Rason & Eliza - Cee Bowerman Page 0,18
opened the door and smiled as he pulled open the screen.
“Hi!” He smiled at me. “I’m a little early. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, come on in. I need to gather up the books and make sure the kids are fed.”
“The kids?”
“I have three - two orange and a black one. It works out well around Halloween.” I laughed as I stepped back to let him into the house.
As if I’d called them, all three cats sauntered slowly toward the front door.
“Well, introduce me then.” Rason laughed as he watched them get closer to us.
“Morris, he’s the heavy one there on the left. The skinny tabby is Fred, and the black one is Pumpkin.”
“You couldn’t name one of the orange ones Pumpkin?” Rason laughed.
“I never even realized that. Good grief. You’re right.” I chuckled. “Black cats make me think about Halloween, so I named him Pumpkin.”
Rason bent over to pet Fred who was weaving his way around his legs, and I hurried into the laundry room to set out their food. Once I was finished, I washed my hands and grabbed my purse and tote of books from the kitchen table.
“Okay.” I smiled. “I’m ready.”
“Since I’m here, I have one request.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Can I see this farm you mentioned?”
“Of course!” I grinned, dropping my bags onto the couch. “Come out back, I’ll show you.”
I heard Rason’s footsteps as he followed me down the hall to the back of the house.
“I bought this house from my aunt and uncle when they decided to move down closer to my cousin and her husband. She was an interior designer and had this back room built on to use as an office. It’s really more of a sunroom, so I use it for starter plants and germination. It’s got heating and air, but I also installed a humidifier, so I keep it blocked off. And if I let the cats back here they knock over my pots and play in the dirt.”
“You have a bird!” Rason jumped when he saw the parakeet sitting on his perch next to the back door.
“Yes, that’s Blue. There are three others out here too. This is sort of their birdcage,” I said with a shrug. “They have an actual cage over in the corner that they go in to sleep, but they’ve got the run of this room and flit all over the place during the day.”
“That’s cool. I guess this keeps the cats away from them if they’re not allowed out here.”
“Oh, the cats are terrified of them.” I laughed. “If one of the cats gets out here, they dive-bomb him until he goes back inside.”
“I like your house.”
“Thanks. I’ve been here about six years now.”
“My house is a rental, but I’m trying to save up for a down payment so I can get my own.”
I spread my hands out toward the backyard. “Well, this is the farm.”
“Holy shit!” Rason laughed. “Your yard is huge, but yeah, I think the garden took over.”
“At least I don’t have to buy much produce, and I don’t have much grass to mow.”
“You own two lots?”
I nodded. “There was a fire that gutted the house next door years ago. Rather than rebuild it, the owners sold the property to my aunt and uncle. So I made most of that lot my garden and kept this part behind the house as my backyard.”
“Good grief. You’ve got everything,” Rason remarked as we walked outside.
“I do,” I agreed. “I can only eat so much, so I keep the neighbors and some of my regular customers stocked up with fresh produce. I donate the rest to the shelter downtown. They even send volunteers over to help me with the garden if I call and ask.”
“I’d imagine your donations keep their cost down. Drastically. Is that bamboo?”
“It is bamboo. And it’s incredibly invasive. Did you know that? I started with two plants and I’ve been fighting it back for three years now. I planted it on a whim because I found a recipe that called for bamboo shoots and I couldn’t find any.”
“You’re kidding me.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Now I just have to harvest it and throw it away. I’m planning on digging it all out and getting rid of it, but I just haven’t done it yet. No one else wants any, so it’s just wasting space. I’m thinking about putting pumpkins and gourds there next season.”
“I’ll take it,” Rason blurted. “I mean, if you don’t mind. I’ll take it to my mom.”
“Okay,” I