Arlow stood in front of the rickety old house his grandfather had left to him. He still didn't feel like he could believe the turn his life had taken, going from a city slicker office worker to a farmer. What was he even thinking? He couldn't do this. He didn't have a single clue what he was doing, and now there's no turning back.
"Are you alright?" The voice took a moment to register in Arlow's head. He'd completely forgotten about the mayor standing right next to him, and now Lewis was looking at him like he'd grown an extra head. "Ah- I'm sorry sir. Just lost in thought is all." Arlow felt his face heat up in embarrassment as he tried to look anywhere but Lewis' eyes.
Thankfully, Lewis had a sense of humor and was willing to laugh Arlow's awkwardness off. "Please, just call me Lewis. It's alright, this must be a bit overwhelming for you. Are you going to be okay on your own?"
Arlow wanted to say no. To pack up his bags and go home, back to his comfort zone. Back to the bustling city full of familiar faces. Back to his mom who was surely already missing him. But that would make him look silly, so he lied. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm actually pretty excited!" He worried that his voice hadn't been convincing enough when he saw a flash of concern cross the mayor's face. But thankfully he didn't push the matter. "Alright, Arlow. Come to me if you need anything, I'll leave you to get settled."
Arlow watched Lewis walk off down the path as he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He probably should have started getting the place cleaned up, but the second he saw the bed, all clean and made for him, he felt ready to collapse. So that's exactly what Arlow did.
The next morning was a busy one. First, Arlow unpacked all of his belongings and got them put away in the dressers and shelves. Then he mopped, dusted, patched cracks, cleaned gutters, and pretty much anything else you'd expect from someone trying to make a run-down building presentable again. Was he mostly just stalling so he wouldn't be forced to interact with his new neighbors? Of course he was! But he was being productive, so that makes it okay right? The peace couldn't last forever, unfortunately, and after a few hours of cleaning, he saw a woman approaching his house. She was a small, chubby woman with thick brown hair tied into a neat braid. She looked like your average sweet older mom. Maybe that was why Arlow felt less nervous around here than he'd originally expected.
Giving him a sweet, albeit tired, smile she extended her hand for a shake and started speaking "Hello there, you must be the new farmer. My name is Marnie, I live just down the road from you."
Arlow took note of her hands as he shook them. They were rough, as you'd expect from someone doing constant farm work. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Arlow."
Marnie fiddled with her pockets for a moment, before pulling out a small pack of seeds and placing it in his hands "I had this leftover from a recent project, and I thought they might be useful to someone whos just starting out."
He looked at the seed packet, and then back at Marnie "Thank you, I'm sure they will be. If I'm being completely honest, I don't really know where to start. This whole farm thing is so new to me, and I'm afraid I won't fit in." He wasn't sure why he'd decided to tell her his worries. Maybe it was her motherly appearance, or her kind demeanor, but they ended up standing in Arlow's yard chatting for about another hour or so. Eventually she mentioned that she needed to get home and make dinner for her niece. That startled Arlow a bit, who hadn't realized it was already that late. But it was also reassuring to him. If everyone else in town was as understanding and welcoming as Marnie, maybe he didn't have anything to worry about after all. He made himself a quick meal, and went to bed feeling considerably less anxious than he had the night before.