Chapter 29: All Fun and Games
Wildflowers and fresh linen, I thought as Claire was tied against my side. I searched the park for a distraction from the memories the scent brought with it. Surely Carter wouldn't fault me for that?
Other villagers had strolled in from the square to watch our game. Sasha linked her arm with Lillia's and helped her friend across the uneven ground. Zack followed them, effortlessly carrying a hay bale by its twine with his massive arms. Manna and Anna whispered together over glasses of spiced wine. I couldn't help but imagine they were speculating about the obvious awkwardness between my partner and me.
No, I warned myself as I began to feel Claire against my side again. I corrected my thinking and quickly averted my gaze before Manna's eyes could lock with mine. Instead, I caught Carter calmly sipping wine and listening politely as Jeff seemed to fret about some unknown topic, slightly rocking in place.
Is that what I look like when I'm with him? I wondered, watching as Jeff pressed his fist against his mouth as he anxiously listened to Carter's response.
Duke stumbled between conversations, frequently stopping to mutter into someone's ear. After he exchanged words with Harris, I caught a flash of gold pass between them.
"Are they taking bets?" Claire let out a disbelieving laugh against me as Won began a confusing blur of gold exchanges with the winemaker.
Her comment forced my attention back to her, and I cleared my throat. It would be worse if I didn't talk at all. I quietly gathered the breath to speak.
"They must be getting really antsy for the horse races," I said with a tense smile. My hovering arm was beginning to feel a little tired.
"Who would you bet on?" Claire asked, turning her face towards mine before abruptly looking away.
"May and Stu," I said as I tried to shift away from her side, but it was no use. "Those kids have speed."
"Tell me about it! I went to visit Elli and her grandma last Wednesday and ended up playing with Stu until seven! And he wasn't even tired by the end of it!"
"Last I heard, you thought Stu was a troublemaker."
"Oh, he is, no doubt!" she laughed. "But he's pretty fun now that I've gotten used to all the bugs," she grinned up at me, her face terribly close to mine.
I turned away, more to not look at Claire than to look at our youngest competitors, who were bouncing excitedly at the starting line. The polite thing to do would be to let May and Stu win, but I doubted Karen and Gray shared my view based on the low-voiced strategizing between them. Better that than the bickering that had already erupted between Rick and Popuri. In the distance, Lillia, now seated next to Sasha on the hay bale Zack had carried for her, shook her head with disapproval as she watched her children.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Thomas announced with all the pageantry of a formal event. "Let the races begin!"
The small crowd clapped, and Duke let out an overly enthusiastic whoop. I wondered how many bets had been placed with him.
"Racers—Get ready, get set…!" called Thomas.
Gray and Karen crouched to prepare for a sprint, Mary and Ann held onto each other's waists, Rick and Popuri dropped their voices to arguing whispers, May and Stu stepped over the starting line early, and I attempted to figure out where to put my aching arm.
"Go!"
The starting line erupted into chaos and hoots of laughter broke out through the crowd. Gray and Karen immediately crashed to the ground after they both started right leg first. Mary and Ann held their tied legs back and each began hopping on one foot each. Rick loudly counted out a march that only confused Popuri. She began to take a step forward, only to hesitate when Rick counted off another number and trip over her own leg. May and Stu appeared to think they were racing each other. They attempted to spring forward but only managed to pull each other off-balance and lurch wildly from one side to the next as they dashed forward.
Claire and I were no better. Though we managed to take a few successful steps, we were hopelessly clumsy. Each step sent us jostling into one another and threatened to knock us over. My arms reached into the air, attempting to find anything other than my partner to grab onto to balance myself. Claire held her hands outstretched in front of her, prepared to fall forward at any second.
If I had been able to focus on anything other than my own tentative steps, I would have noticed Gray and Karen had gotten to their feet and managed to take the lead from Mary and Ann with long wobbling strides. Duke's excited holler echoed through the park.
