1 Chapter Fourteen: The Visit
2 A/N: Chapter Fourteen! CHEER! *cheers are heard* Sorry it took so long ^^;; (And yep, I like the word obviously…Obviously! O.o'' Omg, didn't mean to say obviously again…Heh…) Hope you like this chapter!
3
4 That morning, the 28th of Summer, Dawn woke up, the feeling of cold, cold dread sitting in her stomach. Her mom was coming…Her mom was coming…
5 Dawn stood up, yawned and stretched, got dressed, brushed her hair, decided to shower and undressed, showered, got re-dressed and re-brushed her hair, and fretted about her house, trying to make it look all right for her parents' visit. Finally, she decided it looked okay, and she went outside to inspect her farm.
6 There wasn't a single weed. Dawn supposed that Jack might've pulled some weeds for her early in the morning ("Good ol' Jack!"), and she was extremely grateful. Her crops looked fine, the fields were tidy, the animals looked all right…Dawn took care of the animals, watered the plants, and then brushed Kirby. (He wasn't looking that nice.) After she fed him, she had taken a look around the entire farm when Popuri came into the farm, calling, "Hiya!" She had a basket in her hand.
7 "Hi, Popuri," Dawn replied, walking up to her. "What's up?"
8 "Well, the ferry with your parents will come at noon today. Can I go with you to meet them? I have a gift basket of treats for them."
9 "Yeah, sure."
10 "Thanks!" Popuri bubbled. She smiled at Dawn with eager anticipation. "Well, I have to get back to the shop, so I'll see you on the beach at noon!" She waved, and left.
11 Dawn decided to cultivate more land to plant some things in Fall. While she was hoeing the ground (LOL……sorry) Ann and Cliff walked into her farm and called, "Hiya Dawn!"
12 Dawn walked over to them, and they asked permission if they could go with her to greet her parents.
13 "Of course, why wouldn't you? I mean, it's a free beach…" Dawn was in a grouchy mood, strangely; mostly because her mom was coming, but also because she had to walk twice from the middle of the field to her farm entrance.
14 Ann and Cliff both frowned, worried, but only replied, "Okay. Thanks, Dawn," and "Okay! See you later!" They both left, too.
15 Dawn took care of her animals then, and then finished watering the few plants she had (she knew she'd get one more Harvest before summer ended). After that, it was about noon, so she walked down to the beach at noon.
A couple people were there: Popuri, with the basket, Ann, Cliff, Jack, Elli, Harris, the Mayor's wife, and the Mayor (he had to greet all visitors to the island). There were also people leaving Flowerbud Village by the ferry today.
Everyone said hi to Dawn, exchanged words like "I can't wait to meet your parents" … "Your father must have gotten some time off from work finally" … "Your mom must be SO cool! I mean look at you!" and et cetera. Popuri started telling Dawn excitedly about how they could give her parents a tour (they didn't get many visitors). Everyone else talked amongst themselves quietly, waiting.
Jack put his arms around Dawn and whispered in her ear over Popuri's babble: "Will your parents like me?"
"I don't know," Dawn replied honestly. "If you want the truth, I don't think Dad will…"
Jack frowned. "Why?"
"I think it's because of your grandpa," she whispered, while Popuri and Ann started talking a little. "And your farm…If he sees us, y'know, together, he might get mad."
"So…I should avoid you for a few days?"
"I don't WANT you to! But…I dunno…" Dawn broke off shrugging, unsettled.
Jack kissed her cheek. "Well, I won't avoid you. But I guess we can't be so affectionate for a bit."
"Hey! There's the boat," Elli said while pointing. A small white speck was bobbing on the waves. It was far away, out in the ocean.
"It'll be about twenty minutes before the boat reaches shore," the Mayor remarked. Jack, Dawn, and Elli decided to fish during that time.
Surprisingly, they had a good twenty minutes of it. None of them at first were catching anything, but then Jack's line gave a _huge_ tug, nearly yanking him in the water. It was so strong, Cliff, Dawn, and Elli all had to pull on Jack so he could land the fish. When he finally pulled it up, it was GIGANTIC.
"I guess I'll have a good dinner tonight." Jack grinned and set the fish down as the ferry pulled up to the dock. About five people disembarked: the gourmet man, a lovesick couple looking for wine, and Dawn's parents, Michael and Diana. (Vacationers to Flowerbud Village who had already vacationed boarded the ferry, and the ferry sailed off.)
"Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" Dawn called, waving and walking on the dock. Everyone else walked to the beach (Jack ran home to drop his fish off and managed to get back in time—it was too big to fit in his backpack). Dawn's cold pit in her stomach grew and made her cold all over as her parents walked up to her.
"Hello, Dawn!" her father said affectionately. Dawn hugged him.
"Hi, Dawn," said her mother. Dawn made an action as if to hug her, but her mother, Diana, stuck out her hand.
Dawn frowned, wondering why she bothered being nice to her mother, sighed sadly, and then shook her mother's gloved hand. Smiling at her parents, she said as they started to walk down the dock, "Some people want to meet you."
Her father, Michael, frowned. "I know mostly everyone already," he said, fingering his moustache.
