American Honey

“Well, gosh darn it, Jeremiah said you and Tyler were humpin’ in the hay.”

If my mouth had been full of sweet tea it would now be all over the table. As it is, I find it hard to form a sentence to counter what she just said. I look away, not because I’m ashamed, but to gain a tiny bit of composure. I have to give Aunt Sue credit; at least she’s not yelling like my mom or throwing breakables at my head.

Folding my hands in front of me, I square my shoulders before answering. “Aunt Sue, Tyler and I weren’t humpin’ in the hay. We were laying there, talking.”

“Is that boy takin’ liberties?”

“No!” I shake my head adamantly. “I like Tyler… a lot. But we weren’t doing anything wrong out there.”

Aunt Sue leans forward and places the palm of her hand against my forehead. I look at her like she’s crazy, but she continues to flip her hand over before doing the same on my cheeks. “Are you sick?”

“What? No,” I answer quickly, moving away from her hand. “Why do you ask?”

“Because not so long ago did you stand in my kitchen and throw daggers at the boy and shortly after that, you were stompin’ around muttering his name with so much malice that I thought you were going to darn near kill him for something. What’s going on?”

I can’t help smiling and wishing that things were different when I got here. Being forced to do something against your will makes you hard and bitter and I took that out on everyone here. No one deserved it, except for maybe Jeremiah, but still. I was rude and know I have to change things fast before I ruin too much.

“I woke up, Aunt Sue. It was the sun, the air and the birds chirping. Heck it might be Sundance because every time I go to clean her stall, she gives me a kiss. It was Tyler, being selfless and accommodating to my attitude. It was my mom, reminding me that I’m trouble and that she’s still angry, yet you and Uncle Bobby aren’t treating me like that.”

I take a deep breath and smile. “I don’t want to be angry all the time. I know what I did was wrong and I apologized, but my mom won’t listen. I’m only here for a few months and should try to make the best of it. Am I excited for Paris? Yes, I am, but that doesn’t mean I need to make my life miserable while I’m here.”

“Well I’ll be darned. You went and fell in love with Tyler, just like your mommas said you would.”

My mouth drops ever so slowly. Only to be lifted back into place by her soft fingertips. “It’s okay, sugah, we’ve just been waiting for this day to come.”

I shake my head. “Aunt Sue, I’m not in love with Tyler. Sure, I like him, but love… I don’t even know what that is. I’m too young to be in love and Tyler… he’s definitely not in love with me.”

“Well whatever you young’uns are, you need to be careful. Don’t go lettin’ Bobby catch you with your pants down and be careful.”

“Aunt Sue, Tyler and I were fully clothed. Jeremiah is just being a tattle that’s all.”

She nods, but the expression on her face tells a different story. She thinks we’re having sex and that thought horrifies me. I don’t want her thinking things like that. As soon as she’s busying herself in the kitchen I hightail it out the front door. The guys are still working and I know Uncle Bobby has gone to auction, so he’s not going to see this.

Jeremiah is driving the tractor, mowing down the hay so it can settle for the next few days before they turn it into bales. Standing in his path, I make sure I give him plenty of time to stop what he’s doing. Once the engine stops, he stands and tips his hat.

I march over to him and beckon him down with my finger and a sweet smile that does the trick because before I know it’s he’s climbing down with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“What’s up, darlin’? You lookin’ for someone better than ole Tyler?”

I close my eyes and imagine the scene playing out in front of me. My hand forms into a fist and before I know it, my arm is back and moving forward at a break-neck speed, connecting with his chin.

“What the – “

“Oh, holy mother of – “

“What the hell is going on?”

Jeremiah, Tyler and I are all yelling. Jeremiah is holding his chin. I’m holding my hand against my chest, trying not to cry. Tyler is running toward us at full speed. This is not how things played out in my head.

“Savannah, what the hell?”

I look at Tyler with tears in my eyes and see nothing but confusion all over his face. “Tyler, he went and told Aunt Sue that you and I were humping in the damn stall.”

“You what?” he roars at Jeremiah who is still holding his face. He doesn’t seem to care because he’s not agreeing or disagreeing, he’s just standing there.

“What?” he shrugs. “I was just sayin’.”

“Dammit all to hell, Jeremiah, her uncle is going to kick my ass.”