Bright sunlight cascaded through sheer curtains. Birds repetitively chirped their songs outside. Molly slowly opened her heavy eyes, freezing when she realized that she wasn't lying on a pillow, but someone's chest. She gulped, and then finally brought herself to look up. A platinum cowlick and a five o'clock shadow. Gill Hamilton. She had slept with none other than the pompous, disciplined Gill Hamilton. Or did she?
"Goddess, please, let us be clothed," she prayed as she grabbed ahold of the blanket they shared and took a peek underneath. "Oh shit."
She tried to squeeze her way out of the bed but found it to be extremely difficult due to the fact that he had one arm slung around her shoulder. She made a hasty decision to slide out of his hold, under the blankets, and off of the bed. There she stood, in a panic and as naked as could be, her mind racing to determine what her next move should be.
Gill moaned as he rubbed his face, opening his own hazy eyes. "What the hell…"
Molly quickly opened the bathroom door and hid behind it. "Don't look!"
"Molly, what are you…oh my…" She grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wrapped herself up. Gill appeared in the doorway in front of her, a sheet draped around his lower body. He gestured to the bed. "Did we…?"
Molly didn't say anything; she knew the obvious. Her eyes flooded with tears as she nodded her head.
"Please don't cry," he pleaded, pulling her into a hug. He wasn't entirely sure why she was weeping, but he didn't want to make it worse by asking, so he assumed it was just some bizarre woman thing. She unleashed a series of sobs and suddenly, a gasp. She ran for the closest window, looked outside, and then darted for the door. Gill followed her steps, and when he looked outside his heart stopped.
Her crops were all swallowed in a giant, dark puddle of water. The entire plot was flooded, and every single plant was drowned. She was wading through the shin-deep water with nothing but a towel on, inspecting the damage. He ran outside and stopped just outside the plot.
"It's all ruined, Gill…"
"This is just a minor setback…it can replanted, correct?"
She sharply inhaled before another sob poured out. "I-I can't afford to buy any more seeds…I was depending on this harvest as my main source of income for the season…it's all gone now."
He was edgy. He became more and more indignant with each weep that came out of her mouth. He was never fond of seeing her in any sort of dismay; she was usually a radiant, lively person, so innocent and always so compassionate. But here she was in front of him: a sobbing, muddy, practically naked mess.
"Please go and clean yourself up, Molly."
"W-Why?"
"Please do as I say. Just this one time."
"Okay…" With a sniff, she began to trudge back to the house. Gill stood at the edge of the muddy abyss, holding out a hand. Just as she was about to reach for it, her foot slipped from underneath her, sending her into the mud. He bent down in an attempt to catch his damsel-in-distress, which he did, but unfortunately for him it was too late. He plummeted into the mud with her. Molly couldn't contain her laughter, as she knew the immaculate man hated filth.
"This is funny to you?"
"Yes it is, actually."
He couldn't be angry anymore. Her smile had returned, and that was all he cared about at the moment.
After they cleaned up, Gill took her to Marimba Farm, which was left unscathed by the typhoon.
She stopped him before they went inside. "I thought you didn't have any money?"
"Ah, but I never said the Town Hall didn't." A sly smile spread across his clean-shaven face.
She cocked her head. "So, how exactly are you paying for it?"
"Simple. I'll write a check through the Town Hall. It will more than likely infuriate my father, but I know it's for a good cause."
Molly smiled from ear to ear as her amber eyes sparkled. She grabbed him by the hand. "Come on!"
Inside, Ruth was putting together summer floral arrangements. "Why hello Molly! Glad to see you're alive."
"Hello, Ruth."
"How'd the storm treat ya?"
"Terribly. Actually, that's why I'm here. All of my crops are destroyed," she said with a frown.
"Aw, that's too bad. Well, take a look around, I'll help you when you're done."
Molly began to trot around the room. On the right wall of the shop were bins filled with seeds, each bin labeled with the name of the type of seed inside. She quickly calculated which ones she wanted to plant. Gill stood by the door, watching as she talked to herself and pointed at the different seeds, what he assumed was careful planning. He was impressed by how fast she could determine which crops she needed and which she didn't, depending on how much income she'd make when it came to shipping time. Perhaps, he concluded, she could prove to be an asset in the Town Hall. He hurriedly shooed the thought away as he approached the display in the center of the shop, where all of the summer flowers were at.
"Those are Morning Glories," Molly pointed out. "They're worth quite a lot."
