It was mid-spring, and the heavens had graced Maria with a cooling sprinkle of rain. Water didn't pour down from the sky, instead it drizzled down, bringing a smile to the farmers face as she leaned over her newest harvest, digging up fully grown cauliflowers from her field.
"Orion! Look at these, aren't they just gorgeous?" she exclaimed, lifting one of the biggest cauliflowers and turning on her heel to face who she'd been speaking to.
The person in question was Orion: her new cat. She'd received him just two days ago when Marnie swung by with him swaddled in a blanket. Maria was more than happy to accept the tom cat, admiring his steely blue eyes that contrasted with his dark brown and black fur.
Currently, Orion was sprawled out on the house's front porch, sunbathing in a spot which protected him from the light rainfall. Upon hearing his name be called he lifted his head, just barely acknowledging Maria's presence before rolling over and ignoring her once more.
"Very nice. Thanks for the support, buddy," Maria sighed, hoisting the cauliflower into her basket to take to Pierre's shop. Majority of the time she'd leave her earnings in the produce box at the edge of her farm to be retrieved at night, but she was saving up for an upgraded fishing rod that she wanted to purchase by the end of the day, so she'd go and sell them now.
Rolling up her flannel sleeves, she grabbed both baskets full of fresh vegetables and lifted them up, shouting a goodbye to Orion over her shoulder before trudging down the dirt path to head into the town center.
Two months ago, a walk like this while carrying at least fifty pounds would leave her feeling sore all over, but living on the farm and tending to the fields had garnered her some muscle mass. Nothing incredibly different at first glance, but she certainly noticed the toning her arms had gained.
She'd noticed a slight loss of fat at her waist, which had slightly upset her at first since she was quite the fan of her curves, but she figured that trading a little curvature for a little muscle wasn't the worst that could happen to her.
After about ten minutes of walking she'd made it to the town plaza, offering a smile to Jodi and Caroline as the two mothers passed her, no doubt having their daily gossip session. She also saw Evelyn, the grandmother of another young man in the town, tending to flowers near the saloon. The elderly lady set down her watering pail and waved a frail hand, and all Maria could do was lift her baskets of cauliflower and widely grin, hoping the woman would understand her hands were too full to wave back.
When she heard Evelyn chuckle sweetly, she assumed she got the message, and continued on her trek to Pierre's. Upon standing in front of the shop's door, however, she came to a sudden revelation.
With both hands preoccupied with very heavy baskets, the rope handles of which were beginning to dig into her skin, and she knew that having to put them on the ground only to pick them up again would hurt.
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise?"
Maria quickly tilted her head back, a smile spreading on her face once she saw a familiar auburn haired man walking down the stone path her way.
She and Elliott had crossed paths a handful of times since their first meeting in the saloon all those weeks ago. They happened upon one another in the forest while Maria had been foraging for spring onions to snack on, and she teasingly mocked the disgust that Elliott weakly attempted to hide at the sight of the dirt covered root vegetables. Their next meeting was at the beach while she'd been setting up crab pots that Willy had loaned her, and the two managed to bond over their shared love of seafood (she made sure to note that his favorite meals were lobster and crab cakes, maybe once she had a kitchen installed she could cook either for his birthday in autumn). She'd also attempted to keep up with her Friday visits to the saloon, both to socialize with other townspeople, and get the occasional drink with Elliott and Leah (Elliott had happily introduced her to Leah, an artist who lived in the riverside cabin south of Marnie's ranch).
"H-hi there Elliott!" she greeted him, struggling to get the words out as her arms finally began to feel the strain the baskets were putting on her body, "would you m-maybe mind grabbing the door for me? Hands are kinda full- shit!"
She gasped as one of the basket handles snapped but quickly maneuvered to lean the basket on her hip. Before she could react a single cauliflower tumbled from the top of the pile, and she could only watch with a pained expression as it fell towards the ground.
Quickly though, Elliott had managed to lunge forward and grasp the vegetable, cradling it gently as he leaned back up. "That was nearly a disaster, luckily we managed to save this cauliflower from it's untimely stone demise," he said with a chuckle, offering a hand out to help Maria with the now broken basket.
