Chapter 2: Getting Adjusted

I was stirred awake the next morning by the typical sounds of a farm; roosters crowing, pans clanking, floors creaking, and goats bleating. These were among the various sounds that penetrated the walls of my room as early morning daylight seeped in from around the edges of the window curtains. For a brief moment, I was disoriented, forgetting where I was but quickly I realized that the previous day had not been a dream and I was still in the same old farmhouse in which I had fallen asleep. I must have slept for a solid twelve hours but I desperately wanted more. I shoved my head under the pillow but that aided little in restoring the darkness and silence that ended with the rising sun.

The residents' hooves made a constant thumping sound on the old wooden floorboards. I could recognize Mama Goat's hoof steps, which were louder with more space between them as she seemed to shift her own weight with each step. Annabel's hoof steps where much faster and seemed to have a spring in each step. An old spring stretched and then I heard the screen door slam shut and Mama Goat's footsteps were no longer audible.

I lazily got out of bed and slowly walked over to the window. I pushed the curtains aside, shielding my eyes as they adjusted to the blinding morning light. Once adjusted, I saw Mama Goat walk out towards the barn carrying a bucket with one hoofed hand and a plate of what I guessed was breakfast in the other.

Stepping away from the window, I decided I wasn't going to get any more sleep. I grabbed my cell and to no surprise it still had no reception. I grabbed one of my bottled waters and headed towards the bathroom to start my day. My pace quickened once the dire need to take a piss hit me like a ton of bricks. As I did my business, I checked out the rather small bathroom and I was surprised to find it quite clean albeit showing definite signs of age. Once finishing my business, I made my way to the sink. Rubbing my eyes, I leaned in towards the mirror to inspect my face. I hadn't seen my reflection in almost a week and my face look weathered. It was quite dirty with a hint of too much sun. My unkept facial hair coverage was typical for about a week of no shaving, but something didn't seem right. As I ran my fingers through it, it felt like more than a nights growth had been added during my sleep. "Odd." I thought to myself, but I quickly dismissed it without concern. The growth of hair on my head was the most I had seen in a while as I liked to keep it shaved bald.

Looking down to turn on the water I noticed short white and brown hairs measuring up to a few inches in length scattered about the sink with a small collection resting on the drain cover. Glancing over into the bathtub, I saw more of the same with longer dark brown hairs that obviously came from someone's head. The shorter ones didn't match the hair length of anyone I had met yet. Taking in the characteristics of Annabel, Mama Goat, and Billy, it seemed logical that the shorter hairs were fur. I still couldn't believe that I was actually in the company of goat people.

The pipes rattled a bit as the cold water flowed out of the faucet into my cupped hands. I eagerly splashed cold water on my face and boy did it feel great! It was the first clean water to contact my body for almost a week. Lathering up some soap in my hands, I thoroughly washed them and my face and then dried them with a nearby hand towel. It was so refreshing to have a clean face again.

Once I finished in the bathroom, I followed the sounds of someone in house to its source, the dining room. I found Annabel sitting at the table and eating what appeared to be oatmeal.

"Good morning." I greeted her as I took a seat at the table.

"Mornin! Did you sleep OK?" she asked in return.

"Yeah, I slept great. The bed was quite comfortable. Tell you the truth, this is the latest I've slept in for a while. I'm normally up and about by sunrise."

"Really!? Yeah, we're usually up at the crack of dawn. Got a farm to run and all." Annabel replied.

"Yeah, I bet. Must be a lot of hard work. So where did Mama Goat go?"

"Oh, she took breakfast out to Pa and tended to the goats." she replied.

"Pa? You mean your dad?"

"Mmhmm." she responded with a mouth full of meal.

"Where is he? Will I get to meet him?"

"Pa spends most of his time outside either working on the farm or tending to the goats. You won't see much of him around the house." she explained as she ate the last of her oatmeal.

"You mean he sleeps out there, too?" I asked, not meaning to pry, but it was rather odd to imagine someone living out there and not coming home to sleep.

