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

Chapter 36

After breakfast the next morning, I returned to my room to write letters to my family and friends. I found Cam's letter to be the hardest to write—I didn't want to send him a letter full of Mikhail, yet it was virtually impossible to avoid mentioning him all together, as much of my time had been spent in his company. The end result seemed awkward and unsatisfactory to me, but it was the best I could do.

As I walked along the boardwalk after lunch, heading toward the shops that lined Front Street, I thought about what Mikhail had said last night. I wondered what would Cam have done in the same situation. Would he, too, have turned to other women in order to forget me? Would he have used women in the same way? I thought back to his experience with the girl, Nadia, and wondered if he had done so after she left him. He hadn't mentioned anything like that, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. He had assumed that I wasn't a virgin; did that imply that he wasn't? And come to think of it, did it really matter to me all that much if either of them were more experienced than me?

Sighing as I turned down a sidewalk, I thought to myself that while I would have preferred that Mikhail had told me about it himself, I could also understand his hesitation. I believe he would have told me, eventually. His scruples might have been different from mine, but he wasn't lacking in them. I suppose the real question that lingered in my mind was, how much did I trust him now? Knowing that he had not hesitated to use women—however complicit they may have been themselves—I had to wonder... did he really love me as much as he declared? Or was it all just an act—a means to an end?

I stepped into a small shop that, judging from its unabashedly gaudy exterior and its display of kitschy souvenirs, catered primarily to tourists. Perusing the shelves, I found a few nicer things to take home with me as gifts: a pendant made of silver and sea glass in the shape of a seahorse for Georgia, a pair of tiny butterfly earrings with wings carved from colorful shells for Cheryl, a set of wine glasses etched with seahorses for Kana, wind chimes made from beach glass and a piece of driftwood for my mother, and a pretty shell-shaped teacup and saucer for Eileen.

As I was paying for my purchases, who should walk in but the ever-charming Mrs. Bennett and her daughter. She looked around the shop, as if searching for something in particular, then she saw me standing at the register and stiffened. I nodded politely to her and returned to my transaction, but she strode up to me. "Well, if it isn't the farmer's daughter. Do mind your pennies, my dear. I'm sure a little break like this must be a terrible strain on your wallet as it is."

I felt my temper rising at her condescension, but realizing that she was simply trying to provoke me, I decided not to give her the satisfaction. "Why, thank you for your concern, Mrs.... Beard was it?" I said sweetly.

"Bennett," she snapped.

"Oh, that's right. Please excuse me, I've only heard your name just the one time, you know. I'm sure I'll get it right eventually. Anyway, it's awfully kind of you to concern yourself with the state of my finances, but don't fret—my wallet is quite comfortably plump."

"Fancy that. I'd never have guessed so from your appearance," she said, casting a disparaging look over my faded denim short-shorts, my off-the-shoulder crop top, and my high-heeled wedge sandals.

I smiled and shrugged. "Well, you know, I don't have much time to devote to such frivolous pursuits as fashion. My businesses and volunteer work take up a lot of my time, and of course other interests far more fascinating than shopping. But of course, I realize it's different for you."

She visibly fumed, then, at both the implication that I spent a lot of time with Mikhail and that she led a frivolous, insignificant life. But before she could respond, her daughter grabbed her arm and pulled and tugged until she succeeded in getting her mama out the door, still glaring at me, speechless with anger.