Chapter
1
“So
I enjoyed your essay. You can tell that your sheep were really a passion for
you.”
The
voice jarred Hennessy from her thoughts as she stared at the chrysanthemum bed.
The many colored hues reminded her of her mother’s flower beds at home. With a
little jump, Hennessy glanced up at the brown haired boy standing next to her,
Adam, one of the members of her critique group in English class. He had a
small, nervous smile on his face and was fiddling with the straps of his black
backpack.
“Thanks!”
Hennessy responded. “I really enjoyed your essay too. You described the impact
of soccer in such a way that I feel a little bit let down about my own soccer
career.”
“I
thought you were pretty cool before. This cements it,” Adam teased with a
widening smile on his face.
“If
I knew all I needed to do to succeed in college is play little league soccer,
why did I do everything else? I could have saved myself so much stress, plus
been in such good shape,” Hennessy sighed dramatically, but quickly giggled and
smiled up at Adam from her perch on the cement wall bordering the garden.
“Why
do I get the feeling I am being mocked?” Adam deadpanned, then smiled as he
continued, “So you were quite the Renaissance woman. You grew up on a farm, you
won a sheep show, played soccer… Is there anything that you can’t do?”
“Well,
I was not so successful at debate club. It was kind of a bust. I received
straight 5’s from all of the judges at the region impromptu contest. That is
not a good score. Drama wasn’t much better. I had a small part in the play as a
reporter, but that year the drama director pretty much let everyone who tried
out have a part. I grew up in a small town, so I pretty much had the
opportunity to try everything. Pretty much the only thing I didn’t do was sing
or play an instrument that actually required something besides my hands and
arms to play.”
At
his puzzled look, she continued, “I played the piano and various keyboard
instruments during my band career. All of my friends played either woodwinds or
brass instruments. I preferred to hit things. I was quite the awesome cymbal
player in marching band. It definitely helped my popularity.”
Adam
chuckled, “I went to a huge high school, so I mostly just played soccer and
sang in the choir. It was kind of hard to stand out, I was just one of the many
and we had to stick with one or two things. I envy your ability to try so many
things.”
Hennessy
smiled. “I never really thought of it that way, but most of that is behind me
now. It’s kind of weird. All of the things that made me, well me, are gone now.
Now I just have school, and I’m not entirely sure what I want to major in. I
had thought I had always wanted to be a doctor, but the thought of that much
school does not sound appealing. What are your plans, Adam?”
Adam
chuckled lightly and smiled ruefully at Hennessy, “My dad wants me to follow in
his footsteps as an accountant, but the thought of that just does not appeal to
me. Right now I’m not sure what I want to do. I’m one of those infamous
undecided majors. So far I have thought of Creative Writing, Exercise Science,
Communications, or even Marketing, but in some ways I think it might also be
fun to be a teacher. I had so many teachers that helped to shape me, and I
would love to be able to be that person in someone else’s life. My goal for
this first year is to get my generals out of the way and take some time for
introspection and decide what I want to be when I grow up.”
Hennessy
giggled, “That is quite a wide range of interests. I’m pretty sure that I want
to do something in healthcare, I just haven’t decided what, but I guess we are eighteen. We have a bit of
time to decide.”
“So
you don’t want to do anything with farming?” Adam asked
“No,”
Hennessy responded. “Farming has always been a hobby for our family. It is not
really our livelihood. My dad is an occupational therapist and my mom is a Massage
Therapist and Yoga Instructor. Pretty much everyone in my family has gone into
some type of healthcare-related field.”
“How
many siblings do you have?”
“Three.
I’m the baby of the family, so it feels like I have to live up to my siblings’
achievements, and there is nothing really left to achieve because they have
already done it. I was the pleasant surprise caboose in our family. My parents
did not expect to have any more children as there youngest was ten when they
discovered that my mom was pregnant, but I think over the last 18 years, they
have decided that I haven’t ruined their 40s and 50s too much,” Hennessy rolled her eyes. “How
about you? What is your family like?”
“Well
my dad is an accountant, like I said, and my mom is an engineer who designs
bridges. I get my artistic side from her. I just use a lot less math to express
my artistry,” Adam joked. “I’m actually an only child. My parents married in
their 30s, and it took them a while to get pregnant with me, so unlike you, I
don’t have to worry about any siblings and their shadows. But on the other
hand, all of my parents’ expectations rest squarely on me, and they both think
that numbers are my future. Even though I like math, it is not my passion. I
want to use this year to discover what my passion was.
“However,
the real reason I stopped to talk to you was to ask if you wanted to join an
online group that some of my friends from home created.”
“An
online group?” Hennessy interjected, one eyebrow cocked and a smirk on her
face.
Flustered,
Adam continued, “Yeah, a group of friends from home who like writing decided to
create a website for people to get together and share their stories with each
other. You know, to get feedback and stuff.”
Adam
glanced at Hennessy. She still looked skeptical, but he thought she would be a
good addition to their group. She would have a much different perspective than
his friends, plus there was the little fact that he wanted to get to know her
better, and this could help him with that objective. And she seemed like she
needed a friend, so he nervously continued.
“They
just mailed me some of the business cards they created to help advertise, so
here is one. You are a really good writer, and I think you need to share that
talent with others. Just think about it, okay.”
Hennessy
took the offered business card and looked at it.
A group for aspiring authors and those who want to
help them succeed.
Hennessy
smiled at his retreating back. She could tell that the request had made him
nervous, and she wondered why. He was just asking her to join an online writers’
group. It was not a huge deal. She pondered his invitation. It would be kind of
fun, and maybe that could be her niche in college. She had browsed the booths
at the club recruitment event during the first week of school, and while some
of the clubs did look interesting, she had not committed to anything yet. Like
she told Adam, she was feeling lost, and was unsure what shape her new role in
life was going to take. Maybe this online group could give her the creative
outlet she needed as a break from the rigors of college.
She
had not realized how hard college was going to be. While she was a good
student, college was so different from high school. It felt like all she did
was study, and even then, things did not always make sense. Her mother had
urged her to find balance in college. She had reiterated that while grades were
important, Hennessy also needed to discover ways to relax and re-center
herself. She just was not entirely sure how to do so.
She
had a day before she would see Adam, so she would ponder whether this writing
group was the answer to her balance problems. Right now, she need to decipher
the mysteries of stoichiometry for her Chemistry class.
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/233598841-hennessy-the-shepherdess,
FictionPress: https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3348903/1/Hennessy-the-Shepherdess.
Inkitt: https://www.inkitt.com/stories/humor/551847
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