Gamer To Farmer
Chapter 13: The Mother Meets The Lover
A/N: With this chapter I take that special leap past unlucky thirteen and onto new and greater things. Prepare for an emotional roller-coaster over these next few chapters. There is some language in this chapter that may offend some people, but I feel that it is deserved. The reason as to why Mother doesn't have a name: she doesn't deserve one.
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"You made plans for dinner without my approval!" Mom roared in outrage.
I shook my head in disgust. I don't know what it was with her, but nothing I did was good enough for her. "Look, I just figured that it would be a good opportunity to have dinner as a family once again." I tried to explain.
"You lie. You just want me to go to a public place where one of your redneck pals is waiting to assassinate me." I didn't know that she was paranoid, but you learn something new everyday. Plus it wasn't such a bad idea.
"Mother, just shut-up. I don't want you here. The sooner you find out what you want, the sooner you're going home." I had had enough of her. Just the fact that I was looking at her reminded me of life back there. Mostly it reminded me of Mage. I was fighting to suppress the memories of her on her deathbed.
Meanwhile, Mother was throwing a tantrum. "How dare you speak like that to me? I have half the mind to call your father's security force and have you taken into custody." Mother threatened as she tossed a chair to the side.
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to laugh in her face but I did it anyway. I snatched the Blue Feather out of her hand and tucked it in my pocket. "I'm going to the Inn. You don't have to come, but I don't expect you to be here when I come back." With that I stormed out of my own house, slamming the door behind me.
I headed off towards town, thinking about my predicament. "Why can't she just leave me alone? My life has enough problems without her being around. I have to take care of the farm and my animals. Elli's pregnant, which means that I'm going to have to provide for both her and the child. Plus, if I do get married to her, where would Stu go? He'd probably come with Elli. To top it off, Neil wants to stay in Mineral Town. That means that there will be at least five people living at my farm. God, I'm going to have to do a lot of work."
"Hey! Wait up!" I stopped and turned towards the voice. It was Neil and he appeared to be in a hurry.
"What is it? Are you coming to dinner?" I asked once he caught up to me.
Neil stopped to catch his breath before speaking. "Are you crazy? Leaving me alone with her?" He complained. "She nearly ripped my head off after you left!"
"What is she doing now?" I inquired as I continued towards the Inn. We were heading through town. I had left early and was taking the long way to kill some time.
"She is getting ready. She says that she will show up at the Inn in about an hour." Neil explained.
"So she decided to try to ruin something else." I commented as I turned around a corner. We were now right in front of the Inn.
I pushed open the door and beckoned for Neil to follow me inside. Ann was waiting just inside the entrance. "Oh, good evening Tint. Elli and Stu are already here. Go ahead and join them." Ann said with a big smile.
Just as Ann said, Elli and Stu were seated at a round table over in a corner. Upon seeing me, Elli jumped up and embraced me in a warm embrace. I placed my arms around her waist and gave her a quick kiss. "Elli and Su, I would like to introduce you to my brother, Neil." I let go of Elli and pointed towards Neil.
Neil tipped his hat in greeting. Elli said a polite hello. Meanwhile Stu had jumped out of his seat and headed over to Neil. "Cool hat! May I see?" Stu asked as he extended his hands up towards Neil.
To my surprise, Neil removed his hat and plopped it down on Stu's head. The hat was way too big and covered Stu's eyes. From what I remembered, Neil wasn't really that good with smaller children. A big smile had crept across Stu's face as he stumbled back to his chair. Neil sat down beside Stu and immediately engrossed the child in wild tales about cowboys.
"What is it with your family and children? You both seem like you would make great fathers." Elli said with a smile as she returned towards her seat.
"Maybe we just want to prove ourselves to our family. We don't have the greatest examples for parents." I replied as I sat down beside Elli.
"Speaking of parents, where are yours?" Elli asked as she looked around the Inn.
"Dad is on some business venture in Great Britain. Mom said she'll be here in about an hour. That means that we have that's how much peaceful time we have left." I replied.
