My Heart's in Alabama

6 - Kiersten

Matt leaves for football as I'm helping my mom make dinner. I open my kitchen window and shout out to him.

"Good luck, Matty!"

He gives me a wave and a smile. His dad looks over from the driver's side and gives me a quick wave too before he drives off.

"Kiersten!" My dad warns.

I shut the damn window and get back to dinner. My mom and I are cooking chicken tonight. My mom's not much of a cook, but I have a natural talent for it, so I help her out. I scoop out some butter and watch it sizzle in the hot pan. I throw a little somethin' somethin' and some chopped onions in, so it's good and ready for the veggies. The chicken's in the crockpot from this morning, so I don't have to worry about that. Just need the vegetables. Every good meal needs a vegetable. I pop open the freezer and see that we have nothing. Just a couple of ice pops from probably before I was born, a half-eaten carton of ice cream, and a whole lot of freezer crud. You know, that white stuff that grows on the side of the freezer. I should really take care of that. Maybe I'll ask Matt to do it. He'd enjoy that, I think. He likes to clean.

"Hey, Ma," I say to my mom who is studying the cookbook intently. I told her we don't need that for sautéing, but she still doesn't quite believe me.

"Ma?" I ask this time a little louder.

"Yeah, hon?" She asks without looking up from the book.

"Do we have any veggies?"

My mom looks up this time.

"Did you check the freezer?"

I sigh but I can't help but smile.

"I'm going to go down to the market. Can you watch the stove?"

"Oh no," my mom protests but I'm already grabbing my house keys and wallet. "I don't think I'm ready for that."

"Turn it on low and move the stuff around so it doesn't burn. I'll be right back."

My mom nods and does as she's told. I leave the house and head down the street a little way. I stop right outside the Peters' house, where their farm market sits patiently waiting for customers. Tending to the farm market is the not so patient Teddy Peters.

"Hi Teddy," I say and give him a smile. He raises his eyebrows.

"Hey," he says.

Manning the market is not Teddy's favorite job, but more often than not he has no choice. His family has owned Peters Paradise Orchards for five generations. It's one of many farms in Hutton, but in my totally unbiased opinion, by far the best. His grandmother's pies are seriously to die for. Like no joke, I would take a bullet for a slice of her pie.

"I need some veggies," I say.

"Well," Teddy says. He gets up from the stool he was sitting on and emerges from behind the counter. "It's your lucky day. Because green beans are half off, and if you act now I'll even throw in a pint of blueberries."

"Wow, that sounds like a great deal."

Teddy nods his head slowly and raises his eyebrows in that way again.

"All righty then."

Teddy moves towards the green beans and starts filling up a bag. It seems like it might take some time so I keep the conversation rolling.

"So, you excited to start school again?"

He lets out a short laugh.

"Yeah, I finally get to sleep in."