Tuesday, 2nd of Fall

Alma stepped out on the farm and saw her wheat, sunflowers, and corn were all ready to harvest. She harvested those, and when she pulled up the sunflowers, she was able to replant some of the seeds. She did the rest of her usual morning work and remembered that today was Tuesday: aerobics day! Alma dug up a rusty spur on her way into town, and as she was putting her hoe back in her bag, she could hear hammering coming from somewhere. Robin must have been building something, but she wondered what it might be? She followed the sound into the square until she saw Mayor Lewis and Robin in front of Mayor Lewis's house, putting up a large billboard. "Ah, hello there, Alma," Mayor Lewis greeted. "You showed up at the perfect time."

"Hi there. What are you all working on? What is this?"

"It's our new 'Special Orders' board. Robin and I built it from scratch." Mayor Lewis puffed out his chest and stuck his thumbs in his suspenders.

"Um … Lewis?" Robin asked, stepping out from behind the board. "All you did was hold the nails."

Alma snickered, and Mayor Lewis cleared his throat, a bit perturbed. "Ignore her," he muttered. "Now, let me explain," he said, stepping closer to her. "You see, with Paradise Farm back in business, the local economy has really been picking up. As a result, some of the local townsfolk have been asking me for a way to source local ingredients for their businesses or personal projects. So, Robin and I came up with the idea of a new 'Special Orders' board, where people can post bigger jobs than would make sense for the old billboard outside Pierre's."

"Yeah," Robin said, coming around and putting her hammer in her belt. "For example, I plan on requesting some hardwood for a bed I want to make. I won't put you on the spot, but if you want to help me out you can just accept the job from this board. Who knows, maybe if the bed turns out well I'll start selling them in my shop!"

"Sure, I look forward to helping!" Alma said with a nod.

"I thought so!" Mayor Lewis cheered. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Alma."

Robin nudged her and said, "So, can we say that you're … on board?" She giggled at her own joke, and Mayor Lewis moaned. Alma just wagged her head and smiled.

"Well," Mayor Lewis continued, "I'm sure you're busy, so we won't keep you away from your work any longer." He put a hand on her shoulder. "As always, I appreciate your willingness to contribute!"

"It's my pleasure, sir," she answered.

He smiled and nodded, patting her shoulder as he said, "Take care, Alma," and began walking off.

Robin pointed a finger gun at her and asked, "See you in dance class?"

"Yep! I'm going to sell some things to Pierre, and then I'll be in there."

"With Harvey?" she added with a wink.

Alma chuckled and said, "That's up to him! We'll see if he's up for it today." Robin giggled and walked away with a wave. Alma went up to Pierre's shop and checked the calendar before going in. Today was Penny's birthday! She wondered what she might have that Penny would like. She knew she was interested in history, so she thought maybe she would like the spur she had just dug up. Alma pulled it out of her bag and looked it over. "Worth a try!" she thought. She knew Penny would be tutoring the kids in the library now, so she went that way.

"Have something for me?" Gunther asked as she came in.

"I do but not what you think," she said, pulling her bag around as she approached his counter. She pulled out the copy of How Deep Do the Mines Go? "I finished it last night, finally."

"So, how deep do the mines go?"

"According to this, no one knows for sure! When the mines were still in working order, they went through one hundred levels of rock and uncovered three distinct biomes, but since then, with the presence of dwarves, researchers, monsters, adventurers, and who knows who else, it may go down farther or not even that far."

"Interesting," Gunther said, flipping through the book. "And you plan to find out?"

"I plan to go as far as I can! Now," she said, looking into the library, "I have something for one of your patrons. I'll see you around." She walked into the bookstacks and saw Penny reading with Vincent and Jas.

"Hi there, miss!" Vincent greeted.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, guys," she said quietly as she approached them, "but I saw that today is your teacher's birthday!"

"You remembered my birthday!" Alma handed her the spur, and she gasped. "Is this … just like the one just in the collection here?"

"It is!"

"Wow, that's so cool!" Vincent whispered.

Jas didn't look so impressed. "You smell like grass," she said.

"Well, it comes with the job, I'm afraid, Jas."

"Thank you," Penny said. "This is great!"

"No problem. Happy Birthday! Now," she said, pulling her bag back on her shoulders, "I'll leave you all to your lesson. Have a great day!"

"Well, I'm tutoring Vincent and Jas today," she said. "They're a handful, but it's nice to make a difference in someone's life."

