Make Me Smile

A Little Birdie

The next day was Thursday, and I fought the butterflies in my stomach. Part of me kind of wanted to see him again, the other part hated his guts and hoped he would stay away from the island. Jerk. I brushed the hair out of my eyes and continued plowing. I wanted to plant some more turnip seeds to replace the ones I had harvested.

I had commissioned Gannon to make a chicken coop for me. I was pretty proud of myself to be able to afford one so quickly, but the money was coming in quickly from selling wild plants and my own crops, and I felt like it was a sound investment. That morning, he had announced that the work was done.

I was surprised to see Taro walking up the path to my farm. Usually, if he came to see me, it was first thing in the morning. It was already half past eight. I chuckled to myself, thinking that maybe he was giving me a break today. As he got closer, I could tell he had something in his hands.

“Well, good morning to ya, missy! I’ve got a little friend that I want you to meet!” He stretched out his hands and showed me the fluffy little yellow chick he had brought me.

“Awww!” I cooed, scooping up the little bird. I petted its soft down, and it chirped brightly. “Is it a boy or a girl?” I asked.

“Can’t say for sure, can’t say for sure,” he mused. “At any rate, you gotta give the little feller a name.”

I blinked at him. “Without knowing if it’s a boy or a girl?”

He laughed. “It’s not all that, now. Any old name will do.”

I thought for a moment. “Ummm…well, I guess I‘ll call it Chee.” I petted the bird some more. “Thanks again, Taro.” Something slowly crept into my mind. I probably already knew the answer, but I had to ask anyway. “Where did you get this bird?”

“Well, I heard from Gannon that you were having a chicken coop built, so I thought it would be a nice surprise for you. I asked that feller Vaughn yesterday to bring along a little birdie for me today.”

“Oh.” I tried to sound nonchalant. “Did you tell him it was a present for me?”

Taro shook his head. “Naw, it didn’t come up.”

I shrugged. “Well, thanks again.” He departed, and I was left with this tiny little chick that I wasn’t really sure how to take care of. I walked slowly towards my new chicken coop, lost in thought. I knew the chick was too young to graze outside. I went in the chicken coop, stopping to admire it for a moment, then I placed little Chee down on the ground. I thought for a moment. “What am I going to feed you?” I knew I’d have to go to Mirabelle’s and buy some chicken feed. I hoped I wouldn’t run into him…well, I kind of hoped I would, really.

I walked down the path towards the main area. I hurried over to Chen’s, remembering that I wanted to use some of my funds to buy some more potato seeds. On a whim, I bought a chocolate bar while I was there. Then I headed over to Mirabelle’s. I pushed the door open, just a little nervous, then sighed with a mix of relief and disappointment when Vaughn was nowhere in sight. I approached the counter and told Mirabelle I wanted to buy some chicken feed.

“Certainly, certainly dear.” She laughed in her jolly little way. “Let me just go into the store room and get you some.” She left the room and I wandered around a bit, then sat down on the only bench in the store. I unwrapped part of the chocolate and broke off a bit.

I was just popping it in my mouth when I heard the jingle jangle of the store’s front door opening. I didn’t have to look to know it was Vaughn. I could hear the heavy tattoo of his cowboy boots on the hardwood floor. He rounded the corner, starting slightly when he saw me. I saw just a waver of some emotion of his face, but it quickly dissipated back into that mask of stoicism.

He looked around. “Where’s Mirabelle?” He grunted the question in that low, frustratingly sexy voice.

I shrugged, trying to act like my heart wasn‘t fluttering. “She went to get me some bird feed, but she hasn’t come back yet.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Bird feed, huh?” He stood, turned slightly away from me, with his arms folded over his chest. Silence ensued.

I tried to resist the urge to talk to him, reminding myself how he treated me the last time. But my natural tendency to run my mouth won the day. “Yeah, that baby chicken that Taro asked you for…he gave it to me.” I waited for his reaction.

He grunted, then was silent for a while. “Take good care of it,” he finally said. “Chicks are pretty fragile. Don’t let it go outside until it gets bigger.” I nodded, happy that I had gotten him to say more than half a sentence to me.

Time passed, but Mirabelle did not return. Vaughn started to look annoyed. He grumbled something under his breath, then began to pace the floor. I watched him. Wow, he was too perfect to be true. Too bad he was such a sullen jerk. But maybe that was part of what made him so attractive, the fact that he was slightly mysterious….

I was shaken out of my thoughts by him suddenly plunking himself down next to me on the bench. It was a large bench, so we weren’t forced close together, but I was still surprised that he would even want to sit next to me. He leaned forward, stretching his hands back and forth. Then he sighed loudly, looking down at the floor, irritated.

“What do you need from Mirabelle?” I asked him.

He glanced over at me, then looked away. He hesitated before answering. “I just need to pick up my payment, then I can leave.” We lapsed back into silence. I looked down at my hands and realized that I was still holding the chocolate bar. I had been so focused on watching every move that he made, I had been totally oblivious to it. I broke off another piece and started to eat it. I could feel him looking at me out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned my head, he was looking away.

“Oh, sorry, I’m being rude,” I said, swallowing the bite of chocolate. I held out what was left to him. “Want some?”

He furrowed his brows, looking at the chocolate, and then at me. Geez, had no one ever shared anything with this guy before? He was acting like I was trying to give him cooties. It kind of annoyed me, that I was offering him something, and he was making a disgusted face at me. Suddenly, the look faded away, and there was almost a hint of a smile on his lips. He chuckled softly. “No, thank you.”

I brought my hand back in. “What, you don’t like chocolate?”

He shook his head. “No, I do. I just…don’t want any right now.”

“Oh.” I said. We sat in silence a little while longer. Just then, Mirabelle reappeared from the store room, her cheeks flushed. She wiped her hands on her apron. “I am so sorry,” she said. “One of the feed bags on a top shelf got torn somehow, and it spilled grain all over me. I was trying to clean it up the best I could. Here you go,” she spoke to me, holding out a large paper sack. “That’s enough bird feed to get you started.”

I rose, approaching her. “Thanks. How much…?”

She waved me away. “No charge, dear. I’m sorry for the wait.”

I thanked her again, then turned to go. My hand on the knob, I turned back to look at Vaughn, who was finally collecting his payment. He glanced at me, then lifted his hand to the brim of his hat, and tilted it ever so slightly, that wisp of a smile playing on his lips once more. I bit my lip in excitement, then smiled back. I left the store much happier than when I entered.