“What the hell?” The cow sticks out its big fat tongue, and I duck out of the way. It slurps the side of Nate’s face and nearly knocks him over trying to get close.
“Bridgette, Jesus,” he says and uses the sleeve of his sweater to wipe away the streak of saliva. “Haven’t we talked about this?” Nate wraps his arms around the gigantic cow for a hug, and she makes a very happy mooing sound as she pushes against him.
“Jeez, and you didn’t even have to buy her dinner first.” I toss his words back at him, and he bursts out laughing.
“Kira, meet Bridgette.”
“Hey, Bridgette. Nice to meet you.”
Her head turns my way, and she steps toward me, nearly knocking me over. “Bridgette is blind,” Nate explains.
“Blind?”
“Yes. Her calf Ellen, who should be here any second to collect her, will take her home. They live next door. Bridgette kind of has a—how do I put it…”
“A crush on you?” I start laughing. “Bridgette’s boy. Now I get it. Oh my God, I really am in the Twilight Zone.”
“Yeah, it’s a little embarrassing,” he says.
“Actually, it’s pretty adorable.”
“She took to me when I first moved in, and well, what can I say?” He rubs his hands over her body, and she pushes against him.
Unable to help myself, I say, “You’re a cow whisperer.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as saying that.”
“I know I haven’t been here since I was a teen, but so much has changed.”
“Maybe you just didn’t notice how different this place was when you were young.”
I shrug. I suppose it’s possible. “Runaway horses, lobster for currency, and a blind a cow with a crush.”
And this has become my life.
Is it strange that I kind of like it?
Yeah, probably.
The door opens, and a woman with short spiked hair, and tattoos over both her arms and neck peeks out. I falter backward, not because of her presence, but because she reminds me of the girl who bullied me in high school. The girl had had a rough upbringing and liked to take it out on those who were different, like me.
“Am I interrupting your make-out session with Bridgette?” she teases. “Oh, hey,” she says when she sees me. “You must be Kira. I’m Izzy.”
“Nice to meet you, Izzy. Word spreads fast.”
She jerks her thumb over her shoulder. “These guys. It’s like living with a bunch of gossiping frat girls.” Something moos behind me, and I jump. Izzy, though, waves a dismissive hand like it’s nothing. “That’s just Ellen. She’s here to get her mom home safely.”
Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?
“I’ll walk back with them,” Nate says.
“Bye-bye, lover boy,” Izzy says, laughing and cups my elbow to bring me inside. I glance around the kitchen. The pan with the burned chicken is gone, and the place smells delicious. “I made cinnamon rolls, to get rid of the burning smell,” she says. “Come on, have one.”
My stomach is still full from dinner. But Izzy seems nice, friendly, and eager, so I sit at the table.
“Are they ready?” someone calls from the top of the stairs.
Izzy gives an exasperated sigh and offers me a big sister look that I’ve only ever seen in the movies and never experienced firsthand.
“Children,” she says, with an eye roll.
“Wait, you have children, here?” I ask. A longing moves through me. Children aren’t practical in my world, and it’s not fair to have one if you can’t be devoted. I know that firsthand.
“Yeah, a houseful,” she says, laughing. “Four to be exact.”
Sam, Jason, and Cody come rushing into the kitchen, and I laugh as understanding dawns. The fourth child is walking a cow home.
Jason hovers over the pan, and Izzy whacks his hand away when he tries to pull a bun free. “Wait! I have to frost them first.”