Chapter Six: Warmth within the Factor

Cody was quite moody that week. Though he hardly said a word and his facial expressions did not betray him, he noticed he leg bouncing up and down when he sat. Cody also noticed that during that week he tended to twiddle his tumbles every so often, he found himself sighing every now and then and to top it all off, he hadn't seen Abiba at all. Of course Cody had quietly decided to keep with his original plan, remaining calm- not panicking about what might be. However it was a feeble wall to put up against this tidal wave of apprehension. Though the fall colors around him were soothing; and while the chilly autumn air did its best to ease the Valley into winter, it truly did very little to douse the choking fire of anxiety.

Cody actually felt a littler better when he informed Nina of who he'd be escorting to the wedding. The cheery old woman was so surprisingly pleased that her joy had enabled Cody to breathe for a moment. One morning, to Cody's great amazement, Chris appeared at his front door. Chris, to Cody's understanding was the happy little homemaker and sports announcer who was married to the athlete Wally whom he had seen run about the Valley several times a day. In all reality, Cody only knew about Chris and Wally through their son, Hugh. Though his father kept him on a tight training schedule, Hugh sometimes stopped by the beach, and though he was young, he was not afraid of Cody and in fact the two found a common interest in the old coins Carter often brought to show them. Without really any request by Cody himself, Nina had gone to Chris, asking for help with an ensemble for Cody to wear to the event, or so Chris had told him. Chris seemed excited to help Cody and quickly took down his measurements for have a suit tailored to his size. It all seemed to happen so quickly for Cody, he hardly knew what to do.

Within a few days, Chris, dressed in her favorite pink suit, came again knocking at Cody's door. "I'm sorry I didn't drop it off sooner, I've just been so busy. Here you are, Cody," stated the pink clad warrior as she handed Cody the bag, "I've also had some of the suit tweaked; somehow I couldn't see you in a long-sleeved jacket and pants." Cody slowly took out the suit. It was a lovely shade of black and smelt of plastic packaging. Cody could see the 'tweaking' Chris had done. The sleeves of the jacket and undershirt were completely cut off in a jagged pattern, looking messy yet neat. The pants had been altered in a similar fashion, making shorts slightly longer then what he was used to.

Cody was shocked. He looked over at Chris, slightly overwhelmed by this all, "I can't afford this…"

She threw her hand about. "Pssh Posh. No need for pay, Nina and I have covered the cost." Cody's mouth fell agape. "No no, don't you fuss. Nina is such a kind hearted woman that when she came to talk to me, I could do nothing but help. Plus you've always been so kind to Hugh, Cody. Honestly, I love my husband but he can be tough on Hugh. But Hugh always comes home with such a light heart after he's spent some time with you. You've really given yourself to him, so this is my thanks."

Moved, Cody carefully placed the suit back into the bag. Ever so humbled, he simply said, "Thank you."

Chris just smiled and said she must be going now for work. Right before she turned the corner of Cody's house Chris looked back at Cody, "Oh, and don't have too much fun with Abiba at the wedding!" She giggled and winked at Cody before disappearing around the bend. Cody was left slightly embarrassed.

The day of the wedding had finally arrived. Although Cody had normally relied on his internal clock to wake him at the crack of dawn, he found that he had woken up quite late this morning and in fact only had an hour to get ready. Slightly disoriented, Cody had taken his shower and put on his suit with great care. Cody faintly reminded himself of a child learning how to tie his shoes for the first time. He wanted to look into a mirror to check if he even looked decent, however, sadly, it had occurred to him that he had no mirror. He would be flying blind.

Cody exited his home and promptly ran into the twins, Kassey and Patrick. The twins perhaps looked small and harmless enough, but they made a living making fireworks. No the safest job in the world. The twins only gave their trust to those they truly found worthy, and Cody was one of the few. "'Mornin' Cody!" said Patrick.

