a Stardew Valley fan fiction: The Proper Care and Feeding of Souls

Ambitions (Part One)

"Believe me

When I tell you,

My life is nothing

Without the magic of your presence,

Without your laughter and kisses,

Your voice; and your calm;

Believe me when I tell you,

I knew nothing of love

Until I knew the magic of you."

- Unknown

The afternoon's puffy white clouds thinned and darkened as evening approached, the sky turning dull and gray. Grace eyed them, wondering if it might rain. Glancing at the clock, Grace set the timer on the oven and slipped off to shower and get ready. It was Saturday night and Sam was coming over for dinner.

As Grace massaged the shampoo through her scalp, she noticed just how at ease she had become. The anxiety, the hurt, the trauma, it was all receding. Some of it she sat with - long and hard, feeling every feeling, staring it straight in the eyes, ridding it of its power. Some of it she tackled head-on like her anxiety. She worked her body and mind pushing those feelings until they had nowhere to go but out. Some of it would never leave, but it was softened, forgiven, melded into who she was but not dictating who she would become.

She and Sam had been getting serious. They hung out most evenings of the week pursuing each other.... Scattered in between those nights were Friday nights at the saloon with Sebastian, Sunday night dinners with Sam's family, and afternoons spent playing at the beach or strolling through town. Grace had definitely had relationships, a few serious ones, in fact, but she had never felt about anyone the way she felt about Sam.

Out of the shower, Grace pulled on a flowing white dress, her strong, tan shoulders peeking out of the top. She styled her hair and applied some light makeup. The house was quiet, eerily so. For the most part, she had gotten used to the silence of the farmhouse, the silence of the valley, but something in the air, maybe the approaching storm, made the world feel still.

The oven timer buzzed, startling Grace. She bounced down the staircase into the kitchen and pulled out the roasted veggies and salmon she'd made for dinner. She carefully arranged them on two plates with beds of quinoa. She'd timed everything wrong, she realized, hoping Sam wouldn't be too much longer so their dinners would still be warm.

******

Sam was on edge. He'd gotten off work later than usual and decided to run home and change. Home had gotten weird since his dad had come back. Things were tense. He'd been making excuses to Grace, avoiding their Sunday dinners with his family now that his dad was home. His dad was different than he remembered him as a kid. He was quiet, intense, detached. Sam's mom was nervous and overly snappy with Sam and Vincent, trying to make everything better for her war-torn husband.

Sam walked into his room, unbuttoning his work shirt. He pulled it off and tossed it on the back of his desk chair, and was grabbing a t-shirt from his closet when he noticed the lump in his bed. Sam pulled on the t-shirt and sat down on the edge of his bed, pulling back the covers to reveal his little brother Vincent curled up in a ball.

"Hey, little buddy." Sam gently greeted. "Whatcha doin'"? Vincent's large and curious blue eyes were puffy and red. Vincent sniffed and scooted into Sam's arms.