"Almost… done…"
Claire wasn't sure how she had gotten roped into their convoluted little game of house, but she was amused enough. She shifted her seating a bit and was surprised when the small voice sharply told her to sit still. The young woman could feel the weight of the wildflowers randomly strewn threw her hair and she was certain she looked rather ridiculous.
"All done! Ah, you're so pretty, Claire!" May cooed with a delighted laugh. "Isn't she?" The young girl turned to her friend and he twisted up his face in disgust and stuck out his tongue. May rolled her eyes at Stu and whirled around for some sort of reaction from Cliff. He gave both females an emphatic nod, and while he looked genuine, Claire couldn't help but notice it looked like he looked quite amused at the sheer quantity of flowers May had laced through Claire's tresses.
"You're very sweet, May," Claire stammered, shocked from such an open compliment. "Thank you for the flowers." She was tempted to touch her hair but she stopped herself. She had a feeling the blossoms would take a while for her to remove this evening, but she didn't really mind at seeing the young girl's pleased nod at her handiwork.
"There you go. Now you match!" May handed a single daisy to Cliff to add to his own hair. Stu collapsed into giggles when the young man added it to his own hair without hesitation. Cliff's eyes met Claire's and a light dusting of pink spread across his cheeks at her warm smile.
"I command you kids to cook dinner tonight!" Stu stuck his tongue out at the adults, waving a stick around in the air.
"Stu!" May scolded, putting her tiny hands on her hips and scowling at him. She was surprised that despite how often they played this game, Stu didn't grasp the importance of his role. "There's more to being a parent than bossing your kids around! You have to show them love and… spend time with them! Play with them!" Her normally sweet voice had a bite to it.
The boy ignored her. "Ha! Find me a four-leaved clover for my dinner, minions!" Stu folded his arms across his chest and let out a villainous laugh before pointing at a patch of clover with his stick as if it were a royal scepter.
"They're our children, not minions!" she frowned and paused. "Wait. Will you really eat it if they find one?"
Stu shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
May eagerly joined the hunt for the clover. "I wonder what clover milk would taste like? Cows can change the flavor of their milk, after all."
"Huh?" Stu looked at her, puzzled. "That's a lie!" he snorted, a laugh escaping his lips.
"It's the truth," May insisted with wide, dark eyes as she nodded to Claire. "Grandpa said that the milk can taste different if you feed the cow different things." She looked down at the patch of clover and continued her hunt for one with four leaves.
Claire looked down at the greenery, letting out a small sigh when the three-leafed clover she picked simply had a rolled up leaf instead of four. She vaguely wondered if feeding a cow matcha leaves would create a sort of matcha latte. She found herself drooling at the very idea, but she was startled back to her senses when she heard Stu's high voice.
"Why don't you give him a chocolate bar, then?" he asked, drawing a crude picture of a cow in the dirt with a stick. "You'd get chocolate milk." The young boy gave her a logical nod.
May shook her head so violently in response that she whipped herself in the face with her braids. "Nuh-uh! You wouldn't get any because it wouldn't be a he! It would be a she! Boys don't give milk, stupid!" Her voice echoed across the church's courtyard.
"Don't call him stupid, May," Cliff reminded her gently as he picked a wildflower and offered it to the young girl.
She wasn't distracted by this tactic; she ripped the petals off of the flower and tossed the stem to the ground as the frown grew on her face. "Well, that's just stupid."
He wasn't sure if she was referring to the command that she not insult Stu or the flower itself. The young man's eyes widened in surprise and Claire sat in stunned silence. From what she had seen and from what Cliff had told her, May was typically very mild-mannered. Cliff spoke with a level voice. "Tell me about your morning, May." He used a soothing tone, but his inflection suggested that this was not a request. Claire was immediately reminded of her younger brothers throwing tantrums and she usually pleaded with them to calm down; it was rarely successful. She was curious to see how Cliff's tactic worked.
The young girl folded her arms across her chest and pouted. "Me an' Grandpa went to the inn for breakfast…" she began, staring up at the branches above them as they swayed in the warm summer breeze. It was another beautiful day with a gentle wind and a comfortable temperature – the perfect weather for outdoor activities.
