Work Text:
Village Vignette: The Tea Party
Chapter soundtrack: But time makes you bolder, even children get older, and I’m getting older too
“Pierre, I’ve been meaning to have Jodi and the others around for tea all week – will you be okay if I do that this afternoon?”
“Hmmm?” Pierre looked up from the copy of the Stardew Valley Tribune that he was perusing. There was a multi-page spread on the fair, and prominent in it was a picture of Pierre with his winning grange display. Caroline smiled at her husband as he looked a little sheepish. “Sorry, dear, did you say you were meeting up with Jodi?”
“Jodi, Robin, all of the older women – it was so nice to see them all the other night, and with Kent coming home this is a chance for us to celebrate. I thought I could have them all over for tea in the sunroom.”
“And get all the details from Jodi?” Pierre smiled knowingly at her. “Of course.”
“I don’t think it will be hard to get her to tell the story!” Caroline said. “And this way everyone gets it from her, and she only has to tell it once.”
“And you can catch up on any other gossip you’ve missed with exercise class not taking place this week?”
Caroline smiled. “Well, that too...”
*
Evelyn had the shortest distance to travel, and she was the first to arrive that afternoon.
“Hello, dear. I’ve been meaning to speak to you since the night at Emily and Haley’s house,” she said, as she settled into a chair in the sunroom. “My, this is so pleasant – I say that every time, don’t I?” She chuckled. “But you have so many beautiful flowers, and the temperature in here is just perfect.”
“Thank you, again!” Caroline smiled at the older woman. “What was it you wanted to talk about?”
“Well,” Evelyn said, picking up her handbag from the floor and rummaging around in it until she pulled out her pocketbook. “It’s about one of the pools that I imagine you have running...”
When Jodi and Pam arrived a few minutes later Caroline was taking Evelyn’s money and writing in a small notebook. She closed it and nodded to Evelyn, who sat back contentedly.
“Ooh, what were you backing, Evelyn?” Jodi asked as she took a seat.
“Was it the fishing contest at the ice festival?” Pam asked. “A bit early to be judging form, I guess.”
“Indeed,” Evelyn said. “No, this was about our young farmer.”
“Ahh,” Jodi said, nodding. “I haven’t settled on that one yet, although apparently he’s been spending time with Penny! Vincent will be disappointed,” she said, with a smile. “But I’m not going to rush things. And after Elliott and Leah were such washouts I’m actually surprised that you’re even running a book on him, Caroline!”
“Well, hope springs eternal,” Caroline said, as she filled a kettle with water and set it to boil. She turned back to the group. “And perhaps one of the girls will be receiving a bouquet soon – or giving one! They did seem to be thinking of romance the other night...” she hesitated, then ploughed on. “Has anyone seen Marnie recently?”
“She said she’d be here,” Jodi said. She looked around at the other women. “Have either of you heard anything about-“
“Sorry I’m late!” Robin said, hurrying in. “I was on my way out the door when Lewis called me – a big job for the new year!”
“Ooh, what’s that, Robin?” Jodi asked, as Robin dropped into a chair and let out a sigh.
The carpenter wiped her brow with a handkerchief. “Ugh, we need to up the cardio at exercise class. I shouldn’t be wiped out this much just from hurrying down the mountain path!”
“You’re getting old, Robin, the same as the rest of us,” Caroline sympathised.
“Oh, I know. It’s my birthday on Sunday – I can’t even claim to be in my early forties anymore.”
“Join the club,” Caroline said. “The kettle’s on – or would you like a cold drink?”
“Oh, tea will be fine,” Robin said. She tucked her handkerchief away in her fleece jacket. “Um, where was I? Oh, the job – someone’s contacted Lewis about that patch of land behind your house, Evelyn. They’ve asked about building a house there.”
“Have they now?” Evelyn said. “Well, we’re always pleased to welcome new neighbours. Do you know anything about them?”
“A woman and her son, that’s all I know – but Lewis seemed to think that she had quite a lot of money as that’s the largest plot in town, isn’t it?”
“Certainly out of my budget,” Pam said, with a tight smile. “How old’s the kid, did Lewis say? Could be another one for my Penny to teach.”
