Chapter 2: Other People's Breakfasts
There was always so much to do on the farm, and I liked to get an early start. As soon as six-o'clock rolled around, I was out of bed and off to my tasks. But first, I had to say good morning to Sebastian.
He was already awake by the time I got out of bed, and I found him in the kitchen, holding two porcelain mugs. He smiled at me as I came into view, then handed me one of them. "Hey, want some coffee?"
"Thanks!" I took a sip, taking care not to burn my tongue.
"I needed some...woke up early from a nightmare and I just couldn't fall back asleep."
"Oh?" I wanted to know more about his bad dream, but he just shrugged it off.
"I don't really remember what happened…just that I didn't like it." He looked down into his coffee dejectedly, and I suspected that maybe he did remember and didn't want to talk about it.
"Ah…that's probably for the best." I moved closer to him, and he put his coffee down in anticipation of a hug. I set my mug down next to his, then wrapped my arms around him tightly. He squeezed me back, giving me a gentle kiss on the lips that got my adrenaline racing far more quickly than the coffee possibly could. I broke the embrace slowly, catching his hands in mine as I pulled away. I gave his hands a quick squeeze and smiled. "I have a busy day ahead, but it's going to be a good day." I picked up my coffee and drank it on the way out the door, stopping at the chest where my tools were stored. I absentmindedly placed the empty coffee mug in the chest as I retrieved my watering can and scythe, then bolted out the door, where my farm duties awaited.
My first task was to water the crops that my sprinklers didn't reach, since I had planted them close to my house. After that, I moved onto my chicken coop, where I fed and cared for each of my four chickens. I let them outside to stretch, then went to my barn, where I tended to my cow, goat, and sheep. I spent a fair amount of time milking and grooming them before letting them loose into the grass. By the time I had finished these and a few other chores in my routine – watering a few off-season crops in my greenhouse, checking the aging process on my wine, hauling goods to the shipping container – it was close to noon. Remembering that I had some geodes for Clint to process, I headed into town.
After my business with the blacksmith, I took my findings to the museum. I had already donated a sizable collection of minerals and artifacts to the museum wing of the building, but every now and then I came across an unfamiliar specimen for Gunther to look over. I handed him a layered gemstone, brown with a streak of gold in the middle.
"Tiger's eye," he mused, inspecting the mineral carefully. "We don't have one of these yet. Would you like to donate this?"
"Sure," I said.
He handed the tiger's eye back to me and pointed to the far right section of the massive room. "There should be space over there. I'll get a plaque for it soon."
I followed his directions, placing the stone in an empty display slot toward the back. As I was crossing the room to leave, a feminine voice called my name.
"Huh?" I turned around, and Abigail waved at me.
"Are you going to hang out with us this Friday?" she asked.
"I'll have to see what's on my schedule," I replied casually.
Abigail pouted. "But you're always busy. We haven't had all four of us together in ages."
Truthfully, I tended to opt out of those Friday get-togethers so that Sebastian wouldn't feel like I was trying to crowd into his personal space. I hadn't realized that my absence made a difference to anyone involved. "I'll try to make some time."
"Great! You can help me get the new high score on Prairie King!"
I laughed. "Hopefully I'm not out of practice!"
We exchanged goodbyes as I left, and another voice – this time, a man's – called out to me. It was Alex, running his annual summer ice cream stand. Haley stood on the opposite side of the stand, eating a triple-scoop ice cream cone.
"Hey, you look like you could use a refreshing treat," he offered. "Wanna buy some ice cream?"
"Not right now," I declined.
"Are you sure? I bet you didn't even have breakfast this morning." He grinned smugly, holding up his ice cream scoop with enthusiasm.
"I had coffee."
He and Haley chuckled simultaneously. "You call that a breakfast? Your man has to be feeding you better than that!"
"Seb doesn't really cook." I shrugged.
"Ohmigod," Haley spoke up. "I would love it if someone made me breakfast every morning!"
"I'd make breakfast for my sweetheart," Alex bragged confidently. "Pancakes, bacon, eggs…damn, that's making me hungry."
I eyed them skeptically. "Can either of you cook?"
"I can learn," Haley replied indifferently.
"Hasn't Sebastian learned by now?" Alex raised an eyebrow suggestively. "I mean, you've probably taught him more…interesting things…"
Haley glanced at him with a look of mild embarrassment. "You mean farming, right?"
I wanted the conversation to be over before it began, but I guess I was too polite for my own good. "Of course he's helpful on the farm." I glanced over in the general direction of my home. "That reminds me, I better get back. I gotta check my feed stock."
"See you around," Alex called as I walked away. Haley waved me off with a simple "Bye."
I made my way across town without running into anyone else, and by the time I returned to the farm, it was time to usher the animals back into their quarters for the evening. They were pretty familiar with the routine, but it was still hard work to make sure they were situated properly. Once I finished that task, it was time to relax.
When I entered the house, Sebastian was nowhere to be found. He's probably busy on his laptop, I figured. I opened the chest by the door to put some things away and found several used coffee cups inside. "Huh?" I wondered aloud.
Sebastian came out of nowhere to see what I was looking at. "So that's where they all went," he mused. He turned to me with a look of irritation. "Can you try to get them back to the sink next time?"
"Sorry." I stooped down to collect the dirty mugs. Guess it's not quite time to relax…