She was more than happy to accept his offer, and she giggled watching the look on his face once he realized just how heavy the produce was.
Now with one hand free she was able to grasp the door's handle and push it open, a jingle announcing their presence to Pierre who had been reading a book behind the counter. "Hey there Maria! Got a new harvest for me?" he asked with a grin, and she knew how excited he was at the prospect of having fresh food on his shelves for customers.
"Sure do! Another cauliflower harvest, I've got about half of 'em on me right now, and another half will be waiting for you in the produce box back on the farm tonight," she explained with a smile once she and Elliott got to the counter, setting down the baskets near the register.
"Oh these will be perfect for the festival tomorrow, I'll need to call Gus and let him know he'll have more food to work with," Pierre replied, popping open the cash register to begin gathering the gold he'd pay back Maria with.
She, however, was very confused at the mention of a festival. "Festival? This is the first I'm hearing of this," she wondered aloud, looking between Elliott and Pierre in the hopes of an answer.
"Ah, yes, the Egg Festival. Held once a year every spring in the town square, if my memory serves me right last year there was a veritable buffet prepared by Gus from the saloon, an egg hunt for anyone to partake in, though it was mostly a children's venture, and the town was adorned top to bottom in festive, pastel egg-related decor," the writer explained, tapping a finger to his chin as he spoke.
"In so many words, yes," Pierre agreed, collecting the gold into a small coin sack and handing it over the counter for Maria to grab, "and I kindly thank you for the produce stock."
"There's more where that came from," Maria grinned, happily grasping the bag and tossing it between her hands playfully, "now if I could just buy... let's say, thirty cauliflower seeds? I'm planning on two more harvests before prepping my farm for the summer crops."
After collecting her seeds from the shelves and paying Pierre back, she stood by the door and watched Elliott do his bi-weekly grocery shopping, picking up essentials and food to stock in his seaside cabin. Within minutes the two were out of the store, walking side by side through the town square.
Maria had managed to convince him to let her carry some of the groceries, so now in one hand she carried a box of tea bags and in the other was a bag which held cartons of cream, packets of sugar, and honey imported from some big name brand in Zuzu City.
"I didn't know you were a tea fan," Maria hummed, lifting the box to inspect it's contents, "green tea blended with peppermint. Hmm, no wonder you always smell minty."
Elliott laughed at this, glancing down at Maria as he carried his share of the groceries, "I suppose I shall take that as a compliment? But yes, tea has been a staple of my daily life since childhood. My mother was a tea fanatic, it only made sense that this projected onto her only child."
"You're an only child?!" Maria exclaimed loudly, nearly yelling the question out loud, "oh I'm so jealous."
Elliott's brow furrowed and the writer mulled over the statement, "I do not believe that the life of an only child contains much for one to be envious of."
"Oh yea? Try having six siblings," Maria replied in a deadpan.
At this he nearly choked, wide eyed, "six siblings? Oh, how ever did you survive?"
Maria giggled, amused by his tone. "I spent a lot of time fighting the three older ones and helping raise the three younger ones. I'm smack dab in the middle. One older sister, two older brothers, a pair of twin younger sisters, and the youngest is my baby brother- well, he's twelve, but I still call him the baby."
"Could I perhaps get insight on the life of a middle child?" Elliott asked curiously once the two set foot on the bridge which connected the town center to the beach.
Maria pursed her lips, turning her gaze away from him to glance down at the river, the trickling water momentarily distracting her as she got lost in memories. "My life, hmm? Well... a lot of time being forgotten about and only being acknowledged when I was needed, once the twins were born I stopped getting the attention I needed as a child, and all my accomplishments were overshadowed by those of the older three, and my whole life I've been compared to all of them."
The longer her sentence trailed on, the more bitter her tone began, an edge creeping in. She stopped herself however, both physically and from speaking. With a sigh, she dropped her shoulders and leaned against the bridge's brick wall, cursing her emotions for getting the better of her. She could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and willed them back, refusing to let Elliott see her cry.