"It's a very noble cause," Alma said. "Hopefully you'll get some nice break to celebrate today." She looked at Vincent and Jas and said, "You be good to Miss Penny!"

"Say bye, kids," Penny reminded them.

"Bye, Ms. Alma!" Jas and Vincent called after her.

Alma waved to them on her way out. She went back into town to Pierre's shop and stepped inside. "Good afternoon, Pierre!"

"Hi, Alma! What have you got for me today?"

"Technically my first fall harvest?" she said, pulling off her bag. She dumped out the corn, sunflowers, and wheat, as well as the mushrooms and animal products. "Though I guess it doesn't count since it's been growing since the summer."

"That's quite all right," he said, gathering the things up. "I'm happy to buy whatever you produce on the farm. Yes, I do resell it for a profit, but that's the benefit of being an established shop owner."

"Giving away your secrets, eh?"

"Don't get any ideas," he teased. "You needing any seeds?"

"Some wheat and a few sunflowers, if you don't mind."

Just then, Harvey stepped through the door, his duffel bag over his shoulder. "Ah! There's your beau!"

"Hello, Pierre," Harvey greeted with a little awkward wave.

"I haven't had a chance to congratulate you," Pierre said, sticking out his hand. Harvey came and shook it, and Alma just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Well done, you two, well done."

"I feel sorry for Abigail and her future boyfriend," she said.

"Oh, don't worry, I've got my shotgun for that!" he laughed.

"Then, yes, I'm thankful I'm not in that position." Harvey looked at Alma. "Will you be attending the aerobics class today?"

"Yes, and you? No appointments today?"

"We got done early, so I welcomed the opportunity."

"It's nice for the good doctor to supervise the class in case of a medical emergency," Pierre said.

Alma gave Harvey a look, and he sputtered, "Just, uh, just doing my job."

"Well, I think I know what you'll be supervising today, am I right?" Pierre said with bouncing eyebrows as he handed Alma her seeds and money.

"Pierre, you keep this up, and I'll be keeping my produce to myself, thank you!" Alma laughed. "Come on, Harvey, you don't need to take this!" she joked.

As they walked to the back, Pierre called, "Don't worry! I'm sure he knows mouth-to-mouth!"

Harvey held the door open for Alma. "If you ever want to know what it's like having brothers," Alma moaned, "Pierre pretty much exemplifies it!"

"He is right, though," Harvey said. "I, uh … do know mouth-to-mouth." She slapped him playfully on the stomach as they continued down the hall. "By the way," he said, pointing to the bandage on her cheek that was starting to curl up at the edges, "your bat's test results were negative, thank Yoba."

"Oh, yes, good. Does that mean I can take this off? I'm tired of people asking me what happened."

"No, let it fall off on its own. Plus, use it as a conversation starter instead of us!"

When they came into the big room, all the women were there chattering with each other. "There they are!" Emily cheered as they came in. Harvey's face immediately turned red as all the women started cooing over them.

"Jodi, Robin, and Caroline were just filling us in!" Marnie said.

"But we want to know all the details!" Caroline added.

Alma laughed and put her arm into his as a means of support. "You all are going to make him never come back to class!"

"So who asked whom? At least tell us that!" Marnie asked.

"Pierre said it was Alma - wasn't it?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, i-it was Alma," Harvey said, barely audible. All the women squealed and giggled.

"There's not a whole lot more to tell," Alma said. "We're just taking it slow and enjoying each other's company. You all are more mature than a lot of the other bachelors and bachelorettes in town - you know how it is at our age!"

"Oh, I think you all would be the opposite!" Jodi giggled. "No time to waste!" The room exploded in squeals, and Alma thought Harvey was going to melt out of embarrassment.

She tried to look for an out for him. "Let's go ahead and get the class going, shall we?"

"Yes, ladies, let's do this!" Caroline said, clapping her hands.

Alma helped turn Harvey away from the gaggle of women, and he released a sharp exhale. "Thank you."

"No one cares a flip about this bandage on my face!" she chuckled. "That's what I suspect it's like having sisters!"

"I'm glad I'm an only child," he sputtered. He took his bag to the back of the room and started getting out of his work clothes. Alma put down her things too and still felt like all eyes were on them. But soon the music started, and the women began lining up.

"Harvey? You want these today?" Robin asked, holding up her weights. "You'll need to strengthen your arms so you can sweep Alma off her feet!"

"All right, ladies, let's leave them alone now!" Caroline called, starting to move to the beat.

