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She can’t say there’s such a thing as a bad day in the Valley. There’s something special that comes with the serene tranquility of an unchanging, mundane regime, a regime she had thankfully gotten used to after years of practice. Today she wakes before her alarm, when the sky outside the trailer is still dark, splotched only by the first rays of light on a sleepy horizon. In the main cabin of her home, her mother, as inebriated as she may be, sleeps like a baby, and Penny relishes in the silence she knows she only has for a few more hours.
Her eyelids, though heavy, refuse to close, and so she lies completely aware as water droplets mar her window.
It’s raining.
It is with a great struggle when she finally sits up in her bed, red hair messed beyond belief as she bites the inside of her cheek. On days as dreary as this one, tutoring Vincent and Jas is something she can thankfully opt out on. Not that she dislikes the children, quite the opposite. She adores their company and curious thoughts, and thrives under their bright eyes and brilliant smiles. But sometimes they’re a bit of a handful, and so whenever she can be free of them, even if for a short while, is time well spent.
Usually, anyway.
She slips into a pair of joggers and an old tee, her hair hastily brushed and contained behind her neck before she heads into the living area. The television is still on, though any audio coming out of the speakers is too soft to be heard underneath the rain pour, and so she takes it upon herself to turn off the telly before moving to her menial chores. If she’s quick enough, she could be finished and off to the library before Pam rouses from her slumber, and with a renewed vigour, Penny makes quick work of cleaning up the trailer.
The town is always much quieter whenever it rains, empty too if the lack of people in the bustling town square says anything at all. Not that she minds much, adjusting her hold on her umbrella while she looks down at the books she carries in her other arm. Some teaching manuals, a book on biology, and a few novels Sam had practically begged her to read. It didn’t take her long to finish them, having gotten through almost half of the novels upon the first day of taking them home, and she had only been putting off getting more books anyway, smiling sweetly at Gunther when he tips his hat in her direction.
“Take care to wipe your shoes, Miss Penny,” he tells her. “Other than that, do try to enjoy yourself today.”
“I always try, Gunther,” she replies, taking extra care to ensure the soles of her boots were dry before making her way into the rest of the archeology office.
Sometimes Penny forgets how quickly time passes when one is immersed in a book, doused in warmth and golden light as she reads to her heart’s content.
She makes sure to take her time when walking through the museum, making note of all the new additions brought in by the town’s farmer. She also makes sure she takes extra care when handling the books on the old shelves, caressing their spines before thumbing them open, inhaling the scent of aged paper before collecting today’s reads in her hand. Penny finds she never has enough time to make it through every book she selects, a forlorn sigh on her lips when she lifts her gaze and reads the clock’s hands.
If she heads home now, she’d be able to prep dinner for herself and hide away in her room before her mother returns for the evening, brandishing her selection in front of Gunther for the curator to check out.
“I’ll try to bring them back as soon as I can,” she tells the man, determined to hold herself to her word. Instead, he only smiles at her, as if he is amused.
“One can never rush a good book, Miss Penny. You of all people should be able to agree with me, can you not?” he asks kindly, and she blushes under his scrutiny before nodding in defeat. “Be careful out there, now,” he adds, his tone serious. “The rain’s only gotten harsher since you’ve arrived.”
A quick glance outside the window confirms the curator’s words, and Penny huffs as Gunther slides her chosen texts into a brown bag. “A part of me hoped it would’ve let up by now,” she says softly, taking the parcel after he’s wrapped it in twine. “Either way, thank you, sir. I’ll be off now.”
Pleasantries exchanged, Penny walks out into the wet afternoon with a yellow umbrella above her head and a few books in her hand. Clint’s hard at work in his shop, at least that’s what the smoke escaping the chimney tells her, and Emily is now arriving at the Stardrop Saloon, a gorgeous smile on the blue-haired woman’s face as she spins an umbrella spotted with ducks and watermelons. Oh, how she wishes to be that carefree, wonders the girl, stopping for a minute on the old stone bridge. Her gaze involuntarily wanders over to the trailer she’s called home for longer than she remembers, and any hope she tasted turns to ash in her mouth.
Perhaps such happy lifestyles weren’t cut out for Penny, not yet anyway, and so she hastens her pace.
Except she comes to an abrupt halt as Sebastian comes barrelling down the path, only for his eyes to widen in alarm as he all but collides with her. He breaks his fall with his arms on either side of her person, but Penny quickly realizes she’s not his concern, watching in surprise as he lifts himself off of her with a curse, frantically looking around for something she isn’t aware of.
Then she notices the parcel Gunther had given her lying on the wet pavement, and she shrieks as she hurries to pick it up. The last thing she’d want is to have to pay for ruining such valuable books, and she sighs in relief when she touches the parchment. It would seem the curator made sure to use a special type of paper when wrapping her books today.
Finally in control of her thundering heartbeat, she turns to find Sebastian again, the man cursing under his breath.
She swallows, surveys his form before opening her mouth.
“Are you alright?”