"Sometimes. There's plenty of hay for him to sleep on in the barn. That's just his way. Ma takes good care of him, though..." There was an awkward silence for a moment as she pressed her lips together. I couldn't tell if there was more to the story or not, but Annabel seemed like she wanted to change the subject. "Would ya like some breakfast? Some eggs and toast?"

"Oh yes please. That sounds great."

Annabel removed herself from the table and walked into the kitchen. The tension in the room had gone up more than I had expected just by asking about her father. I was really hoping that I would be able to get out of there and maybe be back on the road by the afternoon.

"Can we check with Billy Jo this morning to see if he fixed my truck?"

"Sure, I'll take you there right after breakfast."

After breakfast we hopped back in the clunker of a pick-up truck and headed back to Billy Jo's garage. As we approached, I noticed my SUV to the side of the building and, to my dismay, still attached to a rust-colored or covered pick-up truck. My stomach sank as I realized that I was probably not going to be going home today.

Once we pulled up, Billy Jo stepped out of his garage and stood out front. "Mornin Ms. Annabel," he said.

"Good mornin Billy. Beautiful day ain't it?" Annabel asked as she departed the truck.

"Sure is Ms. Annabel." Billy fixated on me and looked me over as though her were inspecting me and then looked back to Annabel before clearing his throat. "So, there been any changes?"

Annabel looked puzzled for a split second before understanding the question. "Changes? Oh yeah, no, none that I can tell." she responded as she briefly glanced my way.

"Huh, well that's odd." Billy replied as he scratched his chin.

I had no idea what they were talking about and I was quickly growing impatient about inquiring about my SUV. "So Billy, any luck fixing my SUV?" I interrupted knowing that I probably already knew the answer.

"Well, you banged her up pretty good there. It's going to take a little bit to get the parts I'll need to be able to fix'er back up." Billy responded. With how old most everything appeared around the shop, I was getting the feeling that might be awhile until those parts came.

"Can you at least tow me to the next town?" I pleaded.

Billy pointed a merged finger to a black puddle that was creeping out from under the tow truck. "Nope, tow truck is broke. Hadn't needed to tow anything in years. I'll probably have my truck fixed in a couple of days, though, so don't you worry none."

Annabel jumped in, "Don't worry, Aaron. You can stay with us. Mama Goat won't mind, and I'd be more than glad to show you around the farm!"

"Not exactly how I wanted to spend my last few days off." I thought. "Billy, mind if I use your phone? I was expected back yesterday, so I like to call someone to let them know I'm alright."

Chewing his tobacco, Billy looked over at Annabel, who smiled and nodded as if she were approving the request. Billy rolled his eyes then looked at me. "Phone's in the shop by the register." Billy responded as though he was forced to.

"Man, Billy really doesn't like outsiders." I thought to myself. I stood there for a moment, looking at Billy, whose disgruntled eyes were locked on mine. I had tried to be very nice to Billy but my tolerance for his prejudice was wearing thin but until he fixed my SUV he had me by the balls.

I threw Billy a half-hearted "thanks" and walked towards his garage. Inside, and to my surprise, there was a dimly lit convenience store that was a throwback to simple times. There were old pop machines that were filled about half way, and a few shelves worth of snacks and basic necessities like deodorant and toothbrushes.

The room felt stuffy, and had an antique fan lazily spinning it's blades but not actually pushing much air through the wire frame. Opening the pop machine, I grabbed a couple relatively cold cokes for me and Annabel. Upon inspection I found them to be near their expiration, but that was better than what I expected. I decided to give it a try. If it was flat I'm sure I could get Annabel to convince Billy to give me a refund. I wasn't sure what his policy was for outsiders, but I doubted very seriously that it was "The customer is always right."

Walking over to the counter, I put down a few dollars for the cokes and looked around for the phone. Next to the register sat a brown rotary phone. "Wow, I hadn't seen one of these in years." I said to myself. Picking up the receiver, I was relieved to hear there was at least a dial tone. "Thank God."

Checking my cell again, it still didn't have any bars, but I was able to pull up the number I needed. I dialed my best friend and glanced around to make sure it was a private call. Fortunately, after a few rings, Steven picked up.

"Hello?" A barely audible voice responded, but I could hear well enough to know it was him.

"Steven, it's me! Aaron!"

