Cheer Up!

Chapter 2



That day, I decided to return to the grove where I had foraged so much stuff the day before. I hadn't actually gotten the chance to pick the place clean, because I ran scared of "Charlie" the snake. Also, I rather hoped to run into Luke again. He seemed to like to hang around there.



When I got there, I sighed with disappointment that Luke wasn't there after all. Oh well, it couldn't be helped, I told myself. I set to gathering things.



I exited the grove about half an hour later, and to my delight, Luke was there, chopping away at a stump. I cleared my throat as I approached, and he paused in his work long enough to turn around to me. "Hey, Angela!" he cried cheerfully.



"Hi, Luke," I said in a much smaller voice. I had to admit, his cheerfulness was contagious. I already felt like I was in a much better mood.



"I was hoping I'd see you today!" he said, and I felt my heart skip a beat.



"O-oh, r-r-really?" I stammered.



"Yeah. I brought something for you." I felt my heart fluttering as I awaited whatever it was. I was slightly disappointed when I was presented with a rather sad, rusty looking axe. "It's my old axe. You oughta chop a little wood whenever you have free time. Just a couple pieces a day. It'll help you get stronger, and by the time you decide to build a coop or a barn, you'll have enough lumber already."



I accepted the axe, feeling grateful. But I knew deep in my heart that I was a long way off from being able to build any new buildings. Luke must have seen the doubt in my eyes, because he piped up cheerfully. "Don't let it get you down! It's pretty hard at first, but you'll get used to it. Chopping wood, that is."



I nodded, and then he was called back to work by Bo. "See ya later, Angela." He waved, then gave me a thumbs up as he turned and ran down the path. I followed at a slower pace. I headed home, dumped off the stuff I had foraged in the shipping bin, then fetched my fishing pole. I went to the riverbank, and settled in for a day of fishing.



As usual, it was pretty fruitless, and I headed home with only enough to feed myself dinner. I cleaned the small fish and then cooked it in my battered old frying pan. I still felt hungry, though, and I went outside to my shipping bin, retrieving some berries from it and eating them as dessert.



The next day, I went to the seed shop. I purposefully took the path north so that I could pass the carpenter's. Luke was outside, sawing away industriously at some logs. I just waved as I passed, and he waved back.



I reached the seed shop and pondered my purchase. I decided to go with potatoes, since Craig advised that they grew well in poor soil. I went ahead and spent all of my money on potato seeds, then returned home to plant and water them. I figured I could do a little foraging afterwards to make up the money.



I was wrong, however. I had forgotten that weeds had grown quickly over my field, and I had to tug and cut those out before I could even start with hoeing, which was extremely draining. Planting the seeds wasn't too hard, but watering was the final straw. I had to practically drag myself into the house as the sun was setting. I was very hungry, but there was no food in the house, and I was too tired to even think about trying to go and find any. I might have been able to make it to the Sundae Inn, but even if I did...I had no money to buy anything. I just had 13G to my name. Rather pathetic.



My stomach grumbled all night, and I slept fitfully. I woke up, feeling almost as tired as when I went to bed. I couldn't even think about watering the potatoes; I had to eat something first. I went out and peeked in the shipping bin, and of course there was no money awaiting me. I hadn't put anything in it the day before. I briefly considered going fishing, but I knew it would take a long time, and I needed to eat something, anything, NOW.



I headed for the grove to do some foraging. Luke wasn't there, and neither was anything to forage. Absolutely nothing. I couldn't believe it. I would have killed for some of those berries. Exhausted, famished, and feeling like I was about to cry, I trudged back south. I walked past my farm, heading for town. I seemed to remember that clams could sometimes be found on the beach there. My mouth watered as I thought of eating grilled clams.



About an hour later, I was even closer to tears. All I had found along the entire length of coastline was three crummy seashells. With a heavy heart, I turned for home. I felt weak near the Sundae Inn, so I stopped for a moment, sitting on the bench and taking deep breaths. I leaned my head down, resting my face in my hands. What was I going to do?



"Yo, Angela!" I looked up suddenly as I heard Luke's voice. He was trotting down the path towards me, as cheerful as ever. "You going in there for lunch? Come on, we can sit together." He got closer and closer to the door, and I looked down, picking at my hands. This was rather embarrassing.



"No, I'm not having lunch..." I faded away as the word alone made my body pang with hunger, and my stomach growled loudly just then.



"You sound pretty hungry," he said. "Come on, let's go in."



I fought back tears as I stood up. "I can't."



Luke looked puzzled. "You can't? Why not?"



I couldn't hold back anymore, and as I averted my eyes with embarrassment, they welled up with tears. "I don't have any money," I said softly.



A look of pity crossed his face, and he quickly waved it away. "Ah, that doesn't matter. The owner owes me a favor because I fixed some shingles on his roof free of charge yesterday. So it won't cost anything anyway." I bit my lip, hesitating, and he stepped forward suddenly, grasping me by the hand and jerking my back towards the inn. "Come on, silly." My heart fluttered at the feeling of his slightly rough hand pressing against mine, and I murmured in gratitude as we went in.



