Disclaimer: I do not own harvest moon and any of its characters.
A/N: I wanted to write another fic soon, so give me some slack! I'm just a beginner here. Enjoy and please review and help me improve! I want to be a good writer someday and people please help me!
One thing I have learned from the past is that you shouldn't expect too much so that you won't get hurt. I learned it all the hard way, knowing that she will never come back to me for a tight embrace to escape all the pain she is feeling.
-0-
I woke up the next morning and found my husband snoring loudly. I rose up the bed silently and to quickly change my clothes when I suddenly halted. A too familiar object came into view from my eyes.
It was our family picture, our only family picture.
I could've stood there all day long, just thinking about my daughter and looking at the joyful memories we made together. But a hand crept up my shoulder, relieving even just a bit of the bitterness and sorrow I've been experiencing.
The hand came from none other than Duke, my loving husband, just like me he still can't get over our daughter's absence. I quickly went to the bathroom and changed, thoughts swirling all over my head.
-0-
"Mommy, what is it like to be in the city?" A tinkling voice emerged from the shadows. She came up to me, still crying maybe from the fight she had gotten from maybe Karen or Ann.
"In the city? Well, it's quite noisier and busier there, people bustling about and don't have any plans to stop since money there is harder to find. But, it's a great place to explore, all new things to try."' I patted her head and went straight to the door. "Mommy's going shopping, don't leave okay?" I retorted.
She nodded and gave a meaningful grin, "I promise I won't leave you, mommy." Then she went upstairs to play with her toys.
-0-
That was years ago, when she made that solemn promise to me. She swore from the bottom of her heart to never let us down.
You couldn't even imagine what I felt when I woke up 5 years later, her bed all empty with a note lying on top of it:
Dear Mom and Dad,
I decided I'd leave this place and go explore the city. I'd want some happiness in my life and I'd got this urge to just move. I don't hate this place, it just feels like I've been here too long and I needed to go answer my calling. Karen said it was a great place to fulfill our dreams, so maybe I also want a head start there.
Your loving daughter,
Aja
I fainted on the spot after reading that note, unable to register the things she jotted down on that single piece of paper. I wasn't able to neither eat nor sleep much because of that. Most of the villagers came to visit and help us recover from the loss of our child. Sasha and Anna suggested we always go to Rose Square when we want to chat about random things: the love affairs going around, Lillia's cure, the increasing prices. They wanted me to get my mind off of things. But I had a hard time responding.
I kept myself silent for a whole month, unable to talk with anybody. I'll cry every night when Duke is at the Bar, drinking his pain all away. I needed comfort. I needed security, but I didn't know I was not alone.
While we were chatting away in Rose Square, I hadn't notice Harris being troubled.
"Have you noticed he's being melancholy lately since Aja left?" Sasha retorted.
I was shocked to hear that and I couldn't help myself but respond in such a rush, "Really? Is that true? Did Harris have any feelings for my dear daughter? I shouldn't expect too much but Harris doesn't talk too much to us about his personal feelings. Should I ask him about it, or should I wait until he comes to us for advice? Should he stop patrolling for a while and look for Aja? I don't think that's a bad idea and Mineral Town doesn't have any crimes happening around…" I babbled on and on until I just couldn't stop. I missed Aja so much that I haven't even considered the others' feelings.
That night I went by to Mayor Thomas's place and waited for Harris. I peeked through the door and I heard soft voices. It was Harris and the Mayor, though I didn't want to do it, I eavesdropped on the whole conversation.
"…not a bad idea either, but can't you wait for a little more time?" Mayor asked.
"Father, I need to go search for her. The town has been, well, lifeless since Manna stop being her usual cheerful and happy self. And Aja was often the highlight of everyone's day, right?" Harris replied.
The Mayor sighed. "I suppose so. And I have to agree with you, Aja was the highlight of almost everyone's day."
"I'll visit Claire in her farm and ask for advice." Harris stood up and went to go to the door.
I wasn't able to move from the conversation I just heard so maybe you can picture the awkward situation I was in.
"Uh...I came here to talk with Harris about Aja." I managed to say.
Oh my, I guess that was so wrong. Bad Manna. Bad, bad.