"We may as well meet them and get out of this mudhole," Diana snapped. Dawn paid no attention to the rude comment and started walking to the group on the beach.
"How long will you be here?" Dawn asked.
Dawn's mother, a short, portly woman but with an elegant face, short blonde hair and lots of diamond jewelry, definitely looked like she did not want to stay as long as Michael said. "A week."
They reached the small group. The Mayor beamed like a Mayor should at guests and said, "Welcome, Michael!" and shook his hand. "Nice to see you again…You must be Diana," he added, turning to Dawn's mom. He took her hand graciously. "Welcome."
Dawn's mother smiled a false smile. Popuri walked up to Diana, smiling pleasantly, and handed her the basket of cakes and brownies and flowers. "We made you a welcoming basket," she said happily. "We hope you enjoy your stay here."
Popuri smiled at her. Diana just looked at her scornfully, eyeing at how seemingly cheap the basket was. Popuri's face fell a bit, but she pretended that she took no notice of the glare.
"My name is Popuri," Popuri said to both of them, smiling as if encouraging herself.
"Hello," stated Diana coldly.
"Nice to met you," said Michael warmly. "I'm Michael; this is Diana."
Popuri smiled (as if in relief) at Michael. "I'm one of Dawn's best friends. I work at the Florist's with my mother." (Diana's hateful edge to Popuri grew more.)
"I'm Ann!" Ann said loudly. "I'm another of Dawn's best buds! I work at the ranch with my brother and dad."
Cliff said nothing. Wise move, Dawn thought. If Mom heard Cliff was a wanderer… She shuddered inwardly.
The Mayor's wife introduced herself. Diana actually was friendly to the Mayor's wife—it might have been because she was high-classy and rich. She was talking almost familiarly with her. Then Elli introduced herself, shyly yet friendly.
"Chubby girl," Diana muttered to herself. Dawn glared at her mother in indignation and shock.
Then Jack introduced himself. "My name is Jack," he said, shaking both their hands (Diana tried to hide her hand but Jack seized it anyway). "I run Joro Farm."
Michael's smile snapped off like a light. Diana acted indifferently, though a lot warmer than she had to Popuri.
"Is your farm running well?" she asked.
Jack's eyes slid from one parent, to the other, then to Dawn. "It's doing fine," he finally answered.
"Are you a friend of Dawn's?" Michael asked.
"Yes," Jack said without hesitation. Ann, Popuri, Cliff, and Elli watched curiously (everyone else had left). Dawn watched, holding her breath.
Michael's frown increased sharply. He positively glared at Jack—then at Dawn.
"Well, your mother would like a tour," Michael said curtly. "It was nice to meet you all, but we want to check out how Dawn's doing…see the farm…"
Everyone else started to leave. They all walked up together to the ranch. Cliff and Ann left them here, calling, "Bye!"
They walked farther to the Flowerbud Village fork-in-the-road place.
"See you later," said Elli. "Hope to see you tomorrow!" gushed Popuri. They went back to their houses. When they got to the farm entrance, Jack bent to kiss Dawn, but stopped. "See you later," he said softly, and walked up to the mountain.
Michael pursed his lips. "I don't like that Jack," he announced loudly—possibly loud enough for Jack to hear.
"Thank heavens, all that riffraff is gone," Diana said huffily. "I can't wait to have a decent bath now."
Dawn nervously fidgeted as she led them into her farm. Kirby ran up to her, barking happily, then stopped and growled when he saw Diana. Then Kirby fled into his doghouse.
Dawn frowned, picked up Kirby, and led the way into the house, saying formally, "This is my house…Let me show you inside." She stepped on the porch and opened the door, letting her parents go in first. She followed them inside, dropping Kirby by the toolbox and the Invincible Katori statue. Inside, her father and mother looked around her sort-of-bare house. Dawn had to admit it was heartlessly plain, but it was homey, too—the seashell wall ornaments, Invincible Katori, pictures on the walls, rug, and the tablecloth with a cute little pot were kind of nice.
But Dawn knew her mother would sneer. And she did.
"See what happens when you associate with old Jake?" she sneered at Dawn. "You live in a mudhole, a dirty house with hillbilly neighbors…Hah, goodness knows you deserve it…I mean, deciding to live here and throwing away all your studies…Well, you'll get what you deserve…"
An old pang, remembered from growing up, seized Dawn, but she ignored it, like she had tried to before…
"I like your house, Dawn" her father remarked placidly. "It's…homey…Not like Old Jake's, but nice."
Dawn smiled gratefully at her father. "Well, do you want to inspect the farm, Dad? It's still my first Summer, so it's not looking as good as Grandpa's yet, but…"
"All right. Good idea."
"I want to find where I'm sleeping," Diana said curtly.
"Er…you'll be sleeping at the Inn, Mom and Dad," Dawn mumbled. "There's not enough room here…"
"I can see that," snapped her mother, walking past her briskly and out the door. Dawn and Michael followed. "I'll sit here and wait, dear," her mother said, sitting down on the porch chair. She sniffed critically.
Dawn and Michael walked out to Dawn's fields. Her five corn plants and four tomato plants were thriving, and would probably be in harvest tomorrow morning. "I've grown these already," Dawn said, gesticulating at the plants, "and some flowers," she pointed at the two patches of flowers, "and the field over there," and she pointed at the rather small field by the barn and chicken coop.
