Pinky Promise

"Jack? Jaaaaaack!"

A young girl stepped out of a small house, her blue eyes worriedly searching for this "Jack." She was in fact very young—just old enough to marry, it seemed—there was a ring on her finger.

"Katie?"

Katie's face lit up at the sound of the deeper voice approached, her eyes began to sparkle a bit, and her face flushed.

"Jack! Oh, Jack, I've missed you so much… Why were you gone for so long?"

"W-well, Katie, it's only 2 pm… I was doing farm work all day. Did you have a good day off?"

"Why, yes, Jack. Carl said I could become a cook soon if I try hard enough… So I'm really excited!"

"That's great, honey."

Katie smiled and began to sway back and forth a little, her face all lit up.

"Well, Jack, you know—we're married now, so we have to work harder for our money."

Katie seemed genuinely happy about their situation despite how negative it could be—they were newlyweds, had little money to spare, and were living by the skin of their teeth through a farm & Katie's job as a waitress. Katie eventually wanted to become a patisserie, & Jack just wanted his farm to be successful. A not very farfetched dream, as the demand for eggs, milk, and wool was high, and there were two cafes in the entire town, one of which was more of a tavern anyways. Despite not having much, Jack and Katie were happy just to be spending their lives together.

Jack was always trying to find ways to make more money to have a better—no, easier life. At this time, Jack still only owned chickens, because a barn was too expensive for their budget. Jack found a bit of a loophole and got a discount from the carpenter, deciding to get a barn to possibly help out with the finances.

"Hey… Katie?"

"Oh, hi Jack!" The never-ending smile on her face was radiant. "What's happenin', love?"

"Well… I just spent a lot of money to buy a barn." Jack looked a bit guilty from his prospects, but Katie's smile remained.

"Oh, dear. Well, I guess we'll just have to work harder to provide for us and the animals, aren't we?"

"Yes, I suppose so; I'm sorry I spent so much money… I guess just having chickens gets boring after awhile, you know? With a barn I can get cows and milk is worth more than eggs—I'll get it all back, promise."

"Hmm… Carl can probably give me extended hours as well. We're gonna have to save up for the baby…" Katie's hand clapped over her mouth in a moment of shock.

"The wha…?" Jack seemed a bit lightheaded from this new bit of information and sat down in a chair, as Katie ran over to the kitchen and poured a glass of water.

"Yes, honey; I'm pregnant. I wasn't going to tell you, but… yes." The glowing on her face was obvious—how could he not have seen this before?

"Oh, Katie… Are you sure we'll be good parents? It's scary to think we'll have a baby and not enough money… You should've told me."

"Promise, we'll be fine. I've already spoken to Lyla and Nina a bit on the subject—Lyla's planning a shower about a month before the baby's due, and Nina's going to help out so we can work when the baby's at home."

"Okay. I suppose… I'm going to be a daddy then."

Katie threw her arms around Jack and laughed, squeezing him as if she was never going to let go. "Uh-huh. Now, I'm tired, Jack… can we go to sleep now?"

"Oh, by all means, yes. We don't want your back to start hurting before you start showing!"

Katie smiled and gave Jack a kiss before they went off to bed.

"Okay, so the barn's done. It's got all of yer major equipment, troughs, a place to put water, a shipping bin—a pretty well-made piece of equipment, if I do say so myself."

"Thanks, Woody. I'll call if I have any problems or need a new building, okay?"

"Sure, kid. Congratulations on the lil'un too. Heard yer wife's pregnant."

"Thank you. We're quite excited."

Woody nodded his head and heaved a hammer over his shoulder, walking back towards his woodshop.

Katie came rushing outside, her face in an agonizing grimace.

"Jack! Oh, good Lord… JACK!" Her hands were gripped over her just-beginning-to-show stomach, and she was still yelling.

Jack ran over to Katie and picked her up bridal-style to refrain from falling over. "Katie, honey, are you alright?"

"Of course not. I have the most ungodly cramps right now… It's like my insides are turning inside out…"

Her whimpering tone was miserable, so Jack ran over to the clinic and took her in to lay down for awhile. She fell asleep almost immediately, her face still obviously pain-stricken.

After a few hours in the clinic, Alex walked out, a grim look on his face. Martha was beside him with a handkerchief, wiping her eyes and trying not to look at Jack, who worriedly asked if Katie was alright.

"Oh, dearie, yes, SHE'S fine. Just sometimes… things happen to women…And—" Martha couldn't talk anymore. Tears began flowing down her face again and she walked back over to where Katie was, her expression still as grim as Alex's.

Alex looked straight at Jack in the eyes, although a bit painfully, which was odd since he typically lacked outward emotion.