"Just think of it this way," Alma said to Harvey, "your blood is already pumping, so you don't need to warm up!"

"Yes, my oxygen levels and heart rate are quite high, and I'm already starting to sweat!" he said as he pulled on his sweat bands.

They took their places in the big room, starting to follow Caroline's moves. The workout continued on, and Alma could see Harvey working especially hard. She thought maybe he was working out his nervous energy, and she hoped it would help him feel better afterward. Plus, he probably felt more relaxed now that the women weren't focused on them.

"All right, that's a wrap on today's class!" Caroline cheered. "Great job today, everyone!"

Harvey went immediately to his bag and started to act busy, hoping that the women would leave him alone. He pulled out some water bottles and said, "Here's some water if anyone wants it!" No one listened but instead descended on Alma.

"It's good to know he's building up his stamina, eh, Alma?" Marnie giggled. Emily playfully pushed Marnie, and the other women laughed.

Alma really wanted to say something about Lewis not having any stamina left; she had to bite her tongue hard. "All right, ladies, please, that's enough," she chuckled, holding her hands up and hoping to diffuse the situation. "I think you've tormented us both enough today. I don't think poor Harvey can take much more!"

"She's right," Robin said, "Alma knows how much Harvey can really take!" And the room exploded in squeals again.

Alma just rolled her eyes and walked over to Harvey. "Just keep your head down, and they'll leave you alone."

"I think they can smell fear," he chuckled nervously as he rushed to get dressed. "How quickly can we get out of here?!"

"As soon as you're ready, we'll escape."

He stuffed his things in his bag and threw it over his shoulder, carrying his coat on his arm. "Let's go then!" he whispered. He used one hand to gently push her out of the room. "Goodbye, ladies!" They both smiled and waved before rushing out. All the women said goodbye and waved, laughing and cooing and squealing as Alma and Harvey left. As soon as they left the room, Harvey breathed a sigh of relief. "I think I'd rather go into the caves than endure that again."

"You're not out of the woods yet; we've still got Pierre."

Harvey took a deep breath before opening the door to the general store. "Goodbye, you lovebirds!" Pierre called on their way out.

"Bye, Pierre," Alma said flatly, giving him a little wave. Harvey held the door for her, and they made their escape. The air felt especially fresh for them as they stepped outside. Again, Harvey breathed a sigh of relief. "Now you're going to the bath house, right?" she asked.

"That's right," he said, "I need to get cleaned up before going back to the clinic."

"Mind if I come with you?"

Harvey looked stunned for a moment, thinking of being in the bath together with Alma. "Uh … no. No, that's fine with me."

"I can't soak for too long," she said, "but a bath sounds too good to pass up."

"All right, well," he said, pulling his coat over his shoulders and picking up his bag, "let's not waste any time then, shall we?" Alma nodded, and he held his arm out to escort her. "Let's go this way, to encounter as few people as possible," he said, leading her behind the Mullners' house and up the mountain pass that was next to the cliff.

"It will get better once the excitement wears off," Alma said. "I don't guess new couples happen often in Pelican Town?"

"Oh, absolutely not. The last one was …. Well, I don't even think there have been any new couples since I moved here! All the married couples have been here for decades!"

"Lucky us," Alma scoffed. "Consider it a form of exposure therapy for your fear of awkward social situations."

"You're right," he chuckled. "I should be thanking them!"

They approached the bath house, and as they stepped inside, he said, "Are you, uh, going to the showers in the locker room, or are you going to the bath?"

"I don't actually think the showers work in the women's room, so I was planning on the bath."

"Oh, uh, okay. See you in a minute then!" He tried to sound calm, but he was actually quite nervous. Alma stepped into the locker room and picked a locker to put her bag into. She found a stack of bathing suits available, so she changed out of her overalls, closing the locker door with a bang that echoed. She took a quick look in the mirror as she walked past the vanity, curling her hair behind her ear. Then she made her way through to the bath.

Meanwhile, Harvey was changing into his bathing trunks as quickly as possible, hoping to get into the bath before she did. He was quite embarrassed of his body and wanted to be underwater before she saw him. He took no effort in locking up his things, and he threw his clothes onto the floor; he knew no one would be coming in anyway. He rushed to the mirror and looked at his thin frame, a bit of a pot belly, and unruly body hair. Nothing he could do about it now, he thought. So he rushed to the bath and was thankful to see Alma wasn't there yet. The hot water was a shock that made his breath quicken, but as soon as he was in the water, he felt more relaxed. He leaned against the side of the pool and stretched his arms over the edge, trying to breathe slowly and deeply. He heard the door open from the women's locker room and wondered if he should look at her or look away. But as he looked up, he didn't have a choice; his glasses started to fog up from the steam of the bath anyway.

