Page 62 of Run Away Home: Tempered

“It’s because I add maple. New recipe. You can tell him that.”

I smile. “Yeah, yeah. I will. Thanks.”

I start picking dirt out of my fingernails. I can tell the family’s watching me. I don’t look their way. I put my hands to my sides and clear my throat. I feel like an exhibit at one of those tourist attractions.

Why do outsiders find us so interesting? I get it, we live in a time-warp on a mostly uninhabited island. We’re a bunch of rockets. How embarrassing.

I look over at them and grin. The ma smiles back.

“Do you live here?” she asks in Gaelic.

Is she talking to me? “Uhm...Yes, I do. On Catanach farms, just about a mile North East from here.”

“It must be so peaceful. What a quaint little town!”

Quaint? How could anyone think that “quaint” is a nice way to describe someone’s entire world? I stop smiling.

“Aye...”

I turn back around to face Mr. Glas. He’s slicing my bread.

“We’re ‘glamping.’ Trying to live like the locals!” the ma adds. Glamping is the only English word she uses in that sentence...At least I think it’s English?

“Glamping?” I ask.

“We’re staying in camping pods on the beach under the stars.”

“Yeah. Sounds just like how us locals live.” I’m being snide and rude. I don’t care. I want to end this conversation.

“It’s nothing like the cities,” the girl adds.

I look over at her. She’s talking to me. Maybe I don’t want to end this conversation.

“Oh. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been to any of them.”

“You’ve never been to Edinburgh?”

“I’m lucky I’ve been to Castlebay.”

“Well, we’re from Glasgow. Have you been there?”

“No, never. I’ve never been off the islands.”

Mr. Glas walks back over to the counter and hands me my bag.

“Anything else, lad?”

“That’ll do it.”

I take my bread and pastries. I don’t pay him. Our farm has some sort of weird deal with his bakery. I don’t really know exactly what it is.

“Well, it was nice meeting you,” I say to the family.

The girl watches as I walk toward the door. Before I exit, I turn around to look at her once more. She really is a sight...So very lovely. I wave. She waves back. I sigh. I’m heading toward our farm once again.

Chapter Eleven

Danny

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