Strawberry Fields Forever

The phone made a buzzing sound as it vibrated on the kitchen counter, signaling the arrival of a new text message.

The message was kept simple. “Hey Matthew, I enjoyed myself last night. Hope to see you again soon, maybe at my house this time? Xoxo, Diane”, it stated. Diane made sure Matt knew she was interested. Frankly, there was no reason for her not to be. He was definitely good-looking with his long lashes and hazel eyes, with his dimples and some tiny freckles around his face. He had a built body with biceps that most men only dreamed of.

His voice was smooth and pleasant when he talked, but raspy and mysterious when he wanted it to be. He was humble and funny, but at the same time intelligent and easy to be with. And, of course, being a rock star, he was loaded. Nevertheless, he wished for someone who wouldn’t care about that very last detail.

“Weeeee! Stwabewy keek!” With a deafening cry, the boys made Matt aware that they were awake now and ready to go to the strawberry fields, just as Matt promised them.
For a second, he debated whether or not to give Diane a call so she could join them for the trip. They’d talked about that the day before. That way, he could see how well she went along with the boys. It was for them after all, that Matt was looking for someone, while of course he wouldn't mind some company either.

Frankly, it got a little lonely with no-one but a five-year-old and a two-year-old to "talk" to. But on the other hand, Matt didn’t really feel like seeing Diane again, so he shoved his phone into his pocket and ignored her text.

The drive to a local strawberry field was short, but with two kids in the back of the SUV kicking the front seats, it sure felt like an eternity. Matt couldn’t understand why they were squealing all the time, but he guessed they were just excited. Having been raised mostly on home cooked food, Matt knew the difference between a bought, imported strawberry from who knows where and plucked, local strawberries. He was eager to teach his sons the same thing.

When they arrived at the field, the boys immediately ran to the rows with the delicious red fruits and started eating them. Matt proceeded to the little trailer where he would be handed a basket and where he would pay later. He was surprised to see that there wasn’t old Mr. Rutterford, but a young woman with a blond ponytail at the register. She was pretty with her dark green eyes, her plump lips and the freckles.

“Hi, welcome to Strawberry Land,” she welcomed him with an open, easy-going smile. Her green eyes radiated confidence. She had a small accent Matt wasn’t quite able to put his hand on. European, definitely. She looked younger than he was. Judging from what he saw so far, he thought she was somewhere between 25 and 28.

“Hello there,” Matt said, showing off his dimples and his perfect teeth, “what happened to Old Man Rutterford,” Matt asked, mainly to make conversation. “He’s too old to sit here all day, but don't worry, he makes sure to order me around with countless phone calls all day, so I'd say he's good,” she said, sticking her tongue out with a fake annoyance.

Matt laughed. “One of those baskets for me, please. I’ll pay some more later to make up for my sons eating everything.” “Oh, it’s fine. People do that all the time. I had this family from Texas and there were eight people and they just bought one tiny basket,” she said, handing him the basket. “And it’s not my field, so I really don’t care. Have fun.” She waved at him as he went to his sons.

It didn’t take Matt long to fill up the bucket, even though his sons ate every second or third strawberry he put inside. He knew they wouldn’t need a cake anymore, at least not today. They were done soon. Matt hurried back to the trailer with a very tired Cash on his shoulders. “Come on, River, hurry up,” he urged as River ate even more of the tiny red fruits.

The next thing he heard was a cry. He turned around and saw River sitting on the ground, crying. He must have tripped, Matt thought. He proceeded to sit Cash onto the floor, but luckily, the blonde was almost at his side. “I’ll take that little man for you if you like,” she said, motioning to Cash. “Thanks,” Matt mouthed as he ran towards River.

His big one had a bloody scrape on his knee, but other than that, he was okay. That didn’t keep him from screaming as if he’d been stabbed. “Oh I got you, big boy, don’t worry. It’s gonna be fine,” Matt tried to calm him down, but he didn’t succeed. “I have ouchie,” River complained, tears streaming down his face. For a brief second, Matt wondered what he’d say if he knew how much tattoos hurt, seeing as he had almost his whole body tattooed.

