The Bet

"Yeah, well, good night, Trace. Wake me when you get up please. I don't want to do anything to make things worse like sleeping in or something."

Traci laughed as she turned into her room. "Ok. Night."

Thankfully when they met the next morning for coffee, and later breakfast, the conversation was less antagonistic and was much friendlier. Sam followed Trevor out after breakfast and helped him with his work. For his part, Trevor was favorably impressed with Sam's work. He never had to tell him how to do a task and when he completed it, it was done right. Sam might not have done the work the same way Trevor would have done it but he did do the work. A grudging mutual respect began to build between the two men. By the end of the day they were much friendlier and even managed to joke around somewhat during and after supper.

At least by the time Sam and Traci left to return to college her parent's were somewhat more resigned to the whole deal and were more comfortable with Sam.

Finally, classes were completed for the spring semester. Finals were over and it was time for Sam and Traci to move to the farm and take up their new jobs. To her surprise Traci's parents came to the college to meet her and Sam and follow them to the farm. The meeting was civil but very strained. Sam had allayed most of their fear and anger when he went to their home with Traci but they still were not exceedingly happy with the young couple.

Fenton was his usual arrogant self. He showed up at the arranged meeting place almost thirty minutes late. He drove up beside Sam, Traci, and her parents and said, "Well, are you coming or not? I have things to do so we need to get you there so I can get back to more important things. Follow me and try to keep up." Fenton rolled his window up and began driving out of the parking lot as the people waiting on him scrambled to get into their vehicles and follow.

The small 80 acre farm was almost 100 miles from the college and it was even farther from Sam's and Traci's homes. About half the class followed Fenton, Sam, and Traci when Fenton led them to the farm. Traci drove her ten-year-old Ford Taurus and Sam drove his 12-year-old Ranger Super Cab FX4. Each had their vehicles filled with all their worldly possessions. Sam also towed his small trailer made from a pickup bed. It had a cover on it with some of their belongings inside. He had personally made the trailer when he wrecked his first little Ranger.

Fenton drove his mother's top of the line Mercedes SUV leading the small convoy to the farm. They drove for almost two hours before he turned off a small roughly paved county road onto an extremely rough dirt road. They bounced down the dirt road going no more than thirty miles an hour, dust billowing out behind each of the vehicles. Finally, they came to a locked gate in an overgrown fencerow. Fenton stopped, got out of his SUV and strutted up to the gate. He fumbled with some keys until he found the correct one, then he unlocked and opened the gate. He glanced back at his followers, gave them a sneer before driving down an indistinct trail through grass and brush until he reached a tree line near the back side of the place.

Fenton pulled up beside a fallen down barn and stopped. He quickly got out of the SUV and leaned against the front fender of his vehicle. He smiled as he watched the others look around in disbelief. When everyone clustered around him he grinned toward Sam and Traci and said, "Well, here's your new home for the next four years. Enjoy it and get rich, suckers. Or maybe you want to just sign over all your belongings to me now?" After his little statement he let out a sinister laugh and stood with an exceptionally smug look on his face.

Traci and Sam looked around in anger. They would literally be starting with nothing. Sam had slightly more than $2000 in funds available and Traci had about the same but it would take that much and more just to get a place out of the weather and buy necessary supplies. The money had been earmarked for their next semester's tuition at the college. Neither had a job now and the nearest town was almost ten miles away. They both planned on taking small handyman jobs to earn small amounts of cash. They grew up on farms and felt as if they could do almost any kind of handyman job if the need arose. Additionally, if they had free time they planned to walk the roads and pick up aluminum cans to recycle. They would even dumpster dive behind local bars and take the cans out of them. Many farmers had piles of old metal and machinery they would try to get permission to remove and sell. They had already written a contract that awarded them salvage rights for their labor in cleaning up junk piles on farms.

Traci's father and mother got out of their vehicle and stood staring along with the other people. Her mother said, "Oh, Traci. What have you gotten yourself into? Why, there's not even a house to live in."