Gill observed the deep indigo-colored flower, and then turned towards her. "You're finished already?"
"Yup!" she chimed. "I've already done this once."
He chuckled inwardly. "Very well, then."
She walked to the front of the shop, bags in hand, and stopped at the counter. He hesitated, and grabbed a Morning Glory before meeting her there. She stared suspiciously at the flower in his hand.
He turned pink. "I-I figured we could…plant it?"
She held up a bag of Morning Glory seeds.
He coughed into his fist while flushing bright red. "W-Well, it's very pretty, and I figured you would like it because you're very pretty as well."
She was blushing, a shy smile poking at the corners of her mouth. "Thank you, Gill…"
"How sweet is that," Ruth said, half to herself and half out loud. She began to weigh the bags of seeds.
He awkwardly smiled while rubbing the back of his neck. "Think nothing of it."
"Okay, that'll come to a total of 3,240G." He reached into his pocket, wrote out the check, and handed it to Ruth. "This is very sweet of you. You two have a nice day."
They said their thank you's and left. Gill carried the seeds for Molly and gave her the flower. She snapped a short part of the stem off and placed it delicately in her hair.
"How does it look?"
"Very nice."
She giggled. "Thank you."
"It's my pleasure."
XXX
Hamilton checked over the Town Hall's funds one more time, just to be safe. He swore to himself that something was missing, a small amount; however, it was still money unaccounted for. He kept strict watch over where the earnings of the Town Hall were spent, and no one in town other than him and his son had the power to make such exchanges. It was then when he realized it; his son was responsible for the missing funds. And he knew just where to find him.
XXX
Molly sighed as she looked over the flooded plot. "Nope. I can't plant these yet. I have to wait until the water goes down. And who knows how long that'll take," she said with a shrug.
Gill stood beside her. "No more than a few days, I'm sure," he reaffirmed. "Before you know it you'll be back in business again."
"Gilligan!" a voice called. His stomach dropped. Only one person on the entire island dared to call him by that name. He slowly turned around to see his father running to him, almost dead and struggling to catch his breath. Gill straightened his posture and slapped on his best business face. "I need to have a word with you."
"Certainly. If you'll excuse me, Molly."
They took a few paces towards town and stopped. "Gill, there are missing funds in the bank. Care to explain?"
"You see, Father, the typhoon that came through last night left an awful lot of devastation, clearly in Molly's case." He motioned to her plot, showing him the damage. "Her crops were ruined, and she couldn't afford to buy more seeds to replace what has been destroyed. I took it upon myself to escort her to Marimba Farm and buy them for her."
Hamilton was flabbergasted. He was unprepared for such a lengthy, yet reasonable answer. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, uh-"
"He's been a big help, Mayor," Molly started, poking from behind Gill. She placed a comforting hand on his back, a very personal gesture, which made it even harder for the man to sustain his makeshift professional aura, as he began to blush wildly. Hamilton noticed how his son's icy facade seemed to crack when Molly made her presence, and was slightly fascinated by it. Maybe Gill didn't see it, but Hamilton saw that he had developed a soft spot for the wide-eyed girl.
"Is that so?" Hamilton inquired. "I'm very glad to hear that. But if you don't mind, I would like to talk to him alone for a bit. Personal matters, you see."
"Absolutely," she said.
He began when Molly was out of sight. "Gill… I'm sorry for kicking you out. Before then, I didn't realize how much I had grown to depend on you. These past few days have been extremely stressful and tiresome without your assistance." He laughed. "I've certainly become an old geezer, haven't I?"
Gill tried to make the same sound his father just had, but it only came out sounding forced and phony.
Hamilton continued. "Which brings me to my next point; I'm just not as good as I once was. You, on the other hand, are sharp-witted, young, but responsible. This leads me to my decision of resigning as Mayor."
Gill nearly choked on his breath as he sputtered out his next words. "Y-You're resigning?"
"Yes, but not until you've acquired the proper training for the position, which shouldn't take long. I've come to realize that my dutiful days are done and it's time for someone who is, shall I say, more fit for the job to take command."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Do you accept this offer?" he asked as he held out his plump hand.
Gill hesitated, looking back at the farm for Molly, who was nowhere to be seen. He turned back around and put his hand in his father's.
"I accept."
So there you have it! I'd like to give a big THANKS to those of you who have read/reviewed! It really makes me happy c: Would anybody care to leave a new review? Anyone? C:
