This is a story that came to me when my character was getting sick from overwork. I began to wish that her husband, Marlin, would help her with a few things. Nothing big, just feeding a couple animals or watering some crops. But he doesn't actually DO anything. Sure, he cleans the barn, but the ratty barn doesn't NEED cleaning in the game!
I was sad when my character looked into the mirror and tried to encourage herself to be more like Celia. To me, that meant she thought Marlin was regretting his choice and wishing he had chosen someone else. That's when I started to wish the male Harvest Moon character had been a husband option. Drat.
Chapter One
No Fairy Tale
I jerked awake as the piercing sound of my alarm clock penetrated the deep calm of the early morning. I slapped the machine across my nightstand and glared at it for a moment; I hated having to use it, but I'd always been hopeless at getting up when I needed to, especially after a long night like last night. It was ten to four, and I had been up until one in the morning making sure that things got planted for the summer: if I fell behind the crops would be lost and so would the profits.
After stretching my stiff muscles, I grabbed a tie and pulled my hair into a tail. Stifling a yawn, I walked over to the flowered mirror and peered critically at myself. The sight was nothing new: it was what I saw every morning. A young twenty-three year old woman with brown hair, violet eyes and a round face. I studied myself carefully, trying to decide whether or not I had gained weight since giving birth to my son, Seth. I began to doubt it, however, when I saw how loosely my nightclothes hung around my figure; they used to fit better than that.
Knowing that I could not postpone my day any longer – not if I wanted to get anything done – I made my way noiselessly across the white and blue carpet into the kitchen, and then to the bathroom. I quickly showered and changed into my work clothes, ate a light breakfast, and headed out the front door into the cool, dark morning.
The stars were still out, and the moon had just hidden himself behind the mountain that led to Mineral Town, not to return until night had once again fallen over Forget-Me-Not Valley. I hummed to myself as I watered the crops, paying careful attention to my new banana tree; it was still young and needed a lot of care if it was going to give me the seeds I needed, not to mention the delicious fruit.
After completing the watering, I lured the barn animals – three cows, a goat, Rook the horse, and two sheep – outside. They all blinked sleepily at me, no doubt wondering why on God's green earth anyone would be up at the unseemly hour of four-thirty in the morning. I snorted at them and told them to sleep in the pasture if they were so tired. "You try running a household and a farm alone and then tell me you you're tired," I told them before hopping the pasture fence and trotting back to the house.
I always tried to be there when Seth and Marlin, my husband, woke up. If I could, I would prepare their breakfast, but I didn't always have the time. Marlin rose with the sun at six sharp every morning, and Seth followed not far behind.
Opening the front door quietly, I slipped back inside and looked around my home. The white carpet with blue flowers and matching trim smiled happily at me from their places on the ground, and Trouble the cat was fast asleep on the window sill, making sure he had the best possible spot to soak up the day's first rays. That animal was almost human at times. Seth adored him, but Trouble didn't always get along with his masters, particularly when the smallest one decided he would make a good canvas for painting or a practice sheep for shearing. The sight of clippers still sent him running.
"I love you Seth," I whispered, bending close to my son's dark hair to kiss him on the forehead. He smiled in his sleep and flipped over, nearly braining me with his fist in the process.
I moved over to my bed where my husband was still asleep, his face set in a frown. I knew it didn't mean he was having unhappy dreams: that was simply the way he slept. But all the same, I hoped he wasn't unhappy… especially if it was because of me. With my own frown stealing across my face, I looked into the mirror again. Would I ever be able to give Marlin what he wanted? Not if it was Celia, I couldn't. For the millionth time I wondered if there had been something between them before I had married Marlin. What if he wished he'd made a different decision?
Biting my bottom lip, I turned sharply away from my reflection and looked down at the sleeping Marlin. Sometimes I wondered why he had agreed to marry me. I had loved him with my whole heart, still did, and always would; that was never going to change as long as I lived. But what about Marlin's feelings toward me? In the two years we had been married, never once had he directly told me that he loved me. I supposed he did love me, but how could I be sure if he wouldn't tell me? However, the answer might not be the one I wanted to hear.
