Hello readers! Sorry for such a late update. I have been swamped. Thank you soooo much for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me and your reviews really motivate me to write more :). I hope you enjoy this chapter! xoxo- J
Today was the day! Jack finally felt like he was a farmer. He looked out his window to find that his turnips had grown in and were ready to be harvested. He didn't even care that he forgot his shoes and hat as he rushed outside with a huge grin plastered to his face. "I did it grandpa", he whispered under his breath. A cool breeze rushed by and tousled Jack's hair as if to say, "that's my boy!" Jack pulled up his first turnip and inspected it. Satisfied, he placed it in his rucksack before placing the remaining bunch in the shipping bin. He did promise Ann a turnip after-all, and he didn't plan to disappoint. Now that his crop square was bare again, he needed to go into town and buy some more seeds from the supermarket. Jack didn't have too much money yet so he decided to buy some more turnip seeds. He went inside to grab his shoes and hat before heading out into town.
Karen tended to the store per usual, pacing back and fourth as thoughts raced through her head. Time seemed to pass so slowly while she was working. Sometimes, she tried to see how high she could count and guess how many minutes had passed by. But, today was different. She was lost in a daydream. Although Karen was immature in some ways, she was an old soul at heart. She was smart and wise beyond her years with a sense of empathy she tried to hide by throwing out sarcastic remarks. She always kept her distance from people. Perhaps it was because she didn't like goodbyes…and she had always planned on saying goodbye to Mineral Town. Since she was young she dreamed of moving to the city and starting her own life there, but as she grew older reality set in. As of now her parents were in debt and were deemed "emotionally weak". They couldn't possibly survive on their own. Karen seemed to think that she was the only rational one in the family who seemed to possess any sort of common sense… precisely why she figured she would survive in the city. She didn't have many close friends her age. She spent most of her time with her childhood best friend, Rick.
Karen played out a scene in her head where she walked off the boat to see, hear, and feel the hustle and bustle of city life for the first time. It wasn't until she walked straight into Mary that she snapped back to reality.
"Oh!" Mary let out with a startle.
"Oh…sorry about that. I must have tripped…" Karen tried to come up with a good excuse.
"Oh, it's fine really." Mary paused and looked at Karen.
"Ok, well let me know if you need anything." Karen went back into work mode.
Mary became intrigued. She loved to "figure people out" and seemed sort of perplexed by Karen. She could be aggressive one minute and somewhat somber the next. On the other hand she was known to liven up a party when alcohol was involved. Nothing could fool Mary. She knew there was more to everyone than they let on. She paused for a moment thinking of what to say.
"Do you like working here in the supermarket?" She asked trying to seem innocent.
"Umm…I guess 'like' is a pretty strong word. Maybe I would like it if I got paid…" Karen was taken off guard.
"Understandable! It must be interesting 'working' for your parents then…spending so much time with them everyday. I don't know how you do it! Nothing personal to them of course…I just assume that's how it must be with all parents." Mary giggled.
Karen always thought of Mary as some quiet awkward bookworm who didn't get out much, but maybe she was wrong. Mary seemed pretty down to earth and real. Karen liked that in a person.
"Hah. You're telling me…I just look forward to 5:00. I can sneak a few glasses of wine in at dinner and call it a night." Karen grinned a half smile.
Mary grinned back. "You know, sometimes I wish I had a place to escape to at the end of the day. I always wanted to try the Inn, but I don't find it much of an escape if everyone is there watching." She sighed.
"Yeah. I go there sometimes, but my favorite place to go…is the beach. Sometimes late at night I'll sneak out and just sit listening to the waves. I could sit there all night…maybe the wine helps." Karen let out a quiet laugh.
"That sounds wonderful. I sometimes go up to the mountains, but I never thought to go to the beach at night. It does make sense though. When the water is dark you can see reflections in the moonlight…everything seems so clear." Mary alluded.
"Yeah. I really love it there. I especially love to watch the boats come and go." If only Mary knew what Karen dreamed.
Mary paused for a moment before responding. "Isn't it funny how time can pass so slowly at times, but when you finally want it to slow down it speeds up again? The ocean reminds me just how vast everything is."
Karen nodded. Mary brought her bag to the counter in silence.
"Well I better be heading back home now…It was nice talking to you, Karen."
"Same to you." Karen watched as Mary turned to leave.
"Hey, Mary!" She called out.
"Yes?" Mary responded.
"If you ever want to share a bottle with me at the beach…feel free to stop by." Karen was surprised at her own gesture.
"That would be great." Mary smiled. She appreciated the gesture from Karen since she knew she didn't open up to many people.
Karen smiled to herself looking forward to spending time with an unexpected friend.
Just as Mary left the supermarket, Jack headed in.
"Hey Mary!" He called out with excitement.
Mary stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"Oh, hello Jack!" She smiled.