"Where are you man? I was starting to wonder what the fuck happened to you when you didn't show up last night. I tried calling your cell and it goes straight to voicemail."

"You wouldn't believe the last 24 hours. Let's see, I got lost and then wrecked, swerving to miss a fucking goat, and now I'm stuck here. I'm shacked up with some locals until I can get outa here." I explained.

Steven began speaking again but I was suddenly distracted by raised voices from outside. I looked out through the window and I noticed Billy and Annabel having what appeared to be a rather intense conversation. "Hold on Steven."

I pulled the phone away from my head and observed the situation. I couldn't make out everything being said but it appeared as if Billy was scolding Annabel. I figured he was once again voicing his disdain with associating so closely with an outsider. I confirmed that I was at least the subject of conversation when I overheard the words "that Aaron" spoken in a less than pleasant tone of voice by Billy. I couldn't make out anything Annabel was saying, but her body language exuded an emotional but defensive posture.

My focus on them was broken by Steven's faint voice from the phone's receiver. "Aaron? Still there?"

Putting the phone back to my head, "Yeah I'm still here. Sorry about that. What were you saying?"

"Who are these people you're shacked up with?" he asked.

"Just some farmers that were kind enough to take me in."

"Why don't you just call for a tow truck?" he asked.

"Yeeeaaaaah, tried that already and the damn thing broke down too." I sighed in frustration. "I hope to be outa here in a couple days though."

"You sure you're alright man? I can come get you till your SUV's fixed and then pick it up later." Steven offered.

"Naw, I'm good. Thanks though."

"Wait a minute. Is there a hottie in the picture? C'mon, tell me some smokin hot farm girl took you in!" Steven prodded.

"Well, there is a girl..."

Steven cut me off me off mid sentence. "I fuckin knew it! Yeah, you take a couple days and tap that ass!"

"Steven, it's not like that. Besides, I'd hardly call her hot. More like unique and...well...cute in her own way." I responded.

"Whatever dude. Call me in a couple days if you change your mind."

"Alright man. Take it easy." I hung up the phone. As I looked out at Annabel and Billy, conversing in a less heated manner, I pondered if I should have left out the details about the goat-like people. I figured that might be a bit harder to explain without Steven thinking that I was joking.

Stepping back outside into the bright sun, I felt relieved that I finally was able to get back in touch with a world that was more familiar to me.

Once Annabel and Billy noticed me approaching them, they immediately stopped talking.

Annabel turned to me. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah. Hey Billy, I grabbed a couple cokes and put three dollars on the counter."

Billy just kept staring and chewing without saying a word. I was quickly getting tired of his bullshit. I locked on his eyes, giving him a dirty look as I awaited his response. Annabel quickly grew uncomfortable in the silence of our stare down.

"Well Billy, I'll take it by your lack of response that it's OK then." I stated in my smart-assed tone.

Annabel sensed my rapidly dissolving patience. "Come on, Aaron. I'll drive you home." she said, although she obviously meant her home, not mine.

Annabel grabbed me by the arm and started me back toward her truck. We climbed back into the truck and we were off once again. The ride back was as rough as it had been before, but I was almost getting used to it at this point. Annabel wasn't saying anything and the silence was a little uncomfortable.

I reached over and offered a coke to Annabel. I figured it would be a good ice breaker. "Uh, I got this for you. I thought you might be thirsty."

Annabel looked over and seeing the coke in my hand, reacted surprised at the gesture. "Well that was sweet, thanks. I haven't one of these in a while." She glanced back at the road before looking back at me. She smiled widely. "Would you mind opening it for me?"

"Not at all." I responded as I wondered whether it was the fact that was driving or that her odd fingers that prevented her from doing so. After a quick snap and a hiss from the can, I handed it to her and she took several big swigs. I immediately opened mine and took a few gulps. I was surprised to find the nearly expired coke was still fully carbonated.

"Wow, I forget how good these are." she said with a large smile.

We soon arrived at the farmhouse and after getting out of the truck, we both stood in front of the house and watched some of the goats walking around.

"So, what do you do for fun around here?" I asked.

