Happy New Year

A/N: I'm doing this on my mom's laptop, and it actually has MS Word, so it's a whole lot easier…I'm trying to stay away from the thesaurus, though, I really am. It feels like cheating! Ha, ha.

Special thanks go to Red Sonic, for giving me the support I needed to get this chapter up. Y'all are just going to kill me when you read this, but I don't want you to freak out. You guys have been freaking out with every chapter, but the story's not over yet, so just take a deep breath and calm down!

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"It's New Year's Eve today," Cliff said to me from his seat on the living room sofa.

It was nearly noon, and I had just awoken. Descending the stairs for the first time this morning, I squinted my sleepy eyes so as to get a clearer view of my cousin. "Yeah," I said in reply.

"So…" he said, as though the answer he was fishing for was quite obvious.

"So what?" I asked, ending my descent and wearily walking over to sit beside him on the couch. The cushions welcomed me warmly, and I hummed in satisfaction.

"So are we going to have a party?" Cliff smiled that slightly lopsided smile.

"You're silly," I told him matter-of-factly, turning my head right so I could look him in the eyes. "We just had a party last night."

"Oh, yeah, someone's surprise birthday party, I remember."

I giggled, despite the lack of funniness in his little joke, and snuggled up next to him, tucking my flannel-clad legs up beside us and curling into a cozy little ball. "Thank you, Cliff," I said, my voice muffled through the blanket he had pulled up over me, which I took in my curled hands. "It was the best birthday party ever."

"Were you surprised?"

"I was completely surprised." I tilted my head back to smile at him.

He smiled back and kissed the top of my head sweetly. "So where's lover boy?" he asked me, a trace of childishness in his voice.

"I don't know," was my answer. "Probably in the wine cellar. He gets up early now to do all that, so he has more free time in the day."

"Yes, I know. I do it, too."

I hummed thoughtfully. "You're right. This time of morning…er, afternoon…you're normally over at the Green Ranch. Why are you here today?"

"I figured…Oh, never mind."

"Cliff."

"Yes?"

"You know. Why are you here and not visiting with Ann?"

"Well, I just figured I should give her some space. I'm always over there nowadays."

I rolled my eyes a little. He said nowadays like it hadn't always been like this. "You realize she's going to take your little absence the wrong way."

"No. There's nothing to take the wrong way."

"Exactly. Normally, there is something."

"Karen."

"Yes?"

"That makes no sense."

"Yes, it does. You're normally over there, so it's going to seem a little weird when you're not. She's going to see it like you're tired of hanging out with her, or that you don't like her anymore, or that you don't care about her anymore, or that you don't ever want to hang out with her again, or…"

"All right, I get it."

I waited for him to move, to stand up, to go to the bedroom he shared with Kai and get ready to go. He didn't. "Cliff!"

"Yes?"

"Cliff!"

"What?"

I sat up and looked at him hard in the eye. "I know…you know…we both know that you like her. And I think we've both got a pretty good idea that she likes you, too."

"What is this, seventh grade?"

"No! It's life."

"No, it's immature."

I settled back into the left side of his body. He made a good point. "I get you, Cliff, and I know it shouldn't be this way. But it is. Ann doesn't want it this way either, but when you get attached to a boy…er, um, a man…you get attached to him. She has gotten attached to you. Don't push her away."

"I'm not!" he rebutted quickly.

"I know that, but she doesn't."

Cliff sighed and let his head fall against the back of the couch. "That's stupid."

I looked up at him. "Welcome to girl world."

We sat in silence for a few seconds, until Cliff asked, "How do I know if she'll take it the wrong way?"

"She just will, unless the reason for your absence is blatantly clarified."

"That's just so stupid!" he complained

"Oh, Cliff, stop whining. Kai knows how to deal with it. You can figure it out; it just takes practice. In fact, you could probably ask Kai about it. He dated Ann before me."

"I know. Where is he?"

"Haven't we already had this conversation?"

Our banter was interrupted by the rackety opening of the front door. Kai walked in, face flushed pink, rubbing his hands together.

Cliff smiled at him welcomingly. "Well, speak of the-"

Kai interrupted, "You guys have to come take a look at this."

My cousin and I looked at each other and then quickly stood up. Grabbing our coats from the rack on the way out the door, we followed Kai out to our small grove of "wine trees." The air was cold, and I kept close to Cliff for warmth. When we arrived at the grove, my heart nearly stopped in surprise.

