I Never Expected
I do not own the characters of Harvest Moon.
My alarm clock buzzed loudly next to my ear. I slammed my fist on the snooze button and lay there for a few moments. Sitting up in my bed, I blinked wearily, wiping the sleep out of my eyes. I was sure to turn off my alarm clock so it wouldn't buzz again while I was outside. I climbed out of bed and grabbed my clothes out of the dresser. Yesterday, I had arrived at Waffle Island. I was to maintain an old plot of land my grandfather used to own. He'd been getting on in years and asked me to run it for him. More like start from the ground up. It hadn't been occupied in quite some time. Not only that, I didn't have any farming experience. All I had to go on was stories my father and grandfather told me about the place as I was growing up.
The mayor showed me around the town when I got off the boat. His name was Hamilton. A kindly old man, he showed me the important shops and businesses in the town and introduced me to the townsfolk. One of the places I visited was the neighboring farm. The man who ran it, Craig, was kind of a jerk. But he saw that I had potential with gardening implements. He provided me with the tools I would need to start my own garden. And his wife gave me a few packets of different kinds of seeds. I thanked them and went back to my farm.
I walked out of my house and greeted with the bright sunlight in my eyes, causing me to squint momentarily. I involuntarily yawned and headed over to my little garden patch. I pulled out my iPod from my pocket and decided I was in a Muse mood this morning. Tuning it to "Uprising," I started grooving and began my morning routine. I made little holes in the ground for the seeds I was given and dropped a few in each hole. I grabbed my watering can from the shed and filled it at the nearby faucet. I watered each little bundle of seeds and covered them up with dirt. I was surprised at how quickly this went by. I was also surprised at how little I had to do right now. I didn't have any animals, they were too expensive. I didn't have any mining equipment. I didn't even own a fishing rod, which was a real shame. I was an avid fisherman back home, and I heard the fishing here was amazing.
I decided the only way to earn some extra scratch was to get a part-time job. At least until I got on my feet and the crops fully grew. I pondered for a moment where to go for the day. I decided to try at the bait shop. I love fishing, plus it was closest to my house.
I made my way down to the beach and saw the shop a little ways down the shore line. I saw a few seashells on my way and picked them up. Maybe I can sell these I thought to myself as I put them away in my pocket. I reached the bait shop and saw a young man outside the place at the dock. He had whie hair, and a big sun hat dangling at his back. He sat at the edge with a fishing rod in his hand, waiting for a bite.
"Hey!" I called.
He jumped a little and turned to see where the voice had come from. "Hello," he replied, giving me a smile. I went over and sat next to him. "You're the new farmer, aren't you?" he asked. I nodded. "How did you know?" He chuckled. "It's a pretty small island," he replied. He held out his hand. "The name's Toby." I took his hand and shook it. "Vince," I replied. He went back to his pole.
"What brings you to the island Vince?" he asked. "Well, I got the old farm from my grandfather. He wanted to see it like it was in its heyday, and he felt I was the right person to do it." Toby nodded as he waited for a bite. "Have you ever done any farming before?" he asked. I shook my head. "Not a damn day in my life," I replied. Toby laughed and he felt a tug on his line.
"Oh! I got a bite!" He tried to reel it in. "Hey Vince, can you give me a hand?" I grabbed the rod while he reeled in his catch. "Oh man, check it out!" cried Toby. We reeled in a massive swordfish. "You know, you've got a real knack for fishing," he said to me. "Thank you Toby," I replied.
"Do you enjoy fishing?" he asked me. "I love it," I answered. Toby thought about something for a moment. "You know what? I work at the shop. I could buy you your own fishing pole pretty cheap." I shook my head. "No, no, that's not- you don't need to." Toby put his hand up. "Call it a gift. You helped me out, you're new, and it's always nice to meet another fellow fisherman."
We went inside and he picked out a good rod for me. He also convinced his boss to let me work in the shop for the day for some extra cash. He agreed and showed me the ins and outs of greeting the customers, stocking the shelves, and operating the cash register. At the end of the day, we closed up shop and I said good-bye to Toby.
I walked into town and noticed that the bar was open at the local inn. Why not, I thought to myself. I worked hard today, I deserve a little drink. I walked inside and was greeted by Kathy, the bartender. "Hello, stranger," she greeted as I walked inside. "Evening," I replied back.
I took a seat at the bar and she came up with her little notepad to take my order. "Haven't seen you here before. Are you new?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm the new farmer. I run the little plot of land up by the river. Name's Vince." She smiled and took out a pen. "Well, what can I get for you Vince?"
I thought about what kind of drink to get. It had been a while since I had a drink. I just never went to bars all that much back home. "Do you think you could whip up an apple cocktail?" I asked. She smiled. "I think I can manage that," she responded. She walked back behind the bar and made my drink in a flash.
She came back over to the table and placed the drink down in front of me. "Thank you," I said as she walked back up to the bar. I picked up the glass and said to myself, "To new beginnings." I drank the cocktail. I was amazed. It was tastier than any drink I could remember having. And just a little bit stronger too.
When I was finished I walked up to the bar to pay for my drink. Kathy was washing some glasses and she turned around. "That may have been one of the best drinks I've ever had," I said handing her the money for the drink. She blushed. "Well thank you, Vince. I'm glad those bartending classes didn't go to waste then." She counted out the money and gave the change back to me. "Keep it," I said. "It was a great drink, you deserve a great tip." She smiled and put the rest of it in the pocket of her apron. "Have a good night," she said as I left. "You too," I replied.
I made my way back home and surveyed my surroundings. I think I'm going to like it here, I thought to my self before going inside. I locked up and got undressed. I grabbed a pair of pajama pants from my dresser and crawled into bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I never thought my life would change forever the next day.