"Well, we spend much of the day working on the farm. But when I have time, I like to play with the kids."

"The kids?" I somewhat asked. "Surely they don't keep their children in the barn, too?" I thought to myself.

"Yeah, the baby goats. They are called kids."

"Oh yeah, right." I blushed from my lack of common farming knowledge.

"Oh silly, you thought I meant children." Annabel let out a cute little giggle. "You're cute when you're funny." she said winking her right eye. "Before we play with the kids, I need to change into something more comfortable. Wait here and I'll be back right quick."

Annabel took a sip from her coke and then dashed into the house where I overheard her briefly greet Mama Goat. She took longer to change than I expected, but I just attributed it to being a woman. I looked around at the surrounding countryside and took in the beauty. It was yet another gorgeous day with plenty of sunshine. Now late morning, the cool morning air was quickly giving way to warmer but comfortable temperatures.

Hearing a spring stretch and the screen door shut afterwards, I turned to see Annabel steadily walking towards me at a much slower pace with a cute little smile adorning her face as she stared at me. It seemed as though her slowed pace was more to show off the changes she had made in her absence.

I was quickly drawn to a stare as I looked over the changes. Annabel had replaced the concealing long sleeve shirt with a tighter fitting short sleeved shirt that accentuated her well-formed breasts. The top several buttons were left undone, showing off her cleavage. I was surprised to see a patch of brown and white fur above her cleavage. It was difficult, but I finally tore my gaze away from her breasts to notice that white and brown fur completely covered her arms. Her skirt hugged her waist, showing off her perfectly shaped hour glass figure and baby bump. To my surprise Annabel was more alluring than I had previously given her credit for. As she walked up to me, it was obvious that she had styled her hair a bit and even put on a little makeup.

"Are you ready?" she asked as I tried to snap out of my trance.

"Huh, I'm sorry." I mutter as I came out of it.

Annabel smiled. "Come on silly, let's go."

"Yeah, let me get my water."

I went back to the truck and retrieved my water. Immediately afterwards, she led the way and I followed closely behind. Playing with baby goats didn't sound like much fun, but if nothing else, it would help to pass the time. We approached a fenced in area containing many goats.

Annabel pointed to one of them. "This goat here just recently gave birth to these triplets and has been nursing them since. You can see she's gettin pretty skinny. We need to fatten her up a bit so she stays healthy. Her kids look very healthy though."

As we approached the gate, goats began to gather, driven by hunger. She shooed them away from the gate and we walked inside. The four goats immediately surrounded us while the goats in the adjoining areas watched the bucket, hoping it would be their turn to eat next. All the goats were bleated enthusiastically. Some of them seemed to respond to me as though they were trying to call me over to them.

"Wow, they are really on about something!" I said.

"They are always talkative when they want food!" she laughed. "Now, you're job is to distract the kids while I make sure the mother gets her fill first before her kids eat all of the oats. Take a handful and see if you can get them to follow you." Annabel said, as she held the bucket up to me.

I took a handful of oats and started walking away, dropping a few on purpose as I stepped away. They all ended up following me, but Annabel gently tugged the mother back and lowered the bucket for her. I started dropping more of the oats, and soon had the three kids licking up whatever they could find before approaching me for more. When I ran out, they started playfully head-butting my legs and running around me. One of them started trying to jump up and reach my hand before jumping around in circles.

"What is that one doing?! He's like spazzing out or something!" I laughed.

"He's just being silly! These kids are only two weeks old but they are bursting with energy!"

"I've never really been around baby goats before. They are like puppies with hooves!" I mused. "Here, give me some more oats!"

Annabel obliged and lifted up the bucket. I grabbed some more and started spinning around in circles to get them to walk around in circles. They followed their new best friend everywhere, oblivious to how I was messing with them. I even got one to jump up when I would hold the oats in my hand above its head.

Annabel laughed. "Stop messing with those poor kids!" she joked.

"Okay, you can have the kids chase you!" I said, as I tossed the remaining oats at Annabel. This proved to be quite the mistake, since Annabel still had half a bucket of oats. She retaliated by tossing the contents of the bucket at me. I dodged them just in time, but this turned into a playful battle of tossing our edible ballistics at one another while the goats gladly ate our ammo. After all the food had been eaten, we played with the kids a little longer before closing the gate.