"Oh, my goodness," I stammered, my warm breath visible in the chill air. I crossed my arms in the cold and stared down at the unusual sight before me.

"What?" Cliff asked.

"Look at this." Kai knelt down by the rows that had been re-tilled after fall's last harvest, where Mother had planted Pappy's seeds.

All in their perfect positions, rows of tree sprouts were growing up from the ground. There was only about a centimeter to each of them, but…they were growing. They had actually survived the winter and were growing.

"Isn't that just the weirdest thing?" Kai said, smiling in his disbelief.

"They made it," I stated, though it was obvious. I didn't know if Cliff understood, since he hadn't grown up on a vineyard or anything. "I can't believe it."

"They're Pappy's seeds. Your mother planted them just after the final autumn harvest." Kai breathed onto his cold hands. "And they made it. I wonder if they'll make it until fall."

"They will," Cliff said. "If they can make it through such a snowy winter as we've had, then certainly they can make it through a couple of easy seasons, right?"

"Well, it's only logical," I agreed. "It's just so weird that they've made it. Have you shown Daddy or Mother?" I asked Kai.

He nodded. "Your dad freaked out. He went straight to Duke's to ask him about it. The two of them will probably be back any minute. Your mom went with him, it looked like, but she might have split up to talk to the Mayor about it. They're just positive that this year's harvest will be like a rekindling of your grandmother's."

"Oh, wouldn't that just be amazing?" I said wistfully. "Let's show Jack."

Kai looked at Cliff, and Cliff looked at me.

I repeated myself, "Let's show Jack. I'm going to get dressed. You guys don't have to come get him, I guess, but stay here and then after, we can all go do something."

Hesitating slightly, Cliff requested, "Could you get Ann while you're at it?"

I smiled, and Kai playfully punched him on the shoulder. "Sure. I'll be back in a few minutes."

oOoOoOoOoOo

"That's so awesome."

"I don't believe it! How did this happen?"

"We have no idea," I answered Ann.

"What a blessing, right?" Cliff was visibly excited.

"Absolutely," Duke, who had arrived moments ago with Dad, agreed wholeheartedly. "That's unbelievable."

By now, we were all sure that this was a sign. This was a sign that meant this year's harvest would put all the past years' to rest. This year's harvest was going to be the best one since Grandmother's time. The vineyard was finally going to get back up on its feet. We were going to be okay again.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Kai, Jack, Cliff, Ann, and I sat together at the bakery half an hour later. Of course, by this time, everybody in the village had at least heard about what came to be known as the "Vineyard Miracle." Some stopped by to take a look for themselves, and others simply celebrated the supposed promise of a bountiful harvest.

"So what are we doing tonight?" Elli asked us, placing our orders in front of us. Very berry pie, hot cocoa, sandwiches, and baked potatoes steamed before us. "I'm getting bored of the bar every year." Elli joined us at the round table, pulling up a chair for herself.

"Well, my place is still a wreck from last night," Jack said, throwing a playful wink in my direction. "But I'd be happy to come someplace else. My first New Year's Eve in Flowerbud."

I smiled at Jack. It was so hard to believe he'd been here for almost an entire year.

"We could meet up here," Elli offered, placing her elbow on the tabletop so she could rest her chin upon her hand. "I'd have to ask Jeff and Granny, but I'm sure it'd be fine. We could buy some champagne from Duke, and Jeff could make us some sweet apple cider, and we could just make a night of it."

"Sounds like a blast to me." Jack smiled at her warmly. She blushed slightly in the light of his tender brown eyes.

A jolt of envy shot discomfortingly through my veins. I closed my eyes tight for a second to force the thought from my mind.

"We can maybe borrow the TV from the flower shop next door, because ours doesn't get the mainland stations, so we can watch the ball drop and everything," Elli suggested.

"That would be fun!" Ann exclaimed.

We discussed tonight's possibilities for a little while longer, and decided to get back to our homes. We all had things to do. My chores were still undone, and I needed some quality time with Kai, it seemed.

As we exited the bakery, Jack grabbed my arm and said, "Karen, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure," I responded, motioning for Kai to go on, and I'd catch up. I noticed Cliff walking with Ann back to the Ranch and couldn't contain a smirk. "What's up?" I asked.

"Popuri accepted salvation this morning."

"Oh, my gosh, that's awesome!"

"I know, it really is."