Robin shook her head. “I’m not sure that he knows. Apparently she was in town for the fair and liked the look of the valley.”
“Well, that’s nice,” Caroline said. “Quite the commitment from her to build a house here based on one visit, though!”
“I think she’s just at the exploring options stage,” Robin said. “I put together a quick quote – we’ll see if anything comes of it. I won’t start spending the money until it’s in my account!”
The others were laughing as Marnie hurried into the sunroom, taking off her overcoat before sitting in the last chair.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said. “I’ll just say that there was a chicken emergency and spare you the details.”
Pam looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “Chickens can have emergencies now?”
“Oh yes,” Marnie said. “Shane’s normally better than me with them, bless him, but he was worried he’d done something wrong. I had to explain to him that it’s rare, but a chicken can lay two eggs. Poor Bertha – I can’t imagine it was very comfortable for her. They’re not really designed to do that. I’ve only known it happen twice before in twenty years on the ranch.”
“Once in my life was enough,” Pam said. “Twice in a day would definitely be an emergency.”
“Shane’s been working hard with the animals,” Caroline said casually, as she unplugged the whistling kettle. “He seems to be doing well.”
“Oh, yes,” Marnie said, as Robin and Jodi tried not to look too interested. “He’s been doing very well lately.”
“James said that he’d been poorly after the party up at the farm,” Jodi said, adding thoughtfully “I think a few of them overdid it that night, from what he said.”
Marnie made a non-committal sound as Caroline poured the boiling water into the teapot. “Do you need a hand, Caroline?”
“Could you get the cups and saucers out of the cupboard, please?” Caroline said, as she carried the teapot over to the table. Setting it down she turned to a stereo and set music playing softly as Marnie got up and did as she was asked. With her back to the group Caroline, Jodi and Robin exchanged looks.
“Shane was doing so well at the fair,” Evelyn said. “He seemed to have eyes in the back of his head! All the children were safe from getting bitten by the animals with him there.”
Marnie smiled as she came back to the table and set out six sets of cups and saucers. “He’s very good with Jas. Not necessarily in the same way that Penny is good with children, but he doesn’t talk down to her. He just seems to have a knack with children, I think. And animals, come to that.” She chuckled. “I think they like that he doesn’t pander to them. Shane treats everyone the same – for better or worse!”
“How’s he finding working at JojaMart?” Jodi said.
“Oh, well, you know...” Marnie said, with a shake of her head. “I don’t think very many people who work at JojaMart have long-term career aspirations there.”
“Abigail says that Sam is...” Caroline looked to Jodi, who shook her head.
“He’s a good boy,” she said. “But I don’t think that ‘career aspirations’ are exactly on his mind.” She shrugged.
“Is he still playing music?” Caroline asked. “His turn at the talent show that time was a lot of fun, I thought.”
Jodi nodded. “That’s still his dream. He’s twenty-two – he can’t rely on it forever... but I suppose that so long as he’s doing something to pay for all his instruments I can’t exactly complain, can I? And with Sebastian and Abigail playing with him he’s actually showing some initiative to try and get them a booking.”
“Abigail’s playing?” Caroline asked, as she carried the teapot over to the table. “I didn’t know...”
Jodi looked at her in surprise. “Really? It’s been a few weeks... Well, I don’t think they’re quite ready to go public yet. I do wonder if Sebastian and Abigail are just humouring him.”
“I don’t think so,” Robin said, as Caroline poured the tea. “I don’t think he necessarily wants to be in a band – but if Sebastian can help Sam in any way then he will, Jodi. If being in a band for a while will help Sam get noticed, he’ll do it.”
“Oh, those three are as thick as thieves,” Evelyn said. “They remind me of some of my friends at that age, inseparable and always backed each other to the hilt. Although I don’t remember any of them dyeing one another’s hair pink!”
The other laughed as Caroline finished pouring and sat down.
“Well,” she said as she lifted her cup. “This is nice, isn’t it? Cheers, ladies, and enjoy.”
“I always do,” Jodi said, taking a sip. “Mmm, I can feel it doing me good already.”
Marnie nodded as she took a drink. “Just what I needed, Caroline, thank you.”
“Everything okay, Marnie?” Caroline asked.