"Mmm….hmph…." Marlin mumbled, tossing in his sleep. I leaned in closer to listen for any sleep talk, pressing a knee on the bed and putting my hands on either side of my husband's head. I smiled a bit at the memories I had of him talking in his sleep; he was so cute when he did that.
"Katie?" asked Marlin in a sleepy voice.
Nearly jumping out of my skin with surprise, I looked down to see a blue eye almost identical to Seth's blinking tiredly at me, the other still closed. "Good morning, Marlin," I said softly, leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. Then, embarrassed, I climbed off the mattress and went to wake our son up.
Seth didn't need a lot of encouragement to get out of bed; he wanted to play with his momma. After spending fifteen minutes tossing the toddler into the air – one of his favorite pastimes – I gave him a horsey ride into the kitchen and set him at the table as I began to make breakfast.
"Its toast and oatmeal this morning," I told Marlin as he walked out of the shower room.
"That's fine," he said in reply, plopping down next to Seth and pulling the toddler into his lap.
Seth giggled and wrapped his little arms around his daddy's neck, tucking his head underneath Marlin's chin. I felt her heart fairly melt as I watched my husband and son together. I had been being silly: of course Marlin was happy! I only had to look at the way father and son interacted.
But, I thought against my will, that could mean nothing more than that Marlin loves his son. And as long as he loves Seth, it shouldn't matter whether or not he loves me. I frowned down at the pot of oatmeal as it cooked, carefully stirring it to prevent lumps. But it does matter to me. I admitted the last part and my heart had a different kind of reaction: it hurt.
"Gween!" Seth cried out as Marlin pointed to a color in the room.
"And that one?" he pointed again.
"…Gween," Seth said again, but with less conviction.
"Red," Marlin corrected.
"Wed!"
"Here you go," I said cheerfully, setting the finished food on the table. Seth clapped his hands and made happy noises as he wriggled out of his father's grasp to get to his food.
"Thanks," Marlin said as he lifted his spoon.
"You're welcome." I began to eat my food, stopping everyone once in a while to answer one of Seth's never ending questions. When I wasn't talking to Seth, I would glance over at Marlin and watch him while he ate. He seemed like he did every day: quiet and calm.
"I've almost made a breakthrough with those seeds I've been experimenting with," Marlin said, "I think they'll turn out pretty good."
"That's great!" I said with a smile. I knew how my husband loved to work with plant seeds. So far he had not produced anything that would grow, but that didn't stop me from supporting him. Even if nothing came of his hobby, I would still be able to manage the farm just fine alone; I always had.
I gathered the dishes from the table, wiped the food off of Seth, and began the washing. I heard Marlin head for the shower room and Seth run off in search of 'kitty'.
A sudden pain in my side made me drop the dish I had been washing back into the soapy water. Liquid splashed out of the sink and onto my clothing, but I barely noticed as a jabbing pain made my muscles constrict. I held very still, my face contorted in an effort to not cry out, until the pain subsided. Once it was over I took a deep breath and went on with the dishes. That was not the first time I had experienced something like that, and I doubted it would be the last. Most of the time it happened because I had strained something from my work on the farm. It would have helped if I had an extra hand to give me assistance, but I just couldn't afford that. Besides, who was there in Forget-Me-Not Valley that could work a farm? In essence, my home was a farm and a ranch. I doubted that even my husband knew how much back-breaking work I did, both with the crops and the animals.
The fact of the matter was that there were only two people in the entire valley that could run a farm single handedly: Vesta and me. Celia was about as useful as a wet noodle when it came to hard work, as she was much more delicate than I, though that wasn't a surprise; I was less delicate than most people in the valley, even the men. Marlin had been sick when he was younger, and had lost his confidence as well as his good health. He couldn't or wouldn't help me on the farm, and I had promised myself I wouldn't ask him. That was why he worked on seeds: he couldn't do more than try to develop hybrids and clean the barn. I believed that he could regain his health, but no matter what I said to him he didn't believe me, and I wouldn't push it.