Alma couldn't help but laugh. "It's probably hard for you to see in here, huh?" She stepped into the pool and let out a long exhale as she got into the hot water.

"Yes, I can never wear my glasses in here. I don't even know why I bother to bring them with me." He took them off and folded them on the ground close to where he was sitting.

Alma dunked in the water quickly to get her hair wet, then smoothed it back and wiped her face. He washed his arms and splashed water on his face, trying not to stare at her. She noticed her bandage was starting to come off. "Well, look at that!" She peeled the last corner of it off and placed it by the edge of the pool close to the stairs leading to the women's locker room. "Don't let me forget to pick that up on the way out."

"Of course. That's very unsanitary."

"So how bad is your eyesight?" she asked before splashing more water on her face.

"Pretty terrible," he laughed. "The last time I had my eyes checked, my prescription was 20/100. Legal blindness is 20/200."

"So you're halfway blind?" Alma laughed, and he chuckled too.

"It's considered moderate impairment." He squinted over at her. "You look like a pillar of peach with a dollop of black whipped cream on top."

Alma laughed loudly, and Harvey thought maybe it was the hardest he had heard her laugh. Her voice echoed in the large bath room. "I can guarantee that's the first I've ever been described like that!" She came a little closer toward him, still chuckling. "How about now? Better?"

He squinted again. "A bit, yes. I can see your b-bathing suit is purple."

She came closer still, now in the middle of the pool. "Better?"

"Now I can at least tell it's you, y-yes." He felt a bit nervous and swallowed the lump in his throat.

She came a bit closer, now about ten feet away. "How about now?"

The closer she came, the better he could see her. It made his heart race. He could see the tan lines on her arms and neck from working in the sun. He tried to control his breathing and focus on her face. "I can, uh … s-see the details of your face now, but I can't tell what expression you're making."

She chuckled and made some silly faces. "So you can't see any of this?!"

He laughed a little too. "I just see that you're moving your face around. Are you … sticking your tongue out?" She kept her face furrowed and came a bit closer until he saw her angry expression, at about five feet from his face. "Oh!" He laughed nervously, and she laughed too and came to be next to him, leaning her head on the edge of the pool too, his arm resting on the wall of the pool behind her.

Alma turned her head to look at his face. Her eyes reflected the water of the pool beautifully and made them look more blue. This made him smile, though he was still feeling a wave of panic come over him. "This is the first I've seen you without glasses," she said. She could see Harvey's eyes darting back and forth across her face, and she wasn't sure if it was still because he couldn't quite see her or if it was because he was nervous. He had that familiar look of underlying concern on his face. She saw the stubble along his jawline and the small crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. His hair was still a little curled and unkempt from being sweaty, and she noticed for the first time that it actually looked a little reddish in places. His eyes were a light brown, and even though he had a sad look about them, they still seemed caring and deep. His lips were set tight, and she could see his chest going up and down quickly. Yes, he was nervous. She leaned her head on his shoulder, put a hand on his chest, and started to breathe deep.

He closed his eyes, wrapped his arm around her, and focused on his breathing, trying to match his with hers. After three deep breaths, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. He took another deep breath and said quietly, "How is it you can both make me panic and calm me down?"

She chuckled and shrugged. "I'm talented, I guess." There was a moment of silence between them, content and calm. "So," Alma said, "Pierre thinks you're there as a medical standby?"

"Yeah," he answered with a chuckle. "I mean, it's not a lie. If something were to happen, I'd step right in!"

"Uh-huh. So have the women in the class just agreed to keep it secret?"

"I asked them to, yes."

Alma looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "And you really think they have?"

"Well … until just now."

Alma laughed. "Sorry to burst your bubble." She took her head off his shoulder, splashing her face again before leaning her head back on the edge of the pool. "It feels so good to take a bath. I mean, this is the first I've seen you without glasses, and it's probably the first time you've seen me clean." She chuckled and shook her head. "It's a rare sight nowadays, I feel like."

"That's one thing that's different here than in the cities, right? Bathing is … not a big priority for most of the people in the countryside." He splashed water on his face and combed his fingers through his hair too.

