Chapter 4: Minor Inconveniences
"Do we have any more pizza in the freezer?" Sebastian called from his corner of the house. "I'm hungry."
I looked up from the sink full of dirty dishes I was washing and sighed. I swear, if it wasn't for those frozen pizzas Shane nabbed from his old job at Joja Mart and sent to me, this guy would never eat. I froze, wondering where that though came from, then calmly responded, "I think there's a couple in the back."
I half-expected him to ask me to heat it up for him, but soon he was up and rummaging through the freezer. Sure enough, there was pizza back there. "I'll heat this up, then we can split it for lunch."
I smiled. "Sure. Thanks."
We ate our lunch together on the dining room table, in relative silence. I liked that we never had to force a conversation with each other, but sometimes it worried me when he didn't have anything to say. I kept my mouth full of pizza to curb the nervous impulse of trying to talk about stupid stuff. Apropos of nothing, he stared off into the distance and said, "I've been getting a weird vibe lately."
"Huh?" I swallowed my mouthful.
"I don't know." He turned to me. "It's probably nothing."
I frowned. "Is something wrong? Is it something I did?" I hadn't meant to say that last part out loud, but I also didn't think that I had done anything to upset him.
"Well, since you asked…" He flashed a look of concerned annoyance. "You could have cleaned up in here a little while I was gone...It's not very nice to have to wade through a bunch of junk after a hard day's work."
I felt my eye twitch. "Those were your things! I didn't want to mess them up."
"I trust you enough to know you won't purposely mess up my stuff. We're in this together, right?"
Then why doesn't it occur to you to do some chores when I'm not here? I wanted to say. Instead, I shrugged meekly. "Okay. Let me know if there's something specific you want me to do, so I can prioritize it."
"I mean, it's not like I don't have a job," he continued unnecessarily. "Some weeks are busier than others." He reached out and caressed my hand. "I think we have a good arrangement, though. Because of what you do, I'm able to do what I want to do…that means a lot to me." He smiled, which subconsciously forced a smile out of me.
"I'm glad…being near you has always made me happy, and I want to return the favor."
The next few days went by without incident, save for the usual annoyances I had grown accustomed to at that point. I mean, it wasn't like Sebastian never helped out. He would water some crops for me and feed the animals, and he would make repairs around the farm when I asked him to. He seemed enthusiastic about learning my routine, and had even altered his sleep schedule to match mine. A few minor inconveniences were to be expected in any relationship. Still, I had the feeling there was something he wasn't telling me, and that it had nothing to do with leaving his stuff in the middle of the living room. The day after the Luau, though, something happened that made those minor inconveniences seem like symptoms of a far more serious disease.
I had gone to the beach, hoping to reel in a pufferfish while they were still in season. However, I got distracted by the large number of intriguing shells that had washed up on the shore. Feeling compelled to collect them, I scavenged as many seashells as I could fit into my backpack. By the time I was done, the sun was beginning to set. I'd better head back home.
I walked slowly due to the weight of my backpack. Abigail, who had been hanging around in the cemetery, saw me and came over to chat.
"I've been wondering something for a while," she said. "You're such a good friend…maybe you can help me out."
"I'll do my best." My heart suddenly felt as heavy as my backpack.
Abigail must have sensed my distress. "Oh, it's not a life-or-death situation…that would be more interesting, though."
"Hmm…okay then. What is it?"
"Well…do you think it's worth telling someone that you have feelings for them if you know there's no future in it?"
"You'll have to be more specific than that," I said calmly, though an anxious feeling was rapidly creeping over me.
She became slightly flustered. "Well, I don't really know specifics…it's not really my question." She laughed nervously. "I'm sorry. I get some weird thoughts in my head sometimes when I visit the cemetery…it's almost as if it's the dead are trying to communicate their unanswered questions with me."
It's probably just Abby being Abby, I mused silently, but I've seen some strange things out here, so maybe I should investigate this cemetery sometime. "That's disturbing," was all I could think to say in response.
"No way…I think it's cool!"
We both laughed for a couple of minutes before parting ways. She went into the saloon to continue her Friday night tradition with Sam and Sebastian, and I went back to the farm to drop off my shells and go back to the cemetery for what would turn out to be a life-changing experience.