"That sounds really nice. Did you have one of Ann's omelettes?" He gave her a friendly nod. "Maybe some apple juice?" Cliff knew that these were a couple of her favorite things to order at the local eatery and he thought the memory of them would put a smile on her face.
She shook her head. "Orange juice today. It was really good. And pancakes, too. Ann even put whipped cream on top for me! But then…" May's face fell as she picked a clover, nervously pulling off the leaves. "When we were done eating, Grandpa called Mommy on the phone…"
A flicker of understanding flashed through his blue eyes as the young man fell silent. Claire had never remembered May mentioning her parents at all, but she knew that the girl was living with only her grandfather. The young woman noticed that even Stu had stayed quiet, listening politely to his friend's story with an expression of genuine concern that she had never seen before.
"I asked her when she was coming back an' she said she didn't know," May finished mournfully, her eyes filling with tears. Stu dropped his stick and crawled across the clover patch to pat his friend's shoulder, their silly argument over their game forgotten. "I-I'm sorry, Stu. I shouldn't have called you stupid. M-m-m…" she paused to catch her breath and burst into tears. "M-Maybe if I was a good girl, Mommy would come home s-sooner!" She began to let out a miserable wail as she fruitlessly wiped away her tears.
Claire's heart broke at the young girl's words and she had never felt more uncomfortable. Maybe if Claire hadn't turned her nose up at that position she had been offered last year, her parents would reply to her correspondence… She felt her own throat tighten, but she quickly shoved it down; this was about May, not her. Claire's eyes moved to the grass as she tried to think of how to console the girl. She didn't spend much time with May. Perhaps a kind word would help, or maybe a joke? Cheering up children was different than adults… When she looked back up, she had noticed that Cliff and Stu had embraced her in a group hug and she felt a wave of guilt for not thinking of it first. She didn't know May very well and didn't want to make her feel awkward…
"Cl-Claire…" The small girl's pleading voice was hardly audible and the young woman approached the group hesitantly. May had let go of Cliff so that the young woman could squeeze her way in between and join the hug.
"That's better, huh?" Cliff's voice was gentle as Claire felt his arm around her waist.
The farmer moved her gaze back to the ground, her cheeks burning with shame. She had been so caught up in her own feelings that she hadn't properly tended to May's needs. Claire's inner dialogue was punctuated with insults and scolding as she tried to puzzle through why she had such a lack of sympathy. Even children could understand it – when someone was sad, the natural reaction was to try to comfort them. Why was that so hard for Claire to grasp? Children and adults weren't that different at all. Why had she made the situation awkward for everyone? She hated herself for her cold heart.
"Don't you think for a moment that you're not a good girl, May. Times can be trying, but I know that you're a strong girl. You have to be strong for your mother, too… And she knows that you are sweet and kind." Cliff's words washed over the group like a soothing wave. "Your grandpa knows it, too, and I know that he's happy that you're around to help. You're a very good helper, May…" His words softened as he continued. "You help Carter make snacks and he appreciates it too… And you help sing along when Mary comes to practice the organ…"
May sniffled, burying her face into Claire's shoulder. The blonde felt a flower fall out of her tresses at the contact and tumble down her back. "I-I want to be helpful…" She nodded into the farmer's flannel shirt.
"And you are," Cliff murmured, and Claire felt his hand gently stroke her own back. She wondered if he could sense that she was upset with herself for her behavior when she inwardly scolded herself once more. Why would he be concerned about anyone other than May at the moment? "You are very helpful," he repeated. "And you help me sit still through Carter's cheesy ghost stories."
A laugh filled with mucus escaped from May's lips and Claire was only partially conscious of the fact that the girl was wiping her nose into Claire's shirt. "His stories are pretty bad sometimes, huh?"
"Remember the story about when he lived in his apartment and his neighbor never moved from his chair?" Stu chuckled, patting May on the back.
Her eyes widened as she let out a small cackle. "That one was really bad! I wasn't even scared. But then he shrieked at the end!"
Claire jumped when the other three screamed in unison, and she could only assume they were imitating the pastor.
"… Eeeeeekk!"
They all let out a laugh and broke off the hug, Cliff giving the girl a ruffle of the hair. "You'll have to be strong for me and listen to Carter's stories in my place tomorrow."