“Is he okay?” the woman shouted from the trailer. He carried his son back to to the trailer and she examined the wound. “Does it still ouchie?” she asked, smiling at the little one. At the same time, Cash was totally mesmerized by some keyring charm that could change its color. “You know sweetie, where I’m from we have a saying that goes ‘an Indian doesn’t know pain’. Are you a strong Indian?” she asked, putting on a band aid. “Yeah, strong Indian,” he whispered.

Matt took the chance. “Where do they say that?”, he asked, taking a closer look at her. She was something, really. She didn’t have that common plastic American beauty that would make all heads turn, but she was definitely stunning in her own, natural way. “Germany,” she replied, her smile making her green eyes shine even brighter, “I’m from the southern part, close to Austria.”
“You here for what?” he asked, genuinely curious about her.
“I just finished school around this time last year and I wanted a gap year. I’m traveling around to see if I can find some work that’ll finance me my next trip. But honestly, this right here,” she motioned toward the field, “is definitely not paying off.”

Matt couldn’t believe what she said. She finished school? He was sure she meant that she finished college. “Sounds interesting. Did you mean work and travel? I think it’s called that.” “Duh, if I’d meant that, I would have said it,” she retorted. “Work and travel is with an agency that pretty much gets all your money.”
“You must have been in the states earlier, right? You talk so American,” he remarked, letting his eyes travel over her slim body. She was small, probably somewhere around 5’4’’, and her body was athletic.

“Actually, I took part in an exchange in tenth grade. My partner was from Boston and I still talk to her today. That’s where I started my trip and I gradually moved west. I’m staying here for a while, but before I go back to Germany in October, I definitely want to see Hawaii,” she responded, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ears.

“Daddy, we don’t go Wai, is unfair,” River complained before Matt could say anything. “He’s so sweet,” the girl said, motioning at River. “ME SWEEEEEET!!!!!” he screamed.
“He’s a piece of work, believe me,” Matt chuckled.
“I bet your wife is handling him most of the time,” she laughed. My wife, he thought as his heart pounded painfully.
“She prefers watching me handling him.”
“That’s mean.”
“I meant from up above.” From her face, one could tell that she needed a second to process the information, but then she understood. He could see that special look in her eyes that he always got when he told someone about his wife. A mixture of embarrassment and pity, sometimes sprinkled with a little hope, mostly when it came from the women interested in him.

“Oh,” she said. Her cheeks turned slightly crimson. She inhaled, obviously ready to apologize, but he cut her off. “It’s okay. You couldn’t know. And I’m over it,” he stated, offering her a smile. “I mean, at least as much as I can be…”
“I’m sorry I brought that up.” She offered an apologetic smile.

“Dad can we go Wai wif her?” River panted. “Wai wif a, wai wif a,” his brother repeated. Matt grinned. “I’m Matt, by the way,” he said, offering her his hand.
“Amelie with an A. Nice to meet you.” She pronounced it just like Emily. Her handshake felt warm and soft.

“Hello Ammeli, I’m River, an’ thas my blother Cash,” River grinned. His wound didn’t seem to hurt him anymore. “Nice to meet you, River and Cash,” she smiled.

“If you just finished school, how old are you?” Matt asked, wondering if he seemed too blunt. He was curious. She seemed so sophisticated and grown-up. “I’m twenty, how about you?” she replied. Matt didn’t know why that bothered him. “Guess,” he grinned with a wink. “I’m thinking you married young, right? I’d say you’re somewhere between 26 and 29,” she said. It sounded more like a question than an actual answer.

“I’m glad I still look that young,” he retorted, “I’m 34.”
“Oh.” There it was again. Her “oh.” There was something about the way she said it. As if it bugged her. And the first time she said it, of that Matt was sure, it sounded like she was somewhat relieved to hear he didn’t have a wife. Was he reading into it too much? Maybe.

“Dad, can Ammeli come wif an get keek?” River broke the awkward silence, leaving his father speechless.

Notes

Hey guys,
seeing as I received some positive feedback for the first chapter, here's the next. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) Unfortunately I won't always be able to update as quickly, but I'll make sure you don't have to wait too long :)

Until then
Your seventhtrumpet

(WHO IS GOING CRAZY RN BECAUSE SHES SEEING THE GUYS ON SATURDAY omg it's soo close!!! Anyone has tips how to really meet the guys?