Chapter 8

<Callie Stevens>

Friday was surprisingly easy-going; nothing of true importance happened. I went to all of my classes and tried to talk to Jasper, even though he ignored me and then I went home to relax; pretty normal day in the life of Callie Stevens. It's currently Saturday morning and I'm up early because my mom wants to take the family to the farmer's market in town; something about wanting us to get to know our new home better. The sun is shining brightly and I'm wearing a pair of shorts and the Lakers shirt I stole from my dad a few years ago.

I hear my parents moving around downstairs, most likely preparing breakfast while Henry is playing happily in his room. I smile in spite of myself and look at my reflection once more in the mirror before I make my way towards the stairs. I pass my brother's room on the way and catch a glimpse of him moving his trains around the carpet like it's a real railway. I stand in the doorway and watch him play for a few seconds before I speak.

"Henry, you wanna go down for breakfast?" I say sweetly and bend down to pick him up.

He holds his arms out for me and then clutches onto my shoulder tightly as we leave the room.

"You're getting so big." I murmur as I make my way carefully down the stairs.

We come into the kitchen and find my dad flipping pancakes while my mom sips on a cup of coffee. She takes Henry from me and sets him in his highchair, placing a kiss on the top of his head before going back out to the kitchen to help finish making breakfast. I follow her and grab some plates from the cabinet.

"You look happy this morning, Ms. Sunshine." My mom teases as she pulls a bowl of fruit out of the fridge.

"You know me; if the sun's up I'm up." I stick out my tongue and walk over to my dad so he can put some pancakes on the plates.

"You're such a weird teenager." My dad chuckles and sets a couple of pancakes on each plate.

"Love you too." I roll my eyes and smile as I cart the plates out to the table.

We all sit down and join hands to say grace.

"God, please bless this food to our bodies and help us to serve you today and always. Amen." My dad says solemnly before gesturing for us all to begin eating.

"I was reading about the market online, to try and figure out what we should do and I found lots of produce stands we should check out." My mom explains, trying her hardest to fill the silence.

"What other kinds of things are there to do?" I ask, humoring my mom by continuing the conversation.

"Oh, there are flower stands, homemade soaps, jewelry; lots of stuff, seems like it should be fun." My mom smiles and takes a bite of her pancakes. "We should leave around nine so we can enjoy it before it gets too busy."

"Sounds good." My dad muses as we all continue eating in silence.

~~~~~~

"It's on the left, sweetheart." My mom says as she directs my dad to turn into the main square of the town.

"I see it, Mary." My dad chuckles while he begins his quest for a park in the already packed town of Everington.

There are only about three stoplights in the little town, but, despite its size, it seems that it's packed full of people. All of the little shops are open and have customers piling in and out. We pass a diner where the smell of home-style cooking wafts into the atmosphere. Next to that there's an old rundown theater advertising some recent movies and then the road dead-ends into a sheriff's department. My dad turns the car around and tries to find a different road to drive down.

I smile as I take in the town around me. Posters litter the sides of buildings, advertising for concerts in the park or church events or sales going on at the various little shops. Everyone seems to know each other, waving to their neighbors across the way and embracing people on the sidewalks. It's much different from L.A. where everyone seemed to be in their own little world, concerned with their own well-being rather than their neighbors'.

My dad pulls in tight against the curb and puts the car in park as he exhales a deep breath. We all get out and my mom puts Henry, who just started walking, on the ground. She grabs his hand and leads him across the street with me following close behind. We reach the large park where the market is held every Saturday from eight to five. The atmosphere is pleasant with ladies wearing straw hats and holding onto their husband's hands, little kids chasing each other around and vendors shouting out their prices for all the customers to hear. My mom stops at a stand that makes homemade bath salts and soaps, causing us all to veer off to the left so we won't get separated.

"How much?" My mom asks politely as she picks up a purple bar of soap.

"15 dollars, ma'am." A lady replies, her eyes crinkling as she smiles. "It also comes in a lotion and a bath salt; lavender's one of our most popular scents."

"I'll think about it; might be back later." My mom says and hikes her straw tote up on her shoulder before grabbing Henry's hand.

We continue walking, the sun shining down and the dull hum of people talking filling the air. I inhale the smell of homemade pies as we round the corner and come to a collection of vendors selling food. My dad stops at a stand with a popcorn machine and buys a big bag of kettle corn before we continue walking. Henry, train in hand, whimpers as we pass a stand selling cookies. His little mouth drops and his eyes droop as he looks at my mom.

"Do you want a cookie, sweetheart?" My mom asks with a smirk.

Henry nods and then our family backtracks to the stand where a nice old lady in a red-checked apron is unpacking a box of freshly made cookies. She smiles at us and wipes her hand on her apron before addressing my mother.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The lady asks politely in her deep southern drawl.

"Cookie." Henry squeals as he reaches up for the large chocolate chip cookie that's barely within his reach.

"Can we buy that cookie?" My mom chuckles and reaches into her straw tote for her wallet.

"Of course, honey." The lady smiles again and wraps the cookie in a piece of parchment paper before turning to Henry. "Now, you be good to your mama, okay?"

Henry nods vigorously and holds out his hand for the cookie. The lady gives it to him and then accepts her payment. My mom grabs a hold of Henry and then waves goodbye as we continue to look at the stands filled with various types of food; most of which I've never heard of or tasted in my young life.

What are collard greens anyway?

