Chapter 4: Missed You
"What do you mean you're engaged to Popuri!?" I cried, breaking down in tears again.
"Karen, you didn't honestly think that I was just going to sit around and wait for you? I mean, when you left, I didn't even know if you were ever going to return!" He screamed back.
I collapsed onto the ground and placed my head in between my knees. My head hurt and I felt dizzy. This couldn't be happening to me. The one thing that I was looking forward to when I came home didn't care about me. Not only did he not care about me, but he was getting married. I picked up my head and glared at Kai.
"Kai… I can't believe this… you said you'd wait for me… you promised me!" I cried, my hair dangling in front of my tear filled eyes. Kai turned around and faced me, his fists were clenched and there was a single tear streaming down his face.
"We've already been through this Karen! Yes… two years ago when you left, I said that I would wait for you to return. But Karen… I loved you, and you left! I didn't know what to think anymore, and I still don't know what to think now!" He screamed and pushed open the wine cellar door, slamming it behind him, and leaving me in tears on the cold ground.
"He's right," I mumbled to myself, "I did leave him. He was always so good to me… and all I did was leave him alone while I ran off to the city. It's my fault… it's all my fault."
I quickly stood up and ran out of the wine cellar, trying to catch up to Kai, but by the time I got out, he was no where to be seen. I pulled my hair behind my ears and started toward to entrance to the vineyard. I had to apologize to him. I ran down the rows of fences, tears streaming out of my eyes. The tears blurred my vision so much that I could not see where I was going, but I still continued to run.
"BAM!" I crashed into something at full speed. The wind was knocked out of me and I fell to the ground. I heard a groan, but my eyes were still too blurred to see what it was.
"Are you alright miss?" a voice asked me. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and mumbled that I was fine, not even bothering to look up.
"Karen… is that you?" the voice said, and the figure knelt down in front of me. I picked up my head and stared right into the eyes of a familiar face.
"Jack!" I said hugging him. At first he was limp, but then he returned the embrace.
"Karen, I knew you were coming back, but I didn't know you were coming home so soon," He said to me smiling.
"The ferry just arrived today," I said in reply. He helped me up to my feet; I was still a little out of breath from the crash.
"That's wonderful! Oh… I'm sorry to hear about your father," He said to me, his expression changing from happy to sad.
"So was I…" I mumbled. I became quiet.
"I'm sorry to bring that up. Hey, how about you come over to my place? We can have some hot cocoa, and you can tell me about what you've been up to lately!" He exclaimed.
"That sounds great," I replied smiling again. "Yet another person from my past that I forgot about in the past two years," I said to myself. Together we walked into his farm, and he opened the door to his once small farm house.
"Wow Jack… this place sure has changed. It looks great!" I said to him, peering around the farm. The fields were no longer filled with weeds, but instead there were vegetables and flowers growing everywhere. Even his house was not the old shack that it use to be, it was much bigger!
"Thanks Karen… I've been working hard," He said laughing. We entered the farm house. Inside it was fabulous. He had a large couch, and everything was decorated so wonderfully. There was even a kitchen and a bathroom. Jack really had been working hard.
"Jack… this place is great!" I said to him. "I bet your wife helped you decorate though."
"Actually… I'm still single sadly," he laughed, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck, seeming to be embarrassed.
"I'm surprised… when I lived here there always seemed to be quite a few girls after you. What ever happened to you and Maria? You two seemed to be inseparable," I asked.
"We broke up nearly a season ago," he said, slumping down into the couch.
"What happened?" I asked sitting down next to him.
"She got pregnant," He said, mumbling.
"Well that's great!" I said, not realizing that it wasn't as great as it seemed.
"Yeah… it would have been great… if I was the father. The week I went out of town to get some supplies, she had a little 'get together' with her ex-boyfriend, Harris," He replied. I felt horrible for questioning to the point where he was depressed. I quickly tried to change the subject.
"I'm sorry to hear that… so… what else has been going on here in Flower Bud village?" I asked.
"Well… the town square has been redecorated; the library has gotten a whole ship load of new books. Oh, Elli got married to Jeff about 2 seasons after you left, and they now have a little baby boy named Nicholas," Jack said, a smile finally returning to his face.
"That's wonderful! I'm going to have to go congratulate her tomorrow, it's a little late tonight," I said. I looked at the clock; it was nearly 10 pm. "I think I'm going to call it a night," I said standing up.
"It was nice talking to you Karen… I missed you," he said to me also standing now. I was shocked. I wasn't sure what to say yet. I had never thought of Jack in that way, nor did I ever think that he thought of me like that.
"Thank you Jack, at least I know I have someone to turn to in this town," I said to him smiling.
"See you around?" He asked.
"Of course," I replied, exiting the warm farm house.
"Maybe things were going to get better…" I thought to myself as I walked back to the vineyard.
