Us | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 4 - Spring 6

I opened the doors to the Saloon, and this time, received very few stares; the prospect of becoming old news was more exciting than not.

"Gus!" I exclaimed.

"Sadie Simmons," he beamed. "What can I do for you today?"

"Need a shot, sweetheart?" Emily called from across the bar.

"Not today, Emily. Still detoxing from last time I came here," I joked. "Look, Gus, I need your help."

"With what?" Gus asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, don't worry," I reassured him. "It's just, a certain someone's birthday is tomorrow, and I need help with a gift."

The comment caught Emily's attention. "Are you talking about Haley?" she asked wearily.

"Yes," I said, ignoring the suspicion that laced her tone. "What does she like? I don't really know her that well."

"Well...I was thinking of making her a pink cake—it's her favorite dessert. But I have other options, if you want to make one instead?" She suggested.

"I'll be honest," I said, my face starting to feel hot. "I don't have a huge kitchen, or any of the ingredients we'd probably need...That's why I'm here."

"I'd be willing to pay extra for it...I just don't have the means to make it myself," I said before he could reply.

"Sadie, that won't be necessary. All it takes are some eggs, wheat flour, sugar, and a melon...which we happen to have one more frozen bag of in the back. During the summer, we use fresh melon, so we need to get rid of the last bit we have now." Gus explained with a smile.

"If anything, Sadie, you're doing us a favor," Emily chuckled. "...and Haley will love it."

Gus nodded in agreement and gestured for me to follow him behind the counter.

In the back of the Saloon, the bustle of the townspeople dissipated into white noise. Dirty glasses, pots, and pans littered the area, filling the sink and overflowing onto neighboring counters. Crumbs that had been swept into piles but never made it into the trash can lined the edges of the kitchen, creating a pathway down the center that Gus was careful to stay on.

After rummaging through various compartments of the freezer for a while, Gus emerged with a bag of frozen melon. For the next forty minutes, he taught me tricks of the trade—how to safely defrost the melon, create a clumpless batter, and ensure a perfectly baked confection. Once the preliminary steps were complete, we waited for the oven to heat up and slid the cake on the middle rack.

Gus, after setting a timer, instructed me to sit tight while he helped Emily out front; after all, it was Saturday night. In the meantime, I began picking up the various dishes that we used—mixing bowls, whisks, and spoons for tasting. I reminisced on the taste of the batter while tidying up, a palate that brought me back to summertime in the suburbs. The airy fruit flavor in combination with the texture of a classic sheet cake lingered on my taste buds, long after the bite disappeared.

Lost in thought, I mindlessly started washing the existing dishes in the sink, initially with the intention of making room for the new ones. It didn't take long for me to get in the groove of cleaning; watching the bubbles form from friction and dish soap was mesmerizing. Before I even snapped back into reality, the existing and newly dirtied dishes were clean, sitting out to dry on a rack beside the sink. With a few quick wipes of the counter, a sweep of the floor, and finding the much needed dust pan, the kitchen was almost sparkling clean. A feeling of satisfaction washed over me, and merely minutes later, the timer began to beep.At the sound of the timer, Gus scurried back into the kitchen, still tiptoeing along the previously established path lines.

At first, he didn't notice the kitchen's makeover, and I didn't mind. I hoped he would notice after I was gone, and chalk it up to Emily's hard work, or a magic cleaning fairy.

It was only after putting the cake down on the counter that surprise overtook his features. His head whipped back and forth, as though he couldn't fathom where the clutter had gone.

"Sadie, did you do this?" He stammered, examining every crevice of the room.

"It wasn't a big deal," I said shyly, reluctant to meet his eyes.

"Are you kidding?" He asked. "Look, with only two people working the Saloon, it can get really tough to maintain this place. Especially with our town being so tight knit, customers aren't just customers, they're friends too. I didn't just open the Saloon to make a living, I did it because of a passion I have for food and the love I have for this community. That's why things on the forefront, such as quality of service and wellbeing of the customers are our number one priority—no matter how stressful things get, or how tight financials become. I thank God every day that Emily asked to work here, otherwise I'd be drowning in backstage maintenance, and even now, we still do sometimes. This small act of kindness made such a difference, Sadie, you have no idea."

"Thank you," Gus said quietly. "...thank you."

Without thinking, I wrapped Gus into a hug, his stiff stature quickly melting into me. For the next hour, chatter about life made decorating the cake fly by; after it was iced, and Happy Birthday Haley had been written on the top, he boxed it up and sent me on my way.

If she hates it, I thought to myself, at least I'll have a new friend and a good ass cake to eat.