Ralph's Place (Part Two)

Start from the beginning by clicking here for part one.

Off in the distance, just across the old fence row was a barn. It was beyond repair and was grown up with weeds. Yellow flowers were bloomed, and they bordered the side of the barn. She could see an old green car that had been abandoned there, and a big stone well sat in the middle of the property. Off to the side, several old apple trees hung heavy with fruit, and she could see a mail box along the road that was rusted and broken. To her, the overall picture was intriguing, and she had to see what was inside that barn.

Slowly, she climbed the fence and headed towards the old barn. Alone, she had time to kill, and a lot of thinking to do.


She adjusted her camera over her shoulder as she walked towards the barn. She was deep in thought. Twenty-three years she was about to walk away from. A life time. Her whole adult life and a choice that would impact her entire family, mainly her children.

What was left of a door hung from one rusty hinge and squeaked ever so gently. The wind blew through the barn and kicked up dust from the floor. It swirled around an old broken wagon that sat in the center, and skited out through the back of the barn. She completely circled the old barn and came back to the doorway. She peered inside, not knowing whether to trespass or not. No one was around except a man on a tractor, in another field behind the barn, and he was too far away to see her.

She stepped into the darkness and looked up. The sun shined oddly through the holes in the barn, and left light trails of dusty twinkles in the air. She explored each room. It was obvious that this barn had not been used for many years. Old pieces of farm machinery sat rusted where they'd been parked, and were covered in dirty cobwebs. It was like stepping back in time, to another life style of many years ago.

She left the barn and headed across the yard to a patch of yellow flowers that grew around a big tree, by the old green Chevelle. She sat there on the ground watching the man on the bucksaw load the semi, and watched the man that she soon would leave. She took a few pictures and laid the camera down in the grass, and began to pick the yellow flowers.

As she braided a wreath out of the flowers, she thought about her future and wondered if she had the strength to change her life. This would be the hardest thing she'd ever do. Her kids were all but grown, and would choose who they would live with. Would they go with her or stay with him? Could she live with that if they choose to stay? How could she live without them, but how could she continue to live this way.

He yelled at her across the field and waved his arms in the air. It was time to go. Again. She hurriedly hung the flowers on a nail she saw on the tree, and grabbed her camera. As she walked towards the truck, she knew she'd made the right decision, and the time would soon come to make that change.




Click here to read part three of Ralph's Place.