Chapter 9: A Fall from the Sky
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The high I felt from the Kiefu Fairies' visit continued throughout the fall and more than halfway into winter. I found my life changing once again, and this time it was surely for the better. I could be found beaming with happiness from the early hours in the morning to the moment I drifted asleep at night.
But perhaps the most drastic change had occurred in my father. The morning after the sacred fairies' visit was the happiest I had ever seen him. He had run amongst the vines, pulling off grape after grape and popping them into his mouth, as if to make sure they all tasted the same. He had become the proud vineyard caretaker and the enthusiastic businessman that I remembered, and he no longer drank anything beside the juice from our grapes. We had not argued once that I could remember since that day, and for that I was the most grateful.
My mother also became the person I remembered in my earlier years. She had not cried in weeks, unless you counted her initial tears of joy. Her and my father were a solid team once again; she could be found at my father's side picking the grapes from morning until night. And, to my great joy, I had found the box that had once contained a pair of soft pink pointe shoes empty on the ground one day, and my mother nearby, dancing as if she had never given it up. She was delicate and graceful and held an excitable energy about her, as if she were suddenly young again— but most of all, she was beautiful.
We had soon found that the grapes had not only become bigger and much sweeter, but that they were growing at an extremely rapid rate, giving us more than three times the amount we had ever produced. Most of them we would crush and set in bottles to ferment for about a season, yet the grapes were so good that we were beginning to sell them on their own. I looked eagerly forward to when our vineyard would be famous once again, and how we would continue our grandma's legend: her Door to Heaven wine. Money was already beginning to flow in from the villagers as well as several other towns my father visited, and because of this I no longer needed to work at the bar in the evenings, but I continued anyway, for I felt it would be unfair to Duke who needed the assistance. Besides, I found myself becoming far more sociable than ever, and I enjoyed chatting with the villagers who came in, getting to know the people I had lived with my entire life. I was also becoming closer in friendship to Ann, who I'd see often on my way to the beach.
As for Jack and I, we were getting along better than ever, and were now "officially" a couple. We had gotten together at the Harvest Festival, only a few days after the night of the Kiefu Fairies, and spent pretty much all of our free time together, which had become more frequent during the winter without as many chores to do. Most of the time Jack would have to feed his cows, sheep, and chickens, which I would often help him with, and then we would head off to the beach. We were both content with merely talking and holding hands. I found I liked this much better than spending every moment in tight embrace. We were serious and we were goofy, and I simply loved being with him.
The only person I noticed who was not enjoying the season as much as my family and I was Kai. Of course he had been as thrilled as the rest of us when we found the vineyard had produced the world's finest grapes overnight, but his excitement died down quickly when he discovered Jack and I hand in hand one day. And my parents, who had taken a great liking to Jack, for he would bring them freshly picked vegetables and often helped around the vineyard, constantly invited him to eat with us. The majority of the time he would accept—only declining politely when he still had work to do— and the evenings he joined us for dinner Kai would eat quickly and then return to his room with only as much as a courteous "hello." I suspected the reason for his behavior of course, but I hoped he would eventually get over it and move on.
With all of the changes that had resulted from the one night of the fairies' visit, it seemed life was back to the way it was supposed to be. I was beginning to wonder why I had ever thought my life dull, and that nothing now could bring me down— but as fate seems to have it, I was eventually shaken from the clouds.
It happened one particular day when I had agreed to take a stroll around Moon Mountain with Jack. Earlier that day I had met with Ann at the bakery, and was thrilled to hear that her and Cliff, who I had recently found out was my cousin, were now a couple as well. The news had, even though I hadn't thought it possible, brightened my mood even more. We chatted girlishly about "the guys" for a long while, as well other things I wouldn't normally discuss with Jack, until I finally bid her farewell and set off toward Jack's farm. I could tell something was bugging him the moment he opened the door. His eyes, which were normally shining, seemed heavy with fatigue and clouded as if he were in deep thought. I asked him if he was still feeling up to the walk, but grabbing his coat, he merely nodded and we set off.
We walked in awkward silence all the way to the pond by the foot of the mountain until out of desperation I tried making small talk. I knew he would tell me what was wrong if he wanted to, and I wasn't going to pry it from him. We talked about the wine, which was almost ready to come out of the cellar, Cliff and Ann, which seemed to cheer him up a bit, cows, Kai, and whether or not we had ever seen the Potion Master open his eyes before. Eventually we had climbed to the top of the mountain and sat on the rocks overlooking the valley just as the sun began its descent.
"It's gorgeous, huh?" I said, looking out at the snow covered trees and mountains. "I'm glad I didn't leave."
I scooted in closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder, still gazing across the horizon.
"Yeah," he said, now starting to sound a bit dispirited again. "Beautiful."
I took my head from his shoulder and turned my body around to face him. I couldn't take it any longer.
"Look, Jack, I know something's bugging you," I said carefully, taking his hands in my own gloved ones. "Will you tell me what it is?"
He looked down, staring at the snow which had recently settled on the rocks. I heard him inhale deeply, as if he were about to plunge into the ocean.
"It's... well..." He looked up at me now, his blue eyes meeting mine. "My dad."
I understood now how hard of a thing this was for him to say. Him bringing up his father was rare, and I had only heard him speak of him once before, and that was well before we were together. I said nothing, but continued to listen, my eyes grazing over his face for a sign of what he was feeling.
"You see, he's not well. I received a letter from my aunt the other day... she said she doesn't know if he'll... er, if he'll make it." He had turned his eyes away from me now, and I was sure I they had been brimmed with tears. I, on the other hand, was speechless.
I managed an, "Ohh, Jack... I'm so sorry..." and wrapped an arm around him. He looked up again and I noticed the tears were gone, but his voice sounded weaker than it had before.
"I'm going to be leaving the farm to Doug, he's agreed to watch it... I have to leave for a while."
At this my heart dropped.
"How... how long do you think?" I asked. "A couple of weeks?"
"I don't know, Karen... if my dad does... well, if he doesn't make it, I'll have to tie some things up..."
The sun had now gone down and I could see his face was pale even in the darkness. I couldn't comprehend what he had told me... I knew it wouldn't be for long, but the fact that this had happened at that he was leaving when it seemed everything was going perfectly was a major letdown. But then I had an idea.
"Couldn't I go with you?" I asked hopefully. "I'm sure mum and dad would let me, if it's with you..."
"No, I wish you could, Karen... I really do... " he said, and I could tell he didn't want to leave me behind, "but it's... well, I feel I need to handle this on my own. I should have gotten to know my dad more and now... well now it might be too late."
I could see a tear running down his cheek now. I felt my heart crying along with him. I had nothing to say, nothing I could offer as comfort except for a hug.
"He'll be okay," I said, pulling away after awhile but keeping my hands on his shoulders, "You'll see, everything will be all right..."
I could see him smile in appreciation of my optimism, but I could tell he was doubtful.
"Thanks Karen," he replied. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
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After we had parted and I had long been in bed, I was still mulling over our conversation. It's not that bad... I thought, not for me. He'll be gone for a few weeks, I can handle that. I felt selfish thinking only of how this might affect me when his father was dying. But then again, I wished I could be there for him... I felt helpless staying behind when he was trying to balance all of this by himself. Though I could understand why he wanted to be alone. There were nights when I had wanted to sort things out by myself too, and I figured that if this were happening to me, I'd feel the same.
After a while, my thoughts were starting to wander and could feel sleep overtaking me. It'll be okay... I thought, coming to a conclusion, that's what Jack's taught me, anyway...
And that was the last thing I remembered before I drifted off to sleep.