Elli let out a little laugh that surprised me. "You talk about her like she's the devil. Nobody is that horrible."
Both Neil and I stared at her in disbelief. "You have never met her. She gets angry at the smallest of things." Neil stated before returning to his story.
"Oh, come on. If she's so bad, give me some examples of what she has done." Elli challenged.
"She sent me to a psychologist because I told my friends about a video game. She grounded Neil because he spent ten dollars more on my Christmas gift then on hers. I've been forced to pay for property damages that she's caused at school during a tantrum. She forced me to wear shorts for a month straight during the winter because I shaved my legs."
Elli burst out in a fit of laughter. "You shaved you legs? That is just too funny."
I grumbled to myself. I wanted that one to remain a secret. "It was part of a game of truth or dare back home. At least I got to make out with Mage because of it." I laughed to myself as I recalled the event.
"Tint… I don't want to hear about your old girlfriend." Elli warned. I could detect a hint of jealousness in her voice as she said it.
"Sorry. Just getting caught up in the memories. You're a much better kisser than she ever was." I apologized, stealing a kiss in the process.
"Yucky!" Stu exclaimed. I quickly glared over at the child, who pulled the hat down over his eyes again.
"Excuse me, but can I take your orders?" Ann inquired, causing me to jump. She had snuck out of nowhere.
"Give me the largest steak that you have. Well done." Neil quickly stated.
"Yummy! Steak! Me too! Well done!" Stu quickly followed suit.
Elli leaned over to Stu and whispered, "I don't think you can eat an entire steak. Why don't you get something else?"
Stu shook his head. "No! Me want steak! It'll make me big and strong just like Neil." Stu was right about one thing. Neil sure was a big guy. He was already the size of a professional football player and was still growing.
"Don't worry, miss. I'll eat whatever the little guy doesn't finish." Neil responded.
Elli and I gave Ann our orders and she headed off towards Doug at the bar. Neil was showing Stu a burn mark that he had received a few years ago. As I remember, it occurred at a camp fire. His marshmallow caught fire and he tried to extinguish it by shaking the stick up and down. The marshmallow went flying up into the air. He looked up and, you guessed it, the flaming marshmallow landed on his eye. It was fairly amusing as he shot himself in the face with the garden hose. He's smartened up quite a bit since then.
"So, when are those pineapples going to be ready?" Elli asked.
"My guess is that they should be done either late tomorrow or two days from now on the twenty-third. Why do you want to know?" I asked back.
Elli shrugged her shoulders. "The sooner you get the money from the pineapples, the sooner you'll be able to afford those house upgrades you need before we can get married."
Neil let out a surprised gasp. "Married?"
"Well, that is the idea. It is only proper for the parents of a child to be married before it is born. I'm just waiting for Tint to give me a Blue Feather. Then, I'll accept his proposal." Elli stated happily.
Neil looked over at me. "Oh, so that was why Mother was so upset over finding…"
"Hush up! It's going to be a surprise." I interrupted Neil in an attempt to keep it a secret. Elli suspected that I was going to propose and was probably waiting for me to pop the question.
I silently cursed as Elli became all excited. "Tint! You've gotten a Blue Feather! That means that any second you might propose. I'm so excited!" Elli exclaimed.
So there was one element of my plans ruined. Now Elli knew that my proposal was in the near future. "I still want to surprise you." I commented. I half expected that Mother would mention it to Elli sometime during the night.
Speak of the devil and it shall appear. The doors of the Inn swung open and in walked Mother. Ann approached her, but Mother silenced her upon spotting us. She approached our table, stopping behind an empty chair. "Sorry that I am late. I was not prepared and needed time to get ready." She actually was smiling as she took her seat.
"I am honored that you could spare the time. It means a lot to me and Tint." Elli replied with a smile that rivaled that of Mother.
Mother looked at me. "Tint. I haven't heard you called that in a long time. Isn't that the nickname that Mage gave you in junior high?" She inquired.
"You mean that Tint isn't your real name?" Elli stated in disbelief.
