Gamer To Farmer
Chapter 16: Mr. and Mrs.
A/N: I wish to offer an apology. I may have given people false hope from my statement at the end of the last chapter. I had said that I was going to update all of my stories, but a problem has arisen. My computer has crashed, so I will not be able to get as much typing done as I had planned. I managed to write this chapter at school, which is now out for the holidays.. Hopefully my computer will be fixed really soon so I can continue with my stories. Sorry for the inconvenience. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review.
One review away from #100… Wow. Thank you all so much. I'll try to keep you guys happy because your reviews have filled me with so much laughter, pride, and a sense of duty. I offer a salute to my readers, fans, and friends.
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Marriage. Not really something that you thinks about when you are still eighteen. But, here I was, sitting on the edge of my bed, watching the clock roll over to midnight. Today was my wedding day. In less than twelve hours the ceremony will start. I admit that I was scared. That explains why I was losing so much sleep over the nagging thought of this day.
I looked over at the big empty spot on the other half of the bed. A king sized bed is way too large for just a single person. Tomorrow night that spot would be filled by Elli. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a good thing or not.
Sure, I love Elli. I just didn't know if I was ready to take our relationship to that next, ever so important, level. I had never even thought of the idea of marriage before I came to Mineral Town. What was it about this place that had caused this change in me? Maybe, just maybe, I wanted to prove my family wrong and carry on the legacy of my dear old grandfather. The poor old man had his heart broken and never had a chance to get revenge for that incident.
It was time to weigh the pros of marriage against the cons. Maybe the scale would point out the obvious decision. Or maybe, end up being balanced, leaving me in the same position as I already was in.
Cons. Freedom, say goodbye to that little luxury. At least, that was judging from my parent's marriage. I would have to provide for a very large family, consisting of Elli, Stu, Neil, and the baby that was on the way. Responsibility. I would have to get used to that new facet of life. That probably meant no more drinking competitions against Karen.
Pros… "Give me a second to think." I sat there for a few minutes trying to come up with even the simplest of things that I could state. Eventually, I came up with a sole answer. Marriage was the ultimate sign of the love that exists between two people. But, was I ready to show this level of love?
Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. "Just go with your gut felling." I told myself as I laid back down on the bed. "Don't lose sleep over it. It will all make sense in the morning. Just go to sleep."
The time on the clock now read two o'clock. "So much for getting some sleep. Perfect day to develop a case of insomnia." I stated sarcastically as I climbed to my feet.
I gave Homer a friendly pat on his head as I walked past the foot of my bed. As always, he had passed out and was snoring loudly at the end of the bed. "He's getting bigger." I thought as I donned my housecoat and my pair of boots. I carefully stumbled towards the door and was confused when I found it to be open. "Why is the door to outside open? And why is it so warm in here if it's night out there?"
I should have remembered that this door led to the staircase downstairs instead of outside, like the old house. As it was, I found myself picking myself off the ground at the bottom of the stairs. Great way to break in the new house. Make big dents in the floor where I fall down.
The door to the outdoors didn't cause as much trouble as the first. The cool night air struck me with a soothing blast of a fresh breeze. Nighttime in Mineral Town was often very peaceful. Unfortunately, that peace had been shattered so many times since I came here. A nice stroll around the grounds might help me clear my mind.
There was a small archway erected beneath the tree, which had somehow survived the fire. A few dozen chairs were set up neatly. That was where the wedding ceremony was going to be held.
A few minutes later, I found myself standing at the edge of the pond near the hot springs. The sound of the waterfall was so soothing and relaxing. Nothing like what was going on inside of my head.
"What seems to be the problem, Tint?" A female voice asked from behind me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.
I quickly turned around to see who it was that had snuck up so silently behind me. "Not you again… Is this another dream of mine?" I asked the Harvest Goddess as she approached my side.
"No, this isn't a dream. I'm here in the flesh this time." The Goddess stated with a small chuckle. "I'm glad to see that Mage's Farm is back to operational status."
"The villagers where a great help. Almost everything seems to have gotten back on track." I commented glumly as I skipped a pebble across the pool. Tiny ripples trailed behind the pebble as it made its path.