We sat at a small table together. He just looked at me in silence for a moment, as if he was thinking deeply. The moment of seriousness passed quickly, and he launched into a tale about some trouble he had gotten into as a kid at this inn. He tried to tie their cat up to his wagon so it could pull him around, and its yowling attracted the attention of everyone rather rapidly. Apparently, he was a rather mischievious child. I just smiled as I listened to him, watching his handsome face light up with animation as he told the story. I almost forgot about how hungry I was, until they brought the food out a few moments later.



I had to hold back from eating like a wild animal. I wanted to stuff my face as fast as I could, but I managed to refrain, eating in as civilized a fashion as I could. Still, I was able to put away a pretty respectable amount of food. Luke looked at me in amazement. "You can really eat a lot for a girl." I blushed with embarrassment, looking down. He piped up again. "No, I mean that in a good way. It's kind of...cool. Most girls are all like 'Oh, I don't eat this and I don't eat that' and they nibble at their food like it's going to bite them back. But you, you're different." I just shrugged and smiled.



"Okay!" he pounded the table suddenly, and I looked up in surprise. "You and me are gonna be good friends!" he pronounced, and I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling at his boyish enthusiasm. "So then, dessert?" he asked, and I bowed my head in assent. "That's what I'm talking about!" he cheered, and he ordered us two ice cream sundaes.



"All right, wanna race?" he asked me as the dishes were placed in front of us. I cocked my head at him slightly, and he flashed his eyes mischievously at me, twirling his spoon in his fingers. "Let's see who can eat it the fastest."



I laughed, but agreed. "You're on!"



He stuck his spoon in the ice cream, and then cried out, "Go!" We shoveled ice cream in our mouths as fast as we could. I couldn't help but giggle when I saw the determined look on his face, and I almost choked. I put down my spoon and took a long drink of water, and he clattered his spoon in his empty dish. "Ha ha! I win! I beat you!" he crowed proudly, then he groaned and grabbed his head. "Brain freeze...agh..."



"Rub your tongue against the roof of your mouth," I told him, and he looked at me like I was crazy. I laughed. "No, seriously. Brain freeze is just pain in your sinuses from the roof of your mouth getting too cold. Rubbing your tongue there makes it warm up again." He complied, and within a minute he was smiling.



"Yeah, you're right! It worked!" I nodded, and he widened his eyes at me. "You're smart, Angela."



I grimaced. "No, not really. It's just a random piece of knowledge."



He rested his chin on his fist. "So, how old are you?" he asked me.



"I'm 18," I responded. "What about you?"



"19," he replied. "Where's your family at?"



I looked down at the tablecloth. "I haven't got any."



He made a small noise of surprise. "None at all?"



I looked up, shaking my head. "Nope. I was an only child, and both of my parents died seven years ago."



Luke gave a long exhale. "Whoa, that's rough. My mom died when I was little, so it's just me and Pops, but that's way worse. I'm sorry, Angela."



I waved it away with one hand. "It's okay. I'm used to it now." He graciously changed the subject, telling me about the project he and his father were working on then. Apparently, the blacksmith was having an addition made to his shop. We got up from the table and left, first thanking the owner, and then we walked up the path towards Caramel River, where I lived. We kept talking as we walked, and before I knew it, we were at my cottage.



"Heh...home sweet home," I said softly, a little embarrassed. The field was so sickeningly light colored from the sandy soil, and my two little strawberry plants looked rather sad. Luke didn't say anything, just looked out over the field. His face looked rather serious, but it quickly flitted away, and he turned and smiled at me.



"So, see ya later, Angela! I gotta get back to work." I thanked him for lunch again, and we waved goodbye to each other. I watched him walk down the path for a while, then fetched my watering can. Now full of energy, I watered my potato seeds and my two strawberry plants. I then retrieved my fishing pole and bucket and headed for the river. I was determined to catch something this time.



Not thirty seconds after I had cast out, I felt a sharp tug at my line. I reeled and pulled furiously. It was a ten minute struggle between me and whatever was on the other end of the line. Finally, I pulled it to the surface. My eyes bugged out at the size of the fish. It was two feet long! I threw it in the bucket and hauled it over to On the Hook, the local fishing shop.



The owner was mightily impressed by my catch. Apparently, it was a huchen, a rather rare and valuable fish. He offered me 1000G for it, and I accepted without hesitation. This would be enough money to feed me for quite a while! I'd be able to last until the potatoes grew, which they hopefully would.



Feeling infinitely more cheerful than I had started the day feeling, I returned home and put up the fishing pole and bucket, instead getting out Luke's axe. He had turned things around for me today, so it felt right to give it a try. As I chopped at a small stump in my field, the image of his happy, gorgeous face rose up in my mind, and I smiled. I couldn't wait to see him again.