Hi guys! Here is chapter 7! Hope you all are still enjoying it. I am having a blast writing :). Thanks to all readers and reviewers! Your feedback is soooo important to me and very much appreciated! xoxo- J
The day was halfway done when Jack finished planting his crops. He underestimated the amount of work it would take to clear out crop squares, hoe them, plant his seeds and then water them. He felt proud as he wiped the dirt off his hands and put his tools back into the toolbox. It wasn't much, but it was a start. The sun was shining and Jack felt as if he could feel his grandfather smiling at him from ear to ear. Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed behind him as Jack imagined it was his grandfather patting him on the back saying "good job". It all seemed funny to him. He and his grandfather were not particularly close when he was alive, save one summer, but now that he was gone Jack felt a bond he couldn't quite explain. It was as if his grandfather was there on the farm and in the town, guiding him. "One step at a time" he thought to himself.
Elli had the day off and went to visit her grandmother, Ellen, and little brother, Stu, per usual. She walked in and offered Ellen a piece of apple pie she picked up from the Inn. It was her favorite.
"Oh Elli, thank you dear. You're always so thoughtful." Ellen said with a quiet grin. Elli smiled and blushed slightly at the compliment.
"You're welcome grandma." Elli often worried if her grandmother got lonely and wished she could spend more time with her. She felt guilty when she moved out of the house to live at the clinic, but in order to provide for her family it was necessary. A moment of silence passed between the two of them.
"Where is Stu? He's usually here showing me the 'bug of the day'. Is he out playing with May?"
Ellen paused. "He's at the church…Elli, he has been asking about them. He's getting older. He's going to want answers."
Elli felt her stomach sink. She turned pale and stayed silent for a moment. "I knew this time would come I just…didn't think it would be so soon. He deserves to know, I know that, I just don't know what to say." It was Elli's job to stay strong for her family and she always put on a happy face. She kept a positive attitude and tried to make the most of every day. She knew how quickly life could be taken away.
"I'll go talk to him." She mustered.
"Stall him if you can, dear. He's only a child and the world is a wonder to him. I want him to see the innocence in things as long as he can. I know you didn't get that chance and I'm so sorry for that. I think about it every day." Ellen wiped a tear from her eye.
"I know grandma. Please, don't trouble your head with those thoughts. Let's just give Stu the best childhood we can. Life is what you make of it!" Elli was gaining back her chipper attitude, if only for her grandmother's sake. "I'm going to go find him".
Elli walked down the path to the church as thoughts flooded her head. She took a deep breath and walked in to find Stu sitting in the front pew. Pastor Carter nodded and stepped out.
"Hi Stu! What are you doing?" Elli asked as if she didn't know anything.
"…I'm talking to Mom and Dad." Stu replied as he played thumb war with himself. Elli bent down to sit beside him. "Do you miss them?" He asked. Elli sat in silence making sure she chose the right words and held back her tears.
"Yes, I do…but they are in a better place now and are always watching over us." Elli tried to avoid the question with a smile.
"I want to know what happened to them." Stu was more persistent than Elli expected. "They were my parents too and I didn't even get to know them…it's not fair!"
Elli took a deep breath. "Stu, they wanted nothing more than for all of us to be happy! Me, you, and grandma. Can we give them that? We were their world. And they loved you and I more than anything."
Stu paused. "…May has a Dad… I… want to be happy…but I want a Dad too…and I want a Mom… who will scold me for playing in the mud and hug me when I get home…"
Elli blinked back tears from her eyes and gave Stu her best smile. "I know, me too."
Stu said nothing as he got up from the pew and walked towards the door. He gave Elli a nod and a smile and headed back to see his grandmother. Elli pulled herself together and decided to go to the beach to clear her head. The water always soothed her and helped her think. It was late and she figured no one would be out and about. It was a relief for her not to be "on" for once. Sometimes, she just wanted to feel for herself. She felt selfish for putting herself first.
Elli arrived at the beach to find a very frustrated Gray kicking the sand. He had his fists clenched and seemed to be mumbling something to himself. Finding the situation extremely awkward, Elli tried to sneak away unnoticed. Unfortunately for her, he turned around to pace the opposite direction and caught her in her tracks.
"Huh?" He looked at her confused. Elli turned bright red.
"Oh gosh I'm so sorry Gray I just got here…I didn't hear anything …I'll go it's fine."
Gray let out a deep sigh. "No, it's fine. I should be sorry making a fool of myself. I needed to blow off some steam…" He spoke in such a quiet tone and made as little eye contact as possible.
"Well, that's exactly why I came here actually…" Elli was distracted as Gray picked up a large rock and threw it into the sea. He picked up another and brought it over to Elli.
"Here. You try. I don't know who you're mad at or whatever, but hey it helps me…I just imagine it's the old man's face…" Gray clenched his fists at the thought of his grandfather. Elli walked towards the shoreline and threw the rock with all her might. She started to giggle.
"Uh something funny?" Gray cocked an eyebrow.
"Haha, no…it just feels good for some reason…I've been holding a lot inside I guess…it's nice to get it out." Elli grabbed another rock and threw it even harder.
