Skyler
Jud tells me to sit at a table while he gets the burgers, and I'm so glad to not have to make another fucking decision today that I do what I'm told.
Unless he gets me a fish burger. I might need to reconsider our friendship in that case.
I'm lost in my fish burger thoughts when a proper real-life double cheeseburger, with bacon and a side of fries, appears in front of me, followed by an actual milkshake.
"Is it chocolate peanut butter?" I ask, but I don't let Jud answer. I get that straw in my mouth and suck on it, waiting to be proven right when the delicious flavor hits my tastebuds. "Hmm, fuck, this is good. Thank you. What do you have?"
"Same milkshake and a portion of chicken fingers. I had dinner earlier, so I'm not that hungry."
I bite my burger, and the salty, meaty, juicy flavors are so tasty, I can't help moaning and taking a second bite straight away.
"When was the last time you ate?" Jud asked, laughing.
"Lunch," I say with my mouth full of food.
"Gross."
I smile, and he picks up one of my fries and pretends to throw it at me but eats it instead.
"You look tired, Sky. Are you still at your cabin?"
I shake my head and swallow my food. "I'm traveling back home every day."
"Why? Has your season ended already?"
"Just. The taps are dry now, so it's clean-up time."
Jud stares at me, and I know what he's thinking. When I gave him the tour of the sugar house, I talked about the post-season work, which involves removing all the tubing, cleaning it and storing it for another year, and making sure all the taps are removed so the trees can heal.
"What's going on?"
I take a deep breath and put my burger down on the plate.
"My dad relapsed. He'd been gambling. Mostly small money, but a few weeks ago, we found two grand missing, and then when I got back from the festival, there were additional funds in the account."
"He won the money back."
I nod. "He promised he wouldn't gamble again, but I can't believe him now. I'm afraid to turn around and see us lose everything. This time for good."
Jud puts his hand on mine and squeezes.
"Maybe he'll keep his promise. Can you take away his access to the business accounts?"
"I can, but…" I'm not sure how to explain it. This is my dad I'm talking about. He was the person I looked up to growing up, and it doesn't feel right to treat him like an errant child, even if it's for his own good.
"Sky, you're not emasculating your dad; you're protecting him. He must understand that."
How is it possible Jud gets me so well? I don't even have to say it for him to know how I feel.
"I just…I feel so stuck. I'm twenty-eight years old, and I run a successful business that has potential for expansion. But I still live at home and can't afford to take risks with my life in case it's sabotaged again."
"When is Miles coming home?"
"End of summer. He's doing his finals now, and then he has a couple of months left at the farm, although he says he may be back earlier. I don't know."
Jud eats his last piece of chicken and puts the plate aside, sipping on his milkshake.
