I decided to put in one last day of work for Mr. Jansen. At the break of dawn I hauled out my bicycle and rode to his farm. This would be the last time, for a while, that I would be able to enjoy the trip. Hopefully not too long though. I enjoyed the cool morning air. The way the sun peeked over the treetops, casting shadows in a way that made the scenery look like a painting. The way my coat flapped in the breeze generated from my momentum. It was all quite idyllic. It was something one would miss no matter how little time they spent without it.
I reached the Jansen farm in record time, slowest that is. I could see lights on in the stable, but when I knocked on the door of the house Mr. Jansen answered, meaning the other guys that I worked with were already here.
“Benjamin I didn’t expect to see you back so soon. How are your brothers?”
“They’re managing. I decided to come back for one last day, since I won’t be returning. At least not anytime soon.”
“Last day? Did you find a better paying job? Benjamin you’re breaking my heart!” Mr. Jansen pretended to be hurt, then laughed.
“It’s not that sir. I decided not to hand in my exemption form.” Mr. Jansen’s tone turned serious.
“A difficult decision to be sure. What made you change your mind?”
“By brothers. In the end I wanted to be there for them.”
“You’re an honourable young man Benjamin. Your father must be very proud. I’m very proud. You’ll make a fine soldier.”
“Thank you sir. So where will you have me work today?”
“Well the two other young gentlemen are cleaning out the stables for now, and there really isn’t much to do for today. How about a spot of hunting? Some coyotes have been giving me trouble lately.”
“Certainly sir. I will warn you that I haven’t much experience with guns. Only some basic shooting with my father.”
“Did he teach you the basics in safety?”
“Of course sir. Always point the gun in a safe direction, keep your finger away from the trigger until you’re ready to fire, and never point the gun at a person.”
“Good, good. Let me get the rifles and we can head out.” Mr. Jansen went inside the house and returned with two rifles, a box of ammunition, a long wooden pole and some rope.
“Take the ammo would you Ben?”
“Certainly sir. What’s the pole and rope for?”
“That is to make carrying a coyote easier.”
“Will there not be more than one?”
“Probably, but by the time we finish it will be close to quitting time for you, and I want to show you how to properly skin them. I’ll go out later to process the rest of them .”
“I’ll warn you now that my animal processing skills are even worse than my shooting.” Mr. Jansen laughed and we walked out into the pasture. We kept quiet while patrolling the field and fence line as to not scare away any coyotes, who are skittish as is. We were approaching the two hour mark when we spotted our first prey. The coyote was low in the grass, almost invisible.
“Alright Benjamin, you’ll take the first crack at it. Take your time, make sure your iron sights are properly lined up and fire when you’re ready. Oh and don’t forget to lean into the rifle a bit.”
“What if I miss sir?”
“It’ll be fine. Despite my old eyes I can still acquire a target relatively easily. Even if it does get away that’s fine. It just gets to live to die another day.” I tracked the coyote through the grass. It stopped and raised its head to sniff the air. That pause was its death. Or at least it was supposed to be. I squeezed the trigger and the rifle sounded off, giving me a sharp jab in the shoulder. The coyote yelped and bolted immediately to a patch of trees near the pasture. Mr. Jansen snapped his rifle to his shoulder, tracked the animal and let off a shot. The coyote yelped again and tumbled to a stop.
“Good try Ben. I’m sure you’ll get a killshot the next time around. Let’s go check it out.” We walked over to where we had seen the coyote fall. When we reached it, it was laying on blood soaked earth, and was taking rapid shallow breaths.
“See there Benjamin, you just grazed it between the shoulder blades. A little lower and it would have gone through the lungs or heart.”
“Looks like we both need some practice sir.” Mr. Jansen’s bullet had hit the animal towards the middle of the abdomen, just below the ribs. The shot had immobilized it but it wasn’t an instant kill. Mr. Jansen knelt down, grabbed its head and gave it a sharp twist. The neck broke with a loud crack.
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“Alright Benjamin, let’s tie this up and carry it back to the fence line. We’ll collect it once we’re done hunting.” We moved the body back to the fence and continued hunting. After just over three hours of no shows, Mr. Jansen decided to call it a day. We picked up our catch and headed back towards the house. We went to the area behind the house where the shed was, and Mr. Jansen retrieved a roll of leather and unfurled it. Inside was a collection of various knives.
“So Ben, each knife has its own purpose. There’s a skinning knife, de-boning knife, a gutting knife, a flaying knife, and a small bone saw just in case.”
“Where do we start sir?”
