& Them | A Stardew Valley FanFiction (Sequel to "Us")

Chapter 14 - Fall 21

"Well, good morning, Sadie!" Marnie's voice was smothered in a thick southern accent, a flamboyant smile smeared across her face. "What can I do for ya?"

"Hi, Marnie," I said, internally debating whether or not to stock up on hay, now that I had finally caught her behind the counter. "Is Shane home?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, he's out in the city today. Any chance I could help ya out?"

"Oh, no, that's alright," I chirped. Marnie looked at me with Shane's signature bullshit face plastered on her features.

"You know, you get that same forehead wrinkle Dave used to have when he lied. What's up?" She chuckled and motioned for me to come in further. I obliged.

"You—were you friends with my grandfather?"

"Oh, yes, we were inseparable—him, Lewis, and me. Lewis was always the middle man between us...we were so different, we could hardly agree the grass was green," she chuckled, nostalgia outlining her words. "Then one day, Lewis became mayor, and we had to learn to tolerate each other without him...Well, lo and behold, we became the most unlikely duo there ever was. We were so different that we always had something to learn from one another; we taught each other to live a little better."

I smiled, and I meant it. I'd never had much of a chance to get to know Marnie, but every story I heard about my grandfather made me feel even closer to this town. Closer to the people in it. He wasn't just a sarcastic old man with a big heart, he was once a teenager, and a best friend, and was always as hard headed as he was when I last saw him...He meant something to everyone, and I was honored to have known him.

"Can I ask you something?" I blurted out without thinking.

"Of course," Marnie replied, looking satisfied.

"Please, feel free not to answer if this is too personal," I started. "But...you and Lewis...?"

Marnie's face painted itself beet red. "Well," she said reluctantly. "You caught me. We've been on and off for years...There's nothing fun about growing old and being alone."

That sentence, so simple, allowed me to see an entirely new perspective surrounding her and Lewis's secret relationship. They weren't hiding it because he was the mayor, or because they only wanted to hook up...They are just living, and that's all anyone could do. People talked, but that didn't bother them—they didn't explain themselves to anyone, because they didn't have to. Their lives, their rules.

"What was my grandfather's reaction?" I asked, staring at the floor. "Or did he know at all?"

"Oh, yes," she said with a chuckle. "He knew before I did. I can't say he was enthralled; groups of three are always hard to navigate, and having two of them be an item is a seemingly straight path to being alienated. But, the thing is, when you care about someone, and they care back, there is no fear of who likes who best. It just was, and all Dave wanted was to see a smile on our faces."

I nodded. "He was lucky to have friends like you."

"I'll tell ya, I wish I knew how genetics work," Marnie said. "You Simmons folk are always appreciative of everything, even memories that you didn't get to experience. You hear about love and it fills y'all up, and you're able to pay it forward. I see him and me in you and Shane's friendship, believe it or not."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," she said. "Let me tell you, Shane never much cared about having friends, certainly similar to Dave in that regard. In fact, I thought it was a damn miracle when he got on with Kent and Jodi's boy—Sam—back when they started working at Joja together. I mean, hell, they've lived next door to each other for a million years, but you'd never know it. Granted, he'd still be drinking, but sometimes he'd come home, and it seemed like he'd had a halfway decent day." She was grinning through her monologue. "Sam has always been a good kid, but he cared for Shane when nobody else did; that was the first time I felt hope that my Shane was in there somewhere. Even then, though, he still seemed far away...Sadie, I don't know what you did, but he's back. I see that twinkle in his eyes, the one he had long before—well, you know... that boy cares about you, and not in some twisted desire way...he just cares. He has a spot for you in his soul that I don't know if I've even ever reached, and hell, I raised him. I mean, carrying someone home from the bar? He's never been on the 'heroic' end of that, nor did I think he would ever step up even if the circumstances aligned." She laughed.

"Oh, god, you heard about that?" I groaned.

"We've all been there, darling," she said softly. "You gave him a taste of his own medicine, and I've always been karma's biggest fan. You made him realize what he's put everyone else through, and you've done that in more ways than just blacking out at the Saloon." She winked, and I grimaced through my smile.

"Thank you," I said, ignoring the embarrassment. "It's surreal to hear this from someone else. Shane and I have a more...silent way of expressing gratitude for one another." I suppressed a giggle at the thought of us insulting each other relentlessly, but coming through when it mattered.

"He may never admit it, but you've done something for him in the way that Dave did something for me—it's crazy, every time I think I'm done getting my ass saved by a Simmons, you people swoop back in again, and pull something truly remarkable. I know Lewis has told you a kabillion times—because he's told me a kabillion times—but you truly do mirror Dave's best qualities while dodging his worst." She laughed to herself. "Shane's got a big heart. Even when it's soaked in liquor, it's somewhere inside him, deep down. You found it, Sadie. He knows how special that is...Trust me."

Her words had begun to sink in."So, theoretically, if he gave me advice that I want nothing more than to ignore, you think I should listen to him?"

"You're a smart girl, so you know to take any man's word with a grain of salt...but I promise, he wouldn't do you wrong."

Shit.

I need to talk to Sam.