"I take it that you are having doubts about your engagement to Elli." The Goddess said matter-of-factly.
I looked at her, surprised that she knew about the engagement. The Goddess saw my look and quickly explained. "Elli stopped by here yesterday. The two of us had a grand conversation."
"What did she say?" I inquired, instantly enticed by the turn that the conversation had taken.
The Harvest Goddess appeared offended. "What kind of a Harvest Goddess would I be if I didn't mess with the people's minds every once in a while? It just wouldn't be right. That's one of the privileges of being a God." With that she began to fade into the darkness, leaving only a shimmer of sparkles left where she had been standing.
"Oh come on! At least give me a hint!" I called out into the air.
The Goddess' voice echoed throughout the night. "It is like a pebble being tossed into the pond. By itself it is one tiny object. But the ripples that it causes can cover the entire pond. One pebble has the ability to affect the entire surface of the pond. But does it affect what happens beneath the surface? Figure the rest out for yourself."
"Pebbles and ripples! How does that help?" I sat at the water's edge for a few more minutes thinking about what the Goddess had said. What did pebbles and ripples have to do with anything? I shook my head in confusion as I tossed another pebble across the water.
"I figured it out…" I whispered to myself as I watched the pebble come to a stop on the shore across the pond. "The pebble is like the engagement and the pond is the relationship between me and Elli. The pebble changes the pond for only a short time, but the pond remains a pond. So that means that even though we are about to get married we still feel the same way about each other as when we fell in love. It doesn't mean that things are going to change like I had feared. Thanks, Harvest Goddess, that helps me make up my mind!"
I made my way back to my house and wandered up to bed. I fell asleep almost instantly.
"Hey, wake up! I'm not about to let my brother sleep in on his own wedding day!" Neil was shaking me awake.
I let out a huge yawn as I looked over at the clock. Six o'clock, on the dot. "Just under three hours of sleep last night." I commented to myself as I monotonously made my way through my morning routine. "What are you doing over here so early?" I asked Neil as I sat down at the breakfast table.
"Got kicked out of my own place by Elli and her bridesmaids. They're using the place as a changing room for the wedding. When does it start?" Neil was sorting through my food cabinet, scrounging for something to snack on.
I gulped down a spoonful of cereal. "Ten. That gives me another three more hours to sleep." I said, to which Neil laughed.
"I don't think so! Knowing you, you'll sleep an extra hour and miss the whole thing!"
"If that happens, Elli will come in here and drag me out there in my pajamas. I don't want to look like a fool on my wedding day… Oh… Crap! I just realized something… I don't have a tux! Elli's gonna kill me!" Stroke of genius, that's what to classify this as. An A-1, Copper top, 24 karat disaster.
Neil had a mischievous grin on his face. For the first time, I noticed that a large suit bag was hanging by the door. "Take a good guess what came in the mail today. You won't believe who it's from." He produced a letter from his pocket and slid it across the table to me.
I unfolded the paper and carefully read the message.
Congratulations, Brett! I can't believe that my son is getting married. Sorry that I couldn't be there with you and Neil, but I've got business to attend to. I don't think that there is a tailor in Mineral Town, so I decided to buy you a tux for your wedding. I'm really proud of both of you. Living on your own is a hard job and from what your mother has told me, you seem to be doing just fine on your own. Looking back on the entire thing, I actually miss that farm. May this day be full of memories that stay with you throughout the rest of your life.
P.S.: Two and a half years until I pass judgment on your farm. Good luck.
With much love, Dad.
"I don't think that Dad's as evil as Mom is." I stated as I headed over to the suit bag.
"I know. He didn't even ask anything about the fire. Maybe Mother never told him about it." Neil had taken the box of cereal and his hand was scooping handfuls of the cereal into his mouth.
"Sounds like something that she would do. I feel bad for him. He's stuck by himself with her."
Neil shuddered at the thought. "It's not his fault that he wanted to make some money in life. I'm sure that if he never met Mother, it would be him in control of this farm."
