Some people want to know about Jack's love life already. Awww...that's prying, isn't it? Keep on reading and all will be revealed in good time ;-)

Jack has his veggies! He also learns the importance of standing up for himself - the hard way!

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A Haven from the Storm

Chapter 9 The Fruits of Our Labors

Tonight's message from the unseen woman in my dreams was about a lesson I should take to heart, that perseverance will show results. On awakening, I again wondered if my mind was getting little unbalanced - dreams of gradeschool copybook maxims delivered in such a portentous manner. So unlike my usual dreams of everyday matters reworked in odd manners - and the occasional nightmare.

The morning's weather report gave tomorrow as sunny again, and getting a bit warmer. Quite a spell of good weather we're having.Unlike my life before, it now meant more work - time spent watering plants with the worn out can. Riceball, Wowser, Farmer Fran, the usual morning things that I was getting used to.

I went outside and looked at the fields. The four patches of turnips I had planted four days ago looked as if they were about to jump out of the ground. I went up to one and had a closer look. The ground was bulging below the large, bright green leaves. I carefully brushed away the soil from one. The root looked large and felt firm. Well, let's take a sample and see if they really do mature in four days. I gave the root a good pull, and out it came.

I had seen turnips in supermarkets before, of course. Those were children compared to this one! It was a good half-meter around - purple at the top, grading off to dull white below. It felt waxy and small roots, like whiskers, clung to clods of dirt. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen; the first thing I had ever grown from seed to harvest. I had been going through the motions of farming the last few days, not really confident I could pull it off. But here was the reward for sticking with it - one I could see and smell and hold in my hands. Simply beautiful!

I spent the next three hours pulling thirty-three more turnips from the ground and placing them in the shipping bin. The knapsack only held two at a time, and I could carry just one more in my hands. I resolved that my first free cash must go into a larger knapsack - I hoped the General Store had them.

I cleared debris from the space for two more patches for vegetables. This made for twelve patches for planting, six of which were in cultivation. Seeing how long it took to water and harvest one patch, it was clear that I was approaching the limits of my abilities with my current techniques. I again examined the old incapable tools I was using and I knew I would have to get them improved. With the need to buy more seeds for the clear land, I calculated that I had, in my mind, already more than spent what I had harvested today. I needed to set priorities here - form a longer range plan and timeline. Tonight's work - after all, I wouldn't get the money from Zack until evening.

After my noontime nap in the hot springs, I finished up watering and thought about the rest of the day. I'd have to go to the General Store and get seeds - I only had money enough from foraging for the usual two packages. That might change tomorrow! I looked at the two remaining turnips in the ground. "Make friends with the villagers!" Thomas had said. OK, let's see if some people look on turnips as a friendly offering. I pulled them out, put them in the knapsack and was off.

Lillia, with her chronic illness, came first to mind. Perhaps nobody knows how to cure her, but could fresh vegetables hurt? Of course not! I started down farm row to her house. I stopped to look at some cheery yellow flowers growing by the path. Flowers might help lift Lillia's spirits a little, so I picked a bunch, and holding them, proceeded to their door and knocked.

Popuri opened the door. "Good afternoon, Jack! I was wondering when you'd visit us...what pretty flowers! For me? Thank you! You're so sweet."

She took the flowers from my hand, turned and called "Ma! Look, Jack came to visit and he brought me a bunch of beautiful flowers." She glanced at Rick sitting before the fireplace. "See, there are *some* gentlemen left in this village after all!"

Rick looked at Popuri, then me and said "Hi, Jack. You brought flowers for Popuri? You're a nice guy! Better than some others that hang around my sister."

Popuri snapped back "Hush up, Rick! You're always being mean about Kai! I think you can't get along with anybody!"

Rick looked angry. "I like everyone in this village except Kai! He comes here every summer, gets you womenfolk all stirred up, then leaves!"

Lillia interjected "Please, children, not so loud. Jack, good to see you again. Thank you for bringing the flowers. Popuri, would you like to put them in a vase on the dinner table?"

"Sure, Ma." Popuri went into the kitchen to fix the flowers.

"Lillia, how are you today?"

"About the same as always. I can get around the house today, that's a blessing. I dislike the days when I can't get out of bed at all. So, is there anything I can do for you?"

"The opposite, I hope. Do you like turnips?"

"Fresh ones Popuri uses to make a nice egg salad. They substitute for potatoes very well. Why?"

I pulled a turnip from my knapsack. "First harvest today! I'd like you to have it if you would."

"My! That's such a healthy looking one. Just like your grandfather grew. Thank you so very much. You're too kind. Popuri, could you please come take this to the kitchen?"