Everyone wandered around for a few minutes while Fenton leaned arrogantly against his vehicle watching and smiling. He would occasionally laugh when he heard a comment about the mess he provided Sam and Traci to live in. Finally, without making any further comments, Fenton jumped in his vehicle and took off in a cloud of dust. Their friends commiserated with Sam and Traci for a moment after Fenton left then left also.

The couple and Traci's parents watched the last car leave. Sam turned to Traci and said, "Well, I suppose we need to get someplace set up to sleep, then we need to look around and see exactly what we have to work with here. I think we need to take a little time to assess the situation then make some plans before we go off half-cocked."

Traci's mother said, "Sam, you act like you intend to stay here. You can't be serious about this silly bet can you?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm very serious. Besides, if we don't stay we are legally required to give Fenton all our worldly goods. We wouldn't have funds for tuition or a vehicle any longer. We're pretty much stuck I would say."

Mrs. Samuels said, "But there's not even a house here. You can't live in the open for four years. Just give it up and we'll see what we can do to help." She looked over at her husband and continued, "Won't we, honey? Maybe we can take out another loan on the farm or something to help the kids?"

Before Mr. Samuels could answer both Traci and Sam said, "No."

Traci then said, "We're doing this." Sam moved to his truck and began unloading the things they would need quickly. His first task was a place to sleep and cook.

Sam quickly got his tent set up in the shade alongside a small stream that ran through the farm. Traci's father helped him. While they were doing that Traci and her mother unloaded their coolers and arranged her cooking area. After their temporary camp was set up the two couples began inspecting Sam's and Traci's home of the next four years. They wore jeans and work boots so the brush and briars wouldn,t do too much damage to their skin. After they walked around the overgrown yard for a moment they moved into the shade and talked for a few minutes.

Traci's father looked around and sighed then said, "Kids, we have to go. We need to get home in time to do the chores. We'll try to come back and help you with some of this mess you've gotten yourselves into."

Traci hugged her father and said, "No, Daddy. You can't do that. We have to do this all on our own or we will lose it all. We can't get unpaid help from anyone or we lose. You can come see us any time, though, if you want to."

"We'll talk more about this later, pumpkin. Now we have to go."

After Traci"s parents left the first thing Sam did was catch some earthworms, grub worms, and grasshoppers. He then delved into his fishing gear and found hooks, line and sinkers. After he prepared his lines he took his bait and the lines to the small stream and walked along looking for the perfect place to find a fish. He placed ten limb lines in as many minutes while Traci followed along watching and helping as needed. They planned to hunt and fish for as much of their meat as they could right from the start.

After the limb lines were placed, Sam and Traci spent the next few minutes walking around their immediate surroundings. They gave the old burned house a cursory examination. They could see piles of rusty metal in the overgrown ashes where the appliances stood in the burned out remains. After the brief examination they moved on to the rest of the immediate area. There were a couple of smaller outbuildings that had sheltered livestock at one time. After inspecting the dilapidated outbuildings and falling down fences Sam and Traci walked toward the collapsed barn. They could see machinery, tools, and, boxes underneath the rotten boards. There was an older metal circular grain bin about thirty feet from the barn with old farm machinery parked and piled near it.

After a complete 360 degree circuit of the barn the couple returned to the yard. As they entered the yard Sam said, "I didn't see a well house or a wellhead. I wonder if the well came up inside the house or how they got their water. They surely didn't drink out of the stream did they?"

"I wouldn't think they would drink the stream water, but I know years ago people did and had no problems with sickness. I didn't see a well either, though. Do you think we just missed it?"

"Anything's possible considering the mess around here but I'm pretty sure I would recognize a well house." Sam walked over to the burned out house once again and walked around the foundation as closely as he could. He paid more attention on this examination. Just off what he assumed was once the kitchen he stood and looked carefully at a pile of metal in the weeds and ashes. He yelled at Traci, "Hey, Trace, I think I see an old pump and pressure tank here in the ashes. They must have had a water source somewhere unless they pumped it from the stream."