Both of the children's faces fell. "Whaaat? Why?" they whined melodramatically.
"Work." May pouted as she answered her own question for him, folding her arms across her chest. In her opinion, Cliff was starting to sound a lot like her mother. "You're not going to be gone at the mountain all day again, are you?"
"Sorry, I need to if I'm going to pay my rent." Claire was surprised how honest and open he was with the children. He gave them an apologetic smile. "I'll bring you both some berries next time I come to the church, okay?"
Stu let out a deep sigh. "Maybe if the berries were on top of some ice cream…?" He raised his eyebrows hopefully as a grin spread across Claire's face. Stu reminded her of her younger brothers in more ways than one.
May gave him a sharp jab in the ribs with his elbow. "He's being silly. We'll be good! Promise!" She attempted to wink at him, but she just ended up blinking very hard instead.
A smile adorned his face at her gesture. "That settles it, then," Cliff nodded with authority.
"Ah, there you are!" A sweet voice startled the four of them as a young woman in a long flowing skirt walked out to the courtyard.
Claire hadn't seen Elli since she was in the hospital with heat exhaustion, and she hadn't witnessed the nurse outside of the hospital setting. The farmer noticed right away the soft, friendly look in her large, brown eyes. Elli carried a picnic basket in the crook of her arm and the ends of her skirts fluttered slightly in the summer breeze; she looked like she stepped right out of a fairy tale book. Claire blinked, realizing she was staring, and quickly moved her gaze to Elli's feet, only to notice that someone in a pair of soft brown loafers was standing beside her. She felt the heat rush to her face as she realized Mary had accompanied her. Claire wasn't sure how to react at seeing Mary again, but she was grateful that the young woman made the first move for her. The librarian gave a small bow accompanied by a nervous smile and wave to the blonde and she swallowed the lump in her throat, returning the gesture as she bowed her head.
"Thank you for keeping an eye on Stu. I know he can be a handful sometimes," Elli gave Cliff an apologetic smile, and Claire got the feeling that he regularly watched over Elli's younger brother at the church. "I hope he behaved himself today," she gave Stu a suspicious look but a hint of a smile could be seen in the corner of her mouth.
"He was great." Cliff gave her a nod of reassurance, and the boy let out a relieved sigh. Claire began to wonder what kind of shenanigans he may have gotten into before she arrived at the church this afternoon. The farmer had come to the house of worship to say hello to Carter and make confession. She had been pleasantly surprised to see that Cliff was watching over the children while the priest manned the confessional. What had meant to be a ten minute visit was swiftly turning into an hour.
Elli tucked a short brown strand of hair behind her ear as her eyes traveled to May, noticing the puffy eyes and red cheeks. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry, and she couldn't help that she immediately began to question Cliff's babysitting abilities. "Are you alright, May?"
The young girl blinked at the nurse, oblivious to the fact that the evidence of her meltdown was still evident on her face. "I'm okay. How are you, Elli?"
She hurried over to the girl, her skirts rustling as she did so. Elli crouched down and peered into the girl's face, ignoring her question. "Are you hurt? Why do you look like you've been crying, Sweetie?" She shot Cliff a concerned look that he couldn't help but take a little offense to.
May frowned, and for a moment it looked like she was going to start crying again. "I… I had a very trying morning," she said in her most grown-up voice. "But it's okay now. I'm gonna be a good girl for Mommy."
She turned around and gave Cliff an apologetic look. Joanna, he mouthed to her. Elli's features relaxed a bit in response and she gave May a loving pat on the head and the girl began to beam brightly. Claire could see that Elli had a gentle touch that seemed to have a soothing effect. "Good. Your mother will be very proud of you." She stood up and whirled toward her brother. "Are you ready to go, Stu? We've all got to be at the Goddess Spring in half an hour."
"Aw, man! Not the beach? But last week Mr. Gray showed me how to skip rocks and it was super fun. You never let me throw rocks into the spring! Is he coming again today?"