Just as Claire and I were beginning to near the hay bale that marked the halfway point, May and Stu suddenly swerved in front of us. Claire attempted to guide us to the left, I attempted to guide us to the right, and the pull from the scarf sent us falling into the soft grass on our knees.
"Are you okay?" I asked Claire. My own knees were a little sore.
"I'm fine, just a little humiliated," she said good-naturedly as she tried to stand, only to stumble back to the ground when I hadn't moved with her in time. Her face was bright red.
Rick and Popuri managed to shuffle past us while we struggled on the ground. We were in last place.
"Why is getting up even harder than walking?" she laughed with a hint of frustration, her hands digging into the ground as she tried to help herself up again. The dirt and grass smeared against her white skirt.
The sight of us, crawling around on the ground, would be funny if it weren't so easily fixed.
"H-here," I said, finally resting my arm on her shoulder. "I think we're making this harder on ourselves than we need to."
"I wasn't sure...," Claire said but wrapped her arm around my waist. I could feel my pulse quicken from her touch that still managed to be unexpected. Using each other for balance, we managed to pull ourselves upright.
We still jostled against one another but were much more stable holding onto one another. Her hair swept against the back of my hand as we moved forward. I focused intently on staying in sync with her, but my attention threatened to shift as each step sent her hand moving slightly against me. I couldn't help but want to lower my arm to her waist too.
As we gained on Popuri and Rick, the two seemed to struggle even more. Rick's counted beat suddenly picked up tempo and Popuri began taking more unstable steps.
"Stop chasing me!" Popuri called back at us, her voice worried.
"It's a race!" Claire laughed back.
"Focus!" Rick ordered his sister, though his voice sounded equally stressed. He took a long stride forward, too long for Popuri, and the two fell into the grass. We managed to slowly pass them as a fresh argument broke out between the two.
The siblings weren't the only team on the ground. May and Stu had tripped and fallen too, though Stu managed to stand without his partner. He tried to push onward without her, leaving May scooting on the ground behind him.
Claire let out a loud snort at the sight, her laughter joining in with the villagers.
"I'm sorry, it's just, this whole thing is ridiculous!" she giggled. I could feel her start to go limp next to me. I was reminded of our first dance at the Cow Festival when she had become so weak from laughter that I practically dragged her through the end of it.
"Don't start laughing now," I warned her, though a laugh escaped from my mouth too. "We're almost at the end!"
"But we're going so slow…!" she said, her giggles growing stronger and her body becoming weaker.
"Don't you give up on me!"
"You know…I get weak…when I get going!" she said between gasping laughter.
"Just don't fall—you'll take me with you!" I laughed and gripped her shoulders tighter, trying to hold her together as she melted from the silliness of the situation.
Gray and Karen were the first to cross the finish line and were already celebrating with Duke by the time May and Stu half-jumped, half-scooted over the line. Ann and Mary had slowed their hopping to allow the children to claim second place and were untying their legs by the time Claire and I collapsed over the finish line.
I quickly began to untie the scarf that bound our legs together as Claire gasped for breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. I chuckled along with her, wondering how I could have been so tense over something as ridiculous as a three-legged race. She must have noticed how awkward I was being at the start.
"Hey," I said once Claire's laughter had calmed to the point she could hear me. "I'm sor—"
"You have no sense of rhythm!" Rick's voice interrupted me as he and Popuri finally crossed the finish line. Based on the level of tension between them and the loose scarf in Popuri's hand, it appeared the two had fought against each other until they became untied.
"You think I don't know that?" Popuri spat back.
"It's so simple though! One two, one two!" he counted loudly, marching in place.
Karen cut in between the two of them with a sense of practice. "Okay, no more team games for you two. How about you pick the next one, Popuri?" she suggested, her green eyes casting Rick a sharp rebuke.
Rick let out a heavy sigh as his sister was led away. "How do we always end up arguing more than actual kids?" he asked Claire and me, gesturing towards May and Stu. The pair were celebrating their imaginary silver medals, no animosity between them despite how May had been unceremoniously dragged. "Shouldn't she have grown out of that by now?"
