With the Stars and Us - Chapter Two

The announcement that Mary was leaving Mineral Town came as a shock to everyone, especially her parents. Her mother asked what sprang this on and the slightly patronizing tone she used made Mary grit her teeth. She knew that she should be honest. But was it really anyone’s business? She wasn’t entirely sure.

Mary was an adult woman. Was she not allowed to take trips? Was she not allowed to find herself? Was she not allowed to see the world beyond her tiny little town? This was the logic that she used with her parents, though a little less defensive.

“Where will you go? What about money? We’re happy to help you with it but I’m still worried,” her mother said as she watched Mary pack her bags.

The librarian bit her lip. “I was going to use the savings I had from the royalties from that short story collection and magazines. I’m sure I could find a part-time job to help out if that doesn’t last me too long. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you and Papa.”

“Mary, you’re my daughter. You’re never going to be trouble for us. We’ll help you.” Anna stepped towards her daughter and wrapped her arms around her shoulder. The comforting and familiar scent of her Blue Magic perfume made Mary relax. She hadn’t even realized how tense she was. “But I would like to know where you’re going.”

“Well… Elli is in Waffle Island, so I thought I could stay there for a bit.”

It was a place that Mary had only read about, in both letters and very old picture books about the Harvest Goddess. According to Elli’s letters, it had been long past the island’s halcyon days. The mythical rainbows that shone in the skies day and night had suddenly disappeared one day and things were allegedly tough. Still, the quaint town and its people sounded pleasant. Familiar. Familiar yet different enough to hopefully distract Mary from her heartache, at least for a little while.

So, that was how she wound up on a ship headed for Waffle Island. It was a rushed and busy week to put all of Mary’s ducks in a row, but she managed it. She practically hogged the telephone at the Inn as she made countless phone calls to the ship captain and the island’s hotel. The mayor even wanted to have a word with her! People here didn’t go that crazy for Cliff’s arrival! Things must have been truly stagnant there.

Then, Mary was gone.

The farewells she gave her parents and the other townsfolk were full of wishes of good luck and tears. Mary wondered if the look Gray gave her meant something. A voice in the back of her head swore up and down that it had to have been regret. Regret that he let her slip out of his fingers, that he had made the wrong choice and so on. Mary quickly shook those thoughts from her head. That ship had sailed, after all. If she were to read into Gray’s expression at that moment, hurt definitely flashed in those big blue eyes of his. She had decided to leave right after his wedding, after all. They were also friends. She just needed to get away so they could stay friends.

As Mineral Town’s coast melted into the ocean behind them, Mary thought about the future. What was she hoping to find out there? Where would she go if Waffle Island just didn’t click for her? Would she head back to Mineral Town with Elli or find somewhere else to go? If so, where? These questions swirled and crashed against the insides of Mary’s skull. Nausea swept over her as she watched the waves splash against the sides of the boat. Ugh, she couldn’t even remember the last time she traveled, let alone by boat.

She spent a majority of the trip inside her cabin below deck, unsure if this was better or worse. The second day of laying in her cot, feeling miserable, she realized she got the advice for seasickness wrong… but still stayed in her cabin. A few days later, the ship pulled onto land to pick up another passenger; an aspiring rancher named Angela. They didn’t speak all too many thanks to Mary holing herself up in her room.

“Are you a farmer too?” Angela asked as they sat in the galley one evening, during a particularly rough and sudden storm that forced nearly the entire crew below the deck.

“Ah, no, I’m just visiting the island. I… I have never been.”

Angela blinked then smiled. “Cool, cool. Do you travel a lot then–I guess not if you’ve been sick the whole trip!”

Mary grimaced then chuckled. “No, I’m afraid not. This is my first trip alone. I just needed a change of pace.”

“Well, going to a whole new place sure is one.” The would-be rancher reached for her bottle of water and raised it towards her. “To new beginnings.”

Mary’s lips twitched to a wider smile. “To new beginnings.”

As the two girls took a swig of their waters, the ship suddenly jerked around. Water splashed onto their faces as the sea outside crashed into the sides of the ship. The boat raised and crashed downward. Mary lurched forward and held a hand over her mouth. Before Angela could ask if she was okay, the ship jerked once again and the brunette smashed her head against the wall and was knocked out. The crew rushed the girls to their respective rooms, though extra care was given to Angela for obvious reasons. Mary drifted in and out of a sleep plagued by nausea and cold sweats. There were brief moments of lucidity. Though, they were no longer than a blink of an eye. In those flashes, she saw the purple-gray sky and the familiar smell of the coastline, the sight of unfamiliar ceilings and the sensation of hands on her shoulders and side as she wobbled upstairs, and a man murmuring to someone she couldn’t see about how she was fine ‘but the other would need more care’.