"Oh! Look who's all spiffy for the wedding!" jeered Kassey, the more outspoken of the two brothers. It was true; Cody did look a little too formal compared to them. The twins' attire hadn't been changed much from what they wore normally. They both wore overalls Patrick wore green, Kassey blue. The only difference perhaps was that the overalls they wore now were clean. Cody shrugged, though he really felt awkward.

"Aw, don't worry about it, Cody," said Patrick, "It's different, and we're all for different!" After a few more teasing words from Kassey, Patrick finally was able to pull his brother up the hill to the wedding, saying that they'd see Cody there.

Cody, before he knew it he found himself at Black Berry Farm. There were animals in the field, cows and chickens living in harmony under the warm sun. Though Cody hadn't noticed them in the slightest. The short walk to Abiba's front door seemed to grow longer with every step he took forward. The house seemed miles and miles away. Leaves were scattered about the path to the house and when Cody's long journey to the front door Cody raised his hand, which was shaking a bit. No… he couldn't go through with it, there was no way. Cody turned around to go home, but as he took his first step away from Abiba's home a small dog began to bark. It startled Cody at first; the little creature appeared out of no where! Cody tried to gently hush the pup when a voice was heard from within the house. "Dragonfly? What are you barking at?" The door just barely creaked open. "Oh! Cody! I'll be right there!" Damn. No were to run now.

Abiba stepped out from behind the door, a version to Cody. She wore a strapless fuchsia dress that puffed out at the bottom near her knees due to the subtle use of tulle under the fabric. A black ribbon was tied around her waist with a small bow knotted at the side. She held a wool shawl in one hand along with a small black bag in the same hand. Cody looked to her face and noticed she wore small pink gemstone studs in her ears and that her copper brown hair was done up in a small, loose bun. She smiled shyly at Cody, "Oh, you look so nice Cody!" Abiba patted the pup Dragonfly tenderly on the head. "I'll be back later, love you," she reassured the dog, and then she kissed him lightly on his furry little skull.

Cody just stood there. He found it hard to breathe, let alone talk. Abiba looked absolutely beautiful. He wanted to tell her. Cody had seen many beautiful things in his live, but she blew them all away, she always did. But nothing came out. "Shall we go then?" said Abiba, clearly oblivious to Cody's overwhelming feelings. She effortlessly slipped her arm into Cody's and just as easily led him off the farm. Cody felt as if he were a feather, light and floating about.

When the two reached the hill, they found that there had been several rows of chairs set out neatly and parted to create an aisle in the middle. The chairs were all made to face the ocean and a flowered arch had been made for an altar. The Priest from Mineral Town already stood at the altar, greeting any who cam. The twins had already taken their seats, along with Ceila, Marlin, and Vesta- the three owned and ran the other farm in the Valley. Their farm had been around just as long as Abiba's had- however they were well known for their amazing fruits and veggies. Cody noticed that Marlin had perked up a bit at the sight of Abiba, with this in mind, Cody seated Abiba as far away from the Elvis-wanna-be as possible.

Cody sat beside Abiba, looking as if it was just an ordinary day, feeling as if he moved at all his body just might cave in on itself. "Are you alright, Cody?" asked Abiba, looking fairly concerned. Cody gave a slight nod. "Oh? You look pale. Are you sick." She reached up to feel his forehead. Cody smiled slightly to himself, she had seemed to make a habit of checking his temperature.

Abiba relaxed her hand for a moment, as she stared at the white lines on Cody's cheeks. She went to wipe them away, but at once knew that it was a silly idea and looked away. Cody had watched her movements. He looked to his side. "You don't have to try to be so nurturing." Abiba looked up. "Don't force yourself to be so kind," Cody's voice was hushed, "Bad people don't deserve that kind of kindness."

There was a pause. Abiba looked at Cody, then at her hands, then her chin slowly moved up to level her eyes with the altar. "I don't believe in such a thing as bad people, Cody. A truly bad person would ever think they were bad, they wouldn't be able to. They think only of themselves and that's just fine. But, there's no one like that. Everyone has at one point or another believed that they were a horrible person, or that they were sorry for doing something. So if someone has ever thought that they were a bad person, they must be good, deep down." Abiba leaned her head over, nearly touching Cody's arm, her voice was also hushed. "I think you're too kind, Cody. And I think you know this very well. In a way I think you don't want anyone else to know this. They could hurt you if they knew. So you keep telling yourself you've only got one person, you. But that's not true…."