"Jack! You grew that yourself? Now, you're a real farmer! I'll make that egg salad right now. Jack, you must stay for dinner this time, since you brought it." She took the turnip from me, giving my hand a squeeze in the process.

"More like late lunch, but...sure, I'd like to." I'm eating out a lot in this village!

"I hope you're hungry, this'll just take a bit. I've already got the boiled eggs and mayo here."

It was just fifteen minutes, and then we sat down to a large bowl of egg salad and some cornbread. As Basil had said, Popuri's cooking was quite tasty. Also, as he had said, Popuri and Rick were constantly going back and forth over the table. Rick found faults in what I thought was a fine meal - the cornbread was too soft, the salad was too salty. Popuri would answer back about Rick's table manners. Lillia every now and then pleaded for peace, but it was futile. I was very glad when we had finished and gotten up.

I saw a dress spread over a table of a type I'd never seen before. It looked like a robe, white, with very elaborate cloth flowers sewn into it.

"I've never seen a dress quite like that."

Popuri answered "That's my costume for the Goddess Festival. It's just three days from now. Doesn't it just look like spring! I love the festival, the music and dancing with all the other girls - we're supposed to be the Goddess's attendents, you know. It's fun even if no guy escorts me..." She looked at me wide-eyed. "Wait, you brought me flowers, and dinner...you're asking if you can escort me to the festival, right?!"

"Ah, I..."

She squealed. "Oh, Jack! You're so sweet! Of course I'll go with you, right Ma?"

"Why dear, that's wonderful. It's so kind of you, Jack. And so considerate, asking in front of me."

"Ummm, actually..."

Rick got up and slapped me on the back. "That's great, Jack. You really are a nice guy! Karen and I are going, like every year, so we'll all go together. He whispered to me "I'm glad to see Popuri taking a liking to you. Maybe you can get her mind off that darned Kai!"

"But, I really..."

Popuri was bubbling. "Your first festival and your first date in the village! It'll be something to always remember, right?"

Copy that.

"I'll come to your farm just before ten, and we'll go together to Rose Square - it's tradition that the girl comes for the guy for the Goddess Festival. I'll really be a flower girl this time, because I've got a beau." She giggled. "I made a pun - see Rick, Mary's not the only one good with words. I'll tell it to her and she can use it in one of her books!"

Lillia got up. "Jack, I know you have your afternoon chores, so we'll let you go now. Thanks for the gifts, and we're so happy you and Popuri are making friends."

Popuri saw me to the door. "Remember, Jack, be ready before ten. I don't like to be late. See you!"

Blast it all! How did that happen? I just wanted to do a little something for Lillia - and, it's true, show off my turnips to people. I ended up as a hoped for replacement for Kai - whoever he was - in Popuri's affections!

Double blast! Popuri's date?! Sure, she was quite attractive in a rustic way - if you ignored that pink hair, and of course you couldn't. But she was a little girl in a grown woman's body. A day of hearing her bubble and fizz? Having the whole village look at me as her new sweetie? I held my head in frustration! Jack, old fellow, you have to learn how to say "no" to women! But they didn't give me a chance, I answered myself. Gotta *make* your chances, I retorted. Well, too late now, I concluded. Anyway, it's just one day...I can live with anything for one day.

While going over this in my head, I had been walking into town. I found myself passing in front of Duke's vineyard, where he was tending his vines again. Give another try to smooth him over.

"Afternoon, Duke. How's it going?"

He gave me the 'oh, it's you again' look. "Not bad."

"Duke, can you use turnips?" I still had one in the knapsack.

"Turnips? I tried making turnip wine once as a joke. It was as bad as I expected. Grapes make the best wine, thought even a city boy would know that."

"I suppose. Well, see you later."

He turned back to his work without answering. No market for turnips, or Jack, here today. Ah...I owed Anna one for that delicious dinner last night. Let's see if she had a use for this big fella.

I knocked on their door and Anna answered.

"Good afternoon, Jack. Nice to see you again so soon. Are you looking for Basil? He's home today, but he's upstairs writing." She gave a peeved expression. "Whenever he's home, all he does is work. It's no fun!"

"That's all right, I won't disturb him. Actually, I came to see you."

"Goodness, why?"

I pulled the turnip from my knapsack. "First harvest today! Do you have any use for it?"

"Jack, that's a beautiful one. It looks as good as the ones your grandfather grew. Oh! You're getting dirt on the carpet. Quick, bring it into the kitchen and put it in the sink!

We went into the kitchen, and I placed the root in the sink. Anna started washing it and scrubbing the dirt off.