"Where? At your place?"

"No, she was with Elli."

"What?"

"They were talking about it together, and they both committed to Christ. They knew the prayer from the Bible studies, and they prayed it. Isn't that amazing?"

"Yes! Yes, that's awesome!"

"The only thing is that Popuri is terrified her mother will freak out. Her father has already accepted, as you know, and Lillia was angry about that, as you know. They've been able to work it out, but Popuri is still very scared about it. Her mother means a lot to her."

"Of course. So Lillia doesn't know yet about Popuri?"

"Right."

"Thanks for telling me."

"No problem." Jack smiled.

He was so cute. I smiled in return and started to walk back into the bakery to talk to Elli.

"Oh, and Karen?" he said suddenly, his voice softer, quieter than before.

"Yeah?" I spun around to face him.

He looked away, and then down at his feet. "Uh…nothing. It was nothing." He smiled tentatively. "Go talk to the girls."

oOoOoOoOoOo

I got together with both Elli and Popuri at the Flower Shop, and we talked.

Popuri fell back onto her bed, visibly worried. "I know I should tell her, but I can't help being afraid."

"We know," Elli assured her. "I'm sure God will open up some kind of opportunity for you."

"Yeah, don't stress about it, Popuri." I sat next to her thin frame, sprawled out across the bed. "I haven't told my parents about it either," I confessed.

"Yes, but that's different." Popuri was right. Her mother was an active member of the Flowerbud Church of the Goddess, and my parents rarely attended. Popuri's mom had grown up with belief in the goddess, and my parents simply tolerated it.

The three of us scooted closer, and Elli began to pray. She had been saved just today, but her request was bold and her words were certain. "Lord God, You are the Master of heaven and earth. Become the master of this village, and lead us all to follow You. Give Popuri and her father faith and perseverance, that their example may lead Lillia to see Your light. Give them wisdom, Lord, and open up an opportunity for Popuri to share with her mother her newfound faith. Thank You for the blood of Your only Son, and the salvation we have through His suffering. Draw us nearer to You with every day."

"Yes, Lord." Though Popuri's voice was less confident, I could see that she was moved by Elli's simple prayer.

I prayed on. "Lord Jesus, we give You this day and pray that You would use it for the benefit of Your Kingdom. I pray that You would help us to learn more about You so that we know the things to pray for. I pray that, in Your good time, this town would come to see Your light and believe in You. Give us patience, until then, Lord. Solidify our faith and relieve us of our fears in Jesus' name."

Popuri was audibly humbled. Her voice shook slightly as she softly prayed, "Jesus, give me and my father strength. Help us to do what You want us to. We love You and thank You for the…for the, um…blessings and bounty You have granted us. Help us to use them for the growth of Your Kingdom in this very misled village. Amen, in the name of Your Son Jesus."

"Amen," Elli and I echoed.

oOoOoOoOoOo

I had been given the responsibility of bringing glasses for the cider and sour cream and onion dip for the chips Popuri would bring, for the party at the bakery. So I boxed up a dozen delicate champagne glasses, retrieved from the utmost cabinet in the kitchen, fetched the last two and a half containers of dip from the pantry, grabbed my purse from the coffee table, and headed out the front door. Cliff and Kai were messing around at Jack's, doing guy things, I supposed, so I went ahead and left without them. The small party wasn't supposed to officially begin until six, and I was about half an hour early, but I figured it would be all right just to hang out with the girls for a bit.

Indeed, when I arrived, I discovered word had reached around, and the four other girls my age were already there at the bakery, seated on and around a couch that had been dragged out from the room Elli shared with Granny Ellen. "Oh, good, Karen's here," Ann said.

"Did I miss all the good girl talk?" I asked, carefully stepping over to the counter to place the box of glasses upon it. Dropping the dip on the countertop, also, I walked over to the group and sat on the hardwood floor beside Maria.

Elli, perched playfully atop the back of the couch, leaning against the wall behind her, answered, "Oh, no, we've barely even started. We were just kind of playing with ideas for the Flower Festival in a few weeks."

"Doesn't it seem like yesterday when Karen won the crown?" Popuri sighed wistfully. "And we were all in our pretty gowns…"

Elli slid down to the cushions of the sofa. "Isn't it sad we only have a few more years to compete?"

"Well, not exactly," Maria said, with knowledge in her tone of voice. "If we all don't get married, like, really soon and have a daughter, then who else is there to run for queen?"

