Fiction Friday - Breaking Dawn

Chapter One

            Dawn sat at her computer, staring blankly at her e-mail program. She scrolled down to the bottom one more time, thinking that maybe she had missed something in the last sentence. Maybe this was supposed to be a joke. Her fiancé, Patrick, was on vacation for a few days. He said that he needed some time to think. This e-mail meant a lot more than a vacation, and he obviously was not thinking at all.

             Hey Dawn!

            Just wanted to let you know I got a great job in Indianapolis. I found a cool roommate, and he has an awesome house really close to downtown. I already passed the credit check, so I won’t be paying my half of the mortgage anymore, and I really don’t care what happens to my credit. You can keep paying it or refinance in just your name. I know my name is on the deed, but I don’t mind changing it if you can refinance. I don’t think you’ll really be able to live out there in the country anyway, but good luck!

~Patrick

P.S. In case you can’t tell, I’m breaking up with you, but you can keep the ring. It wasn’t that expensive anyway.

            What a bastard, she thought. What kind of person breaks up with their fiancé via e-mail? He deserved bad credit, but Dawn really wanted to make this work. She just needed to bring in enough income for the bank to refinance in her name and she would be able to live her dream.
            Ever since middle school, Dawn’s answer to the question of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” had been farming. She wanted to own a ranch or an orchard or cornfields. She wanted a white farmhouse miles from any major city, and maybe she wanted a few cows or horses or goats. She grew up in a middle class neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky, and she had always thought the rolling green hills nearby were beautiful. Unfortunately, her budget had led her to some mostly wooded hills in southwestern Indiana, but she was trying to make the most of things.
            Patrick proposed two years ago, just before they bought the property and moved out to the country. The land they bought was over 100 acres. The house sat on the front corner of the lot, and needed a lot of work. About 40 acres were cleared when they bought the property, and they had plans to hire someone to clear more land and build a small barn. Unfortunately, Dawn was struggling just to pay the mortgage. She made a paltry amount each year from selling corn, but after paying to rent equipment and hire labor, she didn’t have anything saved up after two years of hard work.
            After frowning at the computer for a few more minutes, Dawn decided to call in reinforcements. She picked up her cell phone, checking the signal carefully, and then dialed for help.
            “Hi, Dawn. What’s up?” Jessica asked, after seeing the caller ID.
            “My life is over!” Dawn whined into the phone.
            “It can’t be that bad, what happened?”
            “It is that bad. Not only has Patrick moved out, he’s not going to help with the mortgage anymore, and I’ll have to sell the land and move. I put all my savings into the down payment for this place. I know if I sell it now, I’ll end up losing money. What can I do?”
            “Let’s meet up at my place for coffee and talk it through. I know you’re great at coming up with creative solutions, and I want to hang out with you anyway. I can tell you what I’ve been doing as far as working with the bank on loans for my new store.” Jessica smiled, “Plus, I’m trying out some new recipes for cupcake icing. You’ll have to help me pick a few favorites.”
            Dawn’s sweet tooth made her smile back, despite the drying tears on her cheeks. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. I can’t wait to see you.”
            Jessica laughed, not entirely sure if Dawn was talking about her or the cupcakes. “See you soon.”

            Jessica had moved next door about the same time Dawn and Patrick moved in. She was lucky to have found a girlfriend her own age so close by. It seemed like most of her neighbors were retired or middle-aged farmers. There weren’t very many young folks this far out in the country. Next door was still a couple of miles away by the time you travelled a few curvy roads and driveways, so Dawn hurried to get ready. 

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