Ghost Riders in the Sky

She’s back.

Lewis awoke to a rude surprise when she heard pounding on the door so early in the morning. The farmer wandered down, groaning.

“Hold on, I’m coming. I’m coming,” she muttered. Who would try and wake her up about five in the morning on a Saturday? Her friends weren’t that crazy and they knew the rules. Even Aisha had the decency not to wake her up that early. Too bad Lewis wasn’t fully awake yet because then she would have time to think as she threw open the thick, wooden door.

“What is it?” she asked, half growling. The farmer fully opened her eyes when she sobbing. Kat stood inched away with tears in her eyes. Lewis frowned as stared her niece down.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Auntie!” the young woman whimpered. “I really messed up! Sammy’s gone!” The farmer groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Come inside,” she said. Kat nodded and followed her aunt into the house. Lewis closed the door behind her.

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Clover walked over to Liz’s old room and knocked on the door.

“Enter,” her older sister said. Clover opened the door and poked her head inside. Liz poked her head out from her pillow and sheets. She narrowed her half-asleep eyes.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked. Clover closed the door behind her.

“I have a question,” she said in a low voice.

“What is it?” Liz asked. Clover looked down at her feet at first.

“Well… how did you know that Bobby was the one?” she asked. Her older sister lifted her head. She made a cat-like face as she tried not to laugh. Clover raised an eyebrow.

“What?” she asked.

“Is this about Greg?” Liz asked. The younger sister’s face turned bright red as she quickly shook her head.

“N-N-No!” Clover yelped. Liz sat up, smiling.

“I think you might have your own answer,” she said.

“Huh?”

Her older sister giggled. “I just knew that Bobby was the one when I saw him. I think you already know that Greg is the one.”

“It’s not like that!” Another thought crossed her mind. “What about Brian?”

Liz pushed her hair from her eyes. “We’re on break right now. Anyway, I think you already know your answer for Greg. Do him a favor.”

Clover tilted her head. “What?”

Her older sister propped herself up on her elbows. “Be easy on that boy, okay? He’s really trying so hard. Cut him a break, will you?”

Clover stared at Liz with a strange look on her face.

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Kat sat at the table in tears as she drank her tea. Muriel, Aisha, Clyde, and Lewis sat in the living room, watching her.

“Another break-up, huh?” Muriel whispered.

“I had to hear the whole story for thirty minutes,” Lewis complained.

“Aren’t you going to help her again?” Aisha asked. The farmer wrinkled her nose as she sneered.

“Why?” she asked.

“She’s your niece.”

“So? She’ll sort out her own problems. I’m not needed on her part.”

Aisha rubbed her forehead. “That’s not the point. She’s family and we have to help.” The other three old biddies turned to the leader with strange looks on their faces.

“We?” Clyde asked.

“Yes, we have to help out a friend in need,” Aisha said.

“We?” the dirty old biddy asked. Lewis sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not in need, thank you,” she said under her breath.

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“Try this out and tell me what you think,” Annie said in the kitchen of the Sunny Plum. She held out a spoon of bright red jelly-like substance. Tucker turned his head and saw what she was trying to feed him. He raised his eyebrow.

“What is that?” he asked.

“It’s a new jam,” she said. “Try it.”

“Why?”

“Just try it.”

“Are you serious?”

“Try it!”

“Dear…”

“Try it!”

Tucker sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He opened his mouth and ate up the jam. It didn’t take long for his face to turn bright red and hit the floor. Annie looked down with all of the color drained from her face.

“Oi!” she shouted as she shook her husband on the shoulder. “You okay? Oi! Oi!”

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“I’m going to talk to her,” Aisha said at last.

“Why?” Lewis asked.

“Somebody has to do something,” the leader said. The farmer gave her a small salute.

“Good luck with that.”

Aisha got off of the couch and walked over to the crying young woman in the kitchen. Kat looked up when the old biddy sat down in front of her.

“Hello Kat,” she whispered. “I’m here to help you.”

Help with Love