"My sister and I could get the same way," I admitted. "I used to blame it on her, but I know I was acting just as immature sometimes."
Rick twisted his mouth to the side before heading to check on his mother.
Did I upset him? I worried.
"You have—?" Claire began, but Popuri's cheerful voice rang out over the park.
"The next game is Blindman's Buff!" she announced, blindfolding herself with the scarf.
Mayor Thomas let out an excited cheer and began to herd players into a circle around Popuri.
"What's that?" Claire asked me, and I shrugged.
"Let's find out," I said as I stood. It felt strange to walk on my own. I was unbalanced with her cut loose from my side.
It didn't take long to figure out the simple rules of the game. The blindfolded player had to catch another player and had three guesses to identify that person by touch alone. If all three guesses were wrong, the caught player was set free and the game would continue. If the blindfolded player guessed correctly, the caught player would then become "It" and the game would start again.
Karen, Rick, and Gray were not satisfied with the simple rules and turned it into a drinking game between the three of them, each vowing to take a shot of bourbon if they guessed incorrectly.
Popuri easily caught and identified Gray by his signature cap. As Gray stumbled forward blindly, the other players ran around him, narrowly dodging his grasp. Mary confused him by tapping on his shoulder and stepping in the opposite direction, while Karen would slap the back of his outstretched hands and run away. Around him, players bumped into each other as they tried to escape and shrieked from near misses.
I tended to stay around the outer circle, but Ann jumped and danced around Gray, hopelessly confusing him until he managed to catch her around the waist. He pulled her back against him and let out a triumphant cry.
"Ah-ha!" he said, as his hands felt the end of Ann's braid. A smile spread across his face. "Mary!" he announced.
Ann held back laughter, not wanting her voice to give herself away.
"Not this time!" Mary called out from the crowd, and Gray's smile abruptly fell. His hands moved higher to feel Ann's large white bow.
"Oh man, is it Ann?"
"Geez, why do you have to say my name like that?" Ann huffed, before turning and yanking Gray's blindfold off his head and tying it around her eyes.
"Come take your medicine, Gray!" Karen called out, trying to code their drinking game so May and Stu wouldn't catch wise.
Ann's stint as "It" was short-lived. Her speed led her to catch Claire around the shoulders almost instantly. Once her hands brushed against Claire's bangs, she cheerfully called out her captive's name and spun Claire around to tie the blindfold around her.
"Ready…go!" Ann said, giving Claire a little push forward before running around her with the others.
The teasing continued as Claire repeatedly wrapped her arms around empty air. She nearly grabbed Rick, but he dodged her with a level of agility that seemed to surprise himself.
"C'mon!" Ann whispered to me, pulling me deeper into the shifting circle of players. Claire must have heard Ann's voice and blindly beelined toward us. Ann hopped back and tried to pull me with her. I thought we had escaped before I felt a tug on my arm. Claire had managed to catch my purple sleeve.
Oh, come on, I said to myself as Claire came to stand in front of me and the other players stopped to watch. She ran her hand along my sleeve, giving me goosebumps as she lightly traced up my arm. Her fingers caught on the sleeve of my tunic. I thought she may have called out my name then, but her hands continued to explore up, over my shoulders and against my chest, her fingers feeling the raised stitches of the patterns sewn along the neckline of my tunic.
I wondered if she could feel my heart beating much too quickly as I looked at her face without the pressure of her returning stare. I watched her lips curve into a smile as she studied the feel of me and resisted the urge to lean into her touch, or worse, return it.
Instead, I wished it were spring again. For a split moment, I wanted to be how I was during that time. I wanted to go back to her farm. I wanted to be in my old clothes that would have left my arms bare under her fingertips. I wanted my hair to be long again so she could pull on the ends of it and know me instantly.
"Cliff!"
Claire's voice suddenly pulled me back to reality.
"You got me," I said sheepishly as shame washed through me. I couldn't help feeling like I let myself and Carter down.