Claire felt the color drain from her face. Her instinct was to feel indignant that Gray had taken their moment – their special time together skipping rocks – and had cheapened it by sharing it with others. The frown began to fade from Claire's face as she slowly understood how little she had actually skipped rocks with the young man. His time there hadn't been about her. It never had been. Her eyes moved to Cliff as she remembered how he was the one who had actually taught her the techniques for throwing pebbles. She vaguely wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind all of this, but she shook the thought from her head. All of her brooding lately had her seeking reasons in things that weren't necessary.
"Yes, yes, he'll be coming. Calm down, now, you goof!"
Claire's gaze moved up from the ground and Stu was cheekily peeking into the picnic basket while his sister playfully swatted him away with a giggle. Mary's large mocha eyes were locked onto Claire as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Judging from the look on her face, it was something apologetic.
"Come on, Stu. Let's have our picnic." Elli let out a tired sigh as her brother pushed past her, skipping toward the door to the back of the church. "It was nice to see you both. Have a good one." She turned to ask Mary if she was coming along, but she was distracted when her brother tore down the main aisle of the church. "Stu! No running in the church!" she scolded, chasing after him, unaware of the fact that she was doing the very same thing.
Mary let out a soft giggle as she watched them go and quickly approached Claire. "Um..." She said nothing more, but clasped Claire in a swift but tight embrace. The farmer was so taken off guard that she didn't have time to process her emotions at the action. She absentmindedly patted Mary's back and before she knew it, the librarian had flashed her a warmhearted smile, vanishing through the back door of the church.
She hadn't gone to visit Mary for the past couple of weeks or so… Despite this and the fact that Claire still loved Gray a little bit, Mary still cared about her as a human being. She had always seen Claire as a fellow soul first – not as a rival in love or a clumsy farmer that was the subject of the town square's gossip more often than not. Mary still had love in her heart for her. Claire wondered if she would ever be strong enough to do the same if she were in her position. She liked to think that she still cared about Mary as a person, but why hadn't she been brave enough to approach Mary herself?
May began to pick a bouquet of clovers when she looked up at Claire. "Miss Mary is a really nice person."
Cliff's warm touch at her arm allowed her to swallow the lump in her throat. Her voice came out as a squeak. "Yeah, she is."
0o0o0o0
The fish was cold and she supposed she could have reheated it over a campfire, but she didn't really care. Claire stared down at her plate and wished once again that Cliff would have just agreed to take the basket of tomatoes she had brought to him instead of insisting on giving her a bit of fish in exchange. It wasn't necessarily an equal trade and while Claire had gotten her way, she couldn't help but notice that her friend looked guilty for taking the entire basket of fruit. While part of her felt like taking the fish back to him, she knew his feelings would likely be hurt and she didn't mind the variety for breakfast. She was still a beginner angler herself and fish rarely graced her dining table.
A sudden sharp rapping at her door disrupted her from her thoughts. Koro looked up from his water bowl, muzzle still dripping, and yipped at the entryway fiercely. Lightly scolding the dog for his unusual behavior, she wiped her mouth and stood up to greet her visitor.
"Good morning!"
He was clad in a yellow mandarin jacket with a colorful cap to match, a long ebony braid draped across his shoulder. A cheesy smile was spread across his face, causing his thin moustache to wiggle. Claire blinked a few times, wondering if he was in some sort of questionably offensive costume, or if this was the way he always dressed.
She bowed politely. "Good morn-"
"Farmer Girl, right? As a business owner, I'm sure you're interested in maximizing your profits in a quick and easy way, no? It would require next to no work on your behalf." He cut straight to the point as he spoke briskly, his words slurring together. It took a moment for the farmer to process what he was saying; his accent was one that she was not accustomed to hearing.
Claire listened warily; the promise of easy money was not a foreign concept to her – smooth-talking yet shady salesmen on the city streets often guaranteed her wealth beyond measure if she gave them a few minutes of her time. She knew better than to put much stock into their empty promises. "I'm happy with the way my farm is run right now, thank you. Th-Thank you for your time," she added hesitantly, realizing she was likely coming off as rude. She bowed again for good measure and slowly closed her door when something stopped it from moving. Her eyes traveled to the ground to see that his foot was obstructing the way.
"Listen, you idi-!" He cut himself off as eyes widened, twitching with irritation as he adjusted the tinted spectacles resting on his nose. The strange man let out an overly jovial laugh, forcing a terrifying smile on his face. "You make the decisions and live here alone, right?"