Michael didn't say anything. They walked over to her field.
"I've only got a cow and a sheep so far," Dawn said, walking up to her cow. "This is Bessie, my first animal." She patted her on the head. Her dad did too. "And this is Moiti, my first sheep." They examined Moiti too.
"I don't have any chickens yet," Dawn said, shrugging almost apologetically. "But it's still my first Summer and all, and its not such a great place yet…" Dawn trailed off, glancing around her farm, thanking Jack silently for pulling most of her weeds.
Michael was silent still, looking around at her farm. Then he commented, "You've got a good start on your farm, Dawn." He smiled at her. "I hope your farm becomes very large, too. Now…you've made friends, right?" Dawn nodded. Michael pursed his lips. "That Jack…" He broke off instead, then said, "I'm glad to see you're doing fairly well. Now, we mustn't keep your mother waiting for her room anymore…" They started to walk back to the house and to Diana.
"Why does Mom hate it here so much?" Dawn couldn't help bursting. Michael cast his eyes over Dawn, then continued walking.
"She's too used to the city, you can see that," was all he would reply.
Diana walked over to them when they reached the porch. "Are we leaving now?" she snapped at them.
"Yes, I'll take you on a tour now, Mom," Dawn replied pleasantly. "I'll show you all of Flowerbud Village, and Dad, if you want to see Joro Farm and how Jack's doing, you know where it is. Wanna go now, or with me and Mom?"
"I'm not trudging over a mountain," sniffed Diana, "with you. I'll stay in the Inn."
"I'll go with you, Dawn," Michael replied, smiling at her. Dawn wondered if he wanted to see what was going on between her and Jack.
Dawn led her father and mother out of her farm. She pointed out to her mother the vineyard, the mountain, the town, and the ranch.
"Would you like to see the vineyard first, Mom?"
Diana considered this. "I've heard their wine was very good…"
"It hasn't been doing that good lately, though," Dawn replied.
Diana sniffed critically. "Let's go see."
The three of them trudged up the hill and entered the vineyard. Kai was outside, looking at the bushes, and so was Karen's father (forgot his name, so it's now Tom!).
Michael glanced around the vineyard, while Diana approached Tom. "We've heard about your vineyard," she said to him, in a flattery voice.
Tom grunted and looked at her through crinkled eyes. "Oh," was all he replied.
"I was wondering if I could sample some of your wine."
"Sure. Kai'll help you." Tom turned and hollered, "KAI! Some visitors want to sample wine from last year!"
Kai left the fields and trudged over. He reached them and cast a surly eye up and down Dawn, then smiled pleasantly at her parents and said, "Right this was, then," and led them to the little house. Dawn said she'd wait outside, and sat down out side the vineyard on the hill. Her legs dangled over the edge that looked over the pathways.
She waited for about ten minutes. Then her parents came out.
Diana was pursing her lips. "I didn't like that wine," she announced. "It's not as good as way back when."
"I told you…"
"Shut up," snapped Diana viciously, her eyes flashing at Dawn. Dawn shut her mouth sadly and they walked down the hill and into northern Flowerbud Village.
They stopped out front of the Florist's. "This is the Florist's, Mom. They sell seeds and flowers and such here." Popuri and Lillia both just 'happened' to come out then.
"Hiya!" said Popuri, smiling. "Hello," said Lillia graciously.
Diana raked her cold eyes over them both, sniffed critically, and started to walk along. Dawn shrugged at the two pinkheads and caught up with her mother.
"That was quite rude, Mom."
"Don't talk to me like that," snapped her mother. "You talk as if you're better than me."
Dawn lowered her eyes tot he floor, embarrassed and ashamed. Then she looked up to the next building. "This is the church." They continued walking along. "Here's the Bar and Inn." Diana started to sail inside, but Michael laid a hand on her arm.
"After the tour, honey."
Dawn's mother's eyes flashed as she looked into her father's eyes. But she relented, and they walked down further. They came to Rick's, then the little place next to it, then to the Bakery.
"It's run by Elli, her grandma, and their friend Jeff."
Diana snorted. "I knew that girl had to work at a place where she could get fat easily…Hah!" Diana snorted and Dawn, sighing heavily, did not reply back. Her mother would just say something scathingly back. Besides, her mother controlled her practically…Dawn shivered, fearing what her mom used to do…
They went into the lower half of the village. Dawn showed her the library, the midwife's place (Diana made a snide comment), the Mayor's house, (no snide remark there!) the Potions place (another snide remark) and then took her back to the Inn.
"You guys can go get set up…I'll go and get your luggage," Dawn said, setting back off for the farm where their suitcases had been left.
When Dawn reached her house, Popuri, Ann, and Jack were there.
"Hey guys," Dawn said.
"Hello," they all said, oddly formal.
Dawn frowned at them. "…Something wrong?"
Popuri looked like she was going to burst out something, but she held her tongue. Ann looked awkward.
"Well, uh," Ann began, "your mother—she's, umm, she's…Well…"
"Can we avoid you for the next week?" Popuri burst.