"Yeah, if you had told me a year ago that I'd be lucky to get a bath once a week, especially after working on a farm all day …."

"I'm sure that's one of many ways your life has changed from then to now."

Alma rolled her eyes and nodded with a little scoff. "That may be the understatement of the year." She closed her eyes and sighed. "It feels like a lifetime ago now."

Harvey looked at her face, scanning over the cuts that were healing, and wondered what kinds of things she had seen in her past. He thought about how his own life had changed so much now too that she was here. "What, uh … What was your life like this time last year?" he asked.

She opened up her eyes and looked at the ceiling above her. "Well … I was finalizing my divorce and still living in my apartment in the city. Working fifty or so hours a week at Joja as a data analyst, being forced to take people's information and sell it to marketing teams. And I was about to have an audit that would cause total humiliation. I was sleeping terribly - if at all - and eating even worse, often getting sick after every meal. I was dealing with a lot of guilt and doubt and existential crises, and I felt like I was pulling myself further and further away from my friends and family, instead pushing my nose to the grindstone and working for a corporate monopoly that was feeding off of the underprivileged in hopes that it would give me some sense of … normalcy, I guess? I tried not to think too much about the moral implications of what I was doing and instead just focused on getting by day to day. Getting through each day was an accomplishment, but getting through the night was even better." She closed her eyes again, and Harvey watched a drop roll down her cheek, not sure if it was a tear, sweat, or bath water.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," she said, lifting her head. "Sometimes it's good to remember where you came from, right? To appreciate where you are." She looked at him and smiled, and then she put her head on his shoulder and held his hand under the water. "I guess life wasn't too different for you from last year?"

"Not on the surface, no. My routine was the same, but some of my habits were different. I'm taking care of myself more now because … I feel some new life breathed into me. You know about my food and exercise. I'm still not perfect - especially with nutrition. It's hard work, being a doctor. I don't eat as well as I should. If I didn't live alone, I think it would be easier. I find it's difficult making single-serving meals."

"Yeah. That was a hard transition for me after Eric - uh, after he was gone."

Harvey froze for a moment, hearing the name of the person he knew mistreated her so badly. "Eric, that was your - your ex-husband?"

Alma sighed. "I don't like to say his name, but it still … slips out sometimes."

"Then I won't say it again either."

They were in silence for a moment, and Alma closed her eyes and tried to enjoy it. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Of course," he said, putting his head on hers.

"Have you been in a relationship before?"

"Oh, sure. I was with a few women in college and med school. But nothing ever got too serious. I think the intensity of the program is hard for maintaining a relationship. Either they left me because they felt I wasn't attentive enough, or I broke it off because I got scared."

"Scared of what?" Alma asked.

"You know … I was never quite sure. But I could just feel things weren't right, like there was impending doom waiting around the corner. When I started to feel that way, it was hard for me to go back. I didn't want them to feel like I was leading them on or wasting their time."

"About when did that happen?"

"It varied. Sometimes pretty quickly, sometimes after a while."

"So … how do you know that won't happen to us?"

"Well … I guess I can't guarantee it, but … I can already tell things are different."

Alma paused and thought about this for a moment. "What was your longest relationship?"

Harvey looked up in thought. "About a year, I guess? And my last girlfriend was … wow, about fifteen years ago now."

"It's amazing how time moves so quickly the older you get, right? Childhood seemed to last forever, and now it's so distant."

Harvey nodded. "Not to be a doctor about it, but it has to do with the level of development that happens through maturation. By the time your brain reaches full maturity in your early to mid-twenties, changes stop occurring so much, and it gives the sensation that everything is the same for you while time keeps rolling on."

"Wow. No, that makes sense." They sat in another moment of quiet. Alma sighed contentedly before saying, "I wish we could stay here and let time keep rolling on."

"I know," he said, stroking her hand with his thumb under the water. "Me too."

"But we can't, can we?"

"Probably not advisable, no." Alma lifted her head and took a deep breath. Harvey watched her as she smoothed her hair back again. "I told you I look forward to rainy days, and now I think I like Tuesdays too."

"If your appointments get canceled or end early."

"Right. Almost all Tuesdays have appointments. But I will jump at the chance if it comes up - even if it means a tough workout and lots of gossipy people trying to get in our business."

"Yeah, sorry," she said, moving toward the steps of the pool.

"No, didn't you say I should say 'thank you' for the exposure therapy?"

"Oh yeah, that's right," she said, looking back. "Well, you're welcome then."