"I don't mind, ma'am." He gestured over at the couch. Although he may not show it clearly, I can see the disappointment in his face. The mayor turned and went to his room. Harris went to the kitchen to prepare some tea.
I don't get it at times, why is life so cruel yet so kind? It helps you achieve your goals, dreams, wishes and crushes your heart to pieces you never thought that would happen.
"Aja loved coming here for tea time." Harris said, breaking the awkward silence. "We'd sit for hours and hours rambling on and on about random things." He suddenly stopped. "But after I became the officer of this town,…" His voice slowly quivered.
I gestured my hand for him to stop. I placed the teacup on the coffee table and I thanked him. Surely, everybody knew the whole story by now.
I cried through the whole conversation, unable to hold back the emotions containing in my chest. As true to what I heard, Harris did love my daughter. He even bought a blue feather the day before she left. I thought I was going to pass out from the conversation that we just had.
I headed home, my heart slowly healing. Harris was able to recover from the pain, so why can't I?
Duke was still at the Bar so I quickly changed into my clothes and, for the first time since last time, I cried myself to sleep. I relieved myself that my daughter is a big girl now and she can take care of herself. She will return, maybe not today, but someday.
-0-
Today was Fall 15, the Fall Wine Harvest.
Oh shoot! It's Saturday. I have baking classes with Anna. Oh, what am I supposed to do? Duke will get mad at me this time around.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Who could be at this time of day? Oh, I forgot! Duke invited Claire to help. I gently opened the door, to see Claire, the young farmer, with a brown-haired boy.
I almost gasped when I saw him; he didn't look the same as Aja. He had coffee-colored hair with matching sepia eyes that contrasted his snow-like complexion. But, by the way he talked, the way he moved, the way he smiled, was strikingly similar to Aja's.
I gave them my greetings and went to wake up my husband. Still snoring loudly, I pulled up the sheets and opened the windows bright and wide. "Morning, honey." I beamed. Today will be a new day and I have to get over my past.
"Unh…?" was the only thing he said before I went downstairs to go to Anna's.
-0-
"Manna, you're doing very well today. What happened to you?" Anna said, looking surprised.
The cookies I baked turned out a lot better than I expected. And when I mean better, I mean from burnt to gourmet kind of cookies.
I was able to bake Aja's favorite flavor for cookies: Cinnamon Cookies with sugar sprinkles. Burnt to her most favorable crisp and oven freshness, Anna gave me double thumbs up with a matching joke, "Manna, I should tell you to be aware of the Cooking Festival. Maybe the gourmet will eat it rather than tasting it." I giggled. It wasn't everyday that you can hear Anna joking around.
After the cooking classes, I went straight to the supermarket. Ugh, why did Duke even bother to have a wallet when he's not even using it?
Look at the bright side girl. At least you can chat with Sasha some more. Yeah, more time to chat.
Sasha was really excited to talk about the new ingredients they have in store.
New Items:
Recipe book 3500G
Relax Tea Leaves 1000G
Recipe book?
I walked up to Sasha.
" Hey Sash, where'd you get the Recipe Book?" I asked looking puzzled.
"I got it from Anna. She was able to complete all the recipes with Cliff's and Claire's help." She replied happily.
"Oh! And Duke owes 5000G this time around." She replied.
"AGAIN?" I screamed. Duke is getting into my nerves. He already owes some cash from the Inn since he's been trying to call Aja from the city. He also bought some medicine from the Clinic since he got a case of severe "hangover" from last night. I'm really glad people were even able to put up with his debts.
Oh well. Just laugh it off.
I laughed and Sasha laughed with me. How lucky she was to have a responsible husband, to have someone who simply cares about you and just doesn't cling on to you for money. She is fortunate.
I came back to the winery and cooked some cheesecakes for all of them and prepared the grape juice made from the ones they picked.
"YUM!" Claire said as she gobbled up the last of the cheesecake I've baked.
"Thank you, Manna." Duke replied and then returned to the cellar to examine the barrels they hauled in. Duke's tasks have been piling up these days since the town's having a rough time with the increasing prices.