"With all due respect, yes," Dawn said, sighing. "My mother is my least favorite person in the world, with the exception of some people from high school. I didn't want you to meet her because I knew she'd say something mean—"
"That woman is the rudest bitch I've ever met!" Popuri yelled, making all three of them look at her. She blinked. "Sorry. But…she is!"
"I know," Dawn said, sighing. "I can't wait for this week to be over."
"They're leaving the day of the Cow Festival, Dawn," Jack remarked. "Are they staying for that festival?"
"Probably."
"Oh. Okay, then."
Dawn walked over to the bin, where the suitcases had been left. "You guys are allowed to avoid me for a week," Dawn said, grinning. "Though I'll get pretty lonely. Visit at least once during the week, willya? My mom won't be tagging along that much…"
"We'll try," Ann and Popuri said, then left, calling goodbye and waving.
Dawn struggled to lift the four heavy suitcases. Michael had taken his briefcase and was carrying it then, but three of those bags were Diana's.
"Lemme help you," Jack said, reaching for two of Diana's. He looked shocked at the weight of them. "What'd your mom pack, twenty pound of diamonds?"
"I'll never know," Dawn muttered. "And I don't think you should help…Dad's weird about you…You know, your grandpa being the rival of my grandpa…"
"Yeah, but I wanna help you. Besides, it's not like he can stop me from seeing you."
"You mean you won't avoid me for a week?" Dawn said, looking over hopefully at him.
"Hell no, Dawn," he said, grinning at her as they started to walk out of the farm. "I wouldn't be able to stand it."
Dawn smiled back at him. He leaned over and kissed her.
"The last time we'll kiss for a week," he said, still grinning.
Dawn, still grinning too, carried her two suitcases, Jack next to her, tot he Inn. When they reached the door, Dawn and Jack dropped the suitcases. "Dad wants to go and inspect your farm today, so you'd better hurry back. Jack nodded, stepped down from the porch, turned around and, acting like a heroic soldier going into battle, blew her a kiss, and dashed off, still acting like a knight. Dawn giggled and walked inside, carrying all four suitcases.
The bartender smiled at her and helped her carry the suitcases up the stairs. Upstairs were four doors: one was a restroom, two were guest bedrooms, and the last was the bartender's bedroom. Dawn carried the luggage into her parents' room, where she heard an argument going on.
"…room is filthy, too! I don't want to sleep in this crappy, uncomfortable bed!"
"Diana, dear, we're only going to be here a week—"
"Michael that is TOO LONG!"
"Hi guys," Dawn said, lugging the suitcases in. "Ready to inspect Jack—Joro Farm, Dad?
"Sure, Dawn," her dad replied immediately, looking distinctly ruffled—he obviously wanted to leave Diana alone. "Let's go."
They left Diana to fuss about the room by herself and walked outside. As they walked through Flowerbud Village, her dad asked questions, like "So how do you like it here? Doing well?"
"I really like it here, Dad," Dawn replied, smiling. "And I guess I'm doing well, though it could be a little too early to tell…"
They reached the mountain, and then walked over to Jack's farm. It was about three o'clock, and the sun was nearing the western horizon, though it would be awhile before sunset. They walked down the hill towards Jack's farm. Dawn didn't see him on the farm, and supposed he was out fishing.
They reached the gate. There were bars and the door was closed. Michael reached for the gate, but Dawn grabbed his hand.
"Dad, nobody's home."
"So? We can still look around." He pushed through the gate. Dawn followed reluctantly, saying, "Dad, we shouldn't come in here, it's kinda, umm, trespassing…"
Her father was staring around his farm, hands on his hips. The cows were grazing in the fields, his plants nearly in Harvest for the last few days of summer. He was pursing his lips and frowning.
Dawn let him seemingly study the farm. At last, he said, "He's doing better than you."
Dawn shrugged, looking at the ground. "So?"
"He could sell you off, Dawn." Her dad turned to her, a serious expression on his face. "Of he sells more stuff than you do, then they might ask you to shut down your farm. Or you won't have enough money to continue running your farm."
"We do perfectly fine how we are," Dawn said shortly, meeting her father's gaze.
"I noticed how he's doing better than you already…Haven't you been here longer?"
"Yes," Dawn said curtly.
He frowned, studying her again. And it hit Dawn.
"Wait—you think he's doing better than me because he's a BOY?"
Her father didn't say anything. Dawn was filled suddenly with rage.
"You think just because I'm a girl, I can't run a farm as efficiently?!? Oh, Dad, you are SO wrong. I can do better than Jack! I'll do better than Joro Farm! You watch!"
And, despite his feeble stammerings, she marched out of Joro Farm and back up the mountain. A little while later, so did Michael.
The wind blew a gentle breeze across Joro Farm, making the grass sway and the cows snuffle and sneeze. Jack stepped out of his house, looking worriedly after them both.
A/N – So, erm, there's Chapter 14! ^^;;; I'm sorry it took soooooooo long! I told you it might take awhile for this story to get cracking! The next chapter they're leaving!! Well, the next chapter is called, "They're Leaving!! (and the Cow Festival)" !! So, if you're around for another 5 or 6 years, you might see the end of this fic…Hehe, see ya laterz! :P
~Mirri Night, Spirit of Shadows/Lauren!