The young woman's blood ran cold, and she wondered whether she should take this as a threat or if she was overreacting. Claire did not answer his question, but rather, she bumped the door against his foot one more time, silently asking him to leave.
He realized that his time was short and he had to be concise; he had frightened the simple fool, and his window to make a good impression was quickly shrinking. "My name is Chin – Won Chin. I'm a… businessman who lives over on Mineral Beach. There, we're not strangers anymore, so there is no need to be afraid of me." He didn't bother with trivial things such as asking what her name was.
She stared at him in silence, her wide blue eyes still filled with uncertainty.
He let out an exasperated sigh. "You have more tomatoes than you could possibly harvest on your own. Poor planning on your part, yes? But, you see, it's a blessing in disguise!" The man flashed her what she could only imagine what he saw as his most charming smile. "You see, I'd like to use your overripe tomatoes for a stall I'm planning on running at the Fireworks Festival."
He saw that her stiffened posture seemed to relax a bit as she allowed the door to open a bit wider. "It's true, I do have a lot of tomatoes coming in at once…" Her voice was low as she looked out at her fields.
He nodded emphatically. Now all he had to do was reel her in… "Yes! And it would be even more foolish to not make some sort of profit on them and let them all go to waste! I know about these sorts of things, being an entrepreneur myself. Wasted product is wasted money, after all. You seem like a smart girl."
She knitted her brow at his comment. Hadn't he almost called her an idiot a moment ago? Claire wasn't exactly thrilled with the way he blatantly pointed out her rookie farming mistakes, either, and surely he wasn't offering to buy her produce out of the goodness of his heart. "I can only imagine you want some sort of discount to make it worth your while." She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, startled at her own bluntness.
A smirk spread across his lips and loudly clapped his palms together, causing the young woman to jump in surprise. "Ah, now we are speaking the same language! I'll take your blemished, damaged, cracked, and slightly moldy tomatoes. They're not for eating at my stall, anyway."
"Huh… those would end up in the compost heap otherwise…" Claire mused out loud as she put a thoughtful finger on her bottom lip. As long as people weren't eating them, she didn't really care what he did with them. Perhaps he was allowing people to throw the tomatoes at him for a small fee; she found herself smirking at the idea. The young woman shook the idea from her head, scolding herself for her immaturity.
Won's sudden voice startled her. "Exactly. So I am saving you money, and you can save me some in exchange. I propose ninety-five-percent off of Zack's rate, yes?"
The farmer looked out at her vast expanse of tomato plants. While she probably had a lot of fruit to offer him, five-percent of her normal price hardly made his offer worth the trouble, and it wasn't as if he had been very friendly to her to make her want to go out of her way to help him. His pushy nature turned her off quite a bit, and she found herself not wanting to give him too much of a deal. "How about seventy-five-percent off?"
He frowned; he had been expecting her to agree immediately to his proposal. After all, she was essentially selling him her garbage. In truth, he would have paid up to twenty-percent of the full price, but he wasn't about to let Claire know that. "Ninety."
Claire bit her lip. Surely he had to see that she still needed to harvest and handle the produce he was requesting, and that required work on her part. She wasn't going to be pushed around. She hardened her stance and straightened her shoulders.
Won was surprised when a pair of confident blue eyes looked back out at him. "Eighty-percent off, and you will pick them up yourself. I will have a lot, and I won't deliver them to you." She wasn't about to waste her time lugging bags of rotting produce all the way to the beach when she had her other crops to tend to, especially for him.
"Very well. I will send someone the morning of the festival and he will pay you on the spot."
She was startled at his reasonable offer; she had been steeling herself for a fight. "That… sounds fair," she agreed.
He bowed before he spun on his heel and turned to leave. He had other things to do to prepare for the festival, and he didn't want to waste another precious moment here. "Very good. See you around; I look forward to both of us profiting from your little blunder."
Claire felt herself gritting her teeth. "P-Pardon?" She was shocked that he had said something so rude right to her face.
He let out a carefree chuckle. "First your logic fails you in planning out an efficient field of crops, and now your hearing is going, too? Tut, tut… Yes, I am definitely doing you a favor. But I have no more time to waste here. I will send an assistant the day of the festival. Did you get all of that, Farmer Girl?"
