Chapter 2
As the sun was slowly setting, Pete and his father entered the Green Inn and rented a room. The Green Inn was a lively place. It was owned by a man named Doug, who was a good friend of Barley's and could often be found helping him out on his little ranch during the day. The Green Inn also included a restaurant downstairs, which mad some of the best food around. Pete and his dad decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to eat a meal there before they returned to the big city in the morning, so they went downstairs and found some seats.
Duke was still working there as a bartender. Although he was now 52 years old, he still had as much energy as he'd had twenty years ago when Pete and his parents had come to visit. "Hey!" he said happily when he saw them enter. "I been wonderin' when you guys would be comin' back to Mineral Town? So how've things been goin'?"
"Well," said Pete. "I've been living life in the big city, as usual. My dad and I came back to this little town to see how Farmer Jack was doing."
"Oh," said Duke sadly. "Yeah, I heard about that. Sorry for your loss, Pete. He was a good friend to you."
"Is that Pete?" came a female voice from across the room. A tall woman with dark hair got up from one of the tables and approached the group.
"Yo!" said Duke. "Yes, it's Pete alright." He turned to Pete. "I don't suppose you remember my wife. Her name is..."
"Mana," interrupted Pete. "Yes, I remember. Your daughter used to come around to talk to Farmer Jack sometimes. She didn't really play in the woods with me and the other kids because she was older, but I remember her being pretty friendly."
Mana sighed. "Unfortunately," she said, "Aja left town with a friend ten years ago and never returned."
"We talkin' about Aja and Joanna?" came a tough but friendly voice from a nearby table.
"Hey, Zack!" said Duke. "Yeah, we talking about them. Pete was wonderin' about Aja. Oh, by the way, Pete's back in town!"
"Yeah, I know," said Zack. "I encountered his father at the lake shore when he arrived. Pete ran off too fast for me to say hi though."
"Hi," said Pete.
"Hey," said Zack. "So you want to know about Aja?"
"Yes," Pete answered. "That would be nice. It has been awhile since I've been here after all, and I'd like to do a little bit of catching up."
"Well, you see," Zack began, "Joanna, that's my sister, decided that she'd had enough here in this little town, and she convinced Duke and Mana's daughter Aja to come with her to live in a big city across the sea. But not the same big city you live in. A different one..."
"Yeah, yeah," said Pete. "I know that there are big cities all over the world."
"Anyway," said Zack. "Those two left ten years ago, and I guess they liked living in the big city, because Aja never came back, and Joanna only returned once, and it wasn't because she wanted to see her old friends again either."
"Why did she come to visit then?" asked Pete.
"She wasn't visiting," said Zack. "She had gotten involved with a guy from the big city, and then he left her after only a few months. The exact details of it, I have no clue, because I only have what Joanna told me on the day she came back. All I know is that she had a boyfriend, and then they broke up. But Joanna returned to Mineral Town about five years ago with a child. She was only about a year old, but Joanna said that she didn't want to raise a child, so she left the child with my father Barley, and then left Mineral Town again and hasn't been seen since."
"So Barley is your father then?" asked Pete.
"Yup," said Zack. "And he's little Mae's grandfather, and I'm her uncle. She's never seen her mother again since that day, even though she's talked to her on the phone a few times. I wish she'd come back again, because I don't think it's good for the poor child to be so lonely."
"Alright," said Duke. "I think there's been enough talking about sad events now. Enough sad things have happened for Pete today, I'm sure."
"Yes," said Mana. "Poor Pete is probably still thinking about old Jack's death, and wondering what will become of his farm now."
"Oh," said Pete. "Farmer Jack gave the farm to me."
"Oh, how wonderful!" said Mana. "So this means you'll be a farmer now, just like you always wanted?"
"No," said Pete.
Mana frowned. "What do you mean, Pete? I remember you telling me back in the day that you wanted to be a farmer when you grew up."
"That was twenty years ago," said Pete. "My interests have changed since then. I want to get a job in the big city where I live. I'm glad that old Jack thought about me and wanted to give me his farm, but I'm afraid I can't accept. I'm leaving the farm for somebody else to take care of."
"And who do you think will take ownership of that farm?" said Duke.
"I don't know," said Pete. "Put an ad in the paper or something. All I know is, I am not going to be living there. Farm life is not for me, and nothing is going to change that."
"Well," Mana sighed, "If you feel that it's not for you, then we respect your decision, and we won't talk about it anymore."
"But..." Duke began.
"That's enough, Duke!" said Mana. "He's made up his mind, and we need to respect that."
Pete and his dad woke early the next morning, so they could prepare to board the ship back across the sea to their home in the big city. Pete was a bit sad to be leaving this little town again, but he knew that he could never adjust to life in this little old-fashioned town. He was a city boy, and a job in the city was what he needed.
As he came down the stairs, he bumped into a girl who was just about his age, and almost knocked her off the step.
"Whoa!" came an angry voice. "What do you think you're doing, ramming into me like that!" She raised her fists in a defensive pose, but then stopped. "Oh, Pete! I forgot that you were staying here! I went to bed before you arrived at the inn."
Pete stared at her for a second. She had red hair tied in a ponytail, and was wearing blue overalls. She was kind of cute.