"I just need to let you know how helpful that book was to me! My turnips finally grew! I harvested them today. All thanks to you." Jack was beaming.
"Oh, Jack don't be silly! It was you who did the hard work. I just gave you some information. I'm so glad to hear it."
Jack smiled widely. "I'm going to return it I promise! How about later in the week?"
"Sure! I will be there when you're ready." Mary looked forward to speaking with him again.
"Great! I will see you soon then." Jack looked forward to it. He smiled as he entered the supermarket.
Jack saw Karen and gave her a nod and a wave. He knew she wasn't one to want to chat with him. He was surprised when she approached him.
"Hi Jack. Can I help you with anything?"
"Oh not really. Just getting some seeds! My turnips came in today." He figured she didn't care much about them so he didn't care to elaborate.
"Oh wow. That's great Jack. Look at you…a real farmer boy now." She smiled.
Jack smiled back. "I guess so!" He was slightly confused as to why Karen was being so nice to him, but he gladly accepted avoiding some Mineral Town drama. He grabbed the seeds and paid for them.
"Alright, I have to get back to work!" Jack called out to Karen.
"Ok, Jack. See you around!" Karen waved as Jack left the shop.
Jack proudly marched over to the Inn, turnip in tow. He couldn't wait to hear what recipes Ann could think up. He walked in to see Ann conveniently sweeping the floor in front of him.
"Jack!" She exclaimed.
"Hi, Ann!" He casually took the turnip out of his rucksack and held it up.
"Oh, wow! Look at that. You did it Jack!" Jack brought it over to her and placed it in her hand. She was gleaming.
"Yep! Told you I would! Now…if only I knew what to do with it…" Jack pondered with a grin.
"Lucky for you I happen to know just the thing. Wait here!" Jack took a seat at the bar. As he waited, a young man he hadn't seen before walked up beside him. He was tall with long brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
"I…I'm here to pick up my lunch." He muttered to Doug who handed him a brown paper to-go bag. He turned to leave when Jack decided to stop him.
"Hey! Haven't seen you around here before…I'm new so I'm trying to get to know everyone…I'm Jack. Nice to meet you." Jack offered his hand.
"Oh I'm new here myself…I'm Cliff." He gave Jack a weak handshake and looked down.
"Wow another newbie in Mineral Town. Feels good not to be the only one! What brought you here? I am restoring my grandfather's farm."
"Oh…I…I'd rather not say right now. I…I'm sorry. I have to go." Cliff didn't have the courage to look back at Jack as he left the Inn. He looked discouraged. Jack didn't know how to react, but he was glad he didn't get his hopes up. He brushed the whole thing off as he saw Ann coming his way.
"Tada! I made you some noodles with veggies! You may be pleased to find some delicious fresh turnip in there courtesy of our local farm." She gave Jack a coy wink.
"Wow, Ann this is great!" Jack felt elated and both his heart and stomach felt warm and full. When he finished he handed his plate back to Ann.
"So…I was thinking…Since I harvested all of my turnips I'm going to be planting some more…and I definitely owe you one…would you want to come and help me plant them tomorrow?" Jack grinned brimming with excitement.
"That would be great! It's a date!" She giggled remembering Jack's awkwardness with that same phrase when they first met.
Jack smiled. "So then I will see you bright and early! How does 6:00 sound?"
"I'm an early bird so that will be just fine." Ann actually preferred sleeping in, but she wanted to be just what Jack wanted. She had never felt this way before. Something felt different somehow.
"Great. Goodnight Ann!" Jack looked back with a wave as he left for the night.
Not yet tired, Jack decided to make a pit stop at the beach on his way home. He remembered going there during the summer when he visited his grandpa and how much he loved playing in sea. He was surprised when he saw Karen standing by the shoreline so late at night.
"Karen?" He said as he approached her.
"Hey, Jack. Looks like you found my secret spot…" She spoke under her breath.
"What are you doing here so late?" He asked.
"I'm just thinking." She responded.
"About?" He asked curiously.
"…Do you always pry like this?" Karen threw out her typical attitude.
Jack thought for a minute. "Honestly…now that I think about it…yeah I kind of do."
Karen scoffed. "Not sure if you should be particularly proud of that. But hey, gotta admire the honesty."
Jack paused for a minute. "Well, Karen…if you ever want me to pry I am always up for it." He smiled.
"I'll keep that in mind, Jack." She half-smiled to herself.
Jack yawned. He was on such a high earlier he didn't realize just how exhausted he really was. If he wanted to be on his game for Ann tomorrow he had to get his beauty sleep.
"Alright well…enjoy your thoughts! I'll leave you to it."
Karen waited a minute not sure if she wanted him to leave.
"Ok. Goodnight." She made up her mind.
As Jack walked into the distance Karen gazed into the moonlight for a while. Things really did become clear in it's reflection. She finally put on her shoes and headed home…but first she needed to make a pit stop at the clinic.