Not bothering to see the reaction on her face, Won hurried back to the entrance of town before she found her voice. She stomped her foot and felt a wave of frustration at his rudeness.
"H-Hey! My name is Claire! Claire Dumont!" She found that she was gripping the doorframe in indignation. Upon seeing that he had left the property and likely didn't hear her, the young woman slammed her door shut and let out a shriek in aggravation, tugging at her hair.
Something about that man really irked her. In just the short time she had been with him, he managed to get under her skin, his compliments laced with insults as he attempted to weasel his way into a better deal. She couldn't stand the sight of him – just knowing that she had made a bargain with him at all and that she had wasted her respect and manners on him filled her with rage. And the way he had pointed out the mistakes with her farm! It wasn't as if he was an experienced field hand himself!
It was laundry day – she stripped the sheets off of her bed with unmatched fervor and tossed them on the opposite side of the room, letting out an angry groan as she did so. After removing her pillowcase and tossing it into the heap, she grabbed the pillow itself and let the cushion absorb a scream of frustration. Not only was she a lousy farmer, but she had been so terrible at consoling May the day before, and she had been so cold to Gray when he tried to apologize to her again at Ann's party. Why was she so terrible at socializing with people? Anger bubbled up within her as she shrieked again into the pillow, her throat aching as she did so.
She drop-kicked it across the room and went limp as she saw a spooked Koro huddling in the corner, his wide charcoal eyes staring at her as if she was planning on punting him next. The young woman sunk to her knees and let out a bitter sob. It was no wonder no one wanted her…
"K-Koro… Come here, sweetie…" She weakly held out her hand to her pet.
The corgi-beagle mix whined quietly, his ears back and his tail curled between his hind legs. He looked around the room nervously, pacing in place, his nails tapping on the floor. The fact that she had frightened him made Claire's heart break. Had she really been that angry and scary to him? Silent tears streamed down her face. She was a monster. There was that ugly side of her coming out again, she realized. It was that awful part of her that had lashed out against Mayor Thomas. Why couldn't she just swallow her anger like she always did? Why did it have to come out sometimes and remind her how repulsive her heart was? Only horrible people scared puppies…
She realized at once that the tapping had stopped. The young woman looked up from the floor and saw Koro watching her curiously. Claire held out her open palm once more, pushing down the quavering in her voice. "Koro, honey... There's a good boy."
The young dog's tail wagged slowly as he shyly approached her, sniffing her hand. He gave it a kiss and Claire let out a low, congested laugh as she reached over to the table, ripping a small piece off of the cold fish left over on her plate. He accepted the offering and nuzzled her hand. Tears began to fall out of Claire's eyes once more as she pulled Koro onto her lap. He looked up at her curiously, hoping for more treats. She leaned over and grabbed the remainder of the fillet, stroking his back as he happily dug into the fish.
Had she really behaved much differently than May did yesterday? The young girl had exploded, unable to keep her emotions in check. She had let something silly throw her over the edge and had gotten upset. Claire frowned. No, she had been much worse than May. At least the young girl had real problems, unlike her. Claire hated herself for losing her cool.
While tantrums were not something she was accustomed to having, they were unacceptable, she realized. She didn't live by herself – Koro had to be around her when she was like this – and everything she did had consequences. Claire closed her eyes and could still see those fearful dark eyes seeking hers. Never again – she would not antagonize her own dog. She promised them both that she would keep her emotions under control and be an adult. The young woman adjusted the red bandana that Koro wore around his neck. He was hers, and she needed to take responsibility for his well-being.
"I'm so sorry, Koro. I'll never do that again. I'll take care of you." She planted a kiss on the top of his head.
He wagged his tail in response and cuddled against her. Claire's entire body felt weak as she held the dog, showering him with her love.
"I wasn't mad at you," she continued as if he could understand her. "I… I will grow up and be a better friend for you. I promise." Claire choked back her guilt and tears.
0o0o0o0
Author's Note: Thank you all for the outpouring of support and feedback from the last chapter! Y'all are the best! Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!
P.S. Won's last name - Chin - means "money". Go figure.