"Thank you, Jack. I haven't tried making pickled vegetables for awhile. I'll use this. It looks like you're starting to find your feet at Erehwon."

"That is one of thirty-six today. I also gave one to Lillia, figured fresh vegetables couldn't hurt her."

"That's thoughtful. Neighbors look after each other here; it's good you're adopting our ways. I try to drop in on her when I can, the poor thing is so sick. I bring her pastries - she loves them so. But I have to try and go when Rick and Popuri are not there; otherwise they'll eat them all themselves. Those children of hers can be so thoughtless, quarreling all the time when they know Lillia should have peace and quiet!

"Thank goodness my Mary is such a quiet, considerate girl. Were you looking for Mary? She didn't come right home from the library today. Sometimes, she and the other girls her age go off and have their little get-together, like Sasha, Manna and I have done for years. Lillia and Doug's wife also, in the old days. I don't know where they meet, though. We've always met at Rose Square, but I guess the younger set has to have their own ways! I imagine they're all talking about the Goddess Festival. I know that's all we talked about for a week before when we were that age!"

Anna looked at me speculatively. "Are you going to the festival? You really should, you know. Now that you live here you must be a part of our ways, and the Goddess Festival is one of our most important village events. Single men your age *absolutely must* escort one of the young ladies, that's an essential part of it. I don't think anyone has asked Mary yet."

Oh cripes! Anna is expecting me to escort Mary! I didn't realize until today that I was expected to ask someone. Then that Popuri grabbed on to me before I knew what was happening! I would have infinitely preferred to go with Mary, I felt so at ease with her. Should I tell Anna about it? I really didn't want to disappoint her. Anyways, Popuri is surely telling all the other girls about it right now, and Mary will bring the news home. Just keep quiet and it'll work itself out, I suppose. But, I reflected, that's how I got corralled by Popuri!

Anna went on. "You know, Mary has always gone alone, and she's twenty-three already. She never went through that 'boy crazy' phase, she's always been so modest and reserved. So the young men here tend to overlook her. I'm so glad she doesn't seem to mind, but she's still missing out on things a young woman should experience. I was hoping this year it would be different, with so many new young men here. You are planning to go to the festival, right?"

Time to start talking straight with people, Jack!

"Yes, I am. Actually, I'm escorting Popuri."

"Oh! Popuri? But she doesn't seem at all like your kind... Well, it's none of my business, I suppose. I can only presume you know what you're doing."

I could feel the temperature in the room drop twenty degrees.

She went on. "Oh, look at the time. I have to get dinner ready for Basil and Mary and I'm sure you still have chores to do."

"Of course, I'll be on my way now."

"Thank you again for the nice turnip. When the pickles are ready, you must come and try them. Basil and I will see you at the festival, I'm sure. Good evening."

"Good evening."

Well, she didn't exactly chase me out of her house with a broom. But it was clear that old Jack was no longer on her 'A' list.

Triple blast! I like that family, and now I've fouled with at least Anna. Because I couldn't stop Popuri in mid-air. Well, Lillia and Rick were onto me also, but still, just a word at the right time! I reflected Basil probably wouldn't shun me because I'm not appearing to court his daughter. He seems to be the completely obsessed naturalist and as long as I appeal to that, we should be all right.

Surely Mary wouldn't be offended. We weren't trying to boyfriend/girlfriend at all. But it would have been fun to go with her; I could imagine the stories she could spin out of the event. Well, when I see her, I'll just tell her what happened - we'd get a good laugh out of it!

I got to the General Store just before five. I hurried in, got my two packages of turnip seeds and went up to Jeff, who was behind the counter today.

"Afternoon, Jeff. How are you feeling today?"

"Not bad, thanks. Usual seeds, I see."

I put the money on the counter. "May get more tomorrow. Just brought in my first crop, so I'll be flush after Zack gets it! Say, you have any larger knapsacks?

This one doesn't quite cut it anymore."

"Sure, there's a medium right there on that counter behind you. Check it out."

It was twice as large as mine, and looked built to last.

"Looks great, how much?"

"3000G"

I calculated. 34 turnips times 60G per turnip yields 2040G. I was short even before the extra seeds I hoped to purchase.

"Ummm...I'm still gonna be short tomorrow. I guess I'll have to save up a few days. From now on out, I should have some crops coming in every day. Talk to you next week about it?"

"Sure. They don't sell very fast, and if it does, I can get another one in a few days."

"Great. Well, off to plant these. Have a good evening."

"You too, Jack."

I left the store just as Karen was about to go in. She saw me, said "Jack, we have to talk!" grabbed me by the arm and pulled me over to an alcove between the store and the clinic. She looked concerned and upset.

