A Time for Us

Tanner’s life had all been planned for him, and falling in love with his boss was not a part of that plan.  Tanner is new to country life, and a stranger to country living.  He is not new, however, to love.  During his summer in the countryside of upstate New York, Tanner falls in love with the man he has come to work for and to learn from.  Tanner knows he must leave at the end of the summer and return to medical school, but he cannot imagine life now without his boss, Mr. Knight.  Tanner must decide for himself if he will follow the predetermined plan for his life, or follow his heart and stay with the man he loves.


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Having been raised in Beijing, Tanner had known no other life than that experienced in a city, and he had heard from other students how wonderful it was to live in the country.  Many of them spoke of things Tanner had believed were reserved for only the wealthiest of families, such as massive estate homes, stables filled with various breeds of horses, swimming pools both indoor and outdoor, and many more amenities that when first heard about Tanner thought had to have been embellishments in an attempt to impress the other students.  After giving some thought regarding his plans for the next six weeks, Tanner decided to answer an ad for a veterinary assistant in upstate New York.  He wanted to experience something he had never experienced.  Tanner knew very little about animals.  Neither his family nor his friends in Beijing had ever had pets because there simply was not room.  It was difficult enough to find room for people in Beijing, much less animals.  So as soon as Tanner had taken his final exam of his first year at Columbia Medical School, he packed what few belongings he had brought with him from Beijing and caught the train that would take him to his new home for the next six weeks.


The train ride upstate was a relaxing one hour one.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and the countryside was so green that it reminded Tanner of pictures he had seen of Ireland.  There were rolling hills as far as the eye could see, a refreshing change to the somewhat dismal atmosphere found inside the sterile walls of the hospital.  As the train pulled into the station of the small town, Tanner pulled out the little slip of paper with the name of the man who was supposed to meet him.  Braden Knight was written very neatly, with somewhat of a calligraphic style.  Tanner didn’t know what Braden looked like, but in as small a town as this one appeared to be it was likely that he would be the only person waiting for someone to come into town on the train.  As Tanner entered the station, there was only one man waiting.  Braden Knight was a tall man who Tanner guessed to be about six feet tall, with dark hair, a slight build, and a very kind face with the bluest eyes he had ever seen.  As Braden stood up, Tanner slowly walked toward him.