Chapter 2 #2: Love at First Plight
"Hello there. My name is Spring, I came here to move away from the hustle and bustle of the other human colonies. You came here too, as well?"
"I.yeah, I came here, but to lead a less complicated lifestyle,. Only, I didn't expect to see another human here for a long time, if ever at all," he stammered.
"Only problem is, I don't know where to live, Tom Nook isn't here today, and I don't want to work for him, Rover told me he's quite the odd fellow."
"You can stay with me for awhile; the upstairs area is where I sleep, so you can have the downstairs area."
"Great. Your name is.?"
"David. I live in Acre B-3, the largest house. It's quite nice, and the downstairs bedroom should be great for you, until Nook comes back."
"Thank you. Here we go." She grabbed her purse from the steps, and proceeded carefully down the steps, watching the ice patches on the left.
"So, if you don't my asking, how old are you?"
"Oh!" She started blushing. "I'm turning 17 next month."
"So am I! Wow, that's a coincidence. Anyway, here we are."
"Wow." She stopped walking and stared up at the manor. "You do live nicely, don't you?"
"Sure do," said David, "I know the lay of the land, and know how to get easy Bells."
"Bells? What are those?"
"Ah. That's right. You're new here. I'll give you a quick run-down. Bells are the currency here. They're easy to get, if you know what to do. Furniture takes the shape of leaves, until you drop them inside your house. Makes them easy to store and carry. And I'll tell you some more later."
"Great. Can you let me in? It's getting very cold out here."
"Sure. Here you go." David opened the door, and led Spring in.
"Sure is big here. And.wow! You have the lovely series here! This will be perfect."
She turned around and beamed up at David.
"Yeah, I thought you'd like that. I have to go upstairs to bed now. I'll wake you in the morning, OK?"
"Um, sure."
"Great. Good night!" David called.
"Good night!"
David, completely exhausted, went upstairs to his room. Up here, he had the Cabin series, so he felt more out of the technology driven world, back to the care free life. He changed into his pajamas, and went to bed.
The next morning, he awoke to the smell of bacon. Bacon? Here?
He got of bed, dressed, and headed downstairs. Spring was already up, bustling by the Lovely Kitchen, making breakfast and setting the table.
"Good morning! Doing well, I hope. Coffee? I'm making bacon, eggs, and some pancakes."
"What's all of this for?"
"My appreciation for taking me in for the week, Thanks a lot! Whoops! Coffee's done, let me get that."
"I got it!" He grabbed the coffee pot, and poured some into the two coffee cups on the table.
"What do you want in yours?" he asked. He took some sugar, cream, and some whipped cream, and added it all together in the coffee.
"Some cream, sugar, and little whipped cream, if you have it," she said with her back turned toward him, as she made eggs.
He was stunned for a moment. Not many people drank coffee the way he did. He stood there for a moment, rooted to the spot, and then, realizing this, went and got her coffee ready.
She took the plates, filled them with eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and then sat down opposite David.
"Oh! I didn't know you had your coffee the same way I had mine," she said, eyeing David's coffee.
"Yeah, I was stunned too." He took a pancake, poured syrup over it, then began eating.
"So what are you doing in this town? Why not one closer to where you live?"
"I like the tropical feeling. All the warm air, the tropical ocean, the beautiful view. It's all so nice." She sighed, took a sip of her coffee, and then looked back at David.
"It is great here. Oh! I almost forgot. Here's an umbrella. It'll help keep you cooler, since your not going to be used to this tropical climate. Here. It's like a desert. Very hot during the day, but very cold at night." He took the umbrella from his pocket and gave it to her.
"It's so small. How do I open it?"
"Click it there." He pointed to a small button on the side.
"Like this?" She pressed the button. The Top rocketed upward toward the ceiling, then exploded into the umbrella top.
"I'll have to get used to this. Everything is so small until you need to use it."
"Yeah." He finished his pancakes and started the eggs. "So what are your plans for today?"
"I thought I'd go shopping, then maybe help around the house."
"Great. Here are ten thousand bells. Enjoy!"
"Oh! I can't accept this." She pushed the money away from her.
"When's your birthday?"
"January 3rd, but."
"Then think of it as an early birthday present. Please?" He pushed the bag back toward her.
She looked at him, then the money, then him again. She bit her lip and thought for a moment.
"Oh, alright. If you insist." She took the money and stuck it in her pocket.
"Well, I have a lot to do today. Nook should be back today, and no doubt he'll want me to help Timmy and Tommy again." He finished his bacon, drank the last of his coffee, then headed back upstairs.
"I need to get changed. Hold on." He changed back out of his pajamas, got dressed for work, and went downstairs again. She was already dressed and waiting for him.
"To Nookington's first, right?"
