Arrangements
Amaya: Well, hello everybody!! Have ya heard about mah new muse? (LOL Nayeli) His name's Gallagher!! He's already got me workin'!! Wait, shouldn't it be the other way around? Well, on with the story!!
Disclaimer: Still don't own Harvest Moon.
~oOoOoOo~
"Cliff, is that you?"
"Karen!" I heard the scratchy voice on the other end of the phone exclaiming my name.
"Oh, my gosh!"
"I know!" Before the last word was even finished, my cousin broke into an insane explosion of wheezes and coughs.
"Are-" I paused, not sure about Cliff's health condition. "Are you okay?"
"It's just a little broncitis. . ." Another series of hacks and gags followed.
I winced with each burst of sickness. "Cliff, are you sure? Sounds like quite a bit of broncitis to me."
"Well, I don't even know if it's broncitis. . ." Cliff trailed off a bit. "I haven't been eating so great. Does what you eat actually make you cough?"
"I-I don't know, but I know that if you're not eating, your body gets really unhealthy and you can get really sick." I fiddled with my fingers. "What kinda stuff have you been eating?"
Silence.
"Cliff?"
"So Karen, what's up?" he said, acting as though he hadn't even heard me.
I brushed it aside, first asking a question. "What's with the 'Smit residence?' Your name's Kiono!"
"Well, not since about a year ago. I was staying with my father's parents, right? But about eighteen months ago, my grandfather died. Grandma couldn't even take care of herself, much less me, so I found her a nursing home. I was sent to stay with my father's sister. They actually spent a whole lot of money adopting me."
"So you just got their last name?"
"Yep."
"Do you like it there? Where is it, actually?"
"It's in New Mexico. Just a little town no one's ever heard of. And it's okay, I guess."
"Cliff, you seriously sound terrible. And 'it's okay you guess?'" I wasn't so sure Cliff was telling me the whole truth.
Cliff paused, but I wasn't going to let up. "Mick (my new dad) lost his job three months ago. His wife (my new mom) co-headed a major flooring company, but after a few bad jobs and a law suit, the business went completely bankrupt. Mick quickly took up a new job as a school janitor, but ever since the bankrupcy, Aunt Judy's fallen into depression. She rarely gets out of bed. We can't afford therapy, or a doctor, or anything. . ." I thought I caught a tear in his voice. "Karen, we're out of money. We get meals about every two days. Sometimes we get in free at Chick-Fil- A, because my ex-girlfriend's mom works there and she has a great heart. But we don't wanna push it. . .it would be wrong."
"Oh, goddess. . ." A tear of pity rolled down my cheek. "You come down here, Cliff, right now!"
"Scuse me?"
"You heard me, Cliff. Get your hungry bums down here to Flower Bud. I'll send you a check from my own pocket; buy three airline tickets and three more ferry tickets - "
"Karen, I can't let you do that."
"But, Cliff, the thing is. . .I need you here." I ran a hand through my chocolate milk brown hair, sweeping my golden bangs back.
"What does that mean? Are you okay? Is it Uncle Gotz? Oh, God, Karen, tell me he hasn't -"
"No." I shivered. "That's not it. I mean, it's not like he stopped drinking or anything, but he never like bea - "
"Karen, please tell what it is then." Cliff's voice cracked once more with evidence of his obvious malnutrition.
"Remember old Pappy?"
"Of course." Cliff's breath, hoarse and rough, echoed from the earpiece. "On the uh, Moonlit Farm."
"He. . .Cliff, he passed away about a week ago."
"Oh, my gosh. Oh, gosh, Karen, I'm so sorry. I know it's really hard, especially because the two of you were so close, but, Kare, I just don't. . .I don't know if I can make it down there - "
"Oh, Cliff, that's not even the half of it," I choked out, thumbing a tear from my eye.
"What do you mean? What else happened?"
"His grandson Jack came to take over the farm, right? It was in Pappy's will, that Jack got the farm. Well, he also left some stuff for me in his will. It's a huge photo album filled with all these pictures of him with his wife and kid, and all this other stuff. There's this great dance music, too. But he left this letter also, and he told me about how Jack and I played with each other as kids, and how we liked each other, and we kissed in the rain and all this stuff - "
"Whoa, Karen, slow down. You're going a little too fast for Cliffy here. But I think I got it. Does Jack know?"
