Chapter 3

Lewis walked me into town back along the path I'd taken to the farm, and then past the meadow and beyond. There were old fashioned lamp posts to the light the way and the crickets began to sing as we came up to where the dirt turned into more cobble and eventually a stone paved street. I saw the buildings ahead, all of which appeared to be built in the same style as my own cottage, and right before that, the big round fountain.

"So just ahead to the left is the doctor's office and Pierre's general store. To the right is the majority of the houses, the cemetery, and of course, The Stardrop Saloon. That's where you wanna head. There's quite a bit more to show you, but seeing as how it's getting pretty dark, and seeing as how I am in the mood for a frothy beer, I saw we call it a night." He gave me a wink and escorted me to the door of the bar, held it open, and allowed me first entrance into the lively space.

The decor was the same as my cabin too, but it was warmer and fuller. People stood at tall tables, chatting, I could hear the sounds of arcade games off to the right. Behind a long bar stood a big bear of a man with thick brown hair and matching beard/mustache combo. Beside, him, filling a frosty glass with some type of beer from a tap was a friendly looking woman with short blue hair.

"Gus!" Lewis called out, stepping up to the male, "I have someone I want you to meet." He motioned for me to come forward and when I did, he said, "this is Old Cal's granddaughter, Chessy Bukater."

"Well I'll be!" Gus replied, raucously, "the prodigal heir to Dewitt Farm returns! We've spent many a day wondering when this time would come!" He turned and addressed his barmaiden, "Em, come here and say hi to Ms. Bukater!"

The blue haired woman brought the fresh beer to Lewis and then offered me a warm smile. "Hello there," she greeted, "you're the heir to the old farm, huh?" When I nodded, she said, "Well I'm Emily. Tailor by day, bartender by night. If you need a certain outfit made or if you're just thirsty, I'm your girl."

"Speaking of which," Lewis said, "anything Chessy wants tonight is on me." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Try the fried fish," he suggested, "Willy brings the catch of the day every morning and Gus here knows how to fry them!"

"Okay," I said, hungry enough to eat practically anything. "Sounds good to me."

"Coming right up!" Gus responded with gusto, "Go on and get you a seat and I'll bring it out when it's ready. Whaddya want to drink?"

"A pale ale on me!" Pam said, coming up to hit me on the back, "Hey Kid, you made it!"

She was holding a mostly empty pint of her own, and I watched her throw it back before I replied. "Yes, I did. And thanks. Everyone's really too kind."

"It's the Stardew way," Gus said, and winked one of his big brown eyes.

Emily fixed Pam and I each a stein of light amber liquid and when Pam had hers in hand, she immediately went right back to gulping it down. I took mine in my hands and then, once again aware of the sounds of arcade games, I glanced over and saw where the noises were coming from.

"Thanks again Mayor," I said to him, "I'm going to go and-" I motioned to the room full of pinball machines and the like.

"Check in tomorrow," he reminded me, "And once again, welcome to the Valley."

I saw two people I recognized on either side of a green felt topped pool table. Sam saw me first.

"Chessy!" he said, "New girl!" He came forward and lifted his own glass of alcohol and insisted on clinking it against mine. "All moved in?"

"Hardly," I replied, finding a stool nearby and taking advantage of the opportunity to finally sit down again. "There's so much to do."

The darker haired guy ran a hand through his black hair and met my gaze. "Well Sam and I could help you if you want," he said, his voice deep, his tone hinting at some shyness. "Not like there's too much else to do around here."

I all but jumped at the opportunity. "Would you really want to?" I asked. "Because I'll gladly take you up on the offer. I know nothing about farming and I could really use the help. I'll pay you both, of course."

"We'll be there," Sam said, nodding enthusiastically. "I'm dying to explore more of the property anyway."

"We're not really looking for much compensation though," Sebastian told me, "but anything you do pay us could go towards repairs on my bike."

"And construction of my half pipe!" Sam added.

I watched them play a round of pool and then Emily brought me my fish. As she was walking back, I caught a guy in a gray apron gazing longingly at her from a table in the corner. He was sitting with another older male in a raincoat bent over a bowl of soup.

"How many people live in Stardew Valley?" I asked my new pals.

Sam frowned, considering my question. "Uh thirty something, I think."

"So everyone knows everyone else then?"

"Unfortunately," Seb replied, nodding, "you're lucky most of the people in here are drunk right now, or they wouldn't leave you alone with questions. When the last girl moved to town, she was practically smothered with town interest. She was the first fresh face any of us had seen since Vincent was born six years ago."

Ignoring the fact that I had no idea who Vincent was or anyone else for that matter, I asked, "So I'm not the only new girl?" I got a forkful of fish and a handful of fries and was pleased to find out that they were absolutely delicious, as Lewis had implied. Once I'd swallowed, I quickly went back for more, only stopping long enough to wash it down with some of the cool, refreshing alcohol.

