Chapter 10

After a brisk walk and some time to compose himself, Tom Nook walked into the post office, dripping wet. His state instantly caught the attention of Pelly, who was previously busy sorting out the income of mail.

"Oh, Tom!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Did you get caught by the storm?"

Ask a silly question, Tom Nook thought, but he didn't say it. He was already tired from the day's proceedings and only wanted one thing. Trying to look as normal as he could, he cleared his throat.

"Pelly, is Tortimer available?" he asked. Pelly's eyes scrunched at the strange request.

"You…want to speak with Tortimer?" she asked. "What for?"

"It's…well, I don't really want to say here" Tom Nook said quietly, keeping his emotions at bay. Now was not the time to start tearing up again. "I'm seeking a private conversation with him"

"Pelly, is someone calling me?" an elderly voice called from the back of the office. Tom Nook leant to see behind Pelly. He spotted Tortimer waddling his way up to the front of the desk with his walking stick. Tom Nook breathed a sigh of relief; he could only hope now that his request would be granted. A private audience with the mayor was all he needed to make things clear.

"Ah, good day, Tom Nook!" Tortimer said, pausing sometimes in between words to catch a breath. Old age didn't come by itself.

"Mayor Tortimer…" Tom Nook said, as Pelly seemed to step aside.

"What's wrong, young chappie?" Tortimer asked, raising his head to look up at Tom Nook. He wrung his hands together nervously.

"May I speak with you alone for a few moments?" Tom Nook asked quickly. Tortimer registered the request in his head, thinking.

"…Why, what ails you, my boy?" he asked. "Come, come into my office. Let's talk"

Tom Nook sighed in relief. Tortimer wads always a kind soul, even in his old age. As he walked behind the desk, he looked around the area. There were a few pictures of Tortimer, Pelly and Phyllis on the walls, as if the history of the post office was adorned on the walls. Tom Nook had never been behind the desk before; it was a strange experience. It was equally peculiar that Tortimer would have all the knowledge about Sable and Mark, although a second thought about it made perfect sense (he WAS the mayor, after all).

He was led into a small office, where a desk sat on one end beneath a large picture of Tortimer and his extended family. There was a window showing the rain from outside and the desk was laden with trinkets and pictures, much like any office desk. Tortimer shuffled over to his chair and, with effort, sat down at his seat. He gestured for Tom Nook to take the seat at the opposite end of the desk. He sat down, heart still pumping for what was to come.

"So, Tom…" Tortimer begun, scratching his chin. "…What did you want to talk to me about?"

Tom Nook looked down to the floor; he gulped. This was it, he thought. Time to face the music.

"Tortimer…" he said, completely forgetting to address him as 'mayor'. Tortimer didn't seem to notice. "…I wanted to ask you about Sable"

"Sable?" Tortimer asked, tilting his head. "And how is she lately? I haven't had a chat with her in a long time, although I do see her collecting her mail, or sending some of her own. Well, sometimes even…"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I need you to tell me about…her relationship with Mark" Tom Nook asked. Mark's name was like poison to his lips; he detested the name and the man. As soon as he said his name, Tortimer's rant came to an abrupt end. He stared at Tom Nook for a while, the name lingering in his head.

"Mark…you wanted to know about him?" Tortimer asked. "But why, my boy? He's long gone, he can't do you any harm"

"He came back" Tom said, his spirit empty and hollow. "He came to my store and told me about…well, things that happened between them. I…I wanted to ask you if he was telling me the truth. That, and everything else. Is this possible, Tortimer?" Tom Nook asked, becoming slightly more desperate with every sentence. Tortimer sighed quietly, his face sinking as if he were depressed.

"Tom…are you sure?" he asked. "I do happen to know everything. Sable confided in me when she was feeling at her most low, just as their relationship was ending. What I've got to say might hurt you"

"I've heard it" Tom Nook said. The slightest recollection of Mark's words stabbed at him; he felt weak again. But he had to listen. "Please…just tell me everything from the start. My knowledge is filled with so many blanks…I only know the worst of it"

Tortimer shuffled in his seat, making himself comfortable.