"What's taking us so long?" Ann laughed jokingly. "My mother was married on her seventeenth birthday."

"All of ours were married when they were seventeen," Maria confirmed knowingly. "That's the way it was supposed to be."

I sighed. "I guess we've killed the tradition. Look at me! I'm eighteen now!"

"Well, that's ok. The rest of us still have some time left," Elli giggled.

"Not me…" Popuri frowned. "My birthday is coming up really soon."

"Maybe Gray will ask you before then?" Ann said hopefully.

"No," Popuri moaned sadly. "I don't think he's even bought a blue feather. And he hasn't even attempted to court me. I'm beginning to think all these ideas that he liked me were all in my head."

"NO!" the other four of us exclaimed.

"Are you kidding?" Ann inquired. "He's like in love with you. I would know! He keeps a picture of you in his wallet and everything."

"Really?" Popuri's eyes lit with fragile hope.

"Of course!" Ann promised.

"And it's ok. This whole get-married-at-seventeen thing is stupid," Elli snorted.

"I don't think it's stupid. Just…hard." Maria adjusted her long, low black ponytail with a wishful, sighing breath.

"I agree. It's not stupid, but it's not mandatory. It's already passed me by, and I'm going to try not to worry about it."

"Good for you, Karen," Elli said. "All this does make me wish my mom was here, though."

"As it only should," Maria assured her. "My mother does practically everything for me when it comes to this stuff…She's even set up a dinner for me and Harris next week."

"Really?" Popuri burst. "Like a date? Oh, Maria!"

"Yay!" Elli squealed. "Aren't you excited?"

Maria didn't look exactly thrilled. "Well, the fact that my mother did the whole thing is kind of…"

"But, Maria, come on, it's a date!"

"You're lucky your mom does stuff like that for you," Ann sighed. "I'm pretty sure I turned out the way I did because I grew up without a mother…I'm also pretty sure that's the reason that I've only had one real relationship, and it turned out to be a bust."

"Don't worry about it, Ann," I told her, though the instruction was directed at everybody. "I mean, come on. Girls on the mainland get married when they're like…twenty-five or even thirty."

We sat in silence for a few seconds until we each shuddered. "Ew!" Popuri declared. "That seems so old!"

"And at least you've had one relationship, Ann." Elli sat back on the couch, her eyes turning temporarily distant. "Look at me. I've never really even had a real date."

"But you're always the first to be asked to all the festivals," Maria reminded her. "I've never had any kind of boyfriend and I only have a date to the festivals sometimes, generally because I'm the last pick."

Popuri let out a disgusted snort. "At least you haven't been obsessed with the same guy for a whole year without any sort of progress. Gray barely speaks to me."

"Not true!" I protested.

The four girls looked to me without speaking for a moment. Finally Popuri said, with a touch of playfulness in her voice, "Shut up, Karen, you're the one with the awesome boyfriend!"

The other girls laughed, and I giggled along. Elli spoke up, "Well, maybe we should listen to her more often…You know, for advice about guys. Haven't you and Kai been together for almost a whole year now?"

"Yeah…Well, I don't know, there wasn't really an official beginning…"

Elli cocked her head a little. "How did you guys start dating? I never really heard the story."

I didn't really want to tell the story. I glanced at Popuri and Ann; they were the only ones I had told about it.

After a few seconds of remembrance, I was ashamed to realize that my romantic relationship with Kai had begun with a moment of irresistible temptation. It had been on the beach, after the Sowing Festival, and he had kissed me, and I had not resisted. I had been weak; I'd known it then, and I knew it now.

"It's kind of weird," I stammered nervously. For a second, I was tempted to simply tell some bogus story. Then I remembered that Popuri, the only one other than Ann who knew the real story, had joined the kingdom of Christ today, and realized the example I would be setting. I didn't lie. "It's actually really stupid."

"Well, come on; tell us!"

"I…um, it's really…oh, it's so bad, I just…" I stuttered again and again, fumbling with the words in my head so that when they came out of my mouth they sounded like nonsense. My eyes began to water, and I didn't want to mess up my makeup, so I stared pleadingly in Popuri's direction.

The pink-haired beauty came to my rescue. "He kissed her on the beach!"

More like we made out with nothing other than lust in our minds. But the girls didn't really need to know that. They responded to Popuri's interruption with a chorus of, "Awww!"