Traci came and looked at the old pump and tank then stood beside Sam for a moment. Finally, Sam said, "I guess we better get back to it." They turned and went out what had once been a yard gate. The couple followed a dim trail into the woods for about fifty feet and stopped in happy surprise.

Their walk on the trail had gone up a gentle hill for the whole distance. About half way up the hill they came to a small clearing covered in dense bluegrass. Merrily gurgling along on the far side of the grass filled clearing was a fairly large spring. The spring bubbled from a small cave in the bluff on the hillside. It chuckled down the hill and flowed into the stream they had already seen. Sam got down on his knees to look back into the cave but couldn't see far. He did catch a glimpse of something long and black coming out of the stream bank nearest the home site. It ran along bottom of the streambed and extending back into the cave. After seeing the long partly covered item Sam began digging in the rocks and mud on the bed and bank of the spring.

Sam got up grinning and said, "I think I found the water supply for the house Traci. There is a pipe running back into the hillside. I bet they pumped water from the spring into the house. Let's get a clean container and take a water sample in to the county office to have it tested. If it isn't contaminated we'll have our drinking water problem solved. It won't take much to pipe the water down to the house or we can even carry it if we have to. For now I can set up a gravity flow system and just let the water run down the pipe and into a container. The overflow can be directed back into the stream. After we plant our garden we can use the same pipes to water it if we need to."

After they got a water sample they looked at the spring and enjoyed the little glade for a short time then took off walking through the small patch of woods. After the woods were fully explored the couple made two round trip passes through the more open parts of the farm before returning to their starting point beside the tent. During the walk through what had once been pastures and tilled fields the couple had to go around thickets of scrub brush and briars. There were even several young trees growing in the once open land. Nature was in the process of reclaiming what was hers. The land some settler cleared with his sweat and tears was rapidly reverting to the wild. Throughout the exploratory walk Traci took several pictures with her digital camera. They each carried a pad on which they took notes. They noted the remains of a small orchard with at least two types of apple tree and some old, old peach and pear trees as well. They found several wild raspberry and blackberry patches, too.

When they got back to the shade beside the tent, Sam sat on a folding chair between the tent and streambed. He opened a gallon milk jug of water and drank deeply from the jug itself while watching Traci pull her chair up beside his and do the same thing. After they each finished drinking their fill Sam said, "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but I have to admit the place is in worse shape than I expected it to be. When Fenton said there was an old barn and home site I expected them to be standing but in need of repair. Hell, there isn't anything but a foundation for the house and no electricity. We can't live in the tent this winter but we don't have the money to build or buy anything much better. On the surface it looks as if we're beat before we start. The bad part is Fenton didn't lie. There is an old barn and there is an old house site. We just didn't think about what he was actually saying and pictured an older run down house that we could fix up. Honestly, though, I would have probably done the deal anyway."

"Bullshit," Traci said. "We're not beat. We both know there has to be a way to do this." She looked around and continued, "I really want to win this bet. If we win and get the farm we can sell it for enough to more than pay the rest of our tuition. Land with live water on it is selling right now for about $3000 per acre. If we clean this place up we might even get $3,500 an acre. We might even manage to get a Master's Degree before we go broke again. You can't give up on this before we even start! Of course, if we lose we lose everything we own even if that isn't very much."

"Hey, I never said I was going to quit. I was just stating a fact. If you remember when the discussion began I said a person could always find a way to pick up some extra income if he or she wanted to do it. I was talking about finding ways to make more money to supplement their regular income from a full or a part time job. Now we have to do it all. We have to make our way without a full time job to supplement.