"Yeah, but I'm not so worried about that. What I'm thinking about is the question he asked me. He asked me about the Flower Bud goddess."
Cliff said nothing for what seemed an entire five seconds. Finally, ". . .And?"
"I told him I don't care about her, believe in her, trust her. . .nothin'."
"Really?" Cliff suddenly burst. "You don't? Oh, thank God, thank God, thank God! Praise the Lord!"
I jumped in surprise. After he was done, I continued in total seriousness, "That's kinda what I was wondering about. Jack. . .Jack asked me about God, too."
He was obviously excited about my not believing in the goddess and apparently expected me to have devoted my life to God. "And you said. . .?"
"I - uh. . .I don't know."
"Ha-HA!" his voice still rang with cheer, despite the needles in his voicebox. "I'll be there, Karen. I promise. Just as soon as I can. I swear it to you, Karen, I will be there."
I grinned through my worry. "Really? Yes! Okay, I'll get the money in the mail as soon as possible."
"Oh, thank you, Karen. Thank you, Lord! I'll be there."
"Okay." I just couldn't contain a smile. "I guess I'll see you then. Call me if you need anything. My number is 1-348-670-4882. Okay?"
"Got it. Will do."
"Good. Good-bye, then."
"Oh, and Karen?"
"Hm?"
"Love ya."
"Love you, too, Cliff."
With that, I hung up the phone and lept off the bed. Skipping briskly to the chest against the wall, I began rummaging through it until I came upon my stationery box. After pulling out a big, blue priority mail sticker, I gathered enough money from the secret piggy bank in the bottom compartment of my chest-of-drawers. I gingerly placed it in a big goldenrod envelope and smacked the sticker on the front along with the return address and the destination address.
Bursting through my bedroom door and stampeding madly down the stairs, I nearly plowed Kai over before running outside to find Harris.
Amaya: Well, hello everybody!! Have ya heard about mah new muse? (LOL Nayeli) His name's Gallagher!! He's already got me workin'!! Wait, shouldn't it be the other way around? Well, on with the story!!
Disclaimer: Still don't own Harvest Moon.
~oOoOoOo~
"Cliff, is that you?"
"Karen!" I heard the scratchy voice on the other end of the phone exclaiming my name.
"Oh, my gosh!"
"I know!" Before the last word was even finished, my cousin broke into an insane explosion of wheezes and coughs.
"Are-" I paused, not sure about Cliff's health condition. "Are you okay?"
"It's just a little broncitis. . ." Another series of hacks and gags followed.
I winced with each burst of sickness. "Cliff, are you sure? Sounds like quite a bit of broncitis to me."
"Well, I don't even know if it's broncitis. . ." Cliff trailed off a bit. "I haven't been eating so great. Does what you eat actually make you cough?"
"I-I don't know, but I know that if you're not eating, your body gets really unhealthy and you can get really sick." I fiddled with my fingers. "What kinda stuff have you been eating?"
Silence.
"Cliff?"
"So Karen, what's up?" he said, acting as though he hadn't even heard me.
I brushed it aside, first asking a question. "What's with the 'Smit residence?' Your name's Kiono!"
"Well, not since about a year ago. I was staying with my father's parents, right? But about eighteen months ago, my grandfather died. Grandma couldn't even take care of herself, much less me, so I found her a nursing home. I was sent to stay with my father's sister. They actually spent a whole lot of money adopting me."
"So you just got their last name?"
"Yep."
"Do you like it there? Where is it, actually?"
"It's in New Mexico. Just a little town no one's ever heard of. And it's okay, I guess."
"Cliff, you seriously sound terrible. And 'it's okay you guess?'" I wasn't so sure Cliff was telling me the whole truth.
