Roses and Sonatas [Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns]

Chapter 13

One Thursday late in fall, I rode to Bluebell earlier than usual. It was Howard's birthday, and I wanted to be sure to give him a gift and wish him a happy birthday early on in the day. It was also his day off, so I knew it might take a little hunting to track him down if I didn't catch him at home. He was delighted by my gift of a bundle of fragrant dried lavender tied with a pale blue ribbon, as they were one of his favorite flowers.

I went looking for Cam afterwards, as it was his day off, too, and caught up to him as he was just passing the old church at the edge of town. We went for a walk along the river, enjoying the sight of the colorful trees, though most of the leaves had fallen by then, making a colorful carpet along the riverbank. Judging from the chill in the air, winter was just around the corner. As we walked along, Cam looked over at me several times as if he wanted to say something but didn't quite know how to start. Finally, blushing a little, he said, "So, umm... how's the farm over in Konohana? Are things going well there?"

Surprised more by his discomfiture than by the question itself, which seemed innocuous enough to me, I replied, "Things are going well there, thanks. Why?"

He paused for a minute, then turning even more red, he said "Well, it's just that... when you left Bluebell, you said you were going to try your other farm for a season, like you did here. But now it's been nearly two seasons, and you still haven't mentioned coming back. I mean, well... I wondered if you liked it better over there? Or maybe if you liked... liked some of the people there better?"

"Oh, no—it's nothing like that at all. It's just, well, you know that both farms had been kind of neglected for some time, due to my grandparents' age and health and all? So both really need a lot of work. The Konohana farm is best suited for raising crops, while the Bluebell farm is better for animals. So after some thought, I decided I'd stay on in Konohana until I could get that farm all fixed up—you know, clear the fields that had been overtaken by saplings and brambles and weeds, plant an orchard, renovate some of the outbuildings. Those sorts of things. That'll take some time and money. Then, once I've finished there, I can return to Bluebell and focus on my farm here. And I'll probably choose to live permanently in Bluebell, since there's room for more animals there than in Konohana. It'll be easier to tend animals on the farm where I live and travel to tend to crops and orchards than to try to do it the other way around. So I expect I'll be staying on in Konohana for a while yet—maybe another year, maybe longer. Then I'll return to Bluebell, most likely to stay."

Cam nodded, saying, "Yeah, that makes sense. But... a year's a long time." He sighed and looked away.

I thought to myself, "I have got to talk to Eileen about expanding that tunnel some more...."

Fumbling for something to fill the awkward silence that was beginning to settle over us, I said, "So, uh... I hear that the Pumpkin Festival is coming up in a few days in Bluebell. I bet Cheryl's excited about that. Are you going to make something for her?"

Cam looked at me, startled, saying, "Well, no... I won't be in town that day. It's on a Monday, you know."

"Oh, yeah, so it is," I said feeling like an idiot. Then I immediately stuck my foot in it, saying, "So, where is it you go on Mondays, anyway? You're gone the whole entire day, every Monday." I turned red as I realized how nosy that sounded.

Cam didn't answer, but just looked away into the distance. "Oh... I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," I said, embarrassed. "It's none of my business."

"No, it's okay. I just don't usually talk much about myself. But somehow... I don't mind talking to you so much," he replied. "It's... I don't know if you've heard anything about my past. But I grew up here, in a nice little house with my mom and dad. They were wonderful people, and we were very happy, just the three of us. But then there was a really severe outbreak of influenza. All three of us came down with it. I pulled through, but... but they didn't make it.

"That's when Howard took me in—he'd been best friends with my dad, and so he was always like an uncle to me. And since then, he's been almost like a father. But I still miss them, even after so many years. So every Monday, I travel to the cemetery to put flowers on their graves. I spend the whole day there. It... it might sound kind of strange, but... I just sit and talk, tell them about what's going on in my life and in the village. Just like they were sitting there with me. In case... wherever they are, they can hear me. Then, it's like I'm including them, like they're still a part of my life. I... I guess that sounds kind of weird, huh?" he said, looking at the ground.

I felt choked up by this sweet display of filial devotion, and it endeared him to me even more. He looked back at me when I didn't respond, and then, seeing tears in my eyes, he looked distressed and started to apologize. "No, don't," I interrupted, reaching out and grasping one of his hands. "I think... I think that's one of the sweetest, loveliest things I've ever heard. I'm sure your parents are very proud of you. They must have been remarkable people to have a son like you."

He turned bright red at that, but he looked pleased nonetheless. He gave my hand a grateful squeeze, then still holding my hand, he continued walking alongside the river, pulling me along with him. We spent the next half hour or so just strolling along the river, holding hands and not saying anything—perfectly at ease with our thoughts and each other's company.

After a while, Cam spoke up, "You know, I was really glad to hear your plans for your farms. I think they're very wise plans. But... I really was mostly glad because I thought maybe you had another reason to stay there in Konohana."

I looked at him, startled, then suddenly realized what he meant. "Oh! Oh, I see. You mean... you wondered if my plans revolved around a... a certain person, rather than my farm?" He blushed and nodded, looking away in embarrassment. "No, nothing like that. I'm afraid I'm too practical to let something like that influence my decisions anyway. Otherwise, I don't think I'd have ever left Bluebell in the first place. It was really hard to leave, and I still miss living there."

"Oh," he replied, "then... does that mean that you haven't made up your mind yet? About Mikhail?"

I stumbled slightly, startled by the uncharacteristic directness of his question. I stopped, grabbed his other hand, and stood facing him. Looking straight into his eyes, I replied slowly, "Cam, as I said before, I won't lie to you. I still don't know how I feel about Mikhail. I still love him, yes—like I said, I probably always will love him. But I still don't know if I could fall in love with him all over again. And..." I added, my cheeks turning pink, "you know, you're giving him some pretty strong competition. But at this point, everything is too new and unfamiliar. I don't know yet how I feel about him... well, about either of you, to be honest. So please be patient, and let me find where love will bloom in my own time. Please?"

He looked away, nodding slowly, and I thought... was that a glimmer of a tear I saw in his eye? I pulled him to me and put my arms around him, holding him close and resting my cheek against his chest. After a moment, he awkwardly returned my embrace. I breathed deeply of his scent—he smelled like flowers, naturally, but also like fresh earth, and grass, and fall leaves, and the cool breeze blowing across the stream. He placed a hand under my chin, tilted my head up to look into my eyes, and then he leaned down and kissed me.

His kiss tasted of mint leaves and was so gentle I wasn't even quite sure at what point it began or ended, though I felt far more certain about the part in between. He brushed a stray lock of hair from my eyes, and smiled down at me so tenderly that I felt as though I was melting into the greenness of his eyes. "I don't know where love will bloom for you, dearest Alice," he said in his gentle, low voice, "but I know where it has bloomed for me. And I'm willing to wait as long as it takes for you to be sure."