"True. From what Barley told me, Dad used to love this place." I took the tuxedo out of its bag. It looked like it was something the James Bond would wear to a casino. "Nice! I'll go get ready. You can handle any guests that show up."
My watch told me that it was now five minutes ahead of ten. I had taken my place beneath the archway and was now silently waiting. Pastor Carter stood nearby, ready to begin the ceremony the instant that Elli and her bridesmaids exited the opposite building. Elli had chosen for all of the other girls in the village to be by her side. Neil and Stu were waiting behind me, with the later holding the cushion with the wedding rings.
Four minutes of waiting remaining. I looked over the crowd and was relieved to see every face brightly beaming happiness towards me. The pressure was wreaking havoc on my nerves. The sun wasn't helping much either. I swear that today had to be the warmest day of the entire summer. The last day has to be the best day.
We were down to three minutes. The silence was overpowering. The occasional cough shattered the empty void that was usually filled with pointless chatter. I could feel the crowd's eyes burning a hole into my head. Being the center of attention always makes me nervous. "Just forget about them." I whispered to myself.
Two minute warning. Time felt as if it was slowing down. Sometimes, I felt as if my watch was stopping and ticking a few seconds in the wrong direction. Millenniums seemed to drag by as I waited, silently counting down the seconds remaining.
T-minus one minute and counting. Why does drama have to be so dramatic? I just was expecting that something unexpected would happen any second now. Like maybe Elli's time is a few hours ahead of the time I was keeping. It seems like everything takes a turn for the worse with me. Hopefully today marked the point where that would change.
The door to the building creaked open and out emerged the procession of bridesmaids. They were dressed up in their Goddess Festival dresses, minus all of the flowers. Just the sight of the dress made me think back to the day when I first saw Elli. She was so beautiful, the way her eyes shimmered in the sunlight. The twirl of her skirt as she spun around. The way my heart stopped when I saw her.
I had the exact same feeling when she emerged from the house across the field. She looked so amazingly elegant in her wedding dress with her veil fluttering in the early morning breeze. She had a bouquet of flowers clutched tightly against her chest. Tears of joy were freely running over the smile that covered her face.
I took hold of her hand when she walked up to my side. Then, the two of us turned to face the Pastor as he began the ceremony. Elli looked over at me and whispered, "Ready?"
"Ready." I replied, loud enough for only her to hear.
We listened to Pastor Carter as he gave us the traditional speech at the beginning of every wedding. Then it was time for us to read our vows that we had wrote over the past week. I was the one who got to go first.
"Elli, ever since the day that I first laid eyes upon you, I knew that we would be standing here today. You are the only one for me and I wish to dedicate the rest of my life to you. Nothing will come between us, I promise."
Elli choked back her tears long enough to give her vow. "I never thought that I would find love. But then, you came along. My life has changed so much since I met you. I don't regret a single moment of it and wouldn't change any of it for the world. I want to be by your side for the rest of my life."
I could hear quite a few people crying in the crowd and among the bridesmaids. This was a very emotional moment in the history of Mineral Town. Even Pastor Carter had a tear in his eye as he continued the ceremony. "Now I must ask if anyone has any objections to Tint and Elli getting married please speak up now." I was relieved when nobody spoke up. "Tint, do you take Elli as your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do." I quickly replied. The hard part was over for me.
Carter turned to Elli. "Elli, do you take Tint to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do." The smile on Elli's face grew even larger.
"Stu, please hand the rings over to Elli and Tint." Carter commanded. Stu quickly waddled over and offered the two golden rings to us. We both took hold of a ring and slid the tiny objects onto the other's finger. "By the power vested in me by the Harvest Goddess, I know pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
I took hold of Elli and pulled her into a very deep, romantic kiss. The crowd erupted in a roar of cheers. Our lives were now connected even more so than ever before. Elli was right. I wouldn't change a thing.
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A/N: So… Am I any good at the romance part? Just kidding. I brought a tear to Mage's eye when she pre-read this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as she did. I'll try my hardest to update before next Wednesday, but don't get too worried if I'm late. Till next time, Tint out.