"What do you mean you're engaged to Popuri!?" I cried, breaking down in tears again.
"Karen, you didn't honestly think that I was just going to sit around and wait for you? I mean, when you left, I didn't even know if you were ever going to return!" He screamed back.
I collapsed onto the ground and placed my head in between my knees. My head hurt and I felt dizzy. This couldn't be happening to me. The one thing that I was looking forward to when I came home didn't care about me. Not only did he not care about me, but he was getting married. I picked up my head and glared at Kai.
"Kai… I can't believe this… you said you'd wait for me… you promised me!" I cried, my hair dangling in front of my tear filled eyes. Kai turned around and faced me, his fists were clenched and there was a single tear streaming down his face.
"We've already been through this Karen! Yes… two years ago when you left, I said that I would wait for you to return. But Karen… I loved you, and you left! I didn't know what to think anymore, and I still don't know what to think now!" He screamed and pushed open the wine cellar door, slamming it behind him, and leaving me in tears on the cold ground.
"He's right," I mumbled to myself, "I did leave him. He was always so good to me… and all I did was leave him alone while I ran off to the city. It's my fault… it's all my fault."
I quickly stood up and ran out of the wine cellar, trying to catch up to Kai, but by the time I got out, he was no where to be seen. I pulled my hair behind my ears and started toward to entrance to the vineyard. I had to apologize to him. I ran down the rows of fences, tears streaming out of my eyes. The tears blurred my vision so much that I could not see where I was going, but I still continued to run.
"BAM!" I crashed into something at full speed. The wind was knocked out of me and I fell to the ground. I heard a groan, but my eyes were still too blurred to see what it was.
"Are you alright miss?" a voice asked me. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and mumbled that I was fine, not even bothering to look up.
"Karen… is that you?" the voice said, and the figure knelt down in front of me. I picked up my head and stared right into the eyes of a familiar face.
"Jack!" I said hugging him. At first he was limp, but then he returned the embrace.
"Karen, I knew you were coming back, but I didn't know you were coming home so soon," He said to me smiling.
"The ferry just arrived today," I said in reply. He helped me up to my feet; I was still a little out of breath from the crash.
"That's wonderful! Oh… I'm sorry to hear about your father," He said to me, his expression changing from happy to sad.
"So was I…" I mumbled. I became quiet.
"I'm sorry to bring that up. Hey, how about you come over to my place? We can have some hot cocoa, and you can tell me about what you've been up to lately!" He exclaimed.
"That sounds great," I replied smiling again. "Yet another person from my past that I forgot about in the past two years," I said to myself. Together we walked into his farm, and he opened the door to his once small farm house.
"Wow Jack… this place sure has changed. It looks great!" I said to him, peering around the farm. The fields were no longer filled with weeds, but instead there were vegetables and flowers growing everywhere. Even his house was not the old shack that it use to be, it was much bigger!
"Thanks Karen… I've been working hard," He said laughing. We entered the farm house. Inside it was fabulous. He had a large couch, and everything was decorated so wonderfully. There was even a kitchen and a bathroom. Jack really had been working hard.
"Jack… this place is great!" I said to him. "I bet your wife helped you decorate though."
"Actually… I'm still single sadly," he laughed, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck, seeming to be embarrassed.
"I'm surprised… when I lived here there always seemed to be quite a few girls after you. What ever happened to you and Maria? You two seemed to be inseparable," I asked.
"We broke up nearly a season ago," he said, slumping down into the couch.
"What happened?" I asked sitting down next to him.
"She got pregnant," He said, mumbling.
"Well that's great!" I said, not realizing that it wasn't as great as it seemed.
"Yeah… it would have been great… if I was the father. The week I went out of town to get some supplies, she had a little 'get together' with her ex-boyfriend, Harris," He replied. I felt horrible for questioning to the point where he was depressed. I quickly tried to change the subject.
"I'm sorry to hear that… so… what else has been going on here in Flower Bud village?" I asked.
"Well… the town square has been redecorated; the library has gotten a whole ship load of new books. Oh, Elli got married to Jeff about 2 seasons after you left, and they now have a little baby boy named Nicholas," Jack said, a smile finally returning to his face.
"That's wonderful! I'm going to have to go congratulate her tomorrow, it's a little late tonight," I said. I looked at the clock; it was nearly 10 pm. "I think I'm going to call it a night," I said standing up.
"It was nice talking to you Karen… I missed you," he said to me also standing now. I was shocked. I wasn't sure what to say yet. I had never thought of Jack in that way, nor did I ever think that he thought of me like that.
"Thank you Jack, at least I know I have someone to turn to in this town," I said to him smiling.
"See you around?" He asked.
"Of course," I replied, exiting the warm farm house.
"Maybe things were going to get better…" I thought to myself as I walked back to the vineyard.