"So how bout some lunch?" Annabel asked.

"Definitely sounds good to me. I worked up quite an appetite playing with those kids."

We walked beside one another to the house. We entered and made our way to the kitchen. The house appeared to be empty aside from us. I figured Mama Goat was out working on the farm.

"So what would you like?" Annabel asked.

"I like most anything. Why don't you surprise me?"

"Alright, one surprise lunch coming up."

I stood off to the side out of the way and leaned against the counter as I watched Annabel get to work prepping our meal. She hummed some unknown tune as she went from cupboard to cupboard, pulling out plates and cups for us. Knowing full well that I was watching her, Annabel would periodically glance at me and smile coyly. I admired her form as she moved about here and there. It was at this moment that I realized I was developing an attraction to Annabel. When she retrieved some bread and peanut butter before walking to the fridge and pulling out some grape jam, I figured out what she was making.

"Oh yeah, I love PBJ. Good choice." I said in approval.

Annabel looked at me with a confused look as she began to spread jam on a couple slices of bread. "P-B-J?" she asked.

It was obviously an acronym that had yet to find its way into this community. "Yeah, you know, peanut...butter...jelly, PBJ."

Annabel giggled. "Oh yeah. Clever. You know it's funny because P-B-J is my favorite too." I thought it was cute the way she accentuated each letter as she used the acronym for the first time.

"Well I can't take credit but that is how it's most commonly referred to by us outsiders." I responded.

Annabel looked at me and smiled as she spread peanut butter over the remaining slices of bread. "You know what would go good with PBJ? A fresh apple." She finished making the sandwiches, put everything away, and then fetched a couple apples from a basket on the counter and placed one on each plate. She handed me a plate and we moved to the dining room table where we sat across from one another once again.

"Well Annabel, thanks for lunch."

"It's nothing fancy, just PBJ." I could tell she thought the whole PBJ thing was cool. I think it kinda made her feel more apart of my world. "Oh, I forgot the drinks. What would you like Aaron?"

"I'm good actually." I said as I held up my water bottle and shook it.

"You sure drink a lot of water."

"I love water. Drink it all the time." I responded.

Annabel smiled. "Well then, I'll be right back with mine." She returned moments later with a glass of water of her own. We exchanged smiles as she sat down.

We ate our lunch and enjoyed some idle chit chat about the fun we had playing with the kids and her life on the farm. The conversation was nice and by the time we had finished, an hour had passed. I stood up and collected the plates and a dumbfounded look came over Annabel's face.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Annabel asked.

"Clearing the table of course."

"But that's my job."

"Nonsense, you cooked, I clean." I responded.

Annabel just smiled and then followed me into the kitchen. I washed the plates and then placed them in the drying rack. Annabel watched me as I did her earlier, though I doubt she was thinking the same thing I was at the time. Little did I know it, but she had steadily become attracted to me as well. When I finished up, I turned to Annabel and I noticed that the smile had not disappeared from her face.

"You know, it's such a beautiful day. How bout we go for a walk?" Annabel asked.

"Sure I said. I love to hike." I responded.

"Well, let's go then." I followed Annabel to the front door when she stopped suddenly as though she had forgotten something. "Wait, I need to get something first."

I waited as she disappeared into the back of the house and returned shortly after carrying a blanket.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"It's a surprise." She said with a smile.

"Is it far?"

"Not far."

We left the house and started out on a trail that led up a hill and into the woods. We hiked around for a few hours, up over hilltops and down through valleys. We traded stories of our outdoor adventures, mine overshadowing her's by a mile with my career taking me around the world, but we found common ground when comparing our love for the outdoors. Our discussion would pause when we'd stop at scenic overlooks or places with a view of the farm and the community, which Annabel would take the liberty to tell me about. I was surprised at how good of a hiker she was, at least for someone with hooves. "Maybe she's part mountain goat." I thought to myself. She was definitely an outdoors girl and I really liked that about her. Annabel had a genuine appreciation for nature and she took the time to admire it when the occasion presented itself.