“First we need to bleed the animal. After that we’ll cut the feet off. It helps remove the skin, slides off like a glove. After that I’ll have you gut it. You’ll make a small incision at the base of the neck, insert the hook into the cut and pull the knife down along its underbelly. Almost like unzipping a jacket.. Then it's just a matter of removing the innards and carving it.” I made a mock expression of disgust, then we started working on the animal. By the time we finished, I had a healthy coating of blood up to my elbows, stained shirt and pants, and an unnecessarily thorough knowledge of coyote anatomy.
“Thank you for today sir. I really enjoyed myself.”
“I’m glad to hear that son. I hate to say it, but remember to apply what I taught you today when you go overseas. Stay safe, and I hope to see you soon.”
“I will sir. I promise I’ll be back to help with the harvest.” Mr. Jansen’s eyes welled, and he pulled me in close.
“I’ll hold you to that boy. You’re a fine lad and I’d hate to see such a promising life wasted on someone else's war.” I was taken aback. I didn’t know what to say. All I could do was awkwardly break away from the old man's embrace. We stiffly shook hands and I began the bikeride home. If it wasn’t too late when I got back, I’d phone Cheryl.
When I got back, the sun was still relatively high in the sky, so I decided to give Cheryl a call. The telephone rang for a few moments before her mother answered.
“...oh one moment. She’s just getting out of the shower.” I made idle chat until I heard some noise in the background.
“Cheryl go put some clothes on . . . no you can’t just stand here in a towel . . . what if we get guests?” There was some rustling on the other line, then I heard Cheryl on the phone.
“Mom we aren’t expecting anyone, and even if someone came over I can just leave. Hi Ben. Mother’s such a worrywart.”
“Indeed.”
“Well I suppose your mother has an actual reason to worry now. I’m worried about you Ben. Are you sure you can handle it? You’ve always been such a peaceful guy.”
“Well I lost my ‘peace virginity’ today when I went hunting with Mr. Jansen.”
“Ben!” Cheyrl cried, followed by a short giggle, “My lord I can’t believe you said that. You’ve got a smart mouth on you, and you’re going to have to watch it once you’re in the army.”
“Ah but that's why you like me so much.”
“Hmm yes, it’s a factor.” There was a long enough of a pause to make it awkward before anything was said again.
“Would you like to go for a walk? The temperature is coming down and we never got to finish our last one.”
“That sounds like a splendid idea. I’ll be by in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll see you then.” I hung up and went to the bathroom to shower again. Despite cleaning up at the Jansen farm and showering, the odor of death still lingered on my skin.
Cheryl showed up twenty minutes after our call as promised. I was still upstares, so mother opened the door. She called up to me to tell me that Cheryl was here. As I walked toward the top of the stairs, Hector poked his head of his room and started making kissing noises. I shoved his head back in as I passed, and he laughed as he closed his door. Cheryl and mom were chatting when I got to the front door.
“Weren’t you ever taught not to keep a girl waiting Ben?” Cheryl teased. Mom smirked as she walked away and we left for the park.
“So where were we last time?”
“Well we were in the park . . . and talking about something. What that something is, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Well what would you like to talk about?”
“I don’t know. The war has been weighing on me. It has me worried.”
“It has everyone worried Ben. but for now it’s out of our control, and there is no sense worrying about something you can’t control.”
“Of course there’s no sense in it, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying nonetheless. I’m worried that I’ll freeze at a critical moment. That I’ll choke up and cause catastrophe.” Cheryl took my arm and gave it a squeeze. It was somewhat comforting, but it did little.
When we arrived we nestled into a nook between the protruding roots of a large tree. The roots blocked any wind, making for a slightly warmer spot. A gap in the branches and leaves gave us a perfect view of the evening sky. The deep orange turned to red, and then to a deep blue.
“I wonder how often I’ll be able to do this over in Europe.” I said wistfully. Cheryl leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder. Despite the warmth of her a chilly tingle went up my spine.
“Well you’ll be outside a lot, so maybe more often than you think.” She pulled the blanket that we brought in closer.
“I suppose so. But I doubt I’ll have the time to actually enjoy the view. I’m scared Cheryl. I don’t know what will happen over there, or how I’ll be able to react to whatever does.”
“Well you’re not in Europe yet. You’re still here, at home, with the people who love you. So relax, enjoy your time home while you can, and worry about all those things when they actually happen.” She wrapped her arms around my waste, and we watched the sun set in silence. After gazing at the stars for a while I noticed that she had fallen asleep, her hand resting on my chest.
At home with the people who love you.
I wrapped the blanket tighter around us and closed my eyes. Cheryls words echoed in my mind as I fell asleep.