~~~~~

"Here you go; have a nice day, y'all!" A vendor exclaims as he hands me the glass of sweet tea I just bought.

"You too." I say enthusiastically before following my mom towards a bench.

My family sits down, my eyes travelling around the makeshift marketplace. L.A. never had anything like this; no one could be bothered to take time out of their busy schedules to spend time with any of their neighbors. I guess maybe it was because L.A. was a big city and this is a small town, but I don't think it's too much to ask that one at least know their neighbors' names. 

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm starting to like things down here. Everington is more easy-going and quieter; it seems to be stuck in its own little world. The people here are nicer too; they aren't pushy or rushing around to get somewhere. They're more concerned with what they can do for you instead of what you can do for them which, to me, is the most glaring difference.

"Callie, you ready for lunch?" My dad gives me a little shove, bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah, what are we gonna try?" I ask, trying to cover up the fact that I zoned out for a good five minutes.

"There was a place back there that sold fried green tomatoes." My dad suggests and laughs when he sees my face contorting.

"I don't even want to know why someone would eat that..." I shake my head and shudder at the thought.

"Don't knock 'em till you try 'em." My dad grins and stands up. "That's what we're eating; c'mon."

"What's next? Collard greens?" I sigh and stand up.

"Precisely." My dad winks and turns towards my mom. "Can I get you anything, sweetheart?"

"I'll try the tomatoes; Henry can just have kettle corn." She says and ruffles my brother's hair.

"Why does he get out of the tomatoes?" I whine and follow my dad past a few stands on our way to wherever he saw the tomato vendor.

"He's two." My dad rolls his eyes and gives me a good natured look as we get in line to buy fried green tomatoes.

It takes a few minutes, but soon we're walking back to the bench and my mom with three orders of fried green tomatoes. I sit down on the bench before looking down at the fried vegetables and spicy mayo in front of me. My dad hands me some plastic utensils before he takes his seat next to my mom.

"Honey, just eat them; you could fry Styrofoam and it'd be delicious." My mom pats my leg as she takes a bite of her food.

I follow suit and as much as I hate to admit it, she's kind of right. I take another bite and avoid making eye contact with my parents who are no doubt smirking at me.

Yeah, yeah, you told me so; let's all just move on.

"So, you like them? My dad asks, his eyes gleaming.

I give him a pointed glance and finish off my lunch.

"Maybe," I say, my voice trailing off as I stand up to throw out my food container. "They were kind of good."

"Pays to be adventurous sometimes, doesn't it?" My dad winks and hands me the rest of the food containers since I'm already standing up.

I roll my eyes while the rest of my family stands up from the bench.

"Where to now?" I ask and follow my mom towards a new stretch of produce stands.

"Let's just look around." My mom pats my shoulder as she examines a bright orange peach.

If we stop at one more fruit stand, mother, I'm going to explode...

~~~~~

The sun is high in the sky, beating down on the town as the farmer's market pushes into its final hour. My mom has managed to stop at every stand and buy at least one thing from all of the kind vendors. My dad is laden with the bags and is struggling to check his watch; most likely to see how much longer he'll have to suffer through holding my mom's shopping. Henry is bored and looks like he's on the brink of having a tantrum, his favorite train toy still clutched tightly in his hand as he lays his head down on my mom's shoulder.

I sigh and take a detour down another row of stands while my mom stops again to look at more vegetables that we're not going to eat. I pass a few vendors selling jams and homemade pies and then I come to a stand where freshly cut flowers line every square inch of a splintered wood stand. An elderly man in a worn baseball hat smiles at me while I run my fingers lightly over the soft petals of a hydrangea arrangement.

The gentle, sweet smell of the flowers envelope me, causing a smile to spread across my lips. My gaze locks on a vase of large sunflowers in the very back of the stand, the brightest, most golden sunflowers I've ever laid eyes on. I'm about to ask how much they cost when I hear my mom calling for me. I sigh and mumble an apology to the vendor as I rush off to find my parents. I twist my way through the crowded market path and arrive at yet another produce stand, my parents a mere few feet away underneath the shade of a large oak tree. The see me coming and then they set off towards the only produce stand in the market that we haven't bought from. I roll my eyes and follow grudgingly.

"Hey, guys, there was a stand back there that's selling sunflowers." My voice trails off, the words barely out of my mouth as I realize who's running the produce stand in front of me.

A pair of cold blue eyes meet my gaze and suddenly I'm at a loss for words.

What is Jasper doing here?