Meanwhile, I was sitting in confusion. Why was Mother acting so nice? Then, it struck me. She was going to behave nicely and slowly chip away at the relationship that existed between me and Elli. "Yes it is. I prefer that name to my actual name."
"How come you never told me that Tint was only a nickname?" Elli questioned.
"My actual name felt like a curse from my old life. I wanted to forget about that life." I responded, realizing after I said it that I had given Mother an opening.
"So you wanted to forget about your family. It makes you wonder if he's going to do it again." Mother lashed out with next attack.
Elli looked at me, clearly worried about the statement. "Would you?"
I shook my head quickly. "I would never abandon you. You mean too much to me."
Mother was relentless with her unstoppable attacks. "That's exactly what you always said about Mage. You didn't even talk to her when you found out that she had cancer."
I got up out of my seat. "That's a lie and you know it! I was with her night and day in the hospital. I never left her side."
"Except for when the night security guard caught you taking advantage of Mage when she was asleep. They put you in jail for quite some time. By the time you got out, she had already passed away." Mother lied.
"I would never do that!" I began to deny, but stopped when I felt Elli take hold of my arm. I looked over at her and saw that she was on the edge of tears. "What?" I asked.
"You didn't do anything to me when I was recovering from the bullet wound, did you?" Elli pleaded. Mother was on the verge of victory. Elli was believing what she was saying and it was tearing away at who she thought that I was.
"Bullet wound? So you shot another person, didn't you?" I cringed at this remark by mother. I knew that I could no longer defend myself against her.
Elli pulled away from me. "You shot somebody?" She asked in a scared voice.
"So you never told her about that incident. Can't blame you. Couldn't charge a minor with murder." The smile on Mother's face was sickening as she succeeded. I placed my hands over my ears and shook my head in disbelief. Elli had tears running down her cheeks as she began to comprehend the lies that Mother was telling.
"I never killed anyone." I yelled. Everyone else in the Inn was staring at me, horrified by what they were hearing.
"Except for Deanna. Just because she claimed that she was having your child. I'm sickened to be in the same room as you, child killer." Mother accused.
"Oh my Goddess! That's why you haven't proposed to me. You never planned to. You were just going to kill me, because I'm pregnant." Elli wept.
Mother heard this news and fell silent. "So, he found a slut here. That's why he didn't want to go home." She whispered silently.
"Look Elli…" I reached over to her but she twisted away from my outstretched hand.
"Get away from me! I never want to see you again!" Elli yelled and stormed out of the Inn. I was speechless. In less than ten minutes, Mother had managed to ruin two seasons of love. I looked at the other villagers for support, but they quickly turned away. Even Doug turned away from me when I looked at him.
"Neil, can you take Stu to his house?" Neil quickly complied and pushed Stu outside. I glared at my mother, ready to release my hatred upon her. "I hate you. You wonder why I ran away and never went back. The answer is awaiting your gaze into a mirror. You are a bitch, beyond the level of bitchiness that had previously been undiscovered. You have ruined what I have worked so hard for."
"Don't be so dramatic. Now you can go home with us. You have nothing remaining here." Mother has shown her true intention. So that is why she came to Mineral Town.
"You can go to hell, where you came from. I'm still going to stay here. At least I have Grandpa's farm left." With that I turned my back to her and headed out the door.
I was determined to go find Elli and try to repair the damage that Mother had caused. It was going to be difficult, but I had to try. I wasn't about to let some damaging lies destroy our relationship.
First, I tried her house. Stu and Neil were there, but no Elli. I tried the Clinic, although it was closed. No luck. The same went for the Church. I was headed across the Square when a noise stopped me. A girl was humming a tune that sounded all too familiar to me, although I had never heard it before. The humming was coming from the beach.
I headed down the staircase and looked over the sandy beach. Nobody was there. I was about to give up my search when I spotted a figure standing at the end of the dock. I carefully approached, trying desperately to make out who it was. I was overjoyed when I discovered that it was indeed Elli and she was the one humming the tune. "Catchy song." I commented as I stepped onto the beginning of the dock.
