Ten.One Thousand, Five Hundred & Twenty-One

1. No. Not yet.

2. But I did it.

3. Done and done and done.

4. I stop and take a picture mainly because it really is such a beautiful place and I want to be here and that is a good thing.

5. I do it from memory and that makes me feel good.

6. I am a little embarrassed but I realize that the feeling is just insecurity, lack of confidence. Because I don’t want to mess up. Because maybe there was something I didn’t understand. But mostly I don’t want to mess up.

7. They say something about a job they had before where all they did was stand at a belt and sort. I laugh to myself. This is exactly what my mind is craving these days: repetitive work with my body

8. I am sweating and people seem concerned. “I’m okay. I just sweat easily,” I say. She brings me cold water. I stare out into the vineyard and think about the old house and the garden and how I wish I had another piece of land to work on.

9. I show him the tanks and the caves. “Can I work there when I’m fifteen or sixteen?” he asks.

10. So many things to say.