"Yep. I have some shopping to do." She grinned at him, grabbed his arm, and he led her outside.
"Wow. It's so beautiful. Look at the sky!" She pointed up. The light blue sky was dotted with puffy white clouds, swirling and changing shape.
As she looked up, he looked at her. She really was beautiful herself. She was gazing at the sky in awe.
"Come now. Don't forget your umbrella." She looked at him, nodded, then opened her umbrella.
"Ah. Shade," she sighed. The shade on a day like this was really something. It lowered the temperature about ten degrees.
"This way, my darling." He grinned at her, and they started walking toward Nook's.
"So, when does he usually open?" she asked.
"At about." He checked his watch. ".Ten or so, in about five minutes."
"Good. Got to get up early to get the good deals!"
As she talked, Tangy, the cat that lived in the acre below them, came up, and said hi.
"Hi, you must be Spring. You're new here, right? Here's a welcoming gift." She handed Spring a shirt.
"Thank you. Oooh! This top is so beautiful. Thanks a lot!" It was the Gracie Strawberry top, the new one from her top line.
"You're quite welcome. Have a good day!" And she left to go to the Wishing Well.
"That was awfully nice of her."
"Sure was," Brian said. "Here we are. Nookington's."
They were standing in front of a very tall two-story building. It was the crème de la crème of Nook's stores. Every square inch was taken up by something on sale. He looked at her again, and her eyes sparkled. He knew she was thinking about all of the good stuff that was certainly on sale in there.
"If you could wait out here for a few minutes while I put things out, that would be great."
"Sure. I'll see you in five," she said, winking.
David walked in and said hi to the busy Nook.
"No, no. That goes over there. BE CAREFUL WITH THAT! No!" A huge crash and pieces of what was once fine china started raining from the ceiling.
"Uh, need any help?" he asked.
"Oh thank God you're here. Timmy and Tommy just ruined my China display. I think I'll leave that business for awhile. Can you help them upstairs again? Thank you much."
David headed upstairs, and did his usual chores; moving the furniture out, setting the prices, and writing the flyers. After ten minutes, he was done, and hurried outside.
"Sorry I was late. There was a fiasco with China. All hell broke loose there. Anyway, ready?"
"Yep. Let me get out my money." She withdrew her bag of bells, and held it at the ready.
"Here we go." They walked inside, and were greeted by Nook. In the corner, he could see Timmy and Tommy hurrying to clean up the mess of China.
"Yes, yes. Welcome. Feel free to browse, but try not carouse. He He!"
"Wow David, look at this!" She pulled him over to a nice shirt. That's hw he spent his first hour of the day. Shopping with her. But he couldn't complain. Any time with her made him feel great.
After their shopping, they went home for lunch, They had some nice sandwiches, prepared by David himself, then went their separate ways for the evening. He got back at around six, having just turned on the lighthouse for Tortimer. He thought he heard talking at the top room, but shrugged it off.
"Hello. Is dinner ready?" he asked jokingly.
"Almost."
He was dumbfounded for a moment. He had planned on making dinner for her. After all, she'd been working all afternoon.
"Oh, good," He said.
"We're having hamburgers, fries, and Cokes for dinner," she replied.
"Sounds good. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we eat down by the beach? It's beautiful at night," he added.
"Ooooh. Sounds fun. Here." She handed him a bag with their food in it. "Let's get our coats, and some firewood and some matches."
She took all of it, and stuffed it in her pockets.
"Ready?"
"Yep." She put on her coat, and they headed down to the beach. Their walk was rather uneventful, unless you count Teddy getting furious at them for no reason. At long last, they got to the beach.
They put out the food, and lied down on the soft sand. The sun was setting, and it was almost hidden beneath the ocean by the time they got there. David grabbed his burger, and started munching on it.
"Wow, it's so beautiful."
"That ain't the only thing."
She giggled, then took a burger for herself and started nibbling it.
They watched the sun set, and the stars rise, as they ate their meal. The stars were winking and twinkling at them, and the moon shown brightly overhead.
"Look! There's the constellation Orion." He pointed upward to a familiar cluster of stars.
"Where?" she asked. She leaned closer to David's head to see where he was pointing.
"Right there." He kept his arm out, pointing to the same spot for her.
"Where?" she asked again. She leaned closer, their cheeks almost touching.
"There," he repeated.
"Wow, it's so magnificent."
He turned toward her as she turned toward him, and as they looked at each other, their lips met. Both of their eyes opened in surprise, but neither moved away. They sat there, kissing each other for the longest time.
She's so beautiful, he kept thinking, and knew she was thinking the same thing. At long last, they pulled apart and looked at each other. It was hard to tell who was blushing ore red than the other, as they were both as red as Jingle's coat. That's when they first knew, first without a doubt knew, that they were in love.
*To Be Continued*