"Maria..." Elliott mumbled, and she hated the way all her mental functions seemed to screech to a halt just from hearing her name slip off his tongue so easily. She lifted her gaze slowly to meet his, her heart aching just a bit seeing the genuine concern in his eyes, "I... I did not mean to cause you any distress with my questions, if you wish to cease the conversation I'll gladly switch the topic. In all these weeks of knowing you I've never seen you so... pained."
The writer chose his words carefully, and Maria smiled weakly at him, "It's fine, you're fine. No worries. Let's just get these groceries back to your place, yea? And we can check and see if my crab pots caught anything good today, too."
Elliott nodded and allowed her to walk ahead, and though the writer still had questions and concerns he wanted to voice, he stifled those thoughts for now. 'Another time,' he thought, as he and Maria walked off the bridge and onto the all too familiar sandy shores.
...
The next day Maria found herself in awe at the work that'd been done overnight to decorate the town square for the annual Egg Festival. Pastel, egg themed garlands hanging in the trees and on the buildings, the streetlamps had been wrapped in ribbons, and she could already spy brightly colored eggs that'd been hidden in bushes and gardens for the eventual egg hunt.
She strolled into town wearing a pink blouse with sleeves that cut off at her elbows, and slim-fit jeans that she'd tucked into her working boots. Her curly brunette locks had been tied up in a loose ponytail, and a pink ribbon she'd had lying around in her moving boxes was wrapped around her hair, which seemed to tie the outfit together nicely.
After swinging by Pierre's stand and being enticed into buying strawberry seeds, she wandered over to what appeared to be a buffet set up on three long tables. Every single type of egg-based meal Maria could imagine was up for grabs: boiled eggs, fried eggs, deviled eggs, egg salads, egg on rice, egg rolls- her mouth was salivating at the sight.
"Go on, farmer! Grab a plate and get your fill!" Gus invited her over with a grin, and she did just that, piling her plate high with one of every item there was.
She had a brief conversation with Marnie and Shane about all the eggs they'd supplied for the festival, and the latter seemed uncharacteristically happy for the occasion. After learning he'd had quite the hand in raising Marnie's chickens, she understood his change in mood, finding the insight into his life interesting considering he'd shut her down every time she'd attempted to chat him up at the saloon. She'd made a point to avoid the fruit punch bowl after a snide comment Pam made, leading her to believe it'd been spiked. Once she was satisfied with all the food she'd grabbed, she walked towards an area where circular tables and seats had been set up, realizing Leah had been waving her down to sit with her and Elliott.
"Did you leave anything at the buffet?" Leah teased, pointing out the farmer's plate as she took a seat, setting her food down gently on the table.
"It's free food, and we don't get a lot of opportunities to feast like this," Maria replied, sticking her tongue out before digging her fork into some very tasty looking scrambled eggs, "I grabbed as much as I could, feel free to pick off my plate."
The three held an idle conversation as they shared the food Maria had gathered, discussing various topics; Leah's current project, Elliott's plan (or lack thereof) for his book, and Maria's ideas on farm formatting and the coop she wanted to buy by spring's end.
Three separate times Maria had turned her head, only for her eyes to meet familiar green ones, and for Elliott to quickly avert his gaze. She bit the inside of her cheek, wondering what must've been going through the writer's mind, but before she could ask her thoughts were interrupted by Lewis speaking up to make an announcement.
"The Egg Hunt will be starting in five minutes! All who want to participate must come up and grab an egg basket! This is an all ages competition, not only children have to participate!"
At this, Maria raised a brow, before looking back at her two friends with a small grin on her lips, "Why do I... kinda wanna do the egg hunt?"
"I say go for it. It's not just the kids that play, plus there's some kinda prize at the end," Leah suggested with a shrug, sipping on her water as they watched Jas and Vincent run up to collect their baskets from the mayor.