"See, Jack, your wife had a miscarriage. As in, the baby somehow died from… well, unknown causes, in this case. It's usually because the baby is in an odd position or doesn't have enough nutrients, but your wife is superbly careful and well-fed, right?"

"Of course. She hasn't lifted a finger for the past few months other than her usual yoga, and she's even let up on that a little bit."

"Well, I'm very sorry. It must be painful… Katie'll probably need some time to recooperate. I'd like to keep her here for a night, but she can go home when morning comes. You can leave if you want—I know you're quite busy…"

"No, I'd rather be with my wife. I can have Lyla feed the chickens if we need her to."

Alex nodded at his suggestion and Gina ran out to go find Lyla to pass on the news.

Jack ran over to Katie, who was sitting upright in her bed, just staring at the rain which had appeared while they were in the hospital. Her eyes weren't really fixated on anything, as if she weren't quite conscious.

Martha came over with a tray of food, specifically sweets, which she claimed "made a bad situation a bit sweeter." She stayed for a bit to make sure Katie was doing well vital-wise (as a midwife, she understood how the loss of a baby can be completely devastating), and sat on the other side of Katie.

"Dear… I know it was your first child, but it's not like you can never try for another one. I've been an advisor for women who have had two or three miscarriages in a year but then have the healthiest babies I've seen. I know it's hard, but it'll be alright."

"No, Martha. You don't understand. It's not like you've ever even been married before." Katie huffed and awkwardly tried to get out of bed, in obvious pain. "C'mon, Jack, let's go home. I don't like it here."

Jack and Katie lived a pretty quiet life for the next few days afterwards—Jack did the usual farm business, while Katie stayed indoors and cooked & read all day, the smile on her face long gone from the days past. Jack had told Carl about the situation, who gladly let Katie take off as much time as she needed—he assured Jack that her job would be there when she was ready again. Lyla and Nina tried to visit several times, but Katie was never really in the mood to have company. They said they would also wait until she was ready for social interaction again—it was really hard for her.

A week after the clinic visit, Jack brought home a cow, to help out for more money on the farm—with Katie not working at that time, she also wasn't getting paid, so Jack had to make up for that in crops and more animal products. Hank, the local livestock dealer sold him the cow and then offered to take the cow back to the barn with him, to which Jack agreed—he'd never had a cow before.

"Eeeerr, so, ya excited about yar first cow?"

"Yes, I sort of am—but I've never really had much experience with cows."

"Wullp, ya feed 'em, ya put 'em out to graze, an' ya give 'em meds when they get all sickish."

"Thanks a lot."

"An' iffin' ya need s'more, I gots me a lotta cows."

"Thanks, Hank."

Hank smiled and responded to his "thanks" with a nod, and then ran off back towards his shop. Jack was just about to put the cow in the barn when a large foreign-looking man rushed by and ran into Jack's barn.

"Hey, you over there, Would you know where my Porky would be?

He was a strange-looking man, all right. He was a large man—but short. He was wearing a purple suit with a matching top hat and had blonde hair. Jack shrugged and continued to get the cow settled.

"Pink and cute Porky."

Jack still had no idea as to what the man was talking about, then saw a little pink ear protrude from a hay bale. Jack whistled and the pig came running over to him, squealing and hiding behind him, as if he was scared of this big man.

"Oh, there he is, such a cute baby…~ Now, come over here."

The pig squealed again and ran towards the other side of the barn. Jack rolled his eyes and tried to reason with the man.

"Umm, sir? Who are you? And why are you in my barn?"

"Ooooh, dear, I suppose I didn't introduce myself. How rude." He bowed. "My name is Gourmet—I am a food enthusiast. I judge contests and I love good food. Now, I was looking for my pig—little Porky over there. Can I have him back?"

"Why, Mr. Gourmet, he doesn't seem to like you—what are you planning on doing with him? Maybe that's why he doesn't like you."

Gourmet's face became a bit blank, and he became a bit fidgety.

"Wait, you're asking what I'll do? It'll be the wonderful ingredient to highlight the dinner table."

Jack stood there for a second, his eyes and mouth wide open. This pig wasn't to be eaten—it was obvious the poor thing was scared to death.

"No, no, no, sir, you can't have him back! He's just a piglet! He deserves more time than what you've given him! Can't you be merciful?"

"I'm kidding~"

Jack grimaced at Gourmet and the two ran after the pig, still shaking in the corner.

"See, this pig can find very rare mushrooms.~ Perfect for serving in mushroom dishes~"

"Oh, really? That's pretty cool… I'd buy one, but I doubt pigs are available on this island."

"Oh, what a shame… you are such a nice person. You know, where I come from, my family knows a family that owns a pig farm. Maybe I could get another—If you'd like, I'll give you this pig."