“It’s just harvest season,” Marnie replied. “My feed supplier says he may be a bit short on the next delivery. He had a waterlogged field, apparently, and some of his crop spoiled. He’s trying to find more for me – I’ve been buying from him for close to twenty years, and he appreciates having a loyal customer... but it does mean that I’m at a bit of a loss at a time like this.”
“Could the new kid help you out?” Pam asked. “He’s got plenty of space on that land – can he grow what you need up there?”
Marnie looked thoughtful. “Well, there’s a lot of grass on the farm. It’s not ideal, and he’d need a silo to dry it and I don’t think he has one, not since old Solly passed on and the place began to fall apart.”
“He’ll have one soon,” Robin said with a smile. “I’m starting work on one on Monday.”
“Are you now?” Marnie asked, brightening up. “Well, that might be a big help – oh, that must mean that James is getting ready to have animals!” She beamed. “His grandfather never kept animals, apparently, but he helped my grandmother with hers. Our new farmer is branching out!”
“How nice,” Evelyn said. “I do think he’s settling in well. His grandfather was such a good man – the village and valley have missed having their farmer, no offence to you or Muriel, Marnie.”
“Oh, none taken,” Marnie said with a wave of her hand. “I don’t have green fingers. I can just about get basic crops growing, but I’ve seen some of the vegetables coming from Evermore Farm and James seems to have the knack for it!”
“Pierre’s very happy with what he’s been growing,” Caroline said.
“And it helped him win at the fair, too, right?” Pam said. “Or did you grow all the stuff?” She looked around. “You’ve got all sorts growing here. All the flowers are pretty.”
“Thank you,” Caroline smiled. “We did grow most of the things – but the yams and eggs came from suppliers. Pierre likes it to be a showcase for all the things that we sell, and of course there’s only so many veggies I can grow here.”
“Still doin’ better than me,” Pam sighed. “There’s nothing growing in our yard except junk. Maybe I’ll sort that out when I get home... but I guess it’ll be winter soon. Not much growing then!”
“You could find some wild seeds and grow crocuses and crystal fruit,” Marnie said thoughtfully. “I’m sure I’ve got some back at the ranch. If I find them, I’ll drop them off to you, Pam.”
“Well, thanks,” Pam said. “I guess me and Penny can work out how to grow them.”
“Have you ever tried growing powdermelons?” Jodi asked. “They’re a winter crop and so tasty – Kent and I used to grow them, but the boys don’t like them.”
“I don’t think we even sell the seeds for them,” Caroline said thoughtfully. “Something to ask Pierre about – although,” she added, with a sigh, “I don’t know that we’ll be spending too much on new products this winter.”
Evelyn smiled encouragingly at her. “Keep your chin up, dear,” she said. “Things have a way of working out – Perhaps Lewis will agree to the town spending more on the budget for flowers and seeds come springtime.”
Caroline returned her smile.
“Bless you, Evelyn. It would be wonderful if that’s all it took.”
Jodi and Pam shared a glance as Caroline took a swig of her tea.
“I think we’ll be okay,” she said. “I might need to find work, though, which might be a challenge. I don’t imagine too many places will be looking for a woman in her mid-forties who’s been out of the workforce as long as I have.”
“What was it that you got your degree in again?” Robin asked.
“I majored in communications, I was thinking about going into advertising or television,” Caroline said. “That didn’t happen, of course! And I don’t think there’d be too much of what I learned that would be relevant nowadays. No, something will come up.” She forced a smile. “I do think that this tea is just what I needed – and the company, of course!”
“Are you at least looking forward to Spirit’s Eve?” Jodi asked. “You’ve always had some wonderful costumes.”
“We are,” Caroline said. “Abigail and I are going to carve pumpkins, and I’ve been working on my costume – it won’t be up to Emily’s standards, of course, but I found an old party dress I can just about squeeze into. I’ll have to stay off desserts until then!”
“How about you, Robin?” Marnie asked. “You and Demetrius always go the extra mile with your costumes.”
“Oh yes,” Robin said, with a grin. “You know, we actually sat down as a family and watched one of those old monster movies the other day? All four of us – and we all got inspiration for our costumes.” She frowned slightly. “I’m not quite sure what Maru and Sebastian are planning, but Demetrius and I should look good!”
