"Thomas! Come here and look at this!" Jack called from the garden. It was a beautiful spring day in Forget-Me-Not Valley; the birds were singing cheerfully, the insects were chirping happily, and the animals were grazing contentedly in the field.
"What is it, Dad?" Thomas asked when he arrived from the chicken coop. A couple of feathers were tucked into his short, red hair.
"The tomato flowers are blooming. Pretty soon, we're going to have a fresh garden salad. Just in time for your birthday." Jack ruffled his son's hair, causing a few feathers to float to the ground.
"Awesome! I can't wait!" He exclaimed, sniffing the tomato flower.
"I know. Hey, why don't you take this flower over to Lumina? I hear Toy Flowers are her favorite." Jack winked.
"Okay, Dad. Then can I go play with Hugh?"
"You'll have to ask your mother about that. She's over by the barn right now." Jack patted Thomas on the back, and then continued to water the plants.
"Mom! Can I go play with Hugh?" Thomas asked his mother eagerly.
"You need to finish your farm chores first. After that, as long as you're home for dinner, I'm okay with it." She kissed him on the forehead. "Tell your father we need more milk." She turned and went into the house.
"Dad!" Thomas yelled. "Mom says we need milk!"
"She can ask me herself," he muttered, irritated.

When the Harvest Sprites first told Jack that he needed to marry by the end of the year, his mind immediately pictured the farm girl down the road, Celia. She was the first person who greeted him when he moved to Forget Valley. He dreamt about her sweet smelling brown hair, her curvy, petite figure, and her sugary voice. She was all he could think about.
Shortly after arriving to the valley, Jack decided to bring Celia some flowers. Just before he knocked on the door, he heard angered voices, three, arguing with one another. Jack tried to walk away, but when he heard the word marriage, he was frozen on the spot.
"Marlin, I can't understand why this bothers you!" An alto, female voice said. It must have been Vesta.
"She's like my little sister, and I can't believe you're going to make her marry someone like him!" Marlin yelled back.
"Marlin, it's not all bad," Celia's voice chimed in. "Griffin is a nice man. He's really the only eligible bachelor in the Valley."
"He's a bartender! He's probably a total drunk. And, he's probably already involved with that little trollop who works there too."
"So what do you suggest? We need a man to help Celia run this farm when I die." Vesta retorted.
"Me..." There was a long pause.
"What?" Vesta and Celia said together.
" Marry me. I'd rather you have me as a husband than someone who knows nothing about farming."
"I... I don't know what to say." Celia's voice was shaky.
"It's as good an idea as any. I'll go get the Harvest Sprites." Vesta confirmed.
Jack dashed back to his farm, his heart heavy with disappointment and despair.
He decided to try again with the bartender girl, Muffy. Although Marlin's assumption rang in his ear, Jack refused to believe that Muffy would be interested in a man like Griffin. Though he was, in fact, a good guy, Griffin wasn't interesting in the least. When he wasn't bartending, no one knew where he was. When he was around, all he ever spoke about was the boat that he kept in the city.
The night after the incident at Celia's farm, Jack finished his chores early and headed to the Blue Bar. He gave some of the locals a polite nod as they greeted him, and he took a seat at the counter. The pyrotechnic twins grabbed a seat on either side of him, and engaged him in a conversation about their latest firework.
Jack was hardly listening, giving a nod and a 'mm-hmm' every now and again, but he was growing impatient. He's been waiting for almost fifteen minutes, and either Muffy nor Griffin were behind the counter. After waiting about ten more minutes, Jack decided to knock on Muffy's door. She lived in the other half of the bar, and so he figured she must be in there.
Just before he rapped his knuckles on the door, he heard whispers. Learning from his mistake last night, he decided to turn away.
"...Cheated on me." Muffy wailed through the door. Jack paused, and went back to the door to listen.
"Don't cry over that guy, he's a jerk." Griffin's deep voice responded.
"I just don't understand!" She sobbed.
"Muffy, any man would be lucky to have a girl like you." he consoled.
"You mean it?"
"I do."
It was silent on the other side of the door, and so Jack thought it was a good time to interrupt. He opened the door and stepped through the threshold.
His face flushed quickly, as he saw Muffy on her knees, her blonde hair bobbing forward and back. Griffin had his hand on her head, with his pants lowered slightly, showing his undergarments.
Jack stepped back, slammed the door, and left the bar without looking back. His face still flushed, Jack found himself in front of Takakura's small, brown house, and decided to knock on the door.
"Hey, Jack. I was just about to pour myself a Cherry Pink. Care to join me?" He moved aside, and gestured for Jack to take a seat at his table. Jack did just that.
"So, what can I do for you? How is the cow? I know it's starting to get warm, and they don't always give a lot of milk in the warmer months." He babbled.
"Oh, Jenna is fine." I replied.
"You named her Jenna? What an odd name."
"Jenna was my mom's name."
"Oh," Takakura's face turned red. "I meant no offence, it's a lovely name, just one I've never heard before." He poured a thick, pink liquid into a glass and handed it to Jack.
"It's alright, I agree. It is a strange name. But that's not why I'm here."
"Oh?"
"It's about this whole marriage thing. The sprites said I needed to marry by the end of the year, or they won't help me with the farm anymore. I would need to fertilize the field on my own, pick out all the weeds, and I'd never get enough crop to live on."
"So, what's the problem? There are three girls available in this valley, all three would make good wives."
"That's the thing. Celia is already arranged to marry someone, and Muffy is involved with Griffin."
"Griffin and Muffy? Really?" He paused to think about that.
"The only girl left is the one who stays at the Inn, and she never talks to anyone." Jack took a gulp of his drink, and made a face at the bitter aftertaste.
"Tell you what, if you give me an extra bottle of milk for a while, I'll have a talk with Ruby. Her and Nami are close, I'm sure I can arrange something." He winked.
"Thanks Takakura." Jack shook his hand, and left with a grateful smile.