The feeling of the spring sun’s warmth pouring onto her face brought Mary back to the land of the living. She blinked. Her hands blindly pawed at her surroundings–oh these sheets and pillows were way too nice, maybe even nicer than the ones she had back home–for her glasses. She slipped them on and sat herself up. She was inside a well-kept room she didn’t recognize. Blinking again, Mary looked around the room and took a deep breath.

Clearly, she was on Waffle Island.

Oh, she wished the start of her new, potential life started on a better foot. She giggled.

Knock. Knock.

“C-come in!” Mary called out.

“Hello, Mary,” Elli said as she closed the door behind her.

“Elli!” The former librarian jumped up from her bed to properly greet her friend. Strangely, they didn’t interact too much back home–Mary liked to think that they could have been best friends if she was a little more social like Ann or Karen–and had grown closer through letters. Mary wasn’t sure what compelled her to start writing but she didn’t regret it. At first, it was just updates about what was going on in town then it evolved. Mary lifted her arms to possibly hug the nurse-slash-baker-slash-clerk but… hesitated.

Elli reached out and grasped Mary’s hands and gave them a tight squeeze. “I guess you are feeling better! I was a little worried when you two came in, Dr Jin was nearly falling apart at the seams.”

“Dr Jin?”

”He’s the town’s doctor, as you can probably guess. He runs the clinic with his grandmother, Irene, I believe he had someone else helping out? I think he left for the mainland before I even came here. So, at least he has more help than Dr Trent–”

“Ah, so are you… familiar,” Mary said before biting her lip to hide the teensy smile creeping across her face. Maybe it was a bit presumptuous for her to be making jokes at Elli’s expense, especially jokes about her penchant for a certain doctor back home, during their two-year reunion but she couldn’t help herself. “Familiar with Dr Jin as well?”

Elli puffed her cheeks and softly swatted her on the shoulder. “No!” She huffed, sighed then chuckled all within the span of five seconds. “I don’t think I could even call it a professional relationship, we talk so unoften.”

“Oh, I see. Is it because you’ve been taking care of yourself?”

“Yes actually. Well, no, it’s a mix of… Oh, I should let you get ready for the day if you’re feeling up for it. Are you hungry? We can catch up over lunch downstairs, Yolanda’s cooking is amazing!”

“Ah, that’s your mentor, isn’t it? Alright, give me a few minutes and I’ll head down.”

Lunch was nothing short of delightful. The food–a flavorful tomato risotto and refreshing vegetable sandwich that hit all the right spots after days on the sea–was delectable and maybe better than Doug’s. It was a thought that bordered on blasphemy for Mary. A thought that made Elli choke on her milk tea when it was voiced out loud. The company was good too, of course. It filled Mary with warmth inside her chest to see Elli again. There was just something about catching up over a delicious meal that nurtured the soul.

The former nurse talked about the ups and downs of her training and the monotony of working at the Town Hall. It was a peaceful type of monotony that Mary was more than familiar with and would kind of miss while on her trip. She could see why it was starting to get to Elli though, even if working at the desk at the Mineral Town Clinic had a lot of the same duties. Different but the same.

When it was Mary’s turn to give her an update… She stumbled. She just repeated what she told the others back home; she really needed a change of pace and didn’t want to regret not exploring the world and herself when she was ‘too old’. Elli shot her an apologetic look. Had that comment hit too hard with her grandmother’s situation? Mary gave a quick update about Ellen and how she was doing well, the last time Mary heard. Saibara was apparently visiting her more according to Gray. The moment that name passed her lips, she stopped. Her stomach twisted itself in knots as her chest tightened. Her jaw clenched. Her fists formed tight, shaky and sweaty masses. She sucked in a deep, deep breath and held for a moment before blowing it all out.

“Gray and Claire got married.”

