Disclaimer: I do not own the Harvest Moon series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters belong to their respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.
This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
A/N: This is my entry for the Village Square contest. The theme is Sunlight and Shadows and we're allowed to interpreted it in any way we see it. So I thought of his story and figured it would meet the criteria. Even if it doesn't, it's still an interesting story idea that's worth writing so take a look.
Oh…and if you were directed here, thinking it was a Scott Pilgrim update, I'M SORRY! I'LL GET RIGHT ON IT!
It was a day like any other at Mineral Town. Winter has come and gone and spring was starting once again. Winter has always been a gloomy season for me. Being born in the summertime definitely teaches you to love the sun, but spring is here and it is a lot warmer than the miserable wonderland that winter provides. But man was it a miserable winter this time around…BUT I plan to solve one of my many problems I had in winter today.
"This place still gives me the creeps…" I said as I stood outside the clinic. Never did like going here…all those needles and syringes. Urg..gives me the chills just thinking about it. But I knew I had to go in. The Doctor was expecting me. I opened the front door and walked in, instantly being greeted by the clinic doorwoman and nurse, Elli.
"Good afternoon, Ann! Here for your appointment?" Elli said, cheerfully. I did my best to match her cheeriness, despite being dead tired.
"Yeah, I'm here for my appointment. Is the doctor ready to see me?" I asked. At that moment, an examination room opened up and the Doctor walked out of it. "Ah, Doctor! Good afternoon!." I said, again, trying to be polite while running on nothing.
"Good afternoon, Ann. Full of energy as usual." The Doctor said as I laughed nervously. "If you can enter examination room A, we'll get started." I made my way towards the room, passing the curious Elli and entered the room with the Doctor.
Harvest 001: Family History
I hopped on the examination table and sat there, patiently waiting for the Doctor to get ready. "Just going to do a small physical. Have to update your file since you rarely come here." He said, looking over at me.
"Needles scare me…" I said in defense.
"Kids are scared of needles."
"Then I'm a kid. Sue me." I retaliated. I saw him shake his head, but I knew he was smiling. It was one of those things I could do: make people smile. As a waitress, it's my job to keep the bar patrons and the Inn residents happy. That means acting nice, serving them well, making jokes…whatever I can do to make people feel comfortable. I would hear the whispers too…'I'm here because of that waitress, Ann. She sure knows how to make a fellow feel welcomed.' It is what I pride myself in. To them, I'm a big ray of sunshine, a light to banish the shadows of real life problems. So why am I at the clinic? Well…
"So Ann…" The Doctor started, removing his stethoscope as he finished his brief physical examination of me. "…what is the problem?" I fidgeted in my seat as I twirled my thumbs a bit.
"I…I want to complain about insomnia." I said to him. Doctor raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.
"Insomnia? You can't go to sleep at night? Or you have trouble falling back to sleep or…?"
"Well…I haven't been able to sleep for a few nights. I mean, I've fallen asleep before! Please don't get me wrong! But there are days when I can sleep then days were I can't. Longest time I've been awake is…three days." I admitted as the doctor looked at me with concerned eyes.
"Ann…that's a pretty bad case of insomnia. How long ago was that three-day marathon?"
"…it's becoming a four day marathon right now." I painfully admitted. The room was quiet. Only the sound of the clock in the room could be heard. Doctor was quietly thinking to himself, tapping his chin. He finally walked to the counter where my file was and began to look through it. As he was flipping, something must have caught his attention as his flipping stopped at one so he could look at me.
"Ann…you came here yesterday to get checked by Elli, correct?" The Doctor asked as I rubbed a certain area of my arm.
"Yeah. She poked me real good. Took a good point of blood I think. And she took my weight too. Talk about inconsiderate…"
"But you did everything she asked of you, right?" The Doctor asked me as I nodded quickly in agreement. He looked back at his file then back at me. "…you're getting married soon." That comment made my heart race. I looked down at my left hand to see a small diamond ring on my finger. Just looking at it gives me the energy I need to see the day through…his love irradiates from this ring.
"Yeah. We plan to get married by this weekend." I said as I brushed my thumb along the gold band. It felt nice…but it also felt cold as the same time.
