Page 7 of The Auction
Herb scowled at the sheriff’s interruption. Daddy never did like the law much. Said they were always interfering in people’s business.
“Looking to see if there’re any single men out there who might want to marry my daughter. Comes with the farm and house.”
“How much?”
The question came from someone who had still been gathered for the auction, but it was followed by a bunch of people laughing.
Because they thought it was a joke.
Of course they did. Father announcing his daughter was for sale.
So funny!
“Herb,” the sheriff said under his breath. “This isn’t right. You can’t just…”
It seemed Sheriff Barling was at a loss for what this was.
Auction me off.
That was the phrase he was going for. That’s what he was struggling to wrap his brain around.
“Open to any offers,” Herb said into the mic. “She’s a good cook, regular church goer and you can see she’s nothard on the eyes. But you must be willing to take on the farm.”
“Herb,” Sheriff Barling said, this time a little more sharply. “What’s the matter with you? Why are you-”
“Cancer,” he snapped back. Enough that the mic picked that up, too.
I watched as people starting paying more attention. Like a reality TV show was being played out in front of them all in real time. The women were beginning to look horrified. Thankfully, the men all still thought it was a joke.
No humiliation was spared as I watched Kevin walk out of the hardware store, rubbing his hands on his apron as people started whispering amongst each other and pointing up toward the stage where the auctioneer had stood just minutes ago taking bids for horses.
“My time is up,” Herb told the sheriff. “Want to see my girl married, the farm in good hands. What’s your problem?”
“This isn’t how it’s done,” Sheriff Barling said. “A lot of the people in town today aren’t from around here. They’re strangers. You don’t know who-”
“A hundred dollars!” A smiling man, someone I didn’t know, held up some cash in his hands.
“Two hundred dollars!” Another man called out, wanting in on the fun.
I looked out over the crowd and saw Kevin approaching.
“Juliette?” he said, when he was close enough. I was standing on the two foot tall stage that had been constructed for the auction, but I could still hear him.
I shook my head tightly.
“You’re Connelly’s boy,” Herb said, pointing down at Kevin. “Don’t bother bidding, son. Already know you ain’t planning on farming.”
“Juliette, what the heck is happening?” he asked me. “Come down off that stage.”
“She’ll stay where she is. And her name’s Miss Clarke, son. Best you move along,” Herb told him.
“Is this real?” a woman in the crowd called out, getting agitated. “Is this even legal?”
That’s what I said!
“Legal,” Herb snarled. “Of course it’s legal. The girl’s twenty years old and looking for a man. We were in some dang city, she’d be using the internet to find a husband. At least this is in person.”
“You can’t take money for your daughter,” the woman charged. I think she owned the hair salon in town. Although I’d never been.