Once, a while back, I had wondered what it would have been like had I married one of the other two men who had been interested in me. Rock, I was certain, would have flat out refused to work at all. And I doubted that Gustafa knew anything about the chores that had to be done on a farm. No, there was no one I could have chosen that would have helped me any more than Marlin could. And I loved him, I really did. But… I had to wonder if he might have tried harder to help if he cared for me more.
"No, that's selfish and mean," I told myself sternly, trying to rid myself of the tight stomached feeling of sadness.
After the last of the dishes were put away, I slowly made my way out into the main room, unpleasant thoughts still fighting for dominance in my mind. With a shake of my head, I threw some of them off of me, but their shadows remained. When I entered the front room, little Seth was in the corner brushing Hubble's hair. From the look on the dog's face, he was enjoying it much more than Trouble had.
Walking over to the mirror, I looked myself over. "I wish I was a Harvest Sprite," I said thoughtfully. The little Sprites had a lot of adventures, traveled, and had not a care in the world. Plus they got to wear really cute outfits and live in a tree. I giggled slightly before sobering; I was not a Sprite and could not travel to find adventure or be as carefree as I wanted to be. I'm sure Celia doesn't do anything wrong, I said sadly to myself. I lifted her eyes to the reflection that was not the tiny, beautiful raven-haired girl, but the strong, independent brown-haired girl.
"Come on!" I told myself energetically, "You can be just like Celia!" I smiled at myself in the mirror. The smile faded. "No, I suppose that's impossible…" With a sigh, I left the horrible piece of glass and walked over to where Seth was talking animatedly to an oblivious and very happy Hubble.
"What're you doing, Seth?" I asked with a smile, crouching next to my son.
"Hubble is pwetty, Momma," Seth said, happily brushing more, "And I teach him 'bout Sheeds."
"I'm sure he'd love to learn about seeds," I encouraged. Bending down slightly, I held my arms out to Seth and asked for a kiss. The little boy instantly complied, putting his tiny arms around my neck and tucking his head under my jaw. A strong wave of love washed through me as I held my baby boy close to my heart. Then Seth gave me a final squeeze before letting go and returning to the pressing pastime of educating the dog on farm work.
I sighed with contentment and happiness as I stood up. I was being silly about Marlin; he was happy, I was happy, and most importantly, Seth was happy. As long as my son grew up to be a well informed, happy, well rounded adult, there was nothing else that I needed.
xXx
"Marlin, are you going to the festival at the bar tonight?" I asked, throwing another armful of hay into Apple's manger. Even for a cow, that girl ate a lot. I looked up when Marlin didn't answer. He appeared to be busy mucking out Rook's stall. "Marlin?"
"What?" he asked quickly, looking up from his work.
"Are you going to the festival?" I asked again.
"Oh. Yeah, I guess. Are you?" A little put out by his lack on enthusiasm, I told him that I was going to attend as well. "Okay then," he replied, returning his attention to the stall.
With a small sigh, I wiped my gloved hand over my forehead to brush away a trickle of sweat. I bet Celia never sweats. I looked down at my hands and pulled my gloves off, revealing palms and fingers that were calloused after years of hard work. Celia's hands were soft and cool, most likely. I shook my head to dispel such thoughts of comparison. It wasn't that I wanted to be like Celia; it was that I believed Marlin wanted me to. Personally, I had never wanted to be anyone other than me, but if that was what he wished, I would try to be a little more like my friend.
I was looking forward to the festival, but I also wanted to be able to look forward to a romantic evening with my husband. I didn't get much time off from work, and when I did I wanted to spend it with my family. However, I doubted that he would want to spend our free time the way I wanted to, which was together and alone, just once in a while.