"Jack, what is this I hear about you and Popuri being sweethearts?"

"Sweethearts? Not at all. We're going to the festival together, that's all."

"And you brought her an armful of flowers. And dinner!"

"Those were for the whole family."

She looked skeptical. "Uh-huh. Popuri said you almost buried her in flowers as soon as she opened the door for you."

"Perhaps Popuri is exaggerating a little, you think?"

Karen's face flashed anger. "So now you're calling my friend a liar?!"

"Karen! Calm down, not calling anyone anything. Why are you so upset?"

She did calm down a little. "How can I start? First, I can't imagine why you asked her in the first place. I don't think she's your type at all. Oh, I'll admit she's..." Karen made the curvy sign in the air with her hands. "But I thought you were too serious and mature to let that rule you."

Clearly, I couldn't tell Karen what really happened right now. She was so upset she would blow out completely if I said that Popuri's story was the result of a total misunderstanding.

She went on. "She's nice and sweet, but she's just a little girl at heart. That's not you at all. And besides, she's a Cancer!"

I put my hands to my temples. "Please, Karen, save the stars for another time. I tell you, I'm *not* serious about Popuri. It's just a public festival. We show up together, the Mayor introduces us, we have a dance or two and go home. That commits us to nothing!"

"Well, that's just great! You do the big 'dinner and roses' routine, invite her to a *public* event, where *everyone* sees you together, and you say it's nothing to you! You're trifling with her affections! And not just hers!"

"Huh?"

"Jack, if you want to come out of this with my having any respect for you at all, you'd better start being honest! Don't think this is the big city, where you can sneak around doing anything at all and nobody else notices! We all watch out for each other here!"

"Karen, I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about Mary!"

"Mary?"

"YES, MARY!!" She took a deep breath and went on. "Another good friend of mine. She tells me things - friends do that, you know." She dripped sarcasm. "You're all she's been talking about the last few days. How you would come see her at the library, talk with her like an old friend, stay up late at night to get her favorite mountain vegetables. You went home and had dinner with her folks - how often does Anna let strangers into her house?! You impressed them all greatly, acting the part of the earnest young gentleman farmer!

"Oh, I know you two were just talking about books and the like. But that *is* Mary! She didn't say that you two were on. She didn't have to. She's quiet and non-demonstrative, but I could see the joy in her face when she talked about you. And the look on her face this afternoon when Popuri was telling us all about the LITTLE NOTHINGS you were doing for her today! She didn't say anything, but her eyes! Her eyes were saying she'd just lost everything in the world worth having! I was almost crying for her! I may yet after this is over!"

"But...I didn't know all that. I just thought we were friends, nothing more."

"So you admit you were trifling with her affections also! It's true, what the older women say about city men, then! Breaking hearts is like stepping on bugs to you!"

Karen pointed her finger in my face and lowered her voice to an angry hiss. It sounded much worse than shouting. "Jack, I'm not going to say anything about this to anybody. *I'm* not going to be the one to make it worse for them than it already is. *You're* going to be the one to put this right by the both of them. And then you're going to leave the women here *alone* and stick to your farming. I promise you, if you don't do these things, I'll devote all my time and energy to making your life here hell on earth. And you're a fool if you think I can't or won't. Now get out of my sight!"

"Karen, let me tell you what really happened..."

"NO! I'm not going to listen to your lies, Jack. Just get out of here, NOW!"

There was nothing left to do. I left, running as fast as I could back to the farm. As I got to the gate, I remembered that people were telling me I should talk to Pastor Carter. I could sure use an understanding minister right now! On the other hand, I didn't feel up to unloading this whole sorry mess on someone at a first meeting.

What to do? I'd lost the best friend, Mary that I had in the village. I liked her family also, and I was likely persona non grata with them. Karen, who I liked as a sensible pal, hated me. And now I was linked in everyone's mind with Popuri, probably the most unsuitable match I could find here. I didn't see where I could do anything, or even nothing, without alienating some people.

Useless to think anymore, Jack, what you need is some good hard physical labor. I spent the next two hours planting two more patches of turnips and then watering them. I did the usual two foraging runs, keeping back a bamboo shoot for Mary on the off chance I could make an impression with it tomorrow.

It wasn't enough. I was still agitated. I thought of Gotz and the estimate he had given me for expanding the chicken house. I wasn't going to see anything like 26,000G for a long time. I did, however, have an ax, cruddy as it might be. I went back up to the hot springs. There were tree stumps there that needed cutting. I attacked them in a fury. It took an hour to cut up each one and haul the lumber back to my storeroom. At the end, I was close to collapse again. It was nearly two in the morning. I went into the hot springs and immediately fell asleep.