"And it was nighttime," she went on, "after the Sowing Festival!"

"Oh, so that's when it started!" Elli said, thinking back. "When he asked you to go to the Sowing Festival with him!"

"That's so cute!" Elli and Maria cooed.

"Okay, well…" I stood, glancing at the grandfather clock behind the counter. "The boys will be here soon."

"Where have they been all this time?"

"Messin' around at Jack's," I told them. "I really don't know what they were doing."

The girls looked at each other mysteriously. It was obvious that they knew something I didn't know. Maria let out a giggle, and Popuri quickly shushed her.

"What's going on?" I said. "What are they doing? I know you all know."

"No, no!" Ann protested. "We really don't! At least, I don't!"

The girls looked at each other and nodded vigorously.

The entry door to the bakery opened swiftly, and in they walked: Jack, Cliff, and Kai, each looking comfortable in worn-in jeans, faded tee shirts, and cozy sweatshirts. The girls and I were dressed similarly. "Where's Gray?" was the first thing that was said, and it was from the lips of Jack. "I thought he would be here with y'all."

"Why?" Ann asked, stepping into Cliff's outstretched arms for a friendly hug.

"Well, he was with us, at Jack's," Cliff answered, holding her for a second longer than a normal hug would have been. "But he left a few minutes early. Guess he had to go and get something." And he cast a hinting wink at Popuri.

She gasped, and immediately the four of us girls rushed to her sides. "Oh, my gosh, he's going to ask you to be his girlfriend, I just know it!" Elli told her, smiling uncontrollably.

"I know what he's getting: it has to be flowers!"

"No, no," Ann corrected, "it's jewelry! It has to be! I bet you it's a necklace!"

Elli screamed, "OR A RING!"

The five of us jumped up and down in a circle, screaming and squealing like nobody's business. The boys covered their ears and looked at each other, rolling their eyes. I wondered exactly what Gray had up his sleeve…

He showed up about five minutes later, and we set up all the food on the counter. Elli flipped on the television, and we gathered around on and around the couch to watch, stuffing our mouths full of food all the while.

The hours passed like a holiday, and before we knew it, we were watching Dick Clark in Time Square in New York, USA. A plethora of stars flooded the camera lenses, most of them unbeknownst to us Flowerbud-villagers.

"Lindsay Lohan?" Ann squinted at the screen. "She can't be older than us!"

"Who?" Maria asked, naïve.

Jack laughed aloud, and I slugged him. "Teenage starlet," he explained.

Kai chuckled. "Boob job!" he declared.

"That and about thirty pounds of makeup!" Popuri added.

"It's 'cause she has freckles," Jack told us. "She was in this Disney movie when she was a kid…when we were all kids…and she played these twins who whose parents split when they were born and each took a twin with them. The twins meet at camp and-"

"Switch places?" Maria inquired.

Jack grinned. "That's right. It's called The Parent Trap. But it was a remake."

Maria nodded. "I read a book like that as a kid…"

The young librarian was interrupted by Popuri's shrill, high-pitched screams and squeals. "WHO IS THAT BEAUTIFUL GUY!" Excitedly, she pointed at the screen and leapt forward so that her body hung several inches before it.

Jack let out a small sigh at the gorgeous African American man on the screen. "He's an R&B slash rap singer. He goes by Usher. Sex idol of the decade."

Popuri's face visibly fell. "Oh. Well, God did a very good job on him."

I silently agreed with a smile.

Another half-hour rolled by, until the countdown clock on the bottom left corner of the screen read 30 seconds.

We were all on our feet, champagne glasses in hand, laughing and chatting, glancing at the TV every few seconds. I was giggling with Ann about some silly remark when the rest of the group began to count down loudly with the crowd in Time Square.

"Five! … four! … three! … two! … one! YAY-EAH!"

I turned to the right to give Kai a New Year's kiss and nearly shrieked at the sight before.

Kai, his dark hair naked of its usual bandana, knelt before me on one knee, arms outstretched, holding a tiny velvet box…In its silk white cushions sat a beautiful princess-cut, diamond engagement ring.

I clutched my face in disbelief and kept looking back and forth between the gorgeous stone and his gorgeous, smiling, loving face. My eyes watered until tears spilled from the corners and rolled down the sides of my face.

I could see the happiness in his eyes as he said those wonderful, terrible words:

"Karen Andréa Mundell…Will you marry me?"