"Don't come any closer." Elli warned as I took another step closer. I could make out that she was holding onto something and it was tied to her leg. "I don't want to look at you."
"You don't have to look at me, just listen to what I have to say." I pleaded. Now I could see that Elli was holding onto a large boulder. I realized that she was intending to drown herself. "Don't do it."
"Why shouldn't I? You lied to me! You never even told me your real name. I thought that you were a good guy and it turns out that you are a perverted psychotic killer." The words hurt, especially coming from her.
I took a step closer to her and she shuffled closer to the edge. She was balancing on her heels, rocking back and forth over the water. "I told you that meeting my Mother was a big mistake. Look what she has done to you."
"I'll tell you what she did! She opened my eyes. I should have known from the start. That's why you had to get rid of Tim. He must have known about your past and he was just trying to protect me. And I killed him because of it."
"Look Elli, it is all a lie. She made it all up."
"I don't believe you."
"You've got to!"
"For all I know, it could all be the truth. There is no way to prove that you are the one telling the truth."
"But there is no way to tell that she is telling the truth either."
I was standing about half way down the dock. She still had her back turned towards me and refused to even look over her shoulder. "So you are going to believe some stranger over the one you love."
"Don't tell me about love. You don't know anything about it. I had my heart out on the line and you tore it away from me. You've left me broken."
"I know that I love you. That's why I'm going to ask you to marry me. What do you say?" I pulled the Blue Feather out of my pocket and held it out towards Elli.
Elli looked over her shoulder. "Tint… My answer is…" She began to turn around. The boulder slipped out of her hands, crashing to the dock. There was the sickening sound of wood splintering. Suddenly, the end of the dock gave way, sending Elli plunging into the water.
"NO!" I yelled out as I sprinted to the end of the dock, taking off my glasses and pocketing them along with the Blue Feather. I immediately dove into the dark depths of the ocean. All I could see was darkness, surrounding me on every side. I reached out desperately downwards, my hand finding nothing. I could feel my lungs ready to burst. I had to return to the surface.
I took a deep breath before diving back under surface. This time I could see a faint outline of a hand reaching upwards. I swam towards the hand. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. I desperately reached for the rope around her leg and tugged frantically at it. Finally, the rope began to loosen and Elli floated free.
I grabbed hold of Elli and swam towards the surface. I could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through my body as I breached the surface. My next goal was the shore, which I swam towards, driven by an unseen force.
It seemed like an eternity, but eventually my feet reached solid ground. I gently placed Elli on the sand. She wasn't breathing. "Don't die on me now, Elli. Hold on just a little bit longer." I felt like I was in a reenactment of mage's death. Sitting at her side, helpless to do anything.
I started artificial respiration, praying that somehow I would be able to save her. Things were looking hopeless. Then, much to my relief, Elli coughed. She rolled herself onto her side and spat out some water. Her breathing was returning to normal. She lay on her back and opened up her eyes, which looked up into my eyes. "Yes." She whispered weakly.
"What?" I asked confused about what she was talking about.
"I accept your Blue Feather." Elli whispered as a smile crossed her lips.
I pulled the Blue Feather out of my pocket and handed it to her. She clutched the soaked feather against her chest. A tear formed in her eye and rolled towards the ground. I leaned over her and kissed her, thankful that she was still alive. "You aren't worried about those things my Mother said?" I inquired.
Elli feebly shook her head. "If those things were true, then you wouldn't have saved me."
I smiled back at her as I climbed to my feet. She reached up into the air with her hand, begging to be helped up. I grasped hold of the hand and pulled her up into an embrace. I found myself staring out over the heartless ocean. "Oh my Goddess!" Elli exclaimed.
I released Elli from my grasp and looked at her. "What is it?" I asked.
Her face held a look of horror that I have never seen before. She pointed off into the distance. "Isn't that where your farm is?" I looked to where she was pointing. A cloud of smoke was billowing from Mage's Farm.
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A/N: The roller coaster is done lap number one. I hope that you have enjoyed the ride. Please stay on board for a second lap which will start next Saturday night. Till then, Tint out.