Claire was awakened the next morning to the sound of a knock on her door. In a flurry of movements, the farmer got dressed, brushed her hair, and opened the door.
"Good morning, Claire!" It was the shopkeeper's daughter. "Ready for me to show you around town?"
"Good morning, Karen." Something about the young woman's smile made Claire feel at ease. "Please, do come in."
Karen stepped inside of the small house, staring at the walls and ceiling as if she were at a museum. "Wow. The realtor really did rip you off. No other furniture? This is it?"
Claire could feel herself reddening. "Th-this is it, right here."
Karen whirled around, noticing Claire's expression. "Oh, I'm sorry. That came out kinda rude, huh? I was just saying that the real estate agent sure is sneaky. I've seen the ad in the paper myself, and they made the place sound wonderful." The brunette glanced around the room. "Don't get me wrong, your place is nice, but I was just expecting a little… more."
Claire sat glumly on the edge of her bed, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. "I know. But I spent all my savings on this place, so I have no other choice."
Karen took a seat next to Claire and put a hand on her shoulder. "You can't think like that. You spent your money on this place for a new start, right? Well, you're going to get a new start. It's going to be an adventure. This is a really nice town, and I'm sure you're going to love it here."
Claire found that she wasn't shuddering at Karen's touch. "Thank you, Karen."
Claire stood up abruptly; she had completely forgotten to offer Karen anything. Claire's eyes darted around her room. There was an old pitcher on the table she had filled with water from the river outside of her house and the basket of apples sat at the other end of the table.
"Can I offer you an apple, or perhaps some water to drink?" Claire hoped she didn't sound as pathetic as she felt.
"Actually… I'm not overly fond of apples…" Karen smiled apologetically. "Oh, crud. I meant to bring you a package from the grocery store, but I completely forgot. I suppose we could pick it up later. I was planning on taking you to the inn for breakfast if you wanted, my treat."
"Oh… Are you sure you want to pay?"
Karen laughed; the farmer was overly formal and polite. "Of course!" Karen beamed.
"Alright." Claire's craving for a hot meal won over her fears of looking like a free-loader.
0o0o0o0
Claire couldn't remember the last time she had eaten a hot sit-down meal. Between her life at the apartment and her new life on the farm, there just didn't seem to be enough time or effort available to her.
"How do you ladies like the pancakes?" The redheaded grinned at the two, her braid bobbing up and down.
"They're delicious!" Claire replied, her mouth full. "Best pancakes I've ever had!"
"That's what we like to hear!" The waitress beamed. She paused and studied Claire, who suddenly was becoming uncomfortable with the public setting. The farmer quickly wiped her mouth and set her hands in her lap. "So, Claire, we finally get the chance to talk. I've seen you stop by almost every day, but you never stop to chat with me." The redhead mock-pouted.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! It's just-!"
"Relax, Claire. She's just teasing." Karen finished her glass of apple juice and slammed it on the table a little too loudly. Karen quickly stood up as she saw a figure coming down the stairs.
Claire whirled around in her chair and felt herself blush.
"Gray! Hey, I need to talk to you. Here, come sit by us." Karen pushed open a chair on the other side of Claire with her foot and he sat down. Too embarrassed to say anything, Claire stared at the table's surface and refused to meet anyone's gaze.
"What's up? Oh, hi, Claire."
"H-hello."
Karen leaned across the table. "Okay, so I was talking to your gramps the other day, and-"
Gray sighed. "I already know where this is going, and he already told me. You're going to have to go through Won. We don't have the supplies."
Karen slammed her fists on the table. "Bull! You guys can make a friggin' mayonnaise maker. You can't tell me you can't make a simple spatula! Don't tell me that's too hard for even you to make!"
The shopkeeper's daughter had obviously struck a nerve. "A damn spatula is not going to help you win that contest anyway. Your dish will fail like it does every year."
Karen slammed the table again, and Claire was beginning to feel a bit crowded sitting between two people glaring at each other.
"I dare you to say that again. I dare you." Karen's voice lowered to a threatening whisper.
"Look, I don't have time for this. I'm going to be late for work. You can ask Gramps for it again, but I doubt he'll be able to get you one." Gray stood up and left without another word.
"DAMMIT!" Karen punched the table one last time and buried her face in her arms.
Claire sat silently, debating whether or not to comfort Karen. She wasn't sure what the argument was really about, but Claire knew that she didn't want to get caught between the two of them arguing again. She was surprised at Gray's comment on Karen's cooking, but it was true that Karen was the one who started the confrontation. She glanced around the room and spied Cliff sitting at the counter eating some porridge. Ann was sitting next to him, eating the same dish and swinging her feet.
