Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“That is better,” I state, looking down at the tarp and then getting on my knees and reaching over to grab the saw.
“Um,” the guy starts again. “If you want, I have a pair of gloves,” he offers to me, taking a pair of work gloves out of his back pocket.
“Thank you.” I reach for the yellow gloves. “See? He’s helpful, unlike you, who didn’t even try to help.”
“I offered you my gloves when you got here,” Nate defends himself, then looks at the guy. “I offered her my gloves.”
He stands back and tries to not laugh at him. “Okay.” I put on the worn yellow gloves. “Here we go,” I declare, getting on my stomach and then moving the bottom branches of the tree out of the way and they bounce back and smack me in the face. “Motherfucker,” I swear at the sting of the branches making my face burn. I place the saw across the trunk of the tree and start moving it back and forth.
I move the saw back and forth for what feels like an eternity. A fucking eternity, and my breathing is coming in pants as I move it back and forth.
“If you want,” Nate offers, “I can take over.” I blow the hair out of my face. “Just saying, I could do my part.”
“I’m fine,” I assure, feeling the sweat rolling down my back from exertion and the cashmere sweater I’m wearing.
“Sometimes, the tree can bind the saw,” he says as I huff out, and it feels like I’m running full steam ahead down a road that goes on forever.
“Well, how do we stop that?” I ask him, trying not to show how exhausted I am. “Are you going to give me another saw?”
“No.” He chuckles. “It means the trunk is pressing into the blade.”
“And how do we remedy this?” I ask, the saw stuck in the trunk.
“I’ll hold the trunk and pull it back,” he explains. “Usually it’s the helper who does this.”
I look at Nate, who is just watching me. “My helper is broken,” I huff out as I continue cutting down the tree. “Where do I find another one?”
“I can hold it,” Nate says to him and stands beside him as he holds the tree. The saw goes in easily now as I push through the rest, by the end of it my arms feel like they are on fire. The tree starts to fall to the side and I look up at the two men. “I told you I could do it.” I drop the saw on the snow and then get up on my knees. “And you said I couldn’t.”
“No one said that,” Nate refutes, trying not to smirk at me as he looks down at the tree with his hands on his hips.
“What you can do,” the man says to us, “is cut the dead branches on the bottom. It will make putting it in its stand easier once you get home.”
“Stand?” Nate asks. “It doesn’t come with a stand?”
“No, sir”—he shakes his head—“but you can buy one inside.”
“I have to do everything.” I get up on my feet and hand him back his gloves. “Why don’t you clean it up a little bit, and I’ll go and buy the stand.”
He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. “Here.” He tosses me his wallet and not just his card.
I catch his wallet in my hand as he walks over and bends down to take the saw. “What do you want me to do with this?”
“Pay for the things,” he explains. “The PIN is my birthday.”
“You know you aren’t supposed to tell anyone your PIN,” I remind him.
“You aren’t anyone,” he states, squatting down and sawing off the pieces of wood without breaking a sweat.
“Yeah, you got the easy part,” I tell him and turn with a huff to start to walk back to the cabin.
“Hey,” I say, walking in and seeing my parents there with my aunts and uncle.
“Honey,” my mother says, coming to me, “you have tree needles all over your hair.” I pull the hat off of my head and shake it. “Did you fall into a tree?”
“No.” I snort. “I was cutting down my tree.”
She gasps, “What? There was a guy going around doing it for you.”
“Yes, but I wanted to do it myself”—I dust myself off—“and I did.”
“You were always so independent.” She puts her hand on my cheek. “Never wanted me to do anything for you.” She blinks away tears in her eyes. “So much so, you moved halfway across the world.”
“Well, to be fair, that is where my job is,” I remind her and she shakes her head.
“You can work anywhere and you know it.” The words hit me to the core for the first time.
“I have to pay for the tree,” I segue, my mind twirling around and around. I step up to the cash register and look at the woman. “I need a stand for my tree.”