Cliff paused, but I wasn't going to let up. "Mick (my new dad) lost his job three months ago. His wife (my new mom) co-headed a major flooring company, but after a few bad jobs and a law suit, the business went completely bankrupt. Mick quickly took up a new job as a school janitor, but ever since the bankrupcy, Aunt Judy's fallen into depression. She rarely gets out of bed. We can't afford therapy, or a doctor, or anything. . ." I thought I caught a tear in his voice. "Karen, we're out of money. We get meals about every two days. Sometimes we get in free at Chick-Fil- A, because my ex-girlfriend's mom works there and she has a great heart. But we don't wanna push it. . .it would be wrong."
"Oh, goddess. . ." A tear of pity rolled down my cheek. "You come down here, Cliff, right now!"
"Scuse me?"
"You heard me, Cliff. Get your hungry bums down here to Flower Bud. I'll send you a check from my own pocket; buy three airline tickets and three more ferry tickets - "
"Karen, I can't let you do that."
"But, Cliff, the thing is. . .I need you here." I ran a hand through my chocolate milk brown hair, sweeping my golden bangs back.
"What does that mean? Are you okay? Is it Uncle Gotz? Oh, God, Karen, tell me he hasn't -"
"No." I shivered. "That's not it. I mean, it's not like he stopped drinking or anything, but he never like bea - "
"Karen, please tell what it is then." Cliff's voice cracked once more with evidence of his obvious malnutrition.
"Remember old Pappy?"
"Of course." Cliff's breath, hoarse and rough, echoed from the earpiece. "On the uh, Moonlit Farm."
"He. . .Cliff, he passed away about a week ago."
"Oh, my gosh. Oh, gosh, Karen, I'm so sorry. I know it's really hard, especially because the two of you were so close, but, Kare, I just don't. . .I don't know if I can make it down there - "
"Oh, Cliff, that's not even the half of it," I choked out, thumbing a tear from my eye.
"What do you mean? What else happened?"
"His grandson Jack came to take over the farm, right? It was in Pappy's will, that Jack got the farm. Well, he also left some stuff for me in his will. It's a huge photo album filled with all these pictures of him with his wife and kid, and all this other stuff. There's this great dance music, too. But he left this letter also, and he told me about how Jack and I played with each other as kids, and how we liked each other, and we kissed in the rain and all this stuff - "
"Whoa, Karen, slow down. You're going a little too fast for Cliffy here. But I think I got it. Does Jack know?"
"Yeah, but I'm not so worried about that. What I'm thinking about is the question he asked me. He asked me about the Flower Bud goddess."
Cliff said nothing for what seemed an entire five seconds. Finally, ". . .And?"
"I told him I don't care about her, believe in her, trust her. . .nothin'."
"Really?" Cliff suddenly burst. "You don't? Oh, thank God, thank God, thank God! Praise the Lord!"
I jumped in surprise. After he was done, I continued in total seriousness, "That's kinda what I was wondering about. Jack. . .Jack asked me about God, too."
He was obviously excited about my not believing in the goddess and apparently expected me to have devoted my life to God. "And you said. . .?"
"I - uh. . .I don't know."
"Ha-HA!" his voice still rang with cheer, despite the needles in his voicebox. "I'll be there, Karen. I promise. Just as soon as I can. I swear it to you, Karen, I will be there."
I grinned through my worry. "Really? Yes! Okay, I'll get the money in the mail as soon as possible."
"Oh, thank you, Karen. Thank you, Lord! I'll be there."
"Okay." I just couldn't contain a smile. "I guess I'll see you then. Call me if you need anything. My number is 1-348-670-4882. Okay?"
"Got it. Will do."
"Good. Good-bye, then."
"Oh, and Karen?"
"Hm?"
"Love ya."
"Love you, too, Cliff."
With that, I hung up the phone and lept off the bed. Skipping briskly to the chest against the wall, I began rummaging through it until I came upon my stationery box. After pulling out a big, blue priority mail sticker, I gathered enough money from the secret piggy bank in the bottom compartment of my chest-of-drawers. I gingerly placed it in a big goldenrod envelope and smacked the sticker on the front along with the return address and the destination address.
Bursting through my bedroom door and stampeding madly down the stairs, I nearly plowed Kai over before running outside to find Harris.