"That's a big step, Ann. To commit to one person, forever. You'll be spending the rest of your life with him. I would be nervous. Are you nervous?" Doctor hinted as I shook my head confidently.
"Nope! But I would be nervous for you, too. I mean, you said you would marry a guy and-"
"Oh be quiet. I was trying to relate with you." The Doctor snapped back as he walked to his computer chair and took a seat. "I'll just get straight to the point. Do you think, maybe, that your insomnia is related to your wedding?" It was a legit question to ask. And truthfully…it never crossed my mind. Was it possible that I was nervous about the wedding? My dad said he'll handle all preparations…he told me to not worry about it but maybe subconsciously I was?
"I…I don't think I am…" I admitted. "Dad, er, Doug said he'll handle all preparations He would cook the food, give the invites, talk to Pastor Carter…everything. He just told me to relax. He would even joke that I should be focus on the future…like starting a family." I said, feeling a bit down when I said that.
"Hmm…speaking of family…" The Doctor said as he looked through my file again. "I don't have a family history about allergies or stuff. If I'm going to prescribe you sleeping aids, then I need to know your family history."
F-Family history…?
"…I hope you don't mind, Ann." The Doctor said to me, as if he asked me the first time but didn't respond. I jolted awake and rubbed my eyes, trying to play it off as if I dozed off because of the lack of sleep.
"N-No. I don't mind." I lied as he nodded as he looked at his sheet that was on the clipboard.
He wants to know my family history…?
"Ok. Well…I'm sure your dad can fill me in on anything he's allergic to, so I won't ask you anything about that. Are you allergic to anything? Berries? Certain nuts?"
"Not that I'm aware…"
"Ok…" The Doctor wrote it down as I stared blankly at him.
Stay strong Ann. You're sleep deprived…there's no need to…
"So what about your mom's side?" The Doctor asked as my attention suddenly shot awake.
M-Mom…?
"I know that your mother passed away, and I am truly sorry…" The Doctor continued but there was something swelling in my chest. A pain that was I thought was successfully buried for all these years.
…Mom passed away…?
"…but do you know, or does your dad know if your mother was allergic to anything? Berries, certain nuts, maybe some fruits. I know it was a long time but…"
…she's not…
"Ann? Ann are you ok?" I heard the Doctor say to me as I found myself looking down at my lap now. I didn't realize it…but I was suddenly crying. There were tears coming from my eyes. I brought a hand to my face to feel them…to feel if they were real tears. Indeed…they were. "Ann…Ann what's wrong?"
"I…I…" I stammered. I was confused myself. I've come to grips of what happened long ago. Why was I acting up now? Why now? People have asked about my mom and I didn't give them much of an explanation. I would come up with some kind of ruse that would get people going until they learn the truth from my father. But these tears to come…for her?
"Ann, what is the matter? What is wrong? Are you in pain?" The Doctor asked.
"In pain…that's not even the start of it…" I said to him, wiping my eyes. I could feel them getting irritated. The mere mention of my mother…it started something deep inside me. Something that I could no longer hold to myself. I had to talk to something…
"Talk to me Ann. Where does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anywhere but inside. Not physically…but…emotionally. It hurts so bad…" I said as I continued to wipe tears away. "You said that my mother passed away many years ago. That…" I started, taking a deep breath. "…is a lie."
"What?"
"Mom never died…" I said, closing my eyes. The next thing I was about to say was the hardest and most painful thing that I had to admit out loud to anyone. "…she left us."
There was another silence. I couldn't blame the Doctor's reaction. To be told one thing just to discover something he believe in was a lie? It was hard to believe.
"I…I don't know what to say…"
"If you doubt me over my dad…I can tell you she left us. I was there when she left." I said to her, flashes of images of mom yelling at dad and me…her bags in her arms ready to leave. "She left us to fend for ourselves…the lie about her dying was my dad's idea. He loved her…and he would rather put her down in his head than come up with the realization that she…she didn't love him anymore…or me." I said, feeling more tears form at my eyes. The Doctor placed the clipboard away and paid full attention to me. He was no longer a doctor at this moment. He was a concern friend listening to my problems.
"Ann. I'm so sorry to hear that. I mean…I didn't know."
