wrote about Mont Blanc, something like that.” I ramble. “But, Mary Shelley the author of Frankenstein and her husband, Percy Shelley wrote about it too. Byron had this journal…” I make motions with my hands trying to remember the name of it. “The Alpine journal where he wrote about the route and his journey to the Alps. It’s pretty cool,” I end with a scratch behind her ear. “You should read it sometime.”
She merely rumbles like she’d rather eat a lamb than read.
The buzz of excitement from knowledge I learned in University swoops away with the wind when I remember who I am again.
Nova Rivera,florist. No longer an English undergrad student. No longer holding the ability to coherently words off a page without wanting to pluck my eyeballs out.
Before the tears have the chance to invade a beautiful moment, I take my phone out of my pocket. Scroll through a dozen,call me, messages fromMa. Then, snap a picture of Lottie on my lap before sending it to Sunny.
Her face pops on my phone.
“Tell me why you’re not sleeping right now.”
“Because my best friend just sent me a pic ofa cow on her and I can’t function,” she sounds appalled. “Why is that thing just resting on you?”
