"WHY THE FUCK DID I GET A NOTIFICATION THAT YOU ORDERED COWS AND OTHER FUCKING ANIMALS?"
Wincing in the car, I slowly got out.
Crap, how could I forget about Mom?
"Wait, Mom, how do you have access to my account?"
With a glare, my mother started walking toward me. In an icy tone, she replied, "Do not try to switch the topic."
Stopping right in front of me, she kept the same cold tone. "Why? Why did you go and buy all of this without even asking for permission?"
Grabbing my shoulder, her voice shifted from cold to almost pleading. "Why, Albert? Why would you do this? How did you even get the money for all of this? Did you take out a loan?"
Crap, she's already figuring things out.
Taking a deep breath, I looked into my mother's eyes. "Mom, can we talk about this inside, please?"
She hesitated, glancing behind me at the rental truck filled with what she considered random junk.
Finally, she looked back at me with sadness in her eyes. "Fine," she muttered before turning around and heading inside.
Breathing heavily, I thought, Shit, I messed up. How can I explain all of this? To them, I look insane.
Sighing, I admitted to myself that I couldn't even blame them. I had been making decisions without thinking about the consequences.
Turning back to the truck, I decided I should at least move everything to the backyard.
With that in mind, I drove the truck to the backyard and unloaded the hoe and other tools for later. Looking at the backdoor, I dreaded the conversation that awaited me.
I'm going to be explaining myself a lot, but this is for their well-being. I don't care what I have to do. I will keep them safe.
Slowly, my emotions dulled. Knowing I didn't have much time left, I wanted to get this over with.
Walking to the backdoor, I entered the house and stepped into the living room.
My parents sat on the couch with complicated expressions. My dad gestured to the empty seat in front of them, signaling for me to sit.
I took a seat and looked at them with an unreadable expression, waiting for them to speak.
My dad went first. In a stern yet soft voice, he asked, "Albert, is what your mother said true?"
I nodded, keeping my face neutral.
His tone became sharper. "Why would you go and buy all of that, and on top of it, take out a loan? Albert, why?"
Looking at my parents' disappointed faces, a sudden wave of despair washed over me. Next to them, I saw illusory images of their dead bodies lying in pools of blood.
Blood dripped from their mouths, gruesome gashes running from their collarbones to their waists.
My breath caught. The room tilted.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
Just an illusion. Just my mind playing tricks.
Sensing my shift in emotions, my mother stood up and spoke in a softer tone. "Listen, Albert, we just care about you. We are worried that you're making a mistake."
Taking a deep breath, I met their eyes. "Mom, Dad, I know I haven't been the best son. I know I've caused more trouble than good. I don't think any amount of apologizing will ever make up for my past mistakes."
In their eyes, I saw love mixed with confusion.
"But this feels different. I want to keep doing this."
They exchanged glances before turning back to me.
"Albert, wha—" My dad started, but I cut him off.
"I'm asking you to trust me this once. Please. I've done the research, and I have a feeling that organic food will become more important in the coming days."
"Mom, Dad… the world is changing. I can't explain how I know, but I do. Food, land, survival... it's going to matter more than you think. I need to do this."
Still holding eye contact, I continued. "This is something I really want to do. It's something I truly believe is important."
"This is crazy..." My father sighed before continuing. "But I've never seen you actually want to do something."
My mother stood up in alarm. "You're not actually thinking of letting this continue, are you?"
Shrugging, my dad responded, "Why not? He's twenty-five and has never shown interest in anything. So I say let him. Maybe this will flourish if given enough care."
My mother sat down with a huff. Throwing a glare at me, she said, "I'm happy you finally have a drive for something. I just don't want this to be a waste of money. So, Albert, you better see this through."
Nodding, a sudden thought struck me. Chuckling nervously, I hesitated before speaking.
"By the way, I bought two cows, two sheep, and two chickens."
They both looked at me, dumbfounded.
Scratching the back of my head, I looked up at the ceiling. "And, uh, they should be arriving later today."
Well, that conversation could have gone better.
Leaving for the backyard, I started prepping for the animals and laying the foundation for the garden.
Thinking back on the conversation, I grew more frustrated with myself.
"The only thing I could say was 'trust me.' Ugh, am I that stupid?"
Throwing the hoe down, I stared at the ground in frustration. I got away with a weak excuse this time, but what about next time? I needed to think more carefully. I couldn't just act without expecting people to react normally.
Picking up the hoe, I continued working. Once I finished tilling the ground, I put up a fence around it.
I also fenced off the areas where the animals would be living. Sighing in satisfaction, I looked at my work.
Now, I only needed to build the barn and chicken coop before the animals arrived. I could do that tomorrow.
With that settled, I went inside, where I was greeted by my mother. With a frown, she said, "I swear, you better take this seriously. This is not a game, Albert."
Frowning deeper, she continued, "I'm happy with the change, and I'm happy to see you finally putting effort into something. But this is huge. Not only are you changing the backyard, but you're bringing in animals. You better not quit halfway."
With a determined look, I replied, "I know I look crazy, but I truly believe this will help our family. I won't let you down, Mom."
Stunned, my mother stared at me. With a soft chuckle, I hugged her and went to my room to sleep.
Lying on my bed, I turned over to Koda with a big grin. "Tomorrow, you're getting new siblings, Koda. Isn't that exciting?"
Koda let out a long, suffering huff and got up, turning his back to me with exaggerated slowness.
I frowned. "Oh, don't be like that."
Without looking at me, he plopped down with a dramatic thud.
I blinked. "...Wait. Why does it feel like you already knew?"
Koda's ears twitched, but he stayed facing away.
Narrowing my eyes, I muttered, "What the f—" Sighing, I rolled onto my back. "Whatever."