Hey! Next chapter up. Hope you like it (R&R, please).
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" Hey! Jack! Wake up!" shouted a voice that seemed to come from outside.
He got up, still in his pajamas, and yawned. He put on his slippers and looked out the window. It was Muffy, standing in the tall grass where they had met for the first time. Next to her was some sort of box covered in pink wrapping paper and tied with a blue bow. I'd better change my clothes before I go outside, he thought. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing these clothes.
He hastily put on his farming outfit and combed his hair. He then opened the door and walked over to the charming woman.
" I wanted to give you this as a way to show my appreciation for what you did yesterday," she said.
" Oh... Well, you really didn't have to give me anything in return. It was my pleasure."
" Oh, stop talking nonsense. You deserve it."
She took the present off the ground and handed it to him. He carried it carefully and put it in his rucksack.
" Thank you so much for the present and all. I hope you have a good day," he finally said.
" It was nothing really. Bye!"
Once she had left, Jack went back inside. The present was quite large and it was quite heavy. He heard noises coming from it. He unwrapped it and placed the bow on the bedside table, next to the lamp. When he removed the lid of the box, he looked at the present in amazement. It was a black cat with blue eyes. Around it's neck was a bow like the one around the box. It was not a fully-grown cat. More of a kitten really. The kit jumped out of the box and into his lap. It was clearly a female due to the looks of it.
" I shall name you Muff, little one," he said to the cat, even though he new it didn't comprehend what he was saying. " Because Muffy was the one who gave you to me."
He took out some pieces of wood after having taken care of his animals and poultry. He then made a small house for the kit out of the materials he had. He took out a bowl from the cabinet next to the kitchen and filled it with the milk he had milked that morning. To make it sweeter, he added some sugar. He then placed the bowl outside the house, so that the feline could drink any time it wanted to.
" I'm going to get her something special," he said to Muff.
He got onto Gallop's back and raced over to the main town. He saw many shops, such as Van's, Vesta's, and Kai's. Van's shop was inside The Inner Inn. He sold things meant to keep you energized like bodigizer. Vesta's shop was on a farm. She sold things like fertilizer and seeds, but he knew that Muffy didn't take any interest in things like that. Kai's shack sold food, and his shop was on the beach. He thought of getting her a dessert, but the sign clearly stated " NO TAKE-OUT".
" Ugh! There's nothing here that suits her. I guess I should just go to Mineral Town and see what they have," he said to himself.
He led his horse up the hill. It was so steep he couldn't ride Gallop. He had to grab on to his saddle and walk up the hill.
Once in the main town, he walked around and said hello to all of his old friends. He could still remember all the places he used to go to. That would make it easier for him to find a good shop. He walked down the path. Karen's supermarket was on the right side, and facing it was Yodel ranch, where you could find the best sheep and cattle. In fact, that was where he ordered most of his animals. The owner of the ranch was Rick. They used to be friends. Still, even though he looked everywhere, he couldn't find the right thing to give her. He thought of buying her a diamond, but how would he get enough money? Everything was either too cheap or too expensive. Then, a wonderful idea popped into his head.
" I'll bring her out to dinner," he said. " She would enjoy that."
He went back home with his horse, and called up Muffy. The phone didn't pick up, so he went over to the blue bar by foot. It was already four o' clock and he suspected Muffy would be in her room or behind the counter. He knocked on the door and opened it. As he had predicted, she was behind the counter. She was singing and seemed very happy.
" Whee whee wheee. La la la la laaa," she sang.
When she had noticed him, she started to speak.
" Oh, Jack. Welcome. Come and sit at the counter," she said cheerfully.
He nodded briefly and did so. Before he could say a word, she started again.
" How's work? Are you busy?" she asked.
" Well, I guess I could say so."
" Really. Well, that's better than just loafing about. Men who work as hard they can are wonderful."
Jack blushed and wondered what she was getting at.
" Are you embarrassed? How cute! Oh, yes. There's something I've been thinking about for a while."
" Huh?" Jack was confused and waited for the rest.
" Tee hee. Uh, well... Jack what kind of girl is your type?" she asked in a shy manner.
" What do you mean?" he said in a surprised way.
" I wish you would tell me."
Jack thought for a moment. He wasn't sure what it meant that she was asking him these questions. Plus he didn't know what answer she was expecting. So he just spoke what he thought.
" I-I guess it would be cheerful and pretty that I like," he finally replied.
" Oh really! That's great!!"
" I-Is it?"
" Don't worry. I'll keep this just between us. Jack, go ahead and drink. It's my treat."
" Why thank you. That would be great."
" Wait a second. I'll make you something. Actually, this would be my first time making a drink. Griffin makes them so easily."
Muffy went to the back of the bar and starts making some sort of drink. She took out a bottle and poured the concoction inside.
" Here you go... All done. Give it a taste," she said once she had finished.
Jack smelled the drink. It smelled astringent. There were bubbles in it. He finally took a sip, and it tasted awful.
" Um... I-It's... Interesting," he said, trying not to hurt her feelings.
" Oh my, it tastes bad? I must have used the wrong ingredients. I'm sorry." She said.