2 A/N: Chapter Fourteen! CHEER! *cheers are heard* Sorry it took so long ^^;; (And yep, I like the word obviously…Obviously! O.o'' Omg, didn't mean to say obviously again…Heh…) Hope you like this chapter!
3
4 That morning, the 28th of Summer, Dawn woke up, the feeling of cold, cold dread sitting in her stomach. Her mom was coming…Her mom was coming…
5 Dawn stood up, yawned and stretched, got dressed, brushed her hair, decided to shower and undressed, showered, got re-dressed and re-brushed her hair, and fretted about her house, trying to make it look all right for her parents' visit. Finally, she decided it looked okay, and she went outside to inspect her farm.
6 There wasn't a single weed. Dawn supposed that Jack might've pulled some weeds for her early in the morning ("Good ol' Jack!"), and she was extremely grateful. Her crops looked fine, the fields were tidy, the animals looked all right…Dawn took care of the animals, watered the plants, and then brushed Kirby. (He wasn't looking that nice.) After she fed him, she had taken a look around the entire farm when Popuri came into the farm, calling, "Hiya!" She had a basket in her hand.
7 "Hi, Popuri," Dawn replied, walking up to her. "What's up?"
8 "Well, the ferry with your parents will come at noon today. Can I go with you to meet them? I have a gift basket of treats for them."
9 "Yeah, sure."
10 "Thanks!" Popuri bubbled. She smiled at Dawn with eager anticipation. "Well, I have to get back to the shop, so I'll see you on the beach at noon!" She waved, and left.
11 Dawn decided to cultivate more land to plant some things in Fall. While she was hoeing the ground (LOL……sorry) Ann and Cliff walked into her farm and called, "Hiya Dawn!"
12 Dawn walked over to them, and they asked permission if they could go with her to greet her parents.
13 "Of course, why wouldn't you? I mean, it's a free beach…" Dawn was in a grouchy mood, strangely; mostly because her mom was coming, but also because she had to walk twice from the middle of the field to her farm entrance.
14 Ann and Cliff both frowned, worried, but only replied, "Okay. Thanks, Dawn," and "Okay! See you later!" They both left, too.
15 Dawn took care of her animals then, and then finished watering the few plants she had (she knew she'd get one more Harvest before summer ended). After that, it was about noon, so she walked down to the beach at noon.
A couple people were there: Popuri, with the basket, Ann, Cliff, Jack, Elli, Harris, the Mayor's wife, and the Mayor (he had to greet all visitors to the island). There were also people leaving Flowerbud Village by the ferry today.
Everyone said hi to Dawn, exchanged words like "I can't wait to meet your parents" … "Your father must have gotten some time off from work finally" … "Your mom must be SO cool! I mean look at you!" and et cetera. Popuri started telling Dawn excitedly about how they could give her parents a tour (they didn't get many visitors). Everyone else talked amongst themselves quietly, waiting.
Jack put his arms around Dawn and whispered in her ear over Popuri's babble: "Will your parents like me?"
"I don't know," Dawn replied honestly. "If you want the truth, I don't think Dad will…"
Jack frowned. "Why?"
"I think it's because of your grandpa," she whispered, while Popuri and Ann started talking a little. "And your farm…If he sees us, y'know, together, he might get mad."
"So…I should avoid you for a few days?"
"I don't WANT you to! But…I dunno…" Dawn broke off shrugging, unsettled.
Jack kissed her cheek. "Well, I won't avoid you. But I guess we can't be so affectionate for a bit."
"Hey! There's the boat," Elli said while pointing. A small white speck was bobbing on the waves. It was far away, out in the ocean.
"It'll be about twenty minutes before the boat reaches shore," the Mayor remarked. Jack, Dawn, and Elli decided to fish during that time.
Surprisingly, they had a good twenty minutes of it. None of them at first were catching anything, but then Jack's line gave a _huge_ tug, nearly yanking him in the water. It was so strong, Cliff, Dawn, and Elli all had to pull on Jack so he could land the fish. When he finally pulled it up, it was GIGANTIC.
"I guess I'll have a good dinner tonight." Jack grinned and set the fish down as the ferry pulled up to the dock. About five people disembarked: the gourmet man, a lovesick couple looking for wine, and Dawn's parents, Michael and Diana. (Vacationers to Flowerbud Village who had already vacationed boarded the ferry, and the ferry sailed off.)
"Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" Dawn called, waving and walking on the dock. Everyone else walked to the beach (Jack ran home to drop his fish off and managed to get back in time—it was too big to fit in his backpack). Dawn's cold pit in her stomach grew and made her cold all over as her parents walked up to her.
"Hello, Dawn!" her father said affectionately. Dawn hugged him.
"Hi, Dawn," said her mother. Dawn made an action as if to hug her, but her mother, Diana, stuck out her hand.
Dawn frowned, wondering why she bothered being nice to her mother, sighed sadly, and then shook her mother's gloved hand. Smiling at her parents, she said as they started to walk down the dock, "Some people want to meet you."
Her father, Michael, frowned. "I know mostly everyone already," he said, fingering his moustache.
"We may as well meet them and get out of this mudhole," Diana snapped. Dawn paid no attention to the rude comment and started walking to the group on the beach.