“How about you, Jodi?”
“Recycled costumes,” she said, with a shrug. “Sam seems to think that he can do something with old clothes, but Vincent should get another wear out of his pumpkin costume. It was baggy on him last year, although he’s growing like a weed. With Kent coming home I want the house to look perfect, though, so Robin perhaps we can talk about some odd jobs that could do with getting done in the next few weeks?”
Of course,” Robin said. “And...”
She glanced at Pam and Caroline, who’d both sat up a little straighter in their chairs when Jodi said Kent’s name.
Jodi took a sip of her tea and smiled. “Go on, I’m sure you’ve all been dying to ask.”
“Too right!” Pam said, with a shake of her head. “First off, how are you feeling?”
Jodi laughed. “One minute I’m on the moon, the next I’m half-thinking there’ll be someone at the door to tell me it’s all a terrible mistake.” She took a deep swallow of her tea. “And I don’t know which I’m going to be from one minute to the next.”
Caroline reached over and put her hand on Jodi’s. “You know we’re all here for you,” she said, with an encouraging smile, as the other women all nodded and murmured agreement. “How are the boys taking it?”
“Oh, Vincent is all the way on the moon,” Jodi said, with a beaming smile. “Kent’s been away for so long, I don’t think that Vincent has a very clear memory of him – but any boy will miss their father, of course. As for Sam, he’s doing his best to be optimistic, for Vincent’s sake and mine, I’m sure. But...”
She sighed and took a folded sheet of paper from her coat pocket.
“Kent sent this with the captain who brought us the news.”
She unfolded the letter.
“’Jodi, since I’ll be coming home soon I want to tell you a few things,’” she read. “I might not be the same man you remember. I’ve seen some things out here that have really shaken me up. I’ve been having a real hard time relaxing. I don’t want to scare you or make you upset. I just don’t want you to be shocked when I get back’” She swallowed with some difficulty as Marnie patted her on the shoulder. “’Remember, no matter how I act, you and the kids mean everything to me. I’ll see you soon.’”
Caroline topped off Jodi’s cup as she put away the letter and accepted a napkin from Evelyn to wipe her eyes with.
“When George was injured, at first he was hard to live with,” Evelyn said quietly. “None of you were here then, of course, but we had friends close by and they gave me a place to go when it felt like it was becoming too much.” She took a steadying sip of her tea. “He tried to convince me that his life was over, but little by little I was able to convince him otherwise. Your Kent is a good man, Jodi. He hasn’t forgotten what’s important, not in his heart – and that’s what matters most.”
“Thank you,” Jodi said quietly. “I know that it won’t be easy, not for him, not for us.”
“Well, the Pelican Town tea room will be open whenever you need it,” Caroline said with a smile.
“You should serve this tea on Spirit’s Eve,” Robin said. “I wouldn’t put it past some of the youngsters to show up in skimpy costumes and need warming up.”
“Or me,” Caroline said. “I’m putting tassels on my dress to try and bring the hemline down to a respectable length!”
They laughed.
“Ah, you’ve got to cut loose sometimes,” Pam said. “Mind you, with all the ghosts and ghouls and vampires I gotta admit that Spirit’s Eve gives me the heebie jeebies.”
“Well, I’ll definitely have some tea ready on the night, then. And I suppose that we’ll have all sorts of decorations around the town?”
“Oh yes,” Evelyn said. “Mayor Lewis and I have got everything planned – anyone who wants to help out on the day will be most welcome.”
“Lewis said that strange man who lives in the tower is going to set something up as well,” Marnie said, with a shake of her head. “I don’t know what it is he does, but I still remember that time I heard this awful, eerie noise coming from its direction.” She shuddered and took a big swig of her drink, nodding appreciatively as Caroline topped up her cup. “But I suppose the young people will enjoy it.”
“I hope it’s not a haunted house or anything like that,” Jodi said, thoughtfully. “Vincent will want to go in – but he’s still so young.”
“Jas too, I’m sure,” Marnie said. “Well, if neither of them are allowed to go then at least they won’t think we’re being unfair.”