" Oh well. It's no big deal. It was your first time making it." He replied reassuringly.
" You're nice. Thank you. Please, take your time. I'm going to make you something really delicious next time."
She then started filling bottles with the drinks that Griffin made. Now is my chance, he thought.
" Um, Muffy?" he said.
She turned to face him again.
" Yes?" she replied.
" Well, I wanted to thank you again for the kitten. I wanted to show my appreciation."
" Oh, really you don't have to. It was my pleasure."
" No, really. So I decided, since I don't have plans for tonight, would you like to join me for dinner?" he said awkwardly.
" Why thank you! Oh, you are so sweet! I would love to join you. Tell me at what time, so that I can get ready," she said enthusiastically.
" Well... How about at nine at night. I could pick you up."
" Perfect. Oh, and where are we going? I want to dress appropriately."
Jack hadn't thought about that point yet. He quickly thought of all the places they could go and finally came up with his answer.
" How about The Inner Inn?"
" That sounds great! Okay. At nine tonight."
" Sure thing."
Jack left the bar feeling happy. He didn't know why he felt this way. I'm just going with her as a friend, he kept on thinking to himself.
He walked home because he gad already dropped off Gallop. He looked around thinking to himself that he had to dress up for that night. Once he got home to his farm, he put all the feed in the two sheds of animals and poultry. He entered his house and thought about what to wear. He opened his closet and looked through all his clothes. I need to wear something classy, he thought.
At nine o' clock, Jack got onto Gallop's back. He had a tuxedo on and was hoping Muffy would notice. He raced up to The Blue Bar and got off of his horse's back.
Then he entered the bar and went into the room where Griffin had come out of, the first he met him. There was a display of green furniture and for some reason Griffin was nowhere to be found. There was a ladder that led to the next floor, and Jack assumed that upstairs was Muffy's room. He went up the ladder, and saw Muffy at her table looking at herself in the mirror. She was putting the last touches of makeup on.
" Um, hi... Muffy," he said.
Muffy turned around and looked at him.
" Jack! I'm almost ready," she responded. She turned around to face the mirror and continued her preparation.
" Make yourself comfortable," she said, still facing the other way.
Jack walked around her room. It was quite lovely. Near the entrance was a table with two chairs and a white tablecloth on top. Her dresser was on the right side, facing her couch on the left. The flooring was a dark oak color.
" Now I'm ready to go," she said once she had finished.
" Sure thing."
" So... Do we already have reservations?"
" Of course we do. We have a pretty good table."
They both got out of The Blue Bar. Muffy was wearing a black dress with a red ribbon around the waist. Her hair was neatly tied up in a bun and in her right hand, she was holding the handle of her red purse, which was decorated with small ribbons of every color. Jack got onto Gallop.
" Try jumping on the saddle behind me. Hold on to my hand so that you don't fall over," he said.
" Okay."
Muffy held on to his hand as she struggled to get on. Then, Muffy held on to him as they galloped to The Inner Inn.
When they arrived, they both dismounted the horse. Muffy went inside while Jack put Gallop in the shed. He entered the inn and saw Muffy sitting on a couch in the lounge.
" Muffy, I'm back. Let's go eat," he said.
" Okay."
Jack led her into a French restaurant. The aura there was quite pleasant. He could smell fresh bread all around. Then a man wearing a black suit appeared in front of them.
" Table for how many?" he asked.
" Oh, we made reservations."
" Under the name of?"
" Jack."
" Right this way."
Jack and Muffy followed the man to a table on the terrace. The warm, fresh air was quite relaxing. The man pulled up two chairs. He gestured to the second to tell Muffy to sit down. She nodded to imply thanks. Then Jack sat down on his chair. Muffy took the cutlery out of the napkin wrapped around it, and placed the cloth on her lap. Jack did the same.
" So... Thanks for taking me out for dinner," she said. Her cheeks were rosy red and her smile was still just as beautiful as the first time he saw it.
" Oh, it was the least I could do," he said.
The waiter coming by to give them the menus interrupted their conversation.
" Allo. Today zee specials weel be zee escargot and zee ratatouille. We also 'ave a special wine. 'Ere are zee menus. I will be back in a short while to take your orders." He said in a French accent.
" Um, what is the "escargot", sir," said Muffy.
" It iz a traditional plat from la France."
" Yes, but what's inside it?"
" It iz what you Americans call "snails"."
Jack looked at the man in disgust. Who in their right mind would eat such a thing, he told himself. When the waiter left, Muffy hastily flipped through the menu. Jack did the same and finally decided what he would order.
" I think I'll have the ratatouille. It has all sorts of veggies and stuff," he said at last, still examining the menu.
" That sounds good. I think I'll have the same," Muffy replied.
" What do you want to drink?" he said.
" I'll have whatever you're having."
The waiter rushed back to their table to take the orders. He took the menus from the table and placed a lit candle in the centre.
" What would you like today?" he said.
" We'll both have the ratatouille and the wine that you presented earlier."
" A fine choice, monsieur."
The man left and Muffy sat there across from him. They both looked at each other in an embarrassed manner. Neither of them knew what to say next. Until Jack asked the basic questions that must be asked at the beginning of a date.