"Ann!" said Pete. "I'm so happy to see you again!"
The two hugged and laughed.
"Oh, Pete," said Ann. "I've missed you so much. I remember those days in that Summer long ago that we would play together out in the woods near old Jack's house! Remember all the horses?"
"Yes!" said Pete. "It was so fun riding them!"
"It's so sad that Farmer Jack is dead now," said Ann. "He had to sell all of his horses when he fell ill a few months ago. They're all in Forget-Me-Not Valley now."
"Yeah," said Pete. "But at least I got to say goodbye to him before he died."
"It's too bad that there nobody to take over his farm," said Ann.
Pete remembered that Ann had not heard that Farmer Jack had given the farm to him, but, because he didn't want to state his reasons for not accepting it, he decided it was best not to tell her about this, so instead he just answered, "Yeah, I hope somebody will buy his farm."
"Me too," said Ann. "Because if nobody does, this group of land developers from one of the big cities across the sea plans to purchase it, and they will build huge carnivals and factories and other big city stuff on the farm, and that building project will just expand as the years go by."
Pete hadn't heard about this. "Really?" he asked.
Ann nodded. "It was in the newspaper just last week. These developers are very rich, and if they get their hands on that farm before somebody else does, our little town will never be the same again! Our peaceful farm and country life will be gone!"
"Is everything alright, Ann?" came Doug's voice from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes, Dad," said Ann. "I'm just talking to Pete."
"Well," said Doug, "Pete's trying to get ready to return home, so don't leave him waiting too long."
"Okay, Dad," said Ann. She turned back to Pete. "I guess I should let you go then, huh?"
"Yeah," said Pete.
"But please try to come back to Mineral Town soon! Please?" said Ann. "I've missed you."
"I definitely will," said Pete. "See you next time I come here."
"Bye!" said Ann happily.
"And I'll see you too, Mr. Green," Pete said as he passed by Doug.
At the shore, Zack helped Pete and his dad load their luggage into the ship. "Thanks for coming back after all these years," he said, "Even if was just to see how Farmer Jack was doing."
"It was no problem," said Pete's dad. "I always wanted to come back at some point anyway."
Pete was barely listening to this conversation. What Ann had said to him earlier had sunk deep into his thoughts. What if those land developers managed to purchase the farm before somebody else did? If somebody else did manage to get there first, would they want to continue doing what Farmer Jack had done, or would the place never be a farm again? And what if those land developers got there first? And would anybody even want to own that property now? It was kind of a mess. And what if those land developers got there first?
He couldn't get it out of his head. This beautiful little town, as old-fashioned as it was, deserved to stay peaceful and quiet. Pete didn't want to have guilt hovering over his head if anything ever happened that changed that.
"Alright, Pete!" said his dad. "Climb aboard."
Pete started to walk up the ramp onto the boat, but stopped halfway up. His dad frowned. "What's wrong, Pete?"
Pete sighed. "I've just been thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"I was thinking, you know, that... well... maybe, I should accept ownership of the farm after all."
"Don't be silly, Pete. You know farm life isn't for you."
"But Dad, Ann says that some land developers from a big city might destroy this town if they get to that farm before somebody else does."
"Ah," said Zack. "So I see that somebody has finally slipped the news to you."
"You knew about this as well?" asked Pete. "Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
"Because I wanted the choice to be yours," answered Zack. "I didn't want you to feel obligated to do it just for our sakes. But I see it's too late for that now."
"It's not too late," said Pete's father, sternly. "He's not going to take ownership of that farm. He knows it's not his kind of thing."
"But do I, really, Dad?" asked Pete.
"Yes," said his dad. "In just a few hours you'll be glad that you decided to return home with me. Now hop aboard! The boat will be departing at any minute!"
"I think I should stay here, Dad."
"You won't stay here! I won't allow it!"
"You don't have to allow it, Dad. I'm an adult now, and can make my own decisions. I legally own the farm, and I can decide what's going to happen to it."
His dad wasn't happy about this, but he knew that his son was right. He sighed. "You have two years," he said, "And that's it. I will be returning after those two years are up, and then I will take you back home with me to the big city when I see that you haven't made much progress, because I know that you won't. And you'll be glad to return to the big city as well. You'll be waiting impatiently for me to return to get you after only a few months of being here!"
He handed Pete's luggage to Zack. "Help him carry his stuff to the farm. There's not a lot it, though I will be shipping some of his other belongings that I think he'll need."
"Thank you, Dad!" said Pete.
"No need to thank me," said his dad. "You aren't going to like life here. You know it as well as I do. You just don't want to say that you didn't try, and I understand that. See you in two years!" The ramp went up, and the boat began to sail away. Pete waved to his father from the shore, and then turned to follow Zack.
"You made the right choice," said Zack, "And I think you'll like it here, once you've gotten used to it. This is a friendly little village, and I'm sure the villagers wouldn't mind giving you tips when you're having trouble."
Pete didn't know what the future would hold, but the boat and left, and Pete had made his choice. It was worth a try to get that farm up and running again.
He turned a corner, and was greeted once again by the sight of the little farmhouse. He opened the door, and entered, breathing deeply.
"Well," said Zack, setting down Pete's luggage in a corner of the room, "As of today, you are a resident of Mineral Town!"