He looks at her suddenly, eyes wide as if he had forgotten she was there. She wouldn’t be surprised if he did.
“Yea?” he replies, though it sounds more like a question. He bounces on the balls of his feet. His hoodie and hair are practically drenched with rainwater. “You wouldn’t have happened to see a frog right? When I knocked into you? Sorry about that by the way.”
Penny shakes her head ruefully. “No, sorry.”
His shoulders fall as a singular ‘fuck’ slips past his lips.
The conversation is finished, she assumes, after all, she doesn't speak to Sebastian much if at all. He was kind enough to answer her inquiries and she was nice enough to return his own. The only right thing to do now is leave, and she was already wasting enough time dallying here in the rain, glued to her spot on the path.
She turns a bit too quickly when he shifts, moving to one of the bushes in Mayor Lewis’ yard. He kneels, observing the foliage, before looking over his shoulder until he finds her gaze. “Can you help me out for a sec?”
Lips pursed, she inclines her head without much of a second thought, resting her books under the mayor’s awning before coming to stand next to Sebastian, her umbrella secure above her head.
“What do you need?” she asks, quiet.
The man hums. “So there’s this frog I found on the way up from the beach. He didn’t look too great so I figured I should take him back home to properly assess him,” he explains, and she finds herself surprised at how passionate he sounds. “But fuck my luck for some reason,” he adds bitterly. “I tripped on Yoba knows what and ran into you. Bastard took the opportunity to get away from me.”
“And so you need to get him back because he’s still unwell,” Penny finishes, and he nods, happy she was able to follow.
“Exactly!” He exclaims, beaming, and she realizes this is the first time she’s seen him express an emotion besides disinterest or annoyance, a kind smile on his pale face.
It’s gone in an instant as he looks away from her, pointing at the other side of the bush.
“Go stand over there and I’ll tell you when to give the bush a good shake. That should be enough to get him to come out of hiding.”
Penny frowns but follows his instructions. “Are you sure we’re not invading his personal space?” She wonders aloud, too far in now to understand why she cared so much about the frog’s wellbeing.
Sebastian shrugs, swiping wet bangs out of his face. “I mean we kind of are, but it’s impossible to avoid if we want to make sure he’s not made someone else’s lunch,” he deadpans, and Penny nods quickly. That makes a lot more sense now that she thought about it. She wouldn’t forgive herself if her unwillingness to tend to the frog is the reason for its untimely demise.
“Alright,” she says. “Tell me when.”
She takes her position and watches, mildly amused, as Sebastian’s face is marred by an air of seriousness, his arms extended before he nods at her.
“Now!”
And then she’s shaking the bush as hard as she can, eyes wide as the man on the other side yelps in surprise before raising his hands in victory. “I got him!” He says brightly, flat on his bottom, though she figures he doesn't care too much, too enamoured with the frog in his hands. “And my suspicions were correct. He’s got an injured hind leg over here, see?” He tells her, and she tries her best to understand what he means as she stares at the empty-eyed amphibian.
“He’s lucky you caught him then,” she says, and Sebastian shrugs, getting himself up off the grass.
If he agrees, he doesn't vocalize it, thanking her without looking as he begins the trek back home. Penny finds herself watching him for a moment too long, unable to rid of the slight smile on her cheeks as she relives the experience again and again in her mind. All of that for a frog, she giggles, elated. She picks up her books and fixes her umbrella, gaze downcast as she kicks up water and mud with her boots.
She’s sure Vincent would love to learn how to catch a frog, and Jas would appreciate the activity if the area isn’t too wet and muddy. It would act as a good activity on a rainy day such as this one as well, as Penny has often felt bad for keeping the kids cooped up during the daytime.
Her mouth is opened before she even realizes what she’s doing, and Sebastian turns to look at her ( again ), surprise evident on his features.
Now that she has his attention, she suddenly wishes she didn’t, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
“Do you mind teaching me how to catch and hold a frog?” she asks, cheeks hot. At his bewildered expression, she flusters to explain herself. “I mean it would be fun to teach the kids! They have nothing to do on these rainy days and if frog catching is something they can do I wouldn’t mind showing them how!” Penny sighs, shivers. “You know what, never mind. It was a silly question to begin--”
“Are you serious?”
It’s her turn to blink in surprise.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
He pauses, and she stares, curious, as his face is covered in the softest pink.
“Never mind that then,” he coughs, averting his gaze. “If anything, we can arrange a day that satisfies both of our schedules. I’ve got to get this little guy home, yea?”
“Yea,” Penny echos, smiling.
He nods, fixes the frog in his hands. “Cya, Penny,” he offers meekly.
She can’t even manage to wave. “Bye, Sebastian.”
And then she is left alone in the horrid rain, only it isn’t as rough as it was a few minutes ago, now a gentle downpour that seems to match the pace of the rampant emotions in her chest. She suddenly remembers Emily’s carefree presence and outgoing personality, a timid smile on her lips as she hurries home. Perhaps living in the moment wasn’t so bad after all, her bright yellow umbrella doing wonders to distract from her florid cheeks.
FIN