I also wanted to have some time as a whole family, but that didn't seem to happen either. Sure, we were all in the room at the same time, but either I was playing with Seth or Marlin was. It seemed we always did things separately. I didn't know how to bring things together, or make more time, or do whatever I needed to do. All too often I would have time only to make it back to the house at night to make supper, play with Seth for a while before putting him to bed, and then have to go back outside to finish up the chores. I loved what I did, but… I supposed there was nothing for it.
With a last sigh, I threw the rest of the fodder into a feeder and walked out of the barn, noticing the slight extra weight on my boot that mean I'd have to scrape them off later. There were some downsides to having so many large animals around, droppings being one of them.
As I began to water the crops, I ran options for dinner though my mind. I wasn't a terrific cook yet, but I tried very hard to make things tasty for my family. Takakura still wouldn't join us, but I always took him some food as soon as it was finished. I didn't understand why he turned down my invitations to dinner. It wasn't as if I still didn't know him, like in that first year, and he was always happy to receive a meal. Maybe he would change his mind later on.
Suddenly I realized that I wouldn't have to do much for supper since it was a festival night. All I would have to do was make something for Seth and Takakura, who would be babysitting while Marlin and I were gone. At least I hoped he would, once I talked to him. I smiled as I thought of the other times I had asked for his help on such an occasion, and the look on his face when he played with Seth. Takakura was as soft as tilled soil when it came to my son.
"Katie!" a voice called out unexpectedly.
I looked up and saw Vesta striding toward me with one of her huge smiles on her face. I adored Vesta, and she seemed to enjoy having me around. "How are you?" I asked in happy surprise as she reached me.
"Good, good. Just finishing up the summer planting, you know," Vesta said conversationally. "I came by to give you some of these yams left over from fall."
"Thank you, Vesta," I said gratefully, accepting the sack of yams.
"Are you and Marlin coming to the festival tonight? I've got six new recipes I want to try out on you guys."
"We'll be there. I thought I'd make a desert to take. It used to by my mother's recipe, and I think everyone will like it. It's light and tangy."
"I look forward to the surprise," Vesta said cheerfully. Then her smile faded slightly as she looked at me closely. She had to practically double over to see me properly; she was a lot bigger than I was. "How are you doing, Hon?" she asked, surprising me.
"Me? Fine, just fine. Lots of things to get done, but I'm managing like I always have," I said, smiling.
"If you're sure..." Vesta began, "You look tired out, Kate. I hope you're not working too hard."
"I'm… fine," I said again, pasting a smile on my face. Of course, Vesta saw right thought it. Then again, anyone but Marlin would have known I wasn't telling the truth; it wasn't hard to figure it out, since at the moment I had about as much spunk as an over-boiled noodle.
"Is Marlin helping at all?" Vest asked bluntly.
"Of course," I said, defensive of my husband, "he cleans the barn, the chicken coop, and he's working on seed hybrids, and he…"
"Katie," Vesta said sternly, silencing me. "I love Marlin, but even I admit that he's got such a serious problem with his belief in his illness that it impairs his ability to work. The barn doesn't need cleaning, the coop is fine, and he hasn't gotten anywhere with his research, has he?"
"Vesta, he does that best he can with what he has, and I love him all the more for it. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't speak about him like that. The farm needs to be cleaned, and when he does it, I don't have to," I said seriously.
"I'm sorry, Katie: that's not what I meant to do at all; I'm just concerned for you and Seth," the older woman said gently, "And for Marlin, on a level. Just… If you ever need anything, I'll be happy to help, and Celia will be too."
I sighed and stared at the wood wall panels, studying the grooves and grain of it. I loved what I did, I loved Thyme Farm, and I loved my family. But sometimes… sometimes I wondered what life would have been like if I had followed my old dream to live in the city. But then I wouldn't have Seth, and I would have none of the wonderful memories I possessed. And that was too big a price to pay, I decided.