Mary watched as Elli struggled to give a response. Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth kept opening and closing as Mary imagined her trying to decide between an “oh, I’m happy for them” and an “oh, I’m so sorry.” Mary was sure that she’d be in the same situation if Claire had married the doctor… though, that may have been a lot worse if she was in Elli’s shoes. It was hard enough to watch as the two fell in love and began to court each other. How bad would it have been to have all that happen while you were gone?

“Mmmm, I see,” Elli said finally. She took a long drink of her milk tea before reaching for Mary’s hand. “How… How are you taking it? Your last letter… I didn’t get it until a few days ago. It sounded like you were having a rough time when the engagement was announced.”

“I, ah, I don’t want to talk about it. At least… at least not right now,” Mary shot out. Her voice wobbled a bit but she managed to keep it together. “...S-so, tell me about it here.”

Elli gave her another look… but gave into the subject change in the end. A brief rundown of Waffle Town, slightly rehearsed and something Mary was sadly already all too familiar with thanks to Mayor Hamilton on the phone, and its residents filled the slightly tense air. First was the Sundae Inn and how it was a family run business, save for a fellow protege who was off on the mainland. Next were the businesses in town; On the Hook, the general store and people who worked in the Town Hall along with Ellie.

“And of course, there’s Dr Jin and Irene. I mentioned them in your room.”

“Right, and you didn’t get to answer my question.” Mary took a sip of her juice. “I know it was a joke I made, but I am still curious.”

Elli nodded. “I try my best to take care of myself. It was a habit I had to get into with how insistent Dr Trent could be! I didn’t want to let him down… with Dr Jin, he is very career-focused. It wouldn’t be right to say he’s unsociable, he just works all day and then heads home.”

“Oh, does he not live above the clinic like Trent?”

“No, no. He, ah, has a home in the Maple Lake District. It’s just him there. Irene does live at the clinic though. I worry about her…” Elli bit her lip as she tapped the sides of her mug. “She’s getting up there. I’m sure Dr Jin takes care of her when he can. I just…”

Mary looked at her friend. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched her hand. “I understand. Does she somewhat remind you of your grandmother?”

Elli sniffed and gave a nod. “Yes, I’m sorry. I got a little too emotional. But… I’m not sure what Dr Jin will do once she retires and that alleged protege of his doesn’t come soon. It’s a lot of work running the clinic. The doctor and I in Mineral Town barely managed— Oh Goddess, how was he handling things last time you saw him?”

“He’s managing, I believe. I haven’t had many opportunities to see him. I…” Mary hesitated. “I think he did like having you around. I’ve seen him at festivals more often and he’d leave to go to Forget-Me-Not Valley for day trips more often than not.”

A long minute passed before Elli gave a nod. “I see.”

“I mean that in a… Well, you two were always together before. I can only speak for myself, but before Gray moved into town, I was always in the library by myself. When he started to show up to get away from his grandfather for a bit, it was… It took some getting used to. But then when, ah, you know started to happen with Claire… He wasn’t around as much…”

“Mary…”

“It’s okay. A-as… As I was saying, that also took getting used to, not having him around as much. When I brought up Dr Trent and how he became more ‘social’, I meant to say he might have been trying to find a way to occupy his time. Sending and getting letters is great and amazing but… Sometimes you just want someone there. S-sorry! I… I didn’t mean to just talk over you and psychoanalyze the doctor!” Mary flung her hands up in front of her chest and flailed them from side to side. Her lips pressed into a hard yet wiggly line. Beads of sweat formed just below her hairline as her glasses fogged up. “I-I’m sorry if I made you feel bad as well.”

“No, no. I… appreciate it. You and the doctor are two different people but I appreciate hearing you say this nonetheless. Anyway! Do you need a tour of the island? Or do you just want to explore on your own once you’ve settled in?”

Mary hummed before taking a nibble of her sandwich’s leftover crust. “Mmm, I’ll just focus on settling in for now and let you get back to work. Thank you so much for seeing me.”

“Alright,” Elli said with a nod before finishing her milk tea. “It’s really no trouble at all if you want me to tag along. There isn’t a whole lot for me to do at the Town Hall but if you change your mind, come find me!”