"How long will you be here?" Dawn asked.
Dawn's mother, a short, portly woman but with an elegant face, short blonde hair and lots of diamond jewelry, definitely looked like she did not want to stay as long as Michael said. "A week."
They reached the small group. The Mayor beamed like a Mayor should at guests and said, "Welcome, Michael!" and shook his hand. "Nice to see you again…You must be Diana," he added, turning to Dawn's mom. He took her hand graciously. "Welcome."
Dawn's mother smiled a false smile. Popuri walked up to Diana, smiling pleasantly, and handed her the basket of cakes and brownies and flowers. "We made you a welcoming basket," she said happily. "We hope you enjoy your stay here."
Popuri smiled at her. Diana just looked at her scornfully, eyeing at how seemingly cheap the basket was. Popuri's face fell a bit, but she pretended that she took no notice of the glare.
"My name is Popuri," Popuri said to both of them, smiling as if encouraging herself.
"Hello," stated Diana coldly.
"Nice to met you," said Michael warmly. "I'm Michael; this is Diana."
Popuri smiled (as if in relief) at Michael. "I'm one of Dawn's best friends. I work at the Florist's with my mother." (Diana's hateful edge to Popuri grew more.)
"I'm Ann!" Ann said loudly. "I'm another of Dawn's best buds! I work at the ranch with my brother and dad."
Cliff said nothing. Wise move, Dawn thought. If Mom heard Cliff was a wanderer… She shuddered inwardly.
The Mayor's wife introduced herself. Diana actually was friendly to the Mayor's wife—it might have been because she was high-classy and rich. She was talking almost familiarly with her. Then Elli introduced herself, shyly yet friendly.
"Chubby girl," Diana muttered to herself. Dawn glared at her mother in indignation and shock.
Then Jack introduced himself. "My name is Jack," he said, shaking both their hands (Diana tried to hide her hand but Jack seized it anyway). "I run Joro Farm."
Michael's smile snapped off like a light. Diana acted indifferently, though a lot warmer than she had to Popuri.
"Is your farm running well?" she asked.
Jack's eyes slid from one parent, to the other, then to Dawn. "It's doing fine," he finally answered.
"Are you a friend of Dawn's?" Michael asked.
"Yes," Jack said without hesitation. Ann, Popuri, Cliff, and Elli watched curiously (everyone else had left). Dawn watched, holding her breath.
Michael's frown increased sharply. He positively glared at Jack—then at Dawn.
"Well, your mother would like a tour," Michael said curtly. "It was nice to meet you all, but we want to check out how Dawn's doing…see the farm…"
Everyone else started to leave. They all walked up together to the ranch. Cliff and Ann left them here, calling, "Bye!"
They walked farther to the Flowerbud Village fork-in-the-road place.
"See you later," said Elli. "Hope to see you tomorrow!" gushed Popuri. They went back to their houses. When they got to the farm entrance, Jack bent to kiss Dawn, but stopped. "See you later," he said softly, and walked up to the mountain.
Michael pursed his lips. "I don't like that Jack," he announced loudly—possibly loud enough for Jack to hear.
"Thank heavens, all that riffraff is gone," Diana said huffily. "I can't wait to have a decent bath now."
Dawn nervously fidgeted as she led them into her farm. Kirby ran up to her, barking happily, then stopped and growled when he saw Diana. Then Kirby fled into his doghouse.
Dawn frowned, picked up Kirby, and led the way into the house, saying formally, "This is my house…Let me show you inside." She stepped on the porch and opened the door, letting her parents go in first. She followed them inside, dropping Kirby by the toolbox and the Invincible Katori statue. Inside, her father and mother looked around her sort-of-bare house. Dawn had to admit it was heartlessly plain, but it was homey, too—the seashell wall ornaments, Invincible Katori, pictures on the walls, rug, and the tablecloth with a cute little pot were kind of nice.
But Dawn knew her mother would sneer. And she did.
"See what happens when you associate with old Jake?" she sneered at Dawn. "You live in a mudhole, a dirty house with hillbilly neighbors…Hah, goodness knows you deserve it…I mean, deciding to live here and throwing away all your studies…Well, you'll get what you deserve…"
An old pang, remembered from growing up, seized Dawn, but she ignored it, like she had tried to before…
"I like your house, Dawn" her father remarked placidly. "It's…homey…Not like Old Jake's, but nice."
Dawn smiled gratefully at her father. "Well, do you want to inspect the farm, Dad? It's still my first Summer, so it's not looking as good as Grandpa's yet, but…"
"All right. Good idea."
"I want to find where I'm sleeping," Diana said curtly.
"Er…you'll be sleeping at the Inn, Mom and Dad," Dawn mumbled. "There's not enough room here…"
"I can see that," snapped her mother, walking past her briskly and out the door. Dawn and Michael followed. "I'll sit here and wait, dear," her mother said, sitting down on the porch chair. She sniffed critically.
Dawn and Michael walked out to Dawn's fields. Her five corn plants and four tomato plants were thriving, and would probably be in harvest tomorrow morning. "I've grown these already," Dawn said, gesticulating at the plants, "and some flowers," she pointed at the two patches of flowers, "and the field over there," and she pointed at the rather small field by the barn and chicken coop.
