September 2013
He had been out in his fields all morning and he could see that the corn would be ready to be harvested in a few days as it was turning into that golden colour. He went into the barn to recheck that the harvester was ready to do the job.
Bill String and his family had owned and worked this farm for nearly 300 years. He was the last of his family left to run the farm as his children had set their minds on other things and didn't want to be farmers. As he still had a few years left in him he wondered what would happen after he had gone. The 300 years of history would be buried with him. His wife had passed on a few years before and he was beginning to think what is life all about, as when he finished his work for the day all he had was the repeatability of the TV programmes to fill his time. The house was empty, still he had to get the next harvest in and that had to be enough for the time being.
Across the fields and up a slight hill he could see Cotton's Farm, they were as far as he was concerned new comers. They only had been there for about I80 years. Not that he held that against them, the conflict that reigned between the families was over the ownership of the woods that ran between the two farms. Originally the woods had been a part of his farm but his great-grand Father had lost it in a card game he played against one of the Cottons. His great-grand Father had always insisted that the Cotton had cheated him but he would say that to the family wouldn't he. So that was the source of the conflict between the families.
He thought back over the years to when he was a youngster. At the local school he had to mix with all of the families in the area and that included the Cottons. He was the only String in the school there were three Cottons in the school, twin boys and a girl. The boys were in an older class and he was in the same class as the Cotton girl. Practically at every break time the Cotton boys would pick on him so he quickly learnt how to fight even though he usually lost.
The teacher of his class, being a local, knew of the family conflict decided to try to end it. So she decided to sit him beside Mary Cotton in the same desk. At first he would pull her golden hair's long pigtails and torment her, hide her books and so on. The antagonism towards her had been fostered in him by his family against the Cottons and reinforced by her brothers' behaviour to him. Gradually he changed and he started to feel differently towards her. He saw that she was a very pretty girl; in fact he began to think that she was beautiful. She seemed to have kind ways and despite his earlier tricks he played on her she always took it in good part. He began to feel a kind of love for her. He didn't know that Mary was beginning to feel the same for him. In the end he stopped tormenting her and wanted to be with her. Looking back over the years he couldn't be sure if it was her character or the genius of their teacher to put them together, perhaps a bit of both.
As they grew older they maintained their secret regard for one another from their families. They would meet at the Young Farmers dances and if her brothers were not around they would dance together. Many times jealousy can raise its ugly head as someone who had designs on Mary told his family of their relationship.
Bill was young and was not old enough or strong enough to stand up to the pressure that his family put on him to break up the relationship. In the Cotton family Mary was also undergoing similar pressure, but she was made of stronger stuff, she maintained her deep feelings for Bill, although to her family she told them it was all over. Later Mary found out that she was in the family way but always refused to confirm who was the father, later she had a son. In the meantime Bill was sent off to University and to Farmers Training College, finally to New Zealand to gain more experience of farming. His family telling news of the village eventually told him that Mary had a baby boy but in a manner that excluded Bill from any possible responsibility.
Over time Bill met another girl and although he didn't have the same feelings that one has for ones first love he married her and eventually the farm passed into his hands. He saw that his wife had good qualities and he began to have a sincere regard for her and another sort of love. They had children, two girls and a boy, the girls had gone off and married, one had gone to Australia and the other had married someone in the City. His son said he didn't want to be a farmer and had joined his brother-in-law in the city and was close to becoming a multi-millionaire.
Mary had also gone to Farmers Training College her son being looked after by her parents on the farm. The farm had passed into her hands as her two brothers had unfortunately been killed in a plane crash. She had never married because of Bill. So she had helped to run the farm gradually taking over from her father as he began to grow older. Luckily in the modern world farm machines enable women to do much of the farm work that in the olden days required the extra strength of men. Her son after going to Farming College stayed with her as he had farming in his blood and that was all he wanted to do.
Between the farms they maintained their distance not because of the old family conflict but the fear that they may re-arouse those old feelings that both had for each other. When Bill lost his wife, Mary sent her condolences but she never received any reply.
It was getting late and Bill was looking out of the window towards the west and the woods and the direction of the Cotton Farm when he could see a red glow in the sky. At first he thought it was the setting sun but now he could see that something was on fire over at the Cotton farm. He thought of Mary being there was she in any danger?
He dashed out and got into his Land Rover and raced to the Cotton farm. When he got there the Farm House was on fire but he couldn't see any sign of Mary. He looked in through the window and he saw both Mary and her son lying in chairs, they seemed to be unconscious. He smashed the door down and grabbed Mary and pulled her out of the house she was breathing so he dashed back into the house to rescue her boy. He also was breathing. He pulled out his mobile phone and called the Fire Brigade and the Ambulance Service. He started to resuscitate Mary and her son but thank God they were breathing okay and began to recover their senses.
'Oh Mary are you okay?' asked Bill cradling her in his arms.
'I'll be okay, how's my son?' asked Mary looking up into Bill's eyes, the years just dissolving away as if they had never existed .
'He is fine in fact he is helping with the fire,' replied Bill.
Just then the Fire Brigade and the Ambulance arrived and the Para-medics took over Mary's care. Bill went to help her boy in fighting the fire by moving equipment away from the fire zone, leaving the Firemen to put out the fire.
'We are going to take Mary to the hospital to get her checked out. We also want you to come as well for a check,' said the Ambulance man to Mary's son.
'You go with your Mum I'll do what I can here to make sure everything is looked after as well as can be expected. You had better take my mobile number and 'phone me when they say you can come home and I'll come and collect you,' said Bill to her son.
Bill stood there looking at the back of the ambulance as it drove away with Mary and her son. His emotions were in turmoil, he knew from that moment he was still deeply in love with Mary; nothing had really changed from his youth. When she returns from the hospital he hoped things would be different.
The fire was out but the house would need a lot of repairing before it would be fit to be lived in. Bill had made up his mind that when they returned from the hospital they would come to his house. The next day he received a call to collect them from the hospital and he told them they were to stay at his house.
He collected them and on the way home her son wanted to go to Cotton Farm to see what he could do. Bill dropped him off and went home with Mary.
'Mary I have to say this and if you don't feel the same way I'll never ever raise the subject again. Mary I feel exactly the same way about you as I did when we were young. When I was told you had a son I felt you longer wanted me,' said Bill looking into Mary's face for any sign that she may feel the same.
'Bill my feeling for you have never changed, that's why I never married. Haven't you realised yet that my son is also your son' replied Mary.
'Oh Mary I didn't know, I was misled by the family. We must not waste any more of our lives. Let's get married ASAP as I never want to be separated from you again,' said Bill taking hold of her.
'Oh yes Bill lets, sooner the better,' she replied.
'You know when I first had our son I used to walk up to our farm from the village with him in a pushchair thinking here I am a bit of Cotton pushing a piece of String uphill,' she said and they laughed together, holding on to one another the years of separation just dissolving.
Bill gave her such a gentle kiss, knowing that the emptiness in their lives was filled and the circle completed.