"I may as well tell you, then" Tortimer said. "Some years ago, whilst you were still in the city, a man named Mark came to live in the town" he explained. "He was a big, powerful looking man. I can't exactly remember the career he had, but it paid good money. He bought himself a big house by the corner of town. Within days, he met Sable. Sable was quite depressed at the time, if I remember…"

"It was because I stopped sending her letters" Tom Nook explained. "My business was failing and I slumped into a little depression of my own"

"Is that so?" Tortimer remarked. "Hmm…in any case, to everybody's surprise, the two fell in love with each other rather quickly. Their relationship must have lasted about…oh, I'd say fifteen months?" he guessed.

"So…what happened then?" Tom Nook asked.

"…Well, nothing very interesting to you, in all honesty" Tortimer said. "It was about eight months in when something big happened"

"She got pregnant, didn't she?" Tom Nook asked, feeling his stomach churn at the revelation…and its conclusion.

"That's correct" Tortimer confirmed, which hurt Tom even more. "She was with child; two children to be precise. Unfortunately for the poor girl…that was the end of the happiness. There were rumors that Mark had been beating Sable"

Tom Nook jumped in his seat. His fists automatically clenched in anger and his eyes were flaring.

"That bastard…" he growled. "How could he be so nasty?"

"Well, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that he's a sadist" Tortimer explained. "It was a shame Sable hadn't realized that. As soon as she became pregnant, Mark became very volatile. He wanted everything to be the way that he wanted it; anything that didn't agree with him…would bring about his violence. Nobody knows how badly he beat her throughout those six months of her pregnancy, but it wasn't rare for someone to listen to Sable covering up her black eyes with excuses. Tom…she lived in fear towards the end; it was about six months in when…"

"She had the abortion…" Tom Nook uttered in defeat. He hung his head low, unable to think of how he would ever be able to get over such a terrible piece of knowledge.

"…Abortion? What the devil are you talking about; are you quite sane?"

Tom Nook's eyes shot open. No abortion. He felt a surge of panic and excitement rise inside of him, all at once. He looked up at Tortimer, who seemed to have a confused, yet disgusted face looking right back at him.

"You mean…she didn't abort the child?" Tom Nook croaked, his throat welling up. His thoughts were confirmed when he saw Tortimer shake his head slowly. There were no words to describe his thoughts, but he noticed that something was still wrong. If Sable did have the child, he thought, then where was he or she? Living with Mark? Living alone? What seemed to be more complicating was that Tortimer's expression was not one of joy, but one of solemn grief.

"Who told you that?" Tortimer asked, his head hung low in sadness.

"Mark did" Tom Nook replied quickly. Tortimer sighed again, clearing his throat with a loud cough.

"Of course he'd say something awful like that" Tortimer revealed. "Tom…I really didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but you have the right to know. Sable never had an abortion. She miscarried. I'm sorry"

Until that very moment, Tom Nook felt that he had experienced it all in a day. He had managed to overcome the existence of a previous boyfriend to give his own relationship a kick-start, only to be floored with the worst news of his life. And now, just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. Sable had miscarried. Something that was clearly out of her control. All at once, Tom Nook felt all the horrors of his thoughts attack him. Everything that had passed through his mind, the decision to abort, and the world as Sable saw it; everything came to bite him back. Dizzying. He felt faint; grasping the ends of his desk as hard as he could, he clenched his eyes.

"I…" Tom Nook gasped. He had no more tears of his own to cry for that day. His throat was choking up on him, restricting his voice from escaping. All he could manage were whispers and gasps.

"…Not soon after, Mark was arrested" Tortimer continued, feeling the obligation to finish the story. "Blaming Sable for the miscarriage, he attacked her with a knife. She escaped, but not without a terrible gash to her arm; she came to me for help, and we called the police"

The final question that he struggled to ask had just been answered for him. The reason why Mark had been in jail. Now he knew, despite the anguish and the torment, there was nothing that he didn't know. Everything was clear to him now.

That night, he lay in his bed, staring towards the ceiling. What would the morning bring? Tom Nook went through every single possibility that could arise. Sable would be okay. Sable wouldn't be okay. Mark would not come back. Mark would be back. Tom himself might not get out of bed. The relationship was over. The relationship was to continue. He would open his store tomorrow. He'd keep it shut and have the day to himself. He would visit Sable. He would stay at home all day. Sable would still love him. Sable wouldn't love him anymore.

Life wasn't worth living.

Life was worth living.