"Hah you must have some dark secret then…I've never seen someone throw a rock that hard before." Gray grabbed another himself and threw it into the sea.
"Well, not so much a secret so much as a life story." The only other person who knew all about Elli's past was Karen. They had been friends since they were little and Elli trusted her.
"I see." Gray paused as he picked up another stone. "Well if you want to get it off your chest here I am…" He said rhetorically not expecting an answer. Gray was pretty antisocial and no one ever seemed to tell him anything. He didn't let his guard down enough to talk to anyone anyway so he wasn't angry at the situation.
"Ok, fine." Elli took a deep breath. Gray stared blankly as he anticipated what was to come in shock that she was going to tell him her story.
"Well where do I start…You haven't been here long enough to know all of the Mineral Town drama so let me clue you in on mine. About 5 years ago my parents were killed…in a plane crash. They died…in essence for my grandmother's happiness. She was in love with a man she knew since she was a child…his name was…John. I never knew him. After my grandpa died they got back in touch and spent lots of time together. Eventually, he got sick from an illness that no one here had seen before. My grandmother became depressed as he started to wither away before her eyes. The doctor did everything he could to find a cure. He worked tirelessly with no success. There just weren't enough resources around the town. So, because the doctor couldn't help him, my parents, who were medical researchers themselves, decided to travel halfway across the world to continue the search for a cure…the plane lost power and fell into the sea. We never heard from them again…" Elli watched the waves as they pulled the sand away from the shore. Gray didn't know how to react.
"…I'm sorry to hear that." He was awkward in emotional situations and truly was at a loss.
"Thank you." Elli tried to fill the space. "…The doctor blames himself…he feels like he ruined our lives. I know it's not his fault…but now people treat him like a villain…in fact that's even how he treats himself. I feel obligated to make up for all of that and make everyone happy all the time. My best friend thinks I'm totally in love with him…I've told her that for years hoping it would get back to him and make him feel like everything was ok."
"You don't have to do that you know. You've been through a lot. You deserve a break. I tell that to myself all the time, but it's nothing compared to what you've been through. I feel like such a wimp now. Hah. Thanks a lot." He smirked looking up from under his hat.
Elli blushed and smiled. "What you're not going to share your sad story with me?"
Gray paused. "That's for another time."
Elli shrugged in defeat playfully. "Oh well. It was worth a try."
"How about Saturday?" Gray kicked the sand.
"…Really?" Elli was grinning.
"Meet me here. I'm going to help you take a break." Gray smirked.
"Ok then! You better be here or else!" Elli threw a rock into the sea as hard as she could and laughed out loud. Gray couldn't hold back a few chuckles himself.
"With that…goodnight." As Gray turned to walk away Elli gazed out into the sea and mouthed the words "thank you."
It was late and Jack had finally finished reading Mary's book. He had a stack of notes that he had taken on crops for every season. He felt like he was back in grade school, but at the same time felt like an expert on the subject. He wasn't terribly tired so he decided to take a stroll to the Inn. He hadn't been there in a while and thought he might share some of his progress with Ann. He smiled as he remembered the last time he saw her.
He walked into the Inn and the smell of delicious food wafted through the air. The door opened behind him and Gray ran straight into him.
"Oof. We really need to stop meeting like this." Jack said to Gray with playful concern.
"Oh, sorry about that. Excuse me." Was Gray actually smiling? Jack couldn't believe this was the same Gray he had met a few days ago. He shrugged it off and walked up to the counter.
"Jack! Good to see you again." Doug was grinning from ear to ear. Ann popped out of the kitchen as soon as she heard the word "Jack".
"Jack! You came back." Ann gave Jack a playful wink.
"That I did! I felt worthy of some celebration." Jack smiled and chuckled.
"Oh, do tell. What is this celebration all about then?" Ann eagerly awaited a response.
"Well, I have officially become a 'farmer'. I planted my first crops today and it's looking pretty good!" Jack was glad that Ann shared his level of enthusiasm.
"That's fantastic Jack! Look at you! A real farmer. What did you plant?"
"I planted some turnips and potatoes. They are going to be great I just know it! I made sure the soil was nice and fertile and I watered them nice and evenly!" Just like the book said.
"Wow those are great for cooking you know. Maybe I will come up with a new recipe for you so you can try them out…hmm…I can bring it to you when I finish thinking it up." Ann looked forward to that.
"That would be awesome. But…I don't have a kitchen yet." Jack responded embarrassedly.
"Oh…well then you'll just have to come use ours here! Free cooking lesson, haha. I'm still waiting on my 'farm lesson' by the way! Maybe if you need some help harvesting those crops…"
Jack interrupted her. "I would love some help with that."
Ann paused and smiled.
"It's a date!" Jack exclaimed…Once again his wording could have been better put…"Oof I mean…umm well like you know…what I mean…like the saying 'it's a date'…" Jack was kicking himself in his head.
"Hehe…oh Jack you crack me up." Ann giggled. "Alright celebration time! Fresh apple pie and a glass of wine on the house!"
As Ann disappeared into the kitchen Jack smiled to himself. Life was good.