"We're fine," I insisted finally.
xXx
"Welcome everyone!" Muffy said excitedly as I walked into the bar. I was the last one, I saw. Glancing around, my eye caught sight of Marlin; I hadn't known he'd even left the farm.
"Hi, Muffy," I said cheerfully, hugging my friend.
"Oh, Katie, I'm so glad you came! I was afraid you'd be too busy!" the blonde said happily.
"I wouldn't miss your party, Muffy," I replied with a smile.
"Not like she would let you," said another voice: Nami. The red-haired woman smiled as she walked over to us. Even though we knew she would grumble, Muffy and I gave her hugs and told her we were glad to see her. "I have to say, it's great to see you both," Nami admitted.
I nodded and glanced over at Marlin again. He hadn't looked in my direction once; he was talking to Celia. I felt my heart drop into my stomach, and suddenly I wasn't very hungry, but I did my best to eat after Vesta led a toast to everyone attending.
The food was wonderful, even with the mood I was in. There were pies, cakes, pastries, specialty dishes that I couldn't name, meats, breads, soups, salads, and even calamari. I tried a bit of everything and ended up feeling like a very large balloon.
"Katie," said Marlin unexpectedly.
I turned to him, wanting very much to just chat with him.
"Why can't you make good food like this at home?" he finished.
I froze with shock.
"Marlin!" Vesta practically yelled. Nami and Muffy glared at him just as fiercely as Vesta was, but I didn't notice.
"What?" Marlin asked sullenly. He didn't care.
Hot tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, not here.
I couldn't make my brain function properly. Staring at him, the only thing that passed through my head was, "Why would he say something like that?" I would never do anything like that to him, especially in public. And I wasn't that bad at cooking…
I didn't hear what else Vesta said as I hurriedly said goodbye to everyone and walked out the door as quickly as would seem polite. I paused at the end of the darkening street and looked back, hoping my husband had followed me. I waited. Nothing; he wasn't coming after me. I turned around sharply and ran toward the farm, salty liquid pouring silently down my cheeks, leaving wet, shining trails behind. As soon as I reached the old tree at the edge of my land, I dropped to my knees and hugged myself tightly. How could Marlin speak like that about me in front of our friends? I wouldn't have cared so much if he had been sorry at all. But he hadn't been.
"And he never will be, will he?" I asked myself quietly, staunching the flow of tears. That was the way Marlin was, and I couldn't change it. Only he could, but he wouldn't, and I knew that.
For a moment I saw myself as I might have been had I not married Marlin; I would have sold the farm – probably to Takakura – and moved to the city to become anything I wanted to be. I had always dreamed of making a career of music, ever since that one visit to the city when I had been offered a job as musician. But I turned it down; I was engaged to Marlin at the time, and couldn't imagine leaving him. Perhaps I should have…
"Why didn't I see this coming?" I whispered to the sky, watching as its orange color melted into an inky black: it was going to be a very dark night.
A feeling of loneliness and loss seeped into my mind like water through a crack in a building's foundation. Why hadn't I chosen another life? And could I ever go back? Just as I began to feel that I had a chance at a different life for myself, a voice called out, "Mommy?"
"Seth?" I asked, quickly wiping the wetness from my eyes and cheeks. Briefly I wondered why he was out at this time of night. From the moment he had learned to crawl, he could always find me; it was almost as if he sensed where I was.
"Mommy!" Suddenly the soft, small body of my son hurled itself at me in an enthusiastic greeting. I hugged him tightly to my chest. At that moment, as I felt his little heart beating against mine, I knew that I would not leave Marlin, and that I should never again regret choosing the life that had given me Seth.
What I didn't know was that I would become very fond of Marlin, and he of me. We would never love each other in a passionate or even sweet way, but we would always care for one another. I love him because he is my husband. I love him because he is the father of my son. And my son means the world to me.
Let me know if you think I should continue this.