Unavoidable Confrontations: Day 4

Word Count: 24,029

Summary of Events:

Madeleine was still feeling troubled the following morning, so she told Erik she didn't like how much he talked about his coworker; Erik apologised and reassured Madeleine that he loved her, which made Madeleine grateful. Axel delivered a load of silage back to the farm and was asked by his uncle to bring his uncle's girlfriend back to the field when he returned — as she liked to personally deliver his uncle's lunch — Axel didn't like to do it, and he was particularly annoyed when his uncle's girlfriend tried to make him talk, which he wasn't really in the mood to do . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Approaching an intersection, Axel could see a truck he knew too well approaching from the south; it was a bright red Ford with a bold black stripe down the middle of it and it belonged to Murray Rowland’s oldest son.

It was to Axel’s right, which technically meant he needed to yield the right of way — hence it was called the right of way — but it was travelling at a rate of speed Axel could tell with his naked eye was faster than the legal maximum of eighty kilometres an hour mandated for all gravel roads.

Were it travelling eighty kilometres an hour it wouldn’t be storming up to the intersection like it was, thus Axel wouldn’t have to yield to it.

With the mood Axel was in he didn’t want to yield as it was, so he geared the truck up.

“What are you doing?” Cheryl asked.

Axel rapidly shifted through the gears as he pushed the truck as fast as he dared take it.

“What are you doing!? There’s a truck coming! Axel!” Cheryl shrieked.

As soon as the truck somewhat floated down the bit of a rise that existed at the intersection Axel released the gas pedal and gradually geared back down to the legal speed limit.

“Are you trying to kill me!?” Cheryl demanded.

“I just didn’t want to yield,” Axel replied.

Cheryl was silent; Axel could see her jaw working wordlessly. 

“And you were telling me I needed to be buckled up because Murray Rowland was the dangerous driver!” she finally exclaimed. “What about you!?”

“If you would like to ride with me for the next month you would see that does not happen often,” Axel replied.

“Doesn’t happen often,” Cheryl scoffed. “Morty’s going to hear about this.”

He would, but Axel would do it before Cheryl could get at him. Uncle Morten would understand that sometimes a Murray Rowland had to be beat at their own game.

Lorne and Craig Rowland drove responsibly, abiding by the rules more often than not — just as most farmers did — but Murray, Curtis, Travis, and Nolan didn’t; not even Marissa did.

Melvin had been retired for awhile before Axel had come on the scene, and he’d never asked how Melvin had driven, so as to determine which of his sons was following in their father’s footsteps, and which wasn’t, but if Axel were to bet he’d wager Lorne was, as whenever Melvin Rowland was referred to it was with the same general goodwill that was directed toward Lorne and Craig, not Murray and his sons. Indeed, there were concerns afloat because Murray’s oldest grandson was going to be sixteen soon, which meant there might be another reckless-driving Rowland on the road, and at the moment there were more reckless-driving Rowlands than safe-driving ones.