Life was tough on a forty-year-old widow, too, out in the middle of cornfields and cows. The ten-acre field between the two houses was raw testament to her failure to work the farm alone. She was determined to continue their dream. When her husband died she vowed to go on, but the empty field, four weeks past planting date, was a constant reminder of her inability. There had been a family in the old farmhouse before. A closed factory in town meant relocation for many local families, and they had been one of them. Karen missed having a neighbor she could walk across the field and visit with. She longed for someone to talk to, commiserate with about kids, life, husbands; and she really missed having a husband to complain about. She reached over and gave her son a hug. She was a surprised that he didn't withdraw. Her once cuddly boy, now turned teenager, didn't appreciate open signs of affection from mom. It just wasn't cool. "It's still not nice to spy." Bobby grinned at his mother who stuck her tongue out in response and continued to peer through the binoculars. "Hey look!" he shouted. Karen saw it before Bobby said a word. It wasn't often you saw a car like that. In fact, Karen couldn't remember once having seen a limousine out there. There wasn't even a limousine company that she knew of within a hundred miles. The only business that survived in the tiny communities that sprung up inside the cornfields were; granaries, where farmers sold their crop and purchase seed for the coming year, butcher shops, where farmers sold livestock, and bars where farmers relaxed after a long day in the hot sun. For everything else they drove the hour and half to the city, which was closer than most of them preferred. Karen watched as the white car pulled in the driveway of the old house. The contrast of styles made the abandoned farmhouse look even more dilapidated. "Wow!" Bobby's eyes were wide with excitement. "Man, oh man, I sure hope they have kids." But his wide smile quickly left as a figure climbed out of the car, stood and looked around, alone.