Once their meal was finished and paid for, Mary headed back into her room and unpacked her bags. Her typewriter and the novels she brought lined the lone dresser and took up more space than her other belongings. Her brush, lotion and a small amount of jewelry could probably fall right off if she wasn’t careful! She slipped the last of her clothing into the drawers and placed her most precious possessions onto the small vanity; her pens and notebooks that held her work in progress. She bit her lip as she stared at the cover. She had been working on this for so long… Years ago, she thought it would be her debut but nearly a dozen short stories to magazines later, her novel sat there unwritten. A romance. A slow-burn fantasy romance that was both deliciously agonizing and utterly unbearable in the worst way. Gray had said her writing style was good but the characters dragged their heels too much.

Mary bit her lip.

When was the last time she had touched this? The engagement announcement?

She shook her head and left the inn.

‘Fresh air will do me good. Might as well explore for a bit,’ she thought as she strolled down the brick roads. The scent of seawater immediately washed lingering thoughts about her WIP and others from her mind. She looped around the town center, seeing two houses she could only guess the owners of and then an empty building before finding herself in front of the clinic. Mary pushed up her glasses as she stared at the building. Elli had mentioned that the doctor looked after her for a bit while she was out of it. ‘I should follow up… and apologize for the trouble.’

With that, she went inside. The scent of herbal tea and an almost stifling wave of chlorine hit her senses and nearly knocked her over. Ah, at least they kept the clinic clean. An old woman behind the counter perked up. ‘This must be Irene,’ she thought. “Ah, hello! My… my name is Mary—“

“Oh good, you’re up and about. Jin was thinking about checking up on you this afternoon,” Irene said. She waved the girl over. “Did you need anything?”

Mary shook her head then paused. “Ah, um, no. Wait, I apologize. I was hoping to thank the doctor for looking after me.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Miss,” an almost familiar voice said. Mary spun on her heel to face the owner. The sight of a man with night coloured hair and equally dark, tired eyes behind glasses greeted her. He had an air of gentle stoicism around him, unlike and yet similar to Gray. His was a serious professionalism and not something born out of lingering angst, at least that was what she could glean from him. The man adjusted his clean, almost sharp lab coat, and gave Mary a polite smile. This was obviously Dr Jin. He seemed completely different from the doctor back home, who was so dedicated to his job that he wore his mirror and stethoscope to festivals. Jin kept his lab coat immaculate as well as the green silk blouse he wore. “It’s part of the job.”

A blush ran to her cheeks. She wasn’t ready to be surprised like that! “Ah, of course, but, thank you so much!”

Jin shook his head. “Please, it’s alright. You are more than welcome.” He gestured towards the entrance to what she assumed was the examination room. “I’d like to do a follow up though if you don’t mind.”

The examination was quick but quiet. Mary didn’t mind. Like the doctor had said, it was simply part of the job. Her eyes wandered around the small office. Books and loose papers cluttered his shelf and desk. A heavy contrast to the possible medicine cabinet; its glass doors revealing what precious little was inside it.

“Your name is Mary and you’re from Mineral Town, correct?” Jin asked as he turned to his desk, shuffling a few papers around.

“Yes.”

“Good, good. You didn’t hit your head or anything like the other young woman, did you?”

“No. I just felt nauseous and dizzy. Seasick.”

He nodded and scribbled more things down. “Are any of those sensations still lingering around?”

“No, I managed to eat without any problems.”

“I see. You’re recovering well. Do try to take things easy for now though,” he said with a faint smile once he finally faced her again. “I would hate for a visitor to keep getting sick on my watch. Elli wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. However, if you feel anything come up during your… Ah, how long were you planning on staying on the island?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“It's probably for the best. Pascal mentioned that the storms surrounding the island weren’t going away for a while. Still, I hope you enjoy your stay here. Don’t hesitate to come in if there’s anything wrong.” His gaze fell upon his paperwork once again. She watched as he rubbed his eyes and reread his notes. “Just in case, are you aware of any allergies you may have? I’d like to avoid any problems if there’s ever an emergency.”

“No, not that I’m aware of.”

“Good, good.” The scribbling picked up again. “I make my own medication and treatments when I can. I’d rather avoid making anyone feel worse.” There was a small laugh. The kind of laugh that mostly came out of your nose and barely lasted a second. “Well. You’re good to go, Mary. Remember to take things easy for now.”

She nodded before standing up and giving a small bow. He was a lot friendlier than Elli made him out to be, she thought. Sure, he did talk about her health but he was on the clock, was he not? It only made sense. Mary gave a small wave before leaving the clinic. The smell of the ocean mercifully washed the scent of chlorine from her nostrils within seconds.

“Well… what to do…”