"Yes! I knew it!" Claire cheered, untying her blindfold and smiling up at me with dimples in her cheeks. "Your turn!" she announced, spinning her finger to instruct me to turn around.
I wondered how red my face was as she reached up to tie the scarf around my eyes and gave me a gentle push forward.
I stood still for a moment, collecting myself. I could hear multiple pairs of feet crunching against fallen leaves and beating into the ground as they ran around me, but I could only see vague moving shapes through the scarf. These shapes came closer, giving me an occasional tap or a more daring push, but these touches hardly registered after Claire's.
I held my hands out and lurched towards the shapes and nothingness, hearing laughs and cries as I got close to grabbing someone. I abruptly changed direction whenever I caught the scent of wildflowers close by.
I'm not like that anymore. I'm different, I repeated to myself as I searched for someone safe to grab.
A smaller shape scurried nearby, and I caught it quickly, easily lifting and swinging it in the air playfully. They let out a squeal of delight, and I knew immediately I had caught May. I set her back down and rested my hand on top of her head.
"Hmm, is it…Maaa-ry?" I said, playing dumb.
May let out a giggle as Mary's voice called out from behind me. "Guess again!"
"Is it…Maaay-or Thomas?"
"He's not even playing!" Stu yelled exasperatedly from my side.
"Last chance!" Mayor Thomas called to me, and May's giggles became more rapid and excited.
"Oh, I know! It's May!" I said as if the idea just occurred to me.
"Yes!" May practically burst and I untied the blindfold to catch Carter giving me an approving glance. I felt slightly redeemed.
"That's two shots!" Gray loudly called out to me before Rick shushed him.
A few more rounds of Blindman's Buff later, the mayor steered people towards trying apple bobbing. Karen, Rick, and Gray were easily led after a few more shots of bourbon, and others joined them.
"You're not playing?" Ann asked, a little disappointed.
"Nah, I think I need a break." I wasn't sure if I was more tired from all the running or all the socializing.
Ann seemed torn, but eventually bounded over to join the game. Nearby, Popuri was trying to urge Claire.
"C'mon!" Popuri sang as she pulled on her friend's arm. "They say the first to bite into an apple will be the next to get married!"
"Then you better get over there before they start without you," Claire shrugged.
"Have it your way!" Popuri said, before running towards the small crowd around Thomas.
Claire caught me looking at her. "What?" she laughed. "I don't want to get soaked."
"No, me neither," I assured her, feeling dumb for trying to read more into her refusal.
"I am thirsty though," she mused. "Do you maybe want to get a drink and catch up?" she tentatively invited.
I was surprised by her question, and even more surprised when she seemed relieved that I said yes.
This could be a good chance to clear the air, I decided. I wanted to apologize to her about the awkwardness and let her know I'm okay spending time together again, with some boundaries.
We began to walk back to the square, and I decided to take my opportunity.
"Look," I said after composing my thoughts. "I've been wanting—"
"Claire!" Basil interrupted as he hurried closer. "I wanted to tell you I sent the letter!"
"Good for you!" she said, a warm smile spreading across her face. "Have you heard back yet?"
"No, but no news is good news as far as I'm concerned. You read the same book—nothing in it said to eat a poisonous mushroom, for Goddess's sake!" he grumbled. "I wanted to say thanks. Isn't that part of the purpose of the festival?" he laughed. "Hey, let me buy you a drink at the inn soon. What do you say?" he asked, eagerly waiting for a response.
"Oh," Claire said, hesitant to answer. I caught her blue eyes glance at me.
"You should order the pinot noir," I encouraged her, hoping she could see I didn't want her to avoid the bar on my account.
"Okay then!" Claire giggled. "How does Saturday sound?"
"Works for me!" Basil smiled. "Anyways, I need to ask Carter about those sauteed mushrooms he brought. They are beautiful specimens, and I must know where he found them!"
Basil ran off to question the priest, and I took the chance to ask Claire a question.
"Have you been avoiding the inn because of me?"
She seemed to squirm a little as she filled a glass with cider. "Not exactly," she clarified. "I just didn't want to make things weird."
