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

Chapter 15

Meanwhile, as the drama with Cam and Mikhail was unfolding, Kana was waiting patiently in the wings, so to speak. He rarely said anything amiss, but once in a while I'd catch him unawares, staring at me with a look of complete adoration and devotion in his eyes. Most of the time, he was his usual, hearty self, and he certainly was a good friend—probably my best friend in both villages, though I'd become close to Eileen as well, and I tended to confide in her more than in Kana, at least my boy problems, for obvious reasons. Since he chose to keep his feelings to himself, I respected that and never mentioned them—especially since I wasn't entirely sure of them to start with—but I also rarely spoke of my boy troubles with him, as that seemed unkind and inconsiderate.

So we continued as good friends, enjoying each others' company—riding, hiking, fishing, going to Yun's Tea House for a cup of tea or a fiery curry, or just sharing a meal or drinks at home. Then one day as we were chatting under the old cherry tree near Nori's garden, Dirk caught up with us, waving a letter addressed to Kana enthusiastically. He was surprised, as he rarely got letters, and he was even more surprised when he saw it was from his father.

His dad had been away for several years, since Kana had turned sixteen, searching the whole world over for the perfect horse. Kana's mother had adored horses, more even than either Kana or his father. Right before she died, she had wistfully wished for the chance to ride the best, most beautiful horse in all the world just once—then, she said, she could die happy. But she died too soon, and his father's heart was broken. So he set out on a journey to find the most perfect horse in all the world, and he carried his wife's photo with him on his journey. Then, Kana said, when he found the right horse, he would take her photo riding with him, thus fulfilling her dying wish as best as he was able. It was such a sad, sweet story, I just cried and cried when Kana told me about it. It had been almost two years since his dad had last written, though, and I knew Kana was concerned for him, wondering where he was and if he was okay. I tried my best to reassure him that he surely was fine, but I knew he still worried.

So when he received the letter from his dad, Kana was both elated and relieved. But after he tore it open and began to read it, his face quickly fell. I watched him, worried but not wanting to intrude. At last he looked up at me, his brow furrowed and his expression uncertain.

"Is... is your dad okay?" I asked, feeling even more alarmed by his expression.

"Yeah... yeah, he's okay. He's finally found him—the perfect horse, I mean. A gorgeous colt, he says, with a coat the color and sheen of the purest gold. But he goes on to say that the horse needs a particular climate to be at his best for training, so he's taken him to the village where my mom was born. He's staying with her people there, while he raises and trains him."

"Oh! Well, that's... that's good, isn't it?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah... except he also writes that he misses me very much... and he wants me to move there, too."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, "I see...."

He looked back down at the letter, then back to me again. "So... I don't know what to do. I mean, I miss him, too, and I'd love to be with him. But... I have the shop, and the horses...."

I looked off into the distance for a minute, then looked back at him. "If you ask me... " I said, then hesitated.

"Yeah? What do you think?" he asked me, a little too eagerly.

"I think you should just follow your heart. You only have one chance at life, so you should make it as happy a life as you can. Right? And I'm sure your dad would feel the same way—he'd want you to be happy."

"Yeah! Yeah, you're right. I really don't want to leave here, as much as I miss my dad. I have a life here of my own, ya know? And besides... " he said, turning red and looking away, "well, there's someone here that I wouldn't want to leave behind." He cleared his throat, then said, "Anyway, so I'm gonna go write to him right now and tell him sorry, but I'm staying here. Thanks, Alice! I'll see you around." Then he took off at a run for his home, leaving me baffled under the bare limbs of the cherry tree.