Michael didn't say anything. They walked over to her field.
"I've only got a cow and a sheep so far," Dawn said, walking up to her cow. "This is Bessie, my first animal." She patted her on the head. Her dad did too. "And this is Moiti, my first sheep." They examined Moiti too.
"I don't have any chickens yet," Dawn said, shrugging almost apologetically. "But it's still my first Summer and all, and its not such a great place yet…" Dawn trailed off, glancing around her farm, thanking Jack silently for pulling most of her weeds.
Michael was silent still, looking around at her farm. Then he commented, "You've got a good start on your farm, Dawn." He smiled at her. "I hope your farm becomes very large, too. Now…you've made friends, right?" Dawn nodded. Michael pursed his lips. "That Jack…" He broke off instead, then said, "I'm glad to see you're doing fairly well. Now, we mustn't keep your mother waiting for her room anymore…" They started to walk back to the house and to Diana.
"Why does Mom hate it here so much?" Dawn couldn't help bursting. Michael cast his eyes over Dawn, then continued walking.
"She's too used to the city, you can see that," was all he would reply.
Diana walked over to them when they reached the porch. "Are we leaving now?" she snapped at them.
"Yes, I'll take you on a tour now, Mom," Dawn replied pleasantly. "I'll show you all of Flowerbud Village, and Dad, if you want to see Joro Farm and how Jack's doing, you know where it is. Wanna go now, or with me and Mom?"
"I'm not trudging over a mountain," sniffed Diana, "with you. I'll stay in the Inn."
"I'll go with you, Dawn," Michael replied, smiling at her. Dawn wondered if he wanted to see what was going on between her and Jack.
Dawn led her father and mother out of her farm. She pointed out to her mother the vineyard, the mountain, the town, and the ranch.
"Would you like to see the vineyard first, Mom?"
Diana considered this. "I've heard their wine was very good…"
"It hasn't been doing that good lately, though," Dawn replied.
Diana sniffed critically. "Let's go see."
The three of them trudged up the hill and entered the vineyard. Kai was outside, looking at the bushes, and so was Karen's father (forgot his name, so it's now Tom!).
Michael glanced around the vineyard, while Diana approached Tom. "We've heard about your vineyard," she said to him, in a flattery voice.
Tom grunted and looked at her through crinkled eyes. "Oh," was all he replied.
"I was wondering if I could sample some of your wine."
"Sure. Kai'll help you." Tom turned and hollered, "KAI! Some visitors want to sample wine from last year!"
Kai left the fields and trudged over. He reached them and cast a surly eye up and down Dawn, then smiled pleasantly at her parents and said, "Right this was, then," and led them to the little house. Dawn said she'd wait outside, and sat down out side the vineyard on the hill. Her legs dangled over the edge that looked over the pathways.
She waited for about ten minutes. Then her parents came out.
Diana was pursing her lips. "I didn't like that wine," she announced. "It's not as good as way back when."
"I told you…"
"Shut up," snapped Diana viciously, her eyes flashing at Dawn. Dawn shut her mouth sadly and they walked down the hill and into northern Flowerbud Village.
They stopped out front of the Florist's. "This is the Florist's, Mom. They sell seeds and flowers and such here." Popuri and Lillia both just 'happened' to come out then.
"Hiya!" said Popuri, smiling. "Hello," said Lillia graciously.
Diana raked her cold eyes over them both, sniffed critically, and started to walk along. Dawn shrugged at the two pinkheads and caught up with her mother.
"That was quite rude, Mom."
"Don't talk to me like that," snapped her mother. "You talk as if you're better than me."
Dawn lowered her eyes tot he floor, embarrassed and ashamed. Then she looked up to the next building. "This is the church." They continued walking along. "Here's the Bar and Inn." Diana started to sail inside, but Michael laid a hand on her arm.
"After the tour, honey."
Dawn's mother's eyes flashed as she looked into her father's eyes. But she relented, and they walked down further. They came to Rick's, then the little place next to it, then to the Bakery.
"It's run by Elli, her grandma, and their friend Jeff."
Diana snorted. "I knew that girl had to work at a place where she could get fat easily…Hah!" Diana snorted and Dawn, sighing heavily, did not reply back. Her mother would just say something scathingly back. Besides, her mother controlled her practically…Dawn shivered, fearing what her mom used to do…
They went into the lower half of the village. Dawn showed her the library, the midwife's place (Diana made a snide comment), the Mayor's house, (no snide remark there!) the Potions place (another snide remark) and then took her back to the Inn.
"You guys can go get set up…I'll go and get your luggage," Dawn said, setting back off for the farm where their suitcases had been left.
When Dawn reached her house, Popuri, Ann, and Jack were there.
"Hey guys," Dawn said.
"Hello," they all said, oddly formal.
Dawn frowned at them. "…Something wrong?"
Popuri looked like she was going to burst out something, but she held her tongue. Ann looked awkward.
"Well, uh," Ann began, "your mother—she's, umm, she's…Well…"
"Can we avoid you for the next week?" Popuri burst.
