Blaze of Summer
Blaze of Summer
Guild Press
Alexander Goodman
$1.50
Excerpt
Aaron, whom he had left hammering away at the barn door less than an hour ago, was a giant of a fellow, over 6 feet 4, with a huge, rugged frame and a head of hair as red as a bonfire.
Horace would laugh when he remembered how, on the very next day after he had purchased the property, a tiny, dust-covered Volkswagen had scooted into his driveway and out of its minuscule door had come a large-sized foot, a huge leg, and then the rest of the wide, expansive body of this gigantic, redheaded youth, who shook his hand and announced he had 3 full days of the week to put at Horace’s disposal—after which he had listed his skills as a carpenter, plumber, gardener, electrician, and farmhand. Horace was so overwhelmed by the fellow’s size, his red hair, and his enthusiasm that he accepted his offer on the spot.
He could still remember how struck he was by the fact that Aaron was the first really attractive redhead he had ever known. All the others had either been smothered in freckles or had had pale complexions that blended their faces into a featureless mass. Aaron was neither of these. His hair, though as bright and flourishing a bullfighter’s cape, stole only the slightest attention from his full, sensuous lips, his straight, classical nose, his eyes as green and gay as chips of emerald.
Horace couldn’t help but feel pleased that, since that day, Aaron preferred working for him to working on his own little farm. Although he didn’t know enough to make an accurate judgment, he figured that the boy’s difficulties with his wife, Martha, might be his biggest reason for neglecting his own place in favor of Horace’s.
Now, after Aaron had worked for him for almost 2 years, Horace wondered how he could ever have managed without him. Before accepting the job at Rubicon High, the schoolteacher had spent most of his life in small, rented apartments in cities like Cleveland and Chicago. Here in Rubicon he had decided to put down roots, to become part of the community. From the very beginning, Aaron had been enormously helpful in transforming the ignorant city slicker into a responsible rural landowner. Without Aaron, how could Horace ever have managed to deal with the Rubiconians, who still regarded him as a stranger, an Easterner, a newcomer, while it was obvious how much they liked and respected Aaron Selig, a native?
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