Suddenly Alone: Day 5

Word Count: 36,017

Summary of Events:
Chapter 11:
Axel was hauling some of Josef's grain in to the elevator and got an inquiry in regards to Josef's equipment. Sofia read through the spreadsheet about Josef's finances that Axel had brought for her and was able to surmise that she was in a desperate situation. She talked with Axel about it a bit and he told her he'd explain more later. He came for supper and gave Sofia the cheque for the grain and told her he'd take her to the bank to pay off some of the debts.
Chapter 12:
Axel took Sofia with him in his grain truck and they stopped at the elevator to unload some grain before they went to do the paying and got another offer on some of the equipment. Axel got another offer later that day and managed to sell one of the implements.

Excerpt of the Day:
"She looked up at the sound of a rumbling vehicle. Axel's black truck pulled into view and drove toward the grain bins. Sofia got up and slipped out the door, and hurried toward where Axel had parked.
Grain started pouring out of the auger between the bin and the truck. Sofia cut around behind the bin to get to where Axel was standing on the other side of the auger. He looked up at her as she came up to him.
Being as she really didn't know what to say Sofia grabbed either half of the open zipper on Axel's sweater, and some of his shirt, in her hands, buried her face into his chest, and sobbed.
She could tell Axel was surprised, but she was just so terrified and horrified and she didn't know what to do. After a dew moments Axel gently put a hand against her back. She then felt him take a deep breath, and then exhale, before resting his other hand gently on her shoulder.
"What's the matter Sofia?" Axel asked.
Determinedly Sofia worked to regain her composure, but she couldn't really. She just kept on crying. Axel gently moved his hand in circles over her middle and lower back. He seemed to understand that she wasn't really in a place to be pressed.
Finally Sofia managed to get herself together enough to look at Axel. He stopped rubbing her back and kept his hand just resting on it a little ways below her shoulders. She inhaled a shaky breath before venturing to speak.
"I read through the paper myself," Sofia said.
"What paper?" Axel asked.
"The paper you left, when you told me Josef had spent everything," Sofia replied.
"Oh, the spreadsheet," Axel said. "And?"
"It's horrible," Sofia replied.
"That's a pretty good summary," Axel said, giving her a bit of a wry smile.
"I can't believe Josef would do something like that," Sofia whispered, dropping her gaze from Axel's face to his neck. She noticed a black cord and a silver chain that disappeared under his shirt.
Axel sighed and Sofia looked up at him. "That's how the world runs," Axel said. "You go out and dig yourself a big hole with an excavator, and then try to fill it up with a spade, or keep digging it bigger with the excavator until someone or something with a bulldozer comes and pushes you into the hole and buries you in your grave."
Sofia flinched at Axel's somewhat harsh description, although she could see how it worked. Josef had spent most everything on the down payments and accumulating for himself debts bigger than the total of the money he'd spent to secure the things, and then with the even lesser money he had left over he'd tired to fill in the hole he'd dug, which was really only going to work so long until those he owed money to were going to get their money and bury him by taking away absolutely everything he had."