“True,” Jodi said with a nod. “Did Lewis say anything else about the festival?”
“Not that I recall,” Marnie said. Her eyes widened slightly. “He only mentioned it in passing when he came by to pick up my taxes,” she added, a shade defensively.
“Of course, of course,” Jodi said, as Robin took a big swig of her tea before pulling out her handkerchief and wiping her mouth.
Caroline refilled Robin’s cup and looked around the table.
“Any other news? Pam, any word on the bus?”
“Nothing new,” Pam sighed. “Lewis has a weekly appointment with the manager at JojaMart. I guess that’s the local company rep, right? But nothing new. And the bus is just sat there, getting more and more broken down. If they’d fixed it in spring it would have been a lot cheaper, but no-one asked me, right?”
She shook her head.
“I’m still getting paid something, so there’s that. Maybe they ain’t noticed the bus stopped running yet. They’ll catch on eventually, but until then I’m putting away what I can. I figure if it comes down to it, I’ll sign on with Willy and go out on a fishing boat for a bit.”
“You’d really do that?” Marnie asked, her eyes wide. “Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Don’t see that I’d have much choice. I miss my old truck driving job. I used to go all around the valley, meetin' people, listenin' to the radio. Times sure do change. Once that job went away I had to retrain as a bus driver. With that out, what’ve I got? Past fifty and no qualifications that’ll get me a job? All that’s left is the sh-” She caught herself, glancing around at the other women. “All that’s left is the crummy stuff no-one wants to do ‘less they’ve got a passion for it, like Willy and fishing. Hey, it’d be honest work. Better that than drifting through the last few months, waiting for someone to say if I get my life back or not.”
She looked around again.
“Sorry. Not what you all wanted to hear,” she said quietly. “Not what I expected when I was a kid.”
“Life never is,” Robin said. “I wasn’t going to be a teenage mom.”
“Twenty-one’s barely any older,” Jodi said. “As for Kent joining the military... No, that was never in the cards.”
“It took me twenty years longer than I expected to have a family,” Marnie said. “And it’s fair to say that I wasn’t expecting to get one the way I have with Shane and Jas.”
“When I met Pierre I was a free-spirited girl caught between every flavour of counterculture going,” Caroline said. “Glam rock, bohemianism, flower power, hippies, psychedelia... You name it, I dabbled. Anything other than a normal family life. Funny the way life pans out.”
Evelyn had said nothing while the others reminisced, but looked up from the table and met Pam’s eyes.
“You’ve raised a wonderful young woman, Pam,” she said. “You should be proud of her. I was proud of Clara, in everything she did. Whatever else life holds for you, dear, remember that.”
Pam nodded.
“I guess you’re right. I must’ve done something right, or maybe just didn’t do too much wrong.” She took a sip of her tea. “There's no sense dwellin' on what you don't have. Next thing is to work out what I do to get forward from here, right? So, maybe fishin’, maybe Morris’ll pull his finger out and the bus gets fixed, maybe I can think of something to do around the place to help out.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “You’re gonna need some help getting the place ready for Spirit’s Eve, you said? Well, I can help with that.”
“We’d be delighted to have you,” Evelyn said, with a smile.
Pam nodded.
“I figure I can put together a costume, too. Plenty of old clothes about. Maybe a zombie or something... No point spoiling the day for anyone else by actin’ sour.”
“That’s the spirit, Pam,” Robin said. “And you know that Gus will put on a good spread of food.”
“He always does!” Pam said, breaking into a smile. “He’s one of the good ones. Heh, we should have invited him along. Any good barkeep knows all the local gossip. Maybe he’d tell us how much the farmer put away that night he had to get carried home?”
“I think that may be something Gus would keep to himself,” Caroline said, with a small smile. “But when Pierre and Abigail came home that night apparently James and Elliott were still there and showing no signs of slowing down.”
Robin shifted in her seat. “I saw him the next day,” she said carefully. “He was definitely coping with a sore head. But that’s part of being young, isn’t it? James is about the same age as Sebastian and the others, and most of them have had nights that they regretted the next morning.”
“It seems odd to think of him being so young,” Jodi said, thoughtfully. “He’s taken on an awful lot with the farm – I was expecting him to be quite a lot older, maybe around Doctor Harvey’s age.”
