“They had a school field trip planned to arrive in about an hour. Mel’s husband James tried to sneak up behind her, but she could smell the French press he was carrying. She fell back into his arms contentedly.

“Ready?” He asked.

“I think so,” Mel responded. She was used to being prepared with her intellectual property attorney background. And farming was something she couldn’t get enough of:waking up early in the morning to tend to the fields and the animals. Teaching it brought her even more joy.

“I’ll make us breakfast then.”

James was the better cook between the two, so while Mel sometimes felt bad she rarely spent time in the kitchen, he had never complained about it. She also loved watching the way he moved in the kitchen. It was poetic to her. She sat at the breakfast bar,cupping her coffee mug in both hands. As the light tumbled in through the kitchen window, she breathed in the freshly-brewed coffee. These days were quintessential farm life for them.

“Classic eggs and bacon today with some only mildly-burnt toast and a side of fruit,”James set down the plate in front of her. He draped a kitchen towel over his forearm and bowed slightly, “Enjoy Madam.”

Mel giggled and threw a grape at him. “Get over here,” she motioned. He scuttled over for a kiss on the cheek.

James loved these mornings too. It always set both of them at ease, ready to host a massive group of kids who asked too many questions. While they had chosen not to have children because of the demands of farm life, they did enjoy having the students explore the farm to see their way of life.

They heard the school bus pull up and the kids hurricane out of the doors. Mel andJames took a deep breath and left the full plate of breakfast on the counter, minus the one grape. They stepped just outside their house and waved at the students barreling toward them, huddled together to suppress the chilly morning air.

Mel swiped her finger through the pink frosting on one of the cupcakes. As she licked it off her finger, she turned around to watch people fake laugh, cheers sickeningly sweet mocktails, and pile presents on the already-mountainous gift table. As each moment slipped away from her, she wondered why she had chosen to come to her friend, Grace’s, baby shower instead of soaking in the hot tub her complex had just installed.

While not having a social life gnawed at her sometimes, she preferred to focus on memories that fueled her eventual dream of owning a farm: brushing horses’ manes, collecting hens’ eggs, visiting her neighbor’s farm to milk the cows.

“Mel!” Grace waved her hand in front of Mel’s face.Mel laughed off her daydreaming tendencies. “So good to see you, Grace,” Mel gave a quick hug, twisting her arm so the cupcake wouldn’t get on Grace’s dress.


“I’m really glad you could make it,” Grace said, clutching Mel’s hands.“

Me too,” Mel responded, and she meant it in the sense of seeing Grace but she also hated the obligation of going to baby showers. This was momentous, though, not because of the baby itself, but because Grace was the first person Mel knew to have successfully gone through IVF.

“I’m really happy for you, Gracie.”

“You haven’t called me ‘Gracie’ in over 20 years,” Grace chuckled. “Old habits die hard and then randomly resurface, I guess?”

Mel gave Grace another quick squeeze. “You know I’d stay longer if I could, right?”

“Yeah, but the farm…I get it,” Grace couldn’t shield her disappointment.

Mel nodded and offered a half smile, “Have to kick it into high gear at the office.” She paused to look at the table of cupcakes, “Eat all the frosting for me!”

“You know I will,” Grace yelled back as Mel carefully navigated the dewey ground in her high heels.