"Cliff, would you like to work in the winery as your part-time job?" I said. Oops! Did I say that out loud? That was so wrong. Bad Manna! You did it again! Bad, bad!
"I-I'd love to, ma'am!" He said proudly with a smile.
He does have Aja's characteristics. I do hope someday Aja will return and inherit the winery, and maybe, just maybe, marry Cliff here.
-0-
Winter arrived swiftly. I didn't even do many errands in the past season.
I awoke at the sound of knocking hands on our wooden door. It was quite soft and it didn't seem urgent, so I carefully took my time. It must be Cliff, but it's surprisingly early for him to arrive for his job here in the winery.
I opened the door to see the face that I almost forgot. He still had that bushy beard only it grew a bit longer. The same concerned amber eyes looked down my face. And the black wire-rimmed glasses still had the same crack I made when I was still a toddler and accidentally stepped on it.
"Kano?"
The old man smiled. He handed me a letter with an envelope attached. I was quite confused for a while but he seemed like he only came here for me.
"I bumped into Aja in the city. She was really happy about her new life and asked me to give you this." He pointed to the letter and the envelope.
"Aren't you going to stay? Everybody misses your photos, especially the ones on Mother's Hill. The ones in the beach are also very nice and the ones in the Rose Square, too. But we sure do love it when somebody is capturing the moment in festivals or anybody's comeback like Kai. I'm not forcing you or anything into coming back here, but please do stay. We miss you a lot ever since you and Greg left Mineral Town. Speaking of departures, I heard that…" I drabbled on and on until Kano gestured me to stop.
"I'm not here to stay. I still have one more letter to deliver and then I'm off to explore again." He said it with such finality that it almost seemed like this is the last time I'll meet him again.
And then he walked away slowly while the snow was falling. I didn't notice much of the cold since I got wrapped up in our conversation too much.
I walked down to the table and made myself some juice to wake myself up and to reassure myself that it wasn't a dream. Kano came all this way to deliver a letter from Aja. I wonder why he didn't entrust the letter to Harris in the first place.
I first opened the letter since I'd really like to know how my daughter was doing. She wrote it down simply: White paper and black ink. No smudges, no erasures, no excess marks. She must've wrote this down numerous times to make a letter this clean.
My hand trembled as I finished the letter, tears dropping down on the white paper, making the words a bit jumbled. But even with the mess, the message can be seen quite clearly.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Aja here. I'm doing very well in the city and I love my new life. You were right, Mom. The city was a place where you could explore and no one will be able to stop you. I'm sorry that ol' Kano was the one to deliver this for you since I didn't have the courage to face you after what I did, but I promise I'm doing fine. I have a job here as a publicist and it's really fun. Sure, I'm a bit stressed but I feel alright and about. I'm getting married; too bad you can't come though. I don't have any plans inheriting the winery and I don't plan on coming back. I know it will hurt you and it hurts for me too, but I know this is for the best. I didn't intend to do this in the first place but it's my calling.
Truly Sorry,
Aja
I quickly opened the envelope and looked at the pictures. They were pictures of many situations, Aja with her new husband-to-be, her working with her client, her with her new home. I was undoubtedly surprised when I saw the man she was with. Brown hair, amber eyes and a deep tan. He was quite slim but he was physically fit. No doubt, it was Kano's son.
I was really happy for my daughter since she found new life to somewhere she didn't even know before. But I was in deep pain and agony, I won't be able to see my daughter get married, have her child and even be on her new home.
It hurts down deep inside me, I raised her well to be successful, but I miss her so much.
It hurts really badly when unreciprocated love come to you and hits to you hard in one blow.
-0-
A year has passed when my daughter left.
It was Saturday and Cliff was already waiting for us at the Inn. I walked down the brick pathway breathing in the summer air. The flowers were blooming beautifully and the people are all cheery. I entered the Inn and went to our usual table, far left near the stairs. It was Aja's favorite table. We always eat there when we went out.
Once Ann served us our food, we started our chat. Cliff started out first, talking about Ann. He seemed really interested in her. But he was also talking about how he loved the winery.
In that, I found hope, small maybe but definitely there, that our Aja was in him after all.