Coming Back (Nothing and Burn)

"He is." Alice said. "Mirabelle's expecting a calf any day now, and your dad's out their waiting for it. Says he's gonna sleep out there until she has it." She explained as she bustled about the room cooking.

"Thanks Mama, I'm gonna go tell him that Emily Beth is here and that dinner's almost ready." He got up and headed for the back screen door, which shut with a loud clatter as he walked out to the barn behind the house. It was just like dad to wait for their one cow to give birth, he always took good care of their animals and treated them like family. He pushed the door to the barn open a bit and saw his dad sitting on a bale of hay, reading a book through his glasses. He was stocky, with broad shoulders and thick arms. He had often been told he was the spitting image of his dad, except for his hair, which was light brown, whereas his dad's was almost black. "Dad, Emily Beth is here, and dinner is almost ready."

The man, never much for words, let out a grunt and a burly grin. "Be in in a moment." He added as she marked his book and turned on a baby monitor he was using to track Mirabelle's progress. The other monitor was in his back pocket. "Let's go." He said as he headed out of the barn.

Drew nodded and followed his father out of the barn and headed back to the house. He could smell dinner as he got closer, and by the time they got inside the smell had filled most of the house. "Smells great Mama!" he said as he headed to the bathroom to wash up for dinner.

Alice stepped out of the kitchen. She idly walked over and gave her husband a kiss. "It'll be done in about five minutes" She said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see to Emily." She said as she made towards the steps.

Drew walked into the bathroom and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, then washed his hands real well, and also scrubbed his face a bit. Once he had finished, he moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table, waiting patiently for his mother to return and serve dinner for them all. He felt his stomach rumble as the smell of her delicious cooking permeated the room.

Soon Alice came down and whaddya know, she had Emily Beth with her. "Now we can dish up." She said cheerfully. Emily sat down quietly and clasped her hands in her lap. She really didn't want to be at the table because Alice's cooking was just soo tempting, but she knew she couldn't have it.

He smiled at them both as they came into the kitchen. He wondered if Emily had decided to eat with them after all. His stomach rumbled again as his mother started putting the food on their plates. He could feel his mouth watering as he got a plate with big helpings of everything, and a tall glass of sweet tea.