"You're not suppose to know. No one is suppose to know." I said to him, hanging my head low. "You asked me about the marriage and if I'm nervous. I lied back then. I'm scared stiff. But not about him. I love him with all my heart. I'm scared about my future! I'm scared about…about starting a family!" I looked up and off to my right where a mirror was place. My reflection…her reflection…that's not me. It's her. I felt anger well up as I reached up and grabbed my white bow, pulling it straight up. The bow came off and unwounded my hair at an instant, revealing my long, orange hair…the hair of my mother. "I can't take it anymore! This isn't me! I'm don't even know who I am anymore!"
"C-Calm down Ann!"
"They always say, 'Ann! You look just like your mother! You should tie up your hair like her!' or 'You're the spitting image of your mom when she was younger'. I don't want that! Those aren't complements! Those are fiery swords being driven into my heart! What's worse? WAY WORSE? Dad encouraged me. The man who has his heart ripped out by the woman she loved…he wanted his only daughter to dress up like her…to act like her…to BE like her! Everyone loved it when I was acting like my mom. Everyone loved it when I would be sweet, considerate, easy-going. BUT IT'S TEARING ME APART!" I found myself crying a lot harder now. I felt the gentle hand on my shoulder as the Doctor was now beside me, trying to comfort me.
"Ann…I'm so sorry."
"Dad acts like in never happened. As if she really didn't leave. He only starts acting up when fall comes around…the season that she left us. I remember her clearly. She was yelling at Doug, complaining that her life has taken an unexpected turn. She never wanted to live here…she never wanted this life. She dreamed of living it large somewhere bigger…somewhere more important. She never wanted to settle down with dad in a small town…let alone have daughter. She left us. It was raining that fall. I cried that night…dad, however, didn't shed a tear. He's in denial. Hell…maybe he's still in denial. No need to move on when he sees me dressed up like her."
"Everything will be ok."
"How do you know, Doctor? How do you know? I carry bad blood in me! I may be the ray of sunshine to everyone else, but deep within me lies the shadow of something dark! Something sinister! Something that yearns for more! And when I think about starting a family…I…I…"
"Ann…"
"I FEEL LIKE I'LL ABANDON THEM AS WELL!" I yelled at him. My deepest fear…revealed. "My mom is a part of me. What if I really do become her? What if I abandon my husband…my daughter…my son…? All this time…people complement me over and over how I was like my mother…that I should dress this way…that I should put my hair up like her. I always thought, visibly, I was her but inside, I was my own person. But what if that's not true? What if I'm acting exactly like her? What if I become her? I don't want to abandon my family…I don't…" I said but I felt the Doctor hug me close to him, pacifying me.
"Ann…you won't be like your mother. I can promise you that." He said to me. It felt nice to hear, but I wasn't sure myself.
"How do you know?"
"Well…from a medical point of view, genetics doesn't pass personality. Your mother probably grew up in a way where she always desired freedom. I can promise you that your mother and you have two different personalities. And if you still think that it carries in blood, then consider this. You also carry your dad's blood, the blood that wanted to start a family and be there for his only daughter. You won't be like your mother, Ann." I smiled a bit, sniffling.
"T-thanks…"
"Also…at a more personal level…you know what your mother did was wrong. You know the mistakes she made and you know what the results are. If you truly fear of being your mother…then you would know what to do to NOT become her."
The Doctor's words made me feel a lot better about myself…
…about my bloodline…
... and about my future family.
I wiped away the stray tears that were left behind as I moved away from the Doctor and smiled at him. "Thanks for listening. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome. I may be all business, but I am a human being that is concerned for his friends. If you need to talk about this, you can always come to me." He said, looking at me. "Well…I think it's safe to say that tonight, you'll be able to sleep. I won't prescribe you any sleeping meds. Just get a nice glass of milk and take it easy, ok?" The Doctor said as I got off the examination table, my hair still unraveled.
"Thanks Doctor…" I said to him as I started to head for the door. I heard the Doctor flip through the papers on his clipboard but thought nothing of it. I grab hold of the door handle when the Doctor's voice called again for me.
"Oh Ann?"
"Yeah…?"
"You know you're two months pregnant…right?"
"…"
"…does he know?"
"…"
"…does the future husband know?"
"…"
"…I'll see you tomorrow for a checkup, ok Ann?"
"Ok. Thanks again Doctor…"
The End