"I'm sure Fenton will be watching us and I wouldn't even put it past him to try and sabotage us if it looks like we're going to succeed. I think the first thing we need to do is spend the rest of the day listing things we need to accomplish and prioritize them. Then we need to figure out how we can fund items we have to purchase. I also want to spend some time inspecting the old barn. That wood is super old and we can use it and anything else we find on the place in any way we see fit. We need to figure out how much wood is there and decide if we want to use it for construction or if we can sell it for enough to purchase some of the things we need. Old barn wood in good condition is in demand for many decorating uses and brings a damn good price."

The couple began listing work they needed to accomplish and spent the remainder of the day on the task. Of course, shelter and food were at the top of the list. They also debated getting electric service on the place once more. There were still transmission lines to the old house site so they decided to see what it would cost to get a meter set and what the monthly fee would be. By the time they finished they had an 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper filled with tasks. First was to immediately clear a space and plant a garden so they could grow much of their food. Second was a place to live in the cold weather and to store their preserved food. They also had to purchase jars to can the food in and a pressure canner in which to can it. Other tasks followed on the list were just slightly less important than the first three. They argued over the fourth task which was to rapidly discover a way to make money to fund their lives. They made a list of items they needed to purchase immediately. The list also included food, Health, and Beauty Aids. By the time the lists were completed and prioritized it was almost too dark to see so they decided to stop for the day.

Sam stood and ducked into the tent. He came out with his ditty bag and a towel and said, "I need to go down to the stream and take a quick bath. I'm too grungy and hot to sleep if I don't. I'll check the limb lines while I'm gone. Maybe we'll be lucky and can eat fresh fish for supper." He quickly walked toward the stream.

Traci sat and watched him for a moment then got her soap, shampoo and towel. She followed Sam to the small deep pool in the stream. When she reached it she took off her clothes and dropped them on the bank beside Sam's. The pool was cold after the heat of the day, but it felt nice after she got used to the chill. From the pool she could see where the spring ran into the stream. The stream was noticeably larger below the junction with their spring. Sam was nowhere in sight but she could hear him splashing downstream where he set the limb lines out. Soon he came back with three nice crappie, a catfish and three large perch on his stringer.

Sam heard her splashing in the water and looked toward her. He stopped in surprise when he saw Traci naked and already soaping her hair. He squawked, "Traci! What are you doing?"

Traci lowered her arms from shampooing her hair and looked at Sam. She said, "Right now I'm cleaning up like you suggested. Then while you're doing the same, I'm going to clean a couple of those fish and cook our supper then get a good night's sleep so we can begin our life together." She couldn't help it. When she saw Sam's face she giggled then returned to her shampoo.

"You know what I mean Traci."

Traci rinsed her hair and began soaping her body as she answered Sam. She said, "Yeah, I do. Look, we're going to live together for the next four years. I'm pretty sure neither of us is a virgin and we both know what the opposite sex looks like. I'm not going to waste time or energy trying to be modest when I know it's futile and I suggest you don't, either. The way we will have to live and work together will be almost like a married couple, anyway."

Sam watched Traci and felt his cock rise. She was exceptionally good looking in a wholesome, farm girl way. She was well muscled and had not an ounce of fat on her 5' 6" frame. He continued toward and past her on his way to a tree root hanging into the pool. He bent and attached his stringer of fish to the root so they were still in the water and turned back to the pool and the bathing Traci. Sam walked up to her and took the proffered soap and began his bath. He kept looking at his partner whenever he could. Of course this resulted in a constant erection and a building need in his groin. Occasionally he would see a small smile flit across Traci's face. Her eyes glittered with mischief.

The two quickly finished their bath. Before they got out of the water Sam walked over where the spring flowed into the pool. He stood looking up toward the head of the spring for several moments then finally splashed his way back to the stream bank where he entered the water. Sam walked onto the bank and began to dress in the clean clothes he brought with him. Traci laughed at him, picked up her dirty clothes, and took off down the trail naked. Sam stopped with his pants half pulled up and sighed. He removed his pants and followed Traci's bouncing butt. By the time he got back to the tent she was already headed for the stream once again carrying a pan and knife to clean the fish.