Harold put the iPad on the coffee table. It had one of those covers that also doubled as an easel. He played a simulation video of what the development would look like: kids biking down sidewalks, freshly-washed cars pulling into garages. The whole footage reminded Liam of a horror film, with its opening shots of a perfect suburbia that was about to be attacked by an unknown terror.
“The town needs a development like this,” James said. “It’ll bring more families and get the schools in better condition. Maybe I should move Elise and the kids here.”
“Us first!” Callum said. They laughed.
The video went into a 3-D simulation of what the development would look like. His parents’ farm would be its own village, the earth his dad tilled would be pristine blocks and cul-de-sacs. It was nauseating.
“And the best part,” Harold said, as he folded up his iPad. “is how much money you’re going to make off this sale.”
“More than we could ever make from renting it,” Callum said.
“We are going to be a couple of rich arseholes!” Oliver punched Liam’s back in celebration. He was the rugby player who never left the field.
“What do you think, Liam?” Callum asked. “It’s a phenomenal opportunity.”
“Our family’s been on this land for over fifty years,” Liam said.
“So?” James asked.
“This is what our parents left us.”
“Harold, mind if we have a minute?” Callum asked.
“There’s no pressure to decide right this instant,” Harold said, the only sane voice in this room, shockingly. He handed Liam his card. “Talk it over with your family. Think about it. I’ll need an answer by next week though, in case I need to move forward with other prospects.”
“Thank you.” Liam nodded his head, and Harold left to return to his car. The second the screen door shut, Liam wished he had stayed. He was the only thing keeping his brothers in check.
“Piglet, are you serious right now?” Oliver asked, his face mashing like lumps of clay into a grimace.
Callum got in front of Oliver and James before they did anything stupid. “Mum and Dad wanted us to be financially secure. Dad worked day in and day out for decades. Don’t romanticize it, Liam. He hated it. If he was given this payday, he would take it.”
Liam didn’t believe that, though. Their dad talked about how he saved up for years to buy this initial plot of land. He would carry Liam through the fields in his wheelbarrow, gazing out on his flock with immense pride. Liam knew there were hard times. He had experienced them, too. But it was satisfying in a way he’d never experienced as a visual effects artist.
“Dad could’ve sold or rented the land anytime he wanted. He stayed. This is what he wanted.”
“And we’re supposed to want it?” James asked. “You have a very different idea of what Mum and Dad were like. You got them at the tail end. You were the baby. They didn’t treat you like free labor. They doted on you. And they treated Mark like a prince. That left us in the middle, fighting for scraps.”
James stepped away and took a beat to cool off in the kitchen. Liam looked out at his field. The thought of getting rich off land his parents gave their lives to didn’t sit right with him, not when he was finally getting the hang of running his own farm.
“What if I bought the land from you?” Liam asked. The idea caught fire in his mind. “I just built a second pen for the lambs. It’s only going to grow.”
James laughed out loud. “Are you fucking serious, Piglet? You still think you can make a living out of being a sheep farmer?”
“Yes.” Liam didn’t say that with as much confidence as he hoped. He was still convincing himself.
Callum tapped his computer screen. “You’re still doing freelance jobs. This farm isn’t even profitable for you.”
“It will be.”
“No, it won’t,” Callum said. “We’ve known you your entire life, Piglet. We’ve seen you screw up your fair share of shit. That time you saved up for a car, then got in an accident the first week. Or when you fell into that pyramid scheme at university and were on the hook for six hundred dollars.”
“We say this with love, but you are in over your head,” James said. Liam hated the sound of his voice. It was pure snivel, and it pricked at him even more now. “It’s a miracle that you haven’t killed all your sheep at this point. I know you needed a change when you got dumped, but it’s time to end this quarter-life crisis, bro. Get out now while you can. Don’t drag us down with you.”
Liam had no counter-argument. Maybe they were right. But mostly, he just wanted them gone. “I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll have Harold send you that presentation,” Callum said. “We’ll talk in a few days.”
Chapter 21