" So... Where did you grow up," he asked awkwardly.
" When I was a child my family lived in a city. Diamond City, to be precise."
" Oh... Cool... So... What now..." Jack, as is quite visible, had never been on a date before. Sure he had taken girls out. Like his baby sister. Except he took her out to the daycare center. So he was positive he had enough training. That is, he was positive until the fatal question zoomed through his ears.
" Did you ask me out because you like me or just because you wanted to thank me?" she asked.
Jack himself was not sure about the answer. He started to sweat profusely. What should I say, he kept on thinking to himself. If I tell her I just wanted to thank her, she might get offended and think that I don't like her. On the other hand, if I tell her I like her, the rest of the dinner will feel so awkward, or worse.
" U-Ummm... A... S-So about that din-," he stated. But before he could change the subject, the waiter came back with the wine. He sighed with relief as Muffy shifted her attention to the drinks.
They both drank and talked and drank some more. Until the food came. Then they ate and talked and ate some more. At the very end, when both had finished, Jack got up and took Muffy's hand.
" Muffy, would you like to dance with me?" he asked shyly.
" But where? There's nowhere to dance."
" I know a place."
He paid the bill and they both got onto the horse once more. Muffy left her purse in the saddlebags. He led his horse through to a small bridge where they both crossed. He had to leave Gallop on the side because the bridge was too narrow for his horse.
Across the bridge were lots of tall plants with diamonds. The strange plants were planted to look like a path and the couple fallowed the path. There was a clearing in the center of it all. There was a huge pond in the middle of the clearing.
Jack took out his radio, which he had kept in Gallop's saddle pouch. He then went back to his date and put it on the floor, where he then turned it on and played track five. The song playing was one of his favorites. It came from a video game called Harvest Moon DS. The track only came on in the game when a heart event was occurring.
He blushed as he took Muffy's hand and brought her to the center of the clearing.
" Muffy, would you care to take this dance?"
" Of course I would."
Jack knew from the very beginning that she was the one he would marry. He loved her from the first time he saw her.
He took her hand and they started to dance. The music was so soothing to him and he almost forgot he was alive. Am I dreaming, he thought. They danced under the stars until the music started to slow down. They came in closer and Muffy rested her head on his shoulder. He felt the same tingle he had felt when he had met her for the first time. It was so silent and so calm that it felt to him like they were the only people who were awake. Then the music started to fade. They could only hear the sound of the crickets chirping in the shadows. Then, he looked into her eyes and kissed her ever so gently. She blushed, as did he. Then she pulled away and smiled.
" I better go home and sleep. I have work tomorrow," she said to him.
" I guess I should do the same. I'll take you home."
They both got onto Gallop and they raced away. They passed Vesta's farm and Gallen's house. But neither of them seemed to be looking. Muffy looked lost in deep thought. Or at least it seemed that way to Jack when he looked at her face. Her face was completely red. She blushed so much that it looked like her head had transformed into a tomato. When they arrived at the bar, Jack kissed her goodbye and she insisted on giving him a free drink. So he gave-in and went inside. The lights were off, signaling that the shop was supposed to be closed for the night. The counters were bare and clean. The floor had been swept and was now spotless. The shelves were jam packed with drinks and the back door was locked.
" Sit down, and make yourself comfortable," she said as she turned on the lights. She went to the counter as Jack sat down at one of the chairs. He watched as she cleaned out one of the dirty goblets in the sink, and dried it with a cloth hanging from the oven handle.
" Pick one," she said to him once she had finished preparing the glass. Jack looked at the menu. The words were written in pink, so he guessed Muffy had made it.
MENU
Moo milk 2.50
Stone Oil 5.00
Sweet Dreams 3.75
Water 0.00
Red wine 7.00
White wine 8.00
Jack thought for a moment and finally found what he was looking for.
" I'll have the... Yes I'll have the Stone oil," he announced, still peering at the menu.
" Are you sure? It's the most alcoholic drink in all of Forget-Me-Not-Valley!" she exclaimed.
" I'm sure."
She looked at him with an unsure expression on her face, and finally went over to the shelf and looked at all the labels to find the right drink. She picked a bottle and poured it into the goblet.
" Here you go," she said as she picked up the goblet and carefully placed it on the counter.
Jack looked at the drink. It was orange and had bubbles in it. He picked it up and took a sip. It was quite astringent. Although he seemed to like it. Jack finished the drink in a matter of seconds. Muffy was astonished at how fast he could gulp down such an alcoholic drink.
Jack looked drunk. He stood up and almost fell over. Muffy ran to him. She tried to guide him to the back door.
" Jack, I told you how alcoholic that drink is. But you insisted on drinking it," she said as she put his left arm over her shoulder and neck.
" I is sleepy, Muffo," He replied with his eyes only half open. Muffy opened the back door and brought him up the ladder to her room. She turned on the lights and led him to her bed. She gently put his body under the covers and kissed his forehead.
" Sleep well. And don't have any more Stone oil," she said to him as she looked down at his head resting on her pillow. Jack closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.
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A/N: 'You eager to read the next chapter? Thought so. R&R, please!