"I guess not technically," Sam said. "But that was nearly six months ago. Her name's Haley. She's a model from London. And she's Emily's half sister."

"And," Sebastian went on, scowling, "she's kind of a bitch."

—-

When I was finished eating, Sebastian and Sam offered to walk me home. The entire village seemed to be seamlessly sewn into the past, but only in the most wonderful ways.

"I guess it's too late for the shop to be open?" I wondered aloud as we headed back towards the fountain.

"It closes at 5," Sam said. "And it opens back up at 9."

"Anywhere else I could go to get some bedding?"

Sebastian grimached. "Well Joja Mart is open until 11," he said, "but that place is trash."

"I agree," I replied thinking immediately of my job and all the customer complaints I'd gotten over the years. "Absolute trash."

"Pierre's is the place to go," Sam agreed, nodding. "They have everything."

"Plus it wouldn't be right to go there," Sebastian went on, "out of respect for Abigail."

I tilted my head to the side. "Whose Abigail?"

Sam grinned, knowingly, "Pierre's step daughter." He reached over and tossed a punch into his best friend's shoulder. "Speaking of which, aren't you going to go down to the cemetery and say hey?"

At this, the darker haired guy looked rather sheepish. "Well I was going to but.."

"I'll take Chessy to Joja," Sam offered, "and then I'll walk her home. You go see Abby."

Sebastian was suddenly standing up straighter. He ran his thin hands through his hair and smoothed the front of his shirt. "Alright," he said, "see you both tomorrow on the farm then?"

Once he was gone and Sam and I were heading back east, past Pierre's, I said, "Sebastian likes Pierre's daughter?"

"Oh no," Sam said shaking his head, "Sebastian loves Abigail. That's the love of his life, of his existence. If I had to wager, I'd say there isn't a moment that goes by when she isn't on his mind."

We went along a thin cobble path, behind a two story white clapboard house with a gray roof and plenty of rose bushes all around, and then over towards a stone bridge that crossed a thin river.

"Well why doesn't he tell her or ask her out at least?"

Sam chuckled and stuck his hands in the front pocket of his cerulean hoodie. "Things are delicate around here," he explained. "There's, uh, what did I say? Like thirty of us? And most of us have known each other our entire lives. Stardew Valley isn't exactly a secret, but there's very few people that even know it exists. People come and go, yeah, but the ones that stay.. We see them everyday. We interact with them everyday. Seb and I go into Pierre's shop all the time and Abigail works the counters on the weekend. She plays flute in my band. Seb and Abby go and explore the mines together. He takes her for rides on his motorcycle. And sure, they have great chemistry. But that's because they know each other so well. If he acted on whatever he felt and she didn't feel the same or for some reason things didn't work out. It would just really disrupt the good thing we've got going here is all."

Having come from such a big city, it was difficult for me to truly grasp the concept of an island inhabiting less than forty people. But what he said made sense. Most of these people here had one shot at love and if that failed..

There was a miniature Joja Mart on the other side of the bridge. It looked totally out of place with its slate blue walls and icy white roof. Sam held the door open and we went into the bright fluorescents. Immediately, we were approached by a short man in a suit with greasy dark hair, a red bowtie and glasses that seemed to be permanently perched on the tip of his nose.

"A new face," he said to me, completely ignoring Sam. "I'm Morris, Manager of the Stardew Valley Joja Mart, and you are?"

"Chessy," I said, one eyebrow lifted as I took in his appearance. He looked entirely overdressed to be working where he was working.

"Chessy," he said, and he took my hand in both of his and squeezed it. "How about I go ahead and sign you up for the Joja Rewards Program?"

Sam was eying me curiously, presumably wondering what I was going to do.

"No thanks," was my near immediate response. "I just need a couple of things. I'm not interested in a rewards program."

That seemed to placate my friend. He put his hand on my arm and yanked me gently away from the store manager. "C'mon."

We left Morris there by the entrance and went up and down the aisles looking for the home goods section. We must have perused half the store when we came up on what seemed to be the only person stocking. He was an average looking guy with messy brownish hair, a five o clock shadow and tired eyes. If he hadn't been actively putting canned pasta sauce on the shelf, it would have been hard to tell he was a Joja Mart employee at all. As a whole, his entire appearance was nondescript and forgettable, even the blue Joja jacket he wore was faded.

"Hey my man," Sam said, tossing a nod at the guy. "Where's your home goods?"

The worker didn't stop what he was doing, or even turn to face us. "Can't you read a sign?" he asked.

"Nah," Sam replied, sarcastically, "I didn't think reading was that important so I never bothered to learn."

The worker grumbled something under his breath.

"I'm looking for bedding," I said, "I didn't see a sign." I was sort of surprised at this guy's lack of manners. Compared to everyone else I'd met so far, he seemed to sorely stick out.