"With all due respect, yes," Dawn said, sighing. "My mother is my least favorite person in the world, with the exception of some people from high school. I didn't want you to meet her because I knew she'd say something mean—"
"That woman is the rudest bitch I've ever met!" Popuri yelled, making all three of them look at her. She blinked. "Sorry. But…she is!"
"I know," Dawn said, sighing. "I can't wait for this week to be over."
"They're leaving the day of the Cow Festival, Dawn," Jack remarked. "Are they staying for that festival?"
"Probably."
"Oh. Okay, then."
Dawn walked over to the bin, where the suitcases had been left. "You guys are allowed to avoid me for a week," Dawn said, grinning. "Though I'll get pretty lonely. Visit at least once during the week, willya? My mom won't be tagging along that much…"
"We'll try," Ann and Popuri said, then left, calling goodbye and waving.
Dawn struggled to lift the four heavy suitcases. Michael had taken his briefcase and was carrying it then, but three of those bags were Diana's.
"Lemme help you," Jack said, reaching for two of Diana's. He looked shocked at the weight of them. "What'd your mom pack, twenty pound of diamonds?"
"I'll never know," Dawn muttered. "And I don't think you should help…Dad's weird about you…You know, your grandpa being the rival of my grandpa…"
"Yeah, but I wanna help you. Besides, it's not like he can stop me from seeing you."
"You mean you won't avoid me for a week?" Dawn said, looking over hopefully at him.
"Hell no, Dawn," he said, grinning at her as they started to walk out of the farm. "I wouldn't be able to stand it."
Dawn smiled back at him. He leaned over and kissed her.
"The last time we'll kiss for a week," he said, still grinning.
Dawn, still grinning too, carried her two suitcases, Jack next to her, tot he Inn. When they reached the door, Dawn and Jack dropped the suitcases. "Dad wants to go and inspect your farm today, so you'd better hurry back. Jack nodded, stepped down from the porch, turned around and, acting like a heroic soldier going into battle, blew her a kiss, and dashed off, still acting like a knight. Dawn giggled and walked inside, carrying all four suitcases.
The bartender smiled at her and helped her carry the suitcases up the stairs. Upstairs were four doors: one was a restroom, two were guest bedrooms, and the last was the bartender's bedroom. Dawn carried the luggage into her parents' room, where she heard an argument going on.
"…room is filthy, too! I don't want to sleep in this crappy, uncomfortable bed!"
"Diana, dear, we're only going to be here a week—"
"Michael that is TOO LONG!"
"Hi guys," Dawn said, lugging the suitcases in. "Ready to inspect Jack—Joro Farm, Dad?
"Sure, Dawn," her dad replied immediately, looking distinctly ruffled—he obviously wanted to leave Diana alone. "Let's go."
They left Diana to fuss about the room by herself and walked outside. As they walked through Flowerbud Village, her dad asked questions, like "So how do you like it here? Doing well?"
"I really like it here, Dad," Dawn replied, smiling. "And I guess I'm doing well, though it could be a little too early to tell…"
They reached the mountain, and then walked over to Jack's farm. It was about three o'clock, and the sun was nearing the western horizon, though it would be awhile before sunset. They walked down the hill towards Jack's farm. Dawn didn't see him on the farm, and supposed he was out fishing.
They reached the gate. There were bars and the door was closed. Michael reached for the gate, but Dawn grabbed his hand.
"Dad, nobody's home."
"So? We can still look around." He pushed through the gate. Dawn followed reluctantly, saying, "Dad, we shouldn't come in here, it's kinda, umm, trespassing…"
Her father was staring around his farm, hands on his hips. The cows were grazing in the fields, his plants nearly in Harvest for the last few days of summer. He was pursing his lips and frowning.
Dawn let him seemingly study the farm. At last, he said, "He's doing better than you."
Dawn shrugged, looking at the ground. "So?"
"He could sell you off, Dawn." Her dad turned to her, a serious expression on his face. "Of he sells more stuff than you do, then they might ask you to shut down your farm. Or you won't have enough money to continue running your farm."
"We do perfectly fine how we are," Dawn said shortly, meeting her father's gaze.
"I noticed how he's doing better than you already…Haven't you been here longer?"
"Yes," Dawn said curtly.
He frowned, studying her again. And it hit Dawn.
"Wait—you think he's doing better than me because he's a BOY?"
Her father didn't say anything. Dawn was filled suddenly with rage.
"You think just because I'm a girl, I can't run a farm as efficiently?!? Oh, Dad, you are SO wrong. I can do better than Jack! I'll do better than Joro Farm! You watch!"
And, despite his feeble stammerings, she marched out of Joro Farm and back up the mountain. A little while later, so did Michael.
The wind blew a gentle breeze across Joro Farm, making the grass sway and the cows snuffle and sneeze. Jack stepped out of his house, looking worriedly after them both.
A/N – So, erm, there's Chapter 14! ^^;;; I'm sorry it took soooooooo long! I told you it might take awhile for this story to get cracking! The next chapter they're leaving!! Well, the next chapter is called, "They're Leaving!! (and the Cow Festival)" !! So, if you're around for another 5 or 6 years, you might see the end of this fic…Hehe, see ya laterz! :P
~Mirri Night, Spirit of Shadows/Lauren!