"Oh, that's not necessary, Mr. Gourmet."

"No, no, I insist. He doesn't seem to like me anyways."

The pig squealed in delight and nuzzled the end of Jack's overalls. Maybe it would be nice to have another pet on the farm. Jack nodded and brought the pig to the door, turned back to thank Gourmet again, but he had already disappeared. Jack walked inside and placed the pig on the floor, who had a red ribbon around his neck. Katie seemed to be a bit surprised from the "oinks" coming from the doorway and turned around, a bit visibly startled from the surprise.

"Katie, please don't get mad… but a strange man came by the farm today—he said he was a food critic, and his pet pig got lost in my barn. He didn't seem to like his owner much, so, here he is. He's ours."

"Jack, I don't want a pig. They're nasty and dirty and smell gross. The only thing they're good for is ham."

The pig apparently acknowledged Katie's response and cautiously trotted up to her, his head slightly cocked in confusion.

"Oh, no, you're not staying inside. Jack, please take him outside…"

"Oh, okay, fine, Katie…"

Jack took the pig outside and tied him to a tree, so that he could explore but not fall into the river or get into any of the crops. Katie sat inside, a bit overwhelmed at the new addition to the farm—but she couldn't quit thinking about how cute his expression was when he came over there by her. She walked past the window several times, just watching him scurry around and oink at the passing sparrows, ducks, etc. She gave a slight smile and kept watching the pig intently. He was a pretty cute fellow, actually. And he didn't seem to be that dirty. He was just cute. Katie just sat there watching until she saw the pig beginning to dig near the tree. She ran outside and began to yell.

"You stupid pig! Why are you digging! You're going to get all dirty and then I'm going to have to wash you! Why a—" Her thought was cut short as the pig brought out an oddly-shaped brown item. He dropped it on the ground and began to dig again, and Katie picked it up.

"What? A truffle? But… they're so rare! How did you know..?"

The pig stopped searching and jumped into the river , taking all of the mud off of him, and then climbed out through a set of stairs leading down to the river. He shook off the water and trotted over to Katie again, obviously pleased with his finding. Katie smiled and laughed, taking the pig's leash off and taking him inside the house.

"Well, maybe I spoke a bit too soon. You're delightful." Katie began to cook the truffles in a sautéed mushroom dish, and picked out 2 plates and a bowl—one for her, one for Jack, and one for "Pinky", as Katie had so lovingly nicknamed him. She laughed as Pinky squealed each time the pan fired up from the oil, and frantically scurried around the house. Ah, it was a mess now—but Katie really didn't care. She sort of felt that void become a bit smaller in her heart—her loss wasn't replaced, but filled in a bit with this animal, this pet, this friend she'd made.

"Katie, I'm home~ Do you need anything, dear?"

"Oh, Jack, I'm just fine! You should come here! I made dinner early today!"

"Well, I won't disagree to that. What'd you make, love?"

"Sautéed truffles, sweet potatoes, and carrots and fried eggs with herb tea. I'm thinking cheesecake for desert and maybe Pinky here can have some stewed pumpkin or something…"

"Well, dear, you sound surprisingly eager today—what happened?"

"I realized that I was being a bit… down on myself? I suppose you could call it that. While I may be traumatized over this for awhile, I guess I needed a friend more than anything—I know I can be an emotional wreck, and that you don't understand that, but Pinky here can't."

"Ah, I get it. So the nasty & gross pig became sort of an epiphany-sparking moment?"

"I guess… Not exactly!"

"Oh, alright, Katie. You win."

Katie smiled and picked up Pinky, giving him a huge hug and snuggling him tight.

"See, I think I can try again. For another baby. I just have to remember to be strong—that there's always someone out there to be my friend. Maybe I should've been less solitary… Lyla and Nina probably hate me…"

"No, dear, they were worried about you. Same with Carl. He said you can go back whenever you want—your job won't be filled."

Katie began to cry and gave Jack a hug.

"Thank you, Jack. For everything. I'm so sorry I've been like this…"

"I-it's not your fault, sweetheart. We can try again. & Pinky and our baby can be best friends."

A smile came across Katie's face.

"Yes, of course. Pinky can help our baby like he did me. Now, Jack… we still haven't eaten dinner. You must be so hungry…"

Pinky oinked in response to Katie's comment. She laughed and scooped out a heap of the sweet potato-mushroom-carrot combination and placed it in Pinky's bowl. Pinky oinked happily and began to devour his food. Katie smiled as she watched Pinky scarf down the entire bowl, and placed her hand back over her stomach. She still had a lot to recover from, but at least she knew she wouldn't be alone anymore.