"There on the back wall," he told me, not a shred of hospitality in his voice, "in the corner."

I thanked him anyway and then we followed his directions. Once we were well out of earshot, and clearly the only two people shopping in the entire store, Sam said, "That's Shane. He's a real treat."

"He doesn't exactly seem to fit in with the rest of you guys," I commented. "I mean, his personality doesn't."

"He's an asswipe," Sam said, and shrugged. "His Aunt, Marnie, owns the stables South of town. Sells cows and chickens and ducks and rabbits. Her daughter, Jas, is his goddaughter. She unexpectedly gave birth to her back seven years ago and he moved here to help her raise him."

"Unexpectedly?" I asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means she's having a secret affair with someone in town but is pretending that she's the next Virgin Mary." He winked. Then he gestured wildly at a wall of blankets. "Here we go!"

As I was hoping, they sold beds in a bag, complete with sheets, pillow cases and a big fluffy comforter. But there were only three designs- a white set with Joja Mart J's all over them, a blue set with Joja Mart J's all over them, and a set of blue and gray plaid. Of course the plaid ones were the ones I went for.

"Good choice," Sam said, and took the bag from me to carry. "We mustn't support the enemy. What else you need?"

I wasn't sure what all I could carry home, but I knew I needed provisions. "Maybe something to drink?" I suggested, "And something to eat in the morning."

We made our way back to the grocery section and I chose a jug of water, which Sam also insisted on carrying, a big box of corn pops, and a gallon of milk.

"Just think," my new friend said, "when you get the farm up and running, you'll have milk and veggies and everything else right there. You won't even have to buy much."

That too seemed like an unbelievable concept, but I gave it to him. We went to the check-outs after that and I dug the change purse back out and looked at Sam. "You're going to have to help me with this. I'm used to paper money and change."

"Change!" Sam rolled his eyes. "You mainlanders and your change. That must make it so hard to estimate how much you're going to spend!"

The cashier was another redhead, this one younger with tired eyes. We put my would-be purchases on the counter and she began to scan them.

"Heya Penny," Sam said, "night going alright?"

"It's been slow," she said, hiding a yawn behind one hand. And then she noticed me and she gave me a sleepy smile. "You must be the new told me we had someone coming to take that old farm. I'm Penny. You probably met my mom Pam. She runs the bus in and out of Calico Desert."

"That's right," I said. "I did meet Pam. She's really nice. Everyone is." Except that stocking guy, I thought.

"If you need anything at all," Penny said to me, putting the cereal in one bag, and the milk in another, "You can find me in the museum most of the day, and here most nights." She glanced at the register. "That'll be twenty seven."

"Twenty seven," I repeated. "Right. Um." I reached into the bag and pulled out a handful of coins. "That's, what? One silver and seven little brown ones?"

Sam grinned at me. "That's right." He picked them out of my palm and handed them to Penny and she pushed a couple of buttons and offered me my receipt.

The blanket was 20, the water 2 and the milk and cereal were both 3 each. Wild. I was still musing over prices when we were back outside under the valley moon. Sam swung his arms at his sides as we strolled and when we'd made it to the outskirts of town and were headed back to my farm, I said, "So who's your SOS?"

He tossed his head back and laughed. "Oh no, New Girl," he said, "you don't get to know that yet. Gotta make sure I can trust you first."

I shrugged, half expecting his response. "Alright," I said, "but you'll tell me eventually." I gave him a smug grin and his eyes twinkled mischievously in the glow of the lamp light.

We passed through the gate onto the farm and then up to the house. I opened the door and we headed in as I fumbled to find the light switch. He put the bedding on the old couch and then took my milk and water and put them in the fridge. Meanwhile I stuck the cereal in a cabinet, and inadvertently came across the box of seeds Lewis had mentioned leaving me. Afterwards, Sam went into my bedroom, ripped the plastic from my new mattress and slid it effortlessly onto the frame. He still had quite a bit of boyish charm, but he was a muscular guy nonetheless and I liked him. I got the bag of bedding and sat it on the mattress and began removing the contents while he leaned against the wall with one hand on the back of his neck.

"So how about you," he asked after a moment, "what's your type? There are plenty of eligible bachelors in the Valley." He chewed on his bottom lip and then amended himself, "or bachelorettes."

"I haven't met everyone yet," was my casual response, shaking out the stiff sheets. "But the entire goal of moving here was to remove myself from the drama of dating. Isn't farm living supposed to be, ya know, undemanding, carefree.. Easy?"

"And love isn't easy?" he replied, clearly amused.

I thought back to all my exes and the messy relationships I'd been in over the years. Some of them I had done my best to forget. "Absolutely not," was my honest answer. "Is it easy for you? Is the object of your affection in your grasp, Sam?"

His responding smile was sad and I could see in his eyes that there was something much deeper than a crush plaguing him. "No," he said, "Not at all."

—