I wondered how that wasn't because of me as she handed the cider to me and began filling her own.
"You—" I started, but Gotz lumbered up for a drink, his face red and sweaty from the wood-fire in the square.
"Glad this soup is about done," he said to Claire with a gravelly voice. "I don't care if it tastes like dog food—I'm gonna have at least two bowls."
"I'm glad you came," Claire said gently.
"Well, I gotta get outta this slump somehow, and it's all the better to eat with everyone when ya live alone."
Claire nodded as she passed the glass she had filled for herself over to Gotz.
"Thanks. First eggs, apples, now cider. Whatchya bringin' for me next?"
"I don't know. Do you like honey?"
Gotz let out a ragged laugh. "Bring me a jar and maybe I'll give ya a discount on your next upgrade." Gotz downed his glass of cider in one go before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and turning his attention to me. "You still lookin' for work?"
I was caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic, but I managed to nod.
"Claire says you use an ax alright. I've gotta big job comin' up and could use a hand. It'd only be a few day's work, but I could pay ya. Interested?"
"Yes, definitely!" I said, unable to hide my enthusiasm about the unexpected job offer.
"Good," he said gruffly as he refilled his glass. "Stop by the cabin Monday next week. Eight o'clock. Bring gloves."
With that, Gotz trudged back towards the wood-fire.
"You put in a good word for me?" I asked Claire, oddly touched.
Claire shrugged as she brought her glass to her lips.
"Well, thanks," I smiled.
"Don't worry—"
"Claire! Claire!" Manna called. She broke away from Anna and Sasha. The ladies were circling around the table in the square, attempting to keep the dishes warm as they waited for dinner to be served.
Claire gave me an apologetic look as Manna rushed up to us. I had been naïve to think we could get a private moment together at a community festival.
"Oh Claire, you look lovely! Well, except for those stains," Manna said, pointing out the dirt and grass on Claire's skirt. "A bit of vinegar and baking soda should get that out. Or was it hydrogen peroxide and baking soda? Oh well, speaking of baking, I'm looking forward to trying your cooking. What did you bring? Wait! Let me guess! Was it the apple pies?"
Claire shook her head.
"Oh, I was wondering if you tried the recipe Anna shared at cooking school. Did you know that, Cliff? Claire and I are taking lessons from Anna to learn to bake a little better. We both have men to take care of after all, though I always thought the doctor—"
"I brought candied sweet potatoes!" Claire said loudly, interrupting Manna.
"Oh, that's lovely!" she smiled. "I hope you went light on the salt! Duke is supposed to be on a low-sodium diet, did I tell you?"
"There's no salt," Claire said, a tight smile on her lips.
"Wonderful!" Manna smiled. "I'll go let Duke know he can have a bite then!"
Manna flitted over towards the park, and Claire turned to add a shot of bourbon to her cider.
"I'm guessing you learn a lot during those lessons?" I asked Claire with a knowing smirk.
Claire's face twisted with disgust as drank from her glass. "Why didn't you just tell me my cooking was too salty?" she asked, sounding annoyed.
"There was a lot you weren't telling me either," I pointed out.
Claire's annoyance seemed to vanish and be replaced with embarrassment. "Oh," she said, causing me to regret I said anything.
Doug's voice sounded triumphantly throughout Rose Plaza.
"Dinner's ready!"
Villagers began to file in from the park and pick their seats. Claire quickly turned to head to the table before I could form an apology.
I spent way too long debating whether or not Carter would bring some of his secret mushroom stash to the Harvest Festival before deciding he would, he just couldn't part with the truffles. :)
This was quite a fluffy chapter, and I'm okay with that. It is super awkward doing a three-legged race without holding onto your partner! My roommate and I ran through our apartment to give it a try. It was so dumb, but there was a lot of laughter.
Did you know that bobbing for apples was a courtship game for a time? I had no idea. There's a whole slew of rules and superstitions for it.
Sorry, I thought I could do two chapters this week but apparently one chapter a week is my limit!