Cody's eyes were wide, but he couldn't reply to Abiba, for more people of the Valley gathered about them. Abiba sat up and greeted those who sat around them, like Nina and her husband Galen. Shortly after, Carter stood at the altar, dressed in a very classic tux to which he pinned some sort of artifact. Everyone turned to watch Flora walk down the isle. Her wedding dress was a very simple ivory color, lined with gold detail. She held a bouquet of lilies as her gracefully walked past.

Cody didn't really hear the ceremony. He cared, but he didn't listen much. He silently watched Abiba out of the corner of his eye. Her face was rosy, shining with sheer joy for the couple standing at the altar. Was she truly real? Cody often wondered how Abiba could act the way she did. Was it just an act, or was it how she had always been. Cody looked up for a moment, and noticed that the priest handed the vows to the couple. Carter was speaking, but Cody only heard distant echoes of the words he spoke. Carter held a small piece of paper, which shook in his hands violently. Did those two, up there, put up an act for each other? Was he, Cody, acting like someone he wasn't for Abiba? Was he really as kind as she said he was? What made Cody believe her so much? What made her such and important factor?

And then it was Flora's turn. "Carter, you are my one true love. It's difficult to think that there was a day that I didn't know this. But do you know, it didn't start this way. I, one day, saw you smile at me- and I saw you in a different light. Suddenly, you were such an important factor." Cody took in a sharp breath. Flora continued, "But I get that's what lovers see in each other. The single must important person in existence. Thank you Carter, I love you."

The priest spoke, "By the power entrusted to me by the Harvest Goddess, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss."

Carter and Flora leaned toward each other, smiled to one another, and kissed, sweetly and happily as the sun began to set in the west.

There was no really after party. The Valley wished the newly weds well as they went on their honeymoon. Cody found it funny how Carter's idea of a romantic getaway was the closest city with the largest public library, but Flora seemed pleased. Then again, who was Cody to judge of romance? The wedding goers went their separate ways, yet Cody and Abiba managed to stick together. They walked up the hill near Black Berry Farm to the Goddess pond. Abiba laughed about how nervous Carter looked at the altar. "He's a sweet guy. He and Flora really do make a good couple. I mean, who else could make that damp, dark dig site as cheery as it has become!"

Cody smiled. Abiba's shawl was now draped over her shoulders. She had said that Nina had knitted it for her. Nina was also sweet in her eyes. It made Cody think of what wasn't sweet to her. He looked down for a moment. The two were standing near the waterfall and the night breeze blew in their direction. Cody spotted something. He bent down and plucked a Trick Blue flower from the ground. He looked at it for a moment then turned to Abiba, fixing the flower behind her right ear. Abiba's sleepy chatter stopped. She could see the flower out of the corner of her eye, and smell its beautiful perfume. She blushed. "Thank you."

Cody found himself in front of Abiba's door again. It was strange how he had now twice forgotten how he actually got to the door, but he did. Abiba was tired, but still he glowed in the moonlight, for what else could she do? She slowly took the flower out from her hair and held it in her hand. "I had a wonderful time, Cody. Thank you very much. Good night." With that, Cody noticed that Abiba's hand had just slipped out from his grasp. He was so lost in thought that he nearly missed Abiba's final glance before the door shut between them.

Cody walked off Black Berry Farm, staring at his palm, hardly understanding. The moment Abiba released his hand, Cody realized that he missed it, her hand in his. What he did not know was that his giant hand at held Abiba's nearly all night. That both hand had delicately cradled the others', yet he only noticed it now, as he missed the warmth of her hand. Cody sighed and looked up at the moon, wondering why he never noticed how bright it was before; then walked into his home, slowly shutting the door behind him.