“He’s only a little younger than I was when I took on the ranch,” Marnie said. “But I came from a farming background.”
“His grandfather will have taught James a few things, I’m sure,” Evelyn said. “To be the farmer of the valley is no small task, and Solly took the role very seriously. I’m sure that James does, too. Bless them, most of the young people in town seem to take everything seriously nowadays. It does make it difficult to know who to back in the various dating pools.”
Caroline and Robin laughed.
“I struck out when I backed Alex and Leah,” Robin grumbled good-naturedly. “I would have thought he’d have been first in line when a pretty girl like her moved into town.”
“And I had Emily and Elliott,” Jodi said, with a shake of her head. “Two dreamers? I thought that was a safe bet. Still, at least I got Alex in the pool for the strongman machine at the fair.”
“And before the odds shifted, too. He may not be as big as some of the others but he does seem to be very strong,” Caroline said. “Even if we did have to suspend the book on him and Haley because they don’t seem to be able to make their minds up.”
“Oh, those two,” Evelyn said with a shake of her head. “I don’t think they’re in it for the long haul, you know. But they do seem to enjoy stepping out with each other.”
“Well, he’s a handsome boy. Any of the girls would be pleased to, er, step out with him,” Robin said.
“Thank you, dear,” Evelyn said, patting her hand. “And as for your two – Maru is a delight, and young Sebastian is so clever. You must be very proud of the both of them.”
“I am,” Robin said. “They’re both wonderful in their own ways.”
“Of course they are,” Evelyn said. “And the same goes for Abigail, and young Samson, and Penny, and even Shane and young Jas and Vincent.”
She sat back in her chair and drained her cup of tea.
“I have lived in Pelican Town a very long time – I remember coming here with my parents when I was not much older than dear Jas. And the sense of community is strong, just as it should be, no matter what challenges it faces. Our young people grow up, some leave, some stay, others come – why, just look at Leah and Elliott and James, all new arrivals in the last year or so. The community survives.”
“It does,” Caroline said. “That’s quite encouraging to think about. People come and go, but there’ll always be a Pelican Town.”
“There’ll always be people coming for the fair and the beach,” Robin mused.
“And the fishing,” Jodi said. “Troutfest, is it?”
“Squidfest, and the Trout Derby,” Marnie said, with a shake of her head. “The trout fishing is right outside my door, even. At least it’s only for a couple of days.”
“And Willy’s always hopeful we’ll get the fishing trawlers comin’ through more than once in a blue moon.”
“Well, I’m sure that Gus would appreciate the custom,” Caroline said with a smile. “But I won’t object if it’s quiet for a little while. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I think we all deserved a short break before all the work for Spirit’s Eve.”
There was general agreement from the others, before Marnie sat up a little straighter in her chair and took a deep breath.
“I may need... some help... over the next few weeks,” she said. “With Jas.”
“Anything you need,” Jodi said quickly. “You know that Vincent adores Jas – we’re happy to have her over whenever you need.”
“Or Abigail and I can look after her,” Caroline said.
“Maru as well,” Robin added. “She’d love to have someone to show her experiments to.”
“Heck, she can even hang with Penny and me,” Pam said. “I think we’ve still got some of the board games we used to play when she was a kid.”
“And heaven knows Alex and George can teach her all about gridball if it comes down to it,” Evelyn said. “Or she can bake with me, if she’d prefer!”
Marnie looked around and smiled, a little shakily. “Thank you all.”
“Of course,” Robin said. “That’s the community spirit, isn’t it? We all help each other when we can.”
“That’s right,” Evelyn said. “Just ask, dear, any time.”
“Would anyone like more tea?” Caroline asked, as Marnie dabbed at her eyes with a napkin.
Caroline topped up those cups that needed it and looked around the table. “This is nice,” she said, contentedly. “Now, would anyone like to check the pools we have running at the moment? Make sure you’ve got a stake in whatever’s open, ladies...”
Next: Back to the main story, where James cautiously begins an emotionally sensitive conversation with Elliott, before he and Penny cook for Robin and Demetrius’ family, and then he tries to help with Maru’s project