"Sorry you had to see that, Claire." Karen's sudden voice made Claire jump. "It's just that the cooking festival is coming up, and I am really looking forward to it. I made a new recipe and everything. The only problem is that I need a spatula."
"Well, you work at the grocery store, right? Can't you order one through there?" Claire suggested weakly.
One icy stare from Karen made Claire sorry she had said anything.
"I don't want my parents to find out that I'm getting one. My mother is convinced that I can't cook, and she makes fun of me every time I enter the cooking contest. I want to prove her wrong. I want to show her that I am capable of making my own dish. Mom and Dad are pretty much convinced that I won't be good with any of that kind of stuff…"
"Wait, what kind of stuff?" Claire asked curiously.
"Well, you know…" Karen reddened and frowned. "Let's go. Thank you for the food, Doug!" She waved at the innkeeper.
"I-it was nice meeting you," Claire politely nodded toward Doug.
0o0o0o0
Karen had walked Claire past the winery and in front of the mayor's house before she opened her mouth, even though it was painfully obvious that something was eating away at her.
"Housekeeping. Cleaning. Cooking. You know…. things that… wives are expected to know how do," Karen had turned a bright shade of scarlet. "My parents are convinced that I will be the ditzy wife that doesn't know how to care for her family. And who says that I have to be that kind of wife anyway?! I want to prove to them that I can at least keep from starving to death if I lived on my own."
"Oh, you're thinking of getting married, then?"
Karen's face was nearly purple. "I didn't say that, now did I?"
Claire hardly knew the young woman, but she knew better than to answer this question.
And it was also apparent that Karen didn't want to stick around to talk more on the subject. She quickly found her escape. "Oh! I forgot that I have to go and get that gift I got for you. I gotta go to the supermarket, but I'll be right back!"
Before Claire could reply, Karen had already left, and Claire was abandoned in front of the mayor's house. And soon enough, Claire heard her name being called.
"Hello, Claire!"
Claire turned around. A young man with long brown hair was coming her way. He looked a bit more cheerful each time she saw him; Ann must have been able to put a smile on his face.
"Hi, Cliff." She waved to him and found a smile growing on her own face.
"So, what are you up to?"
"Karen is going to take me for a tour around town today. I guess it's time I learned where everything is," she laughed.
"I saw you in the inn earlier…" He shuffled his feet.
"Oh, yeah, I saw you too," Claire responded.
There was an awkward silence.
"S-so, the food's pretty good there, eh?" The young man fidgeted with the leather bracers he wore on his forearms.
Claire nodded and grinned. "Very good pancakes."
"I like pancakes, too. But I prefer savory ones," he gave her a shy smile.
"I've never tried those before. Savory?"
Cliff paused. "Well, that's what they call them at the inn, anyway… I've always heard them called okonomiyaki. They're made with cabbage… They're a lot different than sweet pancakes, but they're really good… M-maybe you should try them sometime."
"When I earn more money, I hope that I can eat pancakes every day!" Claire beamed.
"You won't get sick of them?" Cliff chuckled.
"Of course not. They're my favorite."
"Well, if you come to eat at the inn again… M-maybe we could eat t-together," the young man wrung his hands nervously.
"Yeah, sounds fun." Claire didn't know why that thought made her so embarrassed. What if Gray saw them eating together and he thought they were on a date? Claire immediately wished she hadn't agreed.
A smile tugged at Cliff's lips. "Well, I was just on my way to the church… W-would you like to come along?"
She did want to thank Carter properly for the gift basket… "Well, Karen will be taking me around town, so maybe we'll see you there later?"
"Ah! Oh, right! I-I'm sorry; you already have plans," he stammered, looking down at the ground.
"Or you can come along with us, and I can show you around, too. I know that you don't get out much either, Cliff." Karen appeared behind the two with a grocery bag in her hands.
The color drained from Cliff's face.
"It'll be f-u-n," Karen sang, draping an arm around Claire's shoulder.
"A-alright. I'll come along."
As Claire walked between the two villagers down the cobblestones, she grinned as she finally realized something. She had two friends. Maybe the young farmer wasn't as alone as she had originally thought.
0o0o0o0
Author's Note: I like to think that Doug's Inn is a pretty rowdy place despite the small size of the town. Hope you are enjoying the story so far!
Sidenote: Okonomiyaki are super delicious and super easy to make; they have a regular rotation on our dinner menu ;)