"I mean yea, but if I win I'll feel badddd , like don't I kinda have an advantage over the kids?" Maria mumbled, tapping her foot as she thought it over
"Jas and Vincent lost to Abigail last year, but they were more than fine with the outcome. I believe the two were mostly excited over how many eggs each had collected and where they'd been found," Elliott offered, and just as he said this Abigail had walked up to Mayor Lewis to retrieve her egg basket as well.
Putting a few more seconds of thought into it, Maria grinned wickedly as she grabbed an egg roll and stood up from the table. "Alright, I'll do it, but don't be surprised when I wipe the floor with the competition," she smirked, before taking a bite from the roll and practically bounding over to Lewis with childlike excitement.
"Such confidence!" Elliott called out after her, he and Leah laughing as they watched the farmer grab a basket and give the two a devilish look.
...
Once the egg hunt began, all six hunters were off, and Elliott had managed to watch Maria sprint towards the southern bridge in search of painted eggs.
"So what's with you and all the staring today?"
He quickly turned his head, only to see Leah's curious face as she arched a brow to look over at him. "Whatever do you mean?" he replied, trying to play off her question.
"Don't think I haven't noticed all the looking you've been doing at Maria, what's up with you, hmm?" she pushed, crossing her arms and leaning over the table.
Elliott sighed, running a hand through his hair to push it back. "... Yesterday Maria and I were talking, she was gracious enough to assist me in carrying my groceries home from Pierre's. We approached the topic of family and... well, she wasn't exactly fond of her life experiences. I believe I encroached on a sensitive topic and I want to find a good way to apologize. I would never in my life seek to make her uncomfortable, and I'd very much like her to know she can have faith in me and seek me out if she's ever in need of help, or someone to merely speak with," he explained, pursing his lips.
In the background of their conversation, Lewis shouted out that it was the midway point of the egg hunt.
"Well. Tell her," Leah replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"Pardon?" Elliott furrowed his brow.
"What you just said to me, tell her that. Easy," Leah continued, picking at the leftovers of what had previously been an egg salad.
"It is not so simple. I'm not so sure that Maria and I have a close enough bond for me to be seen as a confidant in her eyes," Elliott mused, vaguely listening to the excited giggles of children in the background- he assumed Jas or Vincent must've discovered a new egg.
Leah rolled her eyes in leaned back in her chair, "well if you never talk to her about these things you're never gonna get to that point."
"Yes..." he murmured, "yes, I suppose you're right."
The sudden shrill noise of a whistle made the two jump, turning their attention back towards the mayor. "Hunts over! All hunters must return to tally their eggs!"
...
Maria couldn't wipe the grin off of her face even if she wanted to as she walked back over to Elliott and Leah, sporting an oddly appropriate straw hat that'd been her gift for winning and swinging a basket of ten delicately painted eggs. "How do I look?" she asked playfully, striking a pose once she stood in front of her friends.
"Like a farmer," Leah teased, making Maria stick her tongue out at her once more.
"I believe a celebration of my victory is in order!" she announced with a smile, tipping her hat to block out the sun, "how about we grab some drinks and head back to the farm? I don't think I've had either of you over yet, my house isn't much for now but I've got movies and a decent television signal. And a cat."
"That sounds lovely," Elliott replied, giving Maria a sweet smile which caused a faint blush to dust her cheeks.
"Great! But first , there's a giant pink rabbit plush at Pierre's stand that's calling my name, and I have to have it," she giggled, picking up the trash that had been left over from their small feast, "meet me at the north-west road and we'll start walking."
Unknown to her, a pair of green eyes curiously watched her skip away towards Pierre. Upon hearing Leah's laughter besides him, however, Elliott stopped his staring to face his friend.
"What?" he questioned, confused by her amusement.
"Either you really want to talk to her about yesterday, or you're starting to get a teeny tiny crush on the farmer," she teased with a grin, standing up from the table.
The mere suggestion made Elliott's cheeks darken to a shade of red, and before he could refute the claim Leah had walked away towards the meet up point, leaving the writer to sit there and dwell on the idea.
...
Comments are alwayssss appreciated :p