Ten days after his conversation with Takakura, Jack had a date with Nami. Ruby and Tim, the Innkeepers, set up a small table in their kitchen, so they could have privacy. Tim waited on them, while Ruby cooked their meal. At first, it was very quiet and awkward.

"So, Nami," Jack said, breaking the silence. "I heard that you're sort of stuck in the valley."
"Yeah." She said.
"Takakura told me that you're running low on money as well."
"Gee, I'm the talk of the town." She said sarcastically.
"Oh, no. Only me and Takakura know...Well, aside from Ruby and Tim."
She nodded, and took a bite of her curry.
"So, anyway. Um, where are you going to go? You know, once you can't afford to stay here anymore?"
"Maybe I'll shack up with Murrey." She spat.
"That sounds like fun," Jack let out a nervous laugh. Nami was silent again.
"So listen. I own the farm across the way, as you know. The Harvest Sprites help keep it running smoothly, but at a price." He paused, to make sure he had her attention. She raised her eyebrow, signaling for him to continue.
"I have to get married. So I thought since you need a place to stay, and I need a wife, we could kind of cooperate. I mean, if you want to. It would be really helpful. You'd get fresh vegetables, and milk, and you don't even have to help on the farm." His words came out in a rush.
"If I say yes, will you stop talking?" She asked in a dull voice. Jack nodded.
Their marriage was always strained. Nami was not very helpful around the house, which caused Jack great frustration. He worked hard in the garden, giving her the fresh vegetables he promised, and she would only eat the turnips. He made sure he always had a cow that would produce milk, and she claimed to be lactose intolerant. He woke early to collect the fresh eggs, and make Nami omelettes, and she would eat just half of them, and throw the rest to the dog.
When they finally consummated their marriage, Nami became pregnant, and gave birth to Thomas. Even though Jack and Nami were not meant for eachother, Nami loved their child more than herself, so Jack couldn't complain. Thomas was very helpful on the farm, and that kept the Sprites from abandoning it.

* * * *

When Thomas came back from playing at Hugh's house, he was sweaty, red faced, and panting.
"Hey, Tommy. Looks like you tried to run the whole valley!" Nami said, placing a bowl of tomato soup in front of him.
"We were playing tag with Kate!" He slurped his soup loudly.
"That girl," Jack began. Nami glared at him.
"What about her?" She asked, challenging him with her eyes.
"She needs to start being a little more ladylike, if she wants to be courted someday." He ate a spoonful of soup.
"I'm a tomboy, and I'm married." She retorted.
"That's different."
Nami's face went red with anger. She took her cup of water off the table and poured it over Jack's head. He sat there with his eyes closed as the water dripped down his face.
"We're going to the City with Cody tonight." She said, turning to the sink to wash the dishes.
"Nami, it's five o'clock, and it'll be dark soon. Can't it wait until morning?" Jack protested.
"No. Get a basket of eggs and meet me on the bridge, Thomas." She walked out of the kitchen.
"Bye dad." Thomas said, throwing his hands around Jack.
"Bye, Tommy. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed his son on the cheek, and watched him leave.
It was about midnight, when Jack heard a knock at the door. Putting his book down, he climbed out of bed in just his shorts, and opened the door.
"Hi, Jack. Sorry to bother you." It was Chris, standing only a few inches away from Jack's face. Her gorgeous red hair draped around her neck, framing her face perfectly, and her glasses gave her a glow of intelligence.
"Hello, Chris, what can I do for you?" Jack asked politely, his heart pounding.
"I uh...I...was wondering if I could borrow some milk."
"You came over at midnight to ask for milk?" Her face contorted into a look of confusion, and she pushed past Jack, walking into the middle of the room. Jack closed the door.
"Jack," she whispered. "I've..."
"What is is?" Jack's eyebrows scrunched with concern.
"I've been your neighbor for four years now. I always see you on the farm, petting your dog, and playing with your son, and taking care of your plants." She smiled at the scene she described.
"You're always so friendly to me too, even when you're tired and...sweaty. You always give me discounts on your milk, which is so tasty and..." She continued.
"Chris? What are you trying to tell me?"
"Wally is always out running around, or teaching a class in the city, and Hugh is never home either. I'm always alone. So I'm usually out walking on to the spring, where I just happen to notice you working on the farm and..."
Jack closed the gap between them, held her face in his hand, and pressed his lips to hers urgently. Her arms were tugging at his shirt, so he lifted them up, and his shirt followed, leaving his soft, chiseled torso exposed.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked between rough kisses.
"Yes." Chris replied, gasping.
Jack grabbed her around the wait, spun her around, and thrust her up against the wall, kissing her with more urgency. Her lips matched the pace perfectly, and she moaned softly.
Chris pushed Jack to the bed carefully, unbuttoning her blouse, and revealing her smooth, soft belly. He threw her on the bed, and kissed it gently, making her moan again.

* * * *
When the alarm rang, Jack turned over to shut it off. When he turned back, he saw Chris, with her red hair in a sexy mess. He kissed her tenderly, and smiled. She smiled back.
"Let me know when your wife is out of town again." She winked, and crawled out of bed.
"You aren't leaving now, are you?" Jack asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her close again, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Wally will be back from his morning run soon, and he'll expect his breakfast." She put her blouse back on, and began buttoning it.
"When can we meet again?" He stood up, and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Soon." She replied simply, and with a kiss, she walked out the door, leaving Jack with the tingle of her lips on his, her delicious voice in his ears, and her sweet scent in his hair.

To be continued