Cliff

In the church of Mineral Town, a young traveler sits on one of the pews quietly. He has spent years trying to find a place to call home. He doesn’t need much, just a full-time job and a roof over his head. Currently he is staying at the inn using the money he has made from a part-time job from the last town he was staying at. His savings are running low, so it’s almost time for him to move on and find a new town. So he sits there at the church wondering how he can make some money quickly so he can afford to travel again.

“Hey Cliff, how are you today,” asked Pastor Carter.

Cliff tilts his head down as he answers, “I’m fine. Just figuring things out.”

Carter nods. “That’s fine. If you do need anything from me, feel free to ask.”

Cliff nods back. Carter then returns to the back of the church where he resumes his duties as pastor. Despite accepting Carter’s generous offer to a place to sit and an occasional meal, Cliff feels guilty about accepting much else. He has asked if Carter needs any help around the church, but he shakes his head no every time.

Cliff takes a deep breath as he thinks about Mineral Town. He really likes it there and hopes that he could stay. The people are friendly, the air is clean, and the festivals are fun. But every time he travels around town looking for a stable job, he finds nothing. Mineral town’s population is too low, and there isn’t a lot of places to find work. Every business in Mineral Town employs their own family members, and he has none living there. Without a job, he can’t stay.

“Hey Cliff,” said the voice of an energetic young woman. He turns his head and finds Naomi, the local farmer walking towards him.

Naomi has always been a good friend ever since she took over the farm from her grandfather. Despite his quiet nature, she has helped him open up a bit. He has developed a crush on her over time. Her bright personality and a cute face that makes his heart beat stronger every time she’s around. If only he could stay in Mineral Town permanently, he could tell her how he feels. Unfortunately, there are many other young bachelors seeking her affection. Cliff has nothing to offer her, no job, no home, and no money. He can’t even afford to treat her to a meal at the inn. So he just keeps his feelings to himself and hopes she finds happiness when he leaves town.

Naomi comes closer, then asks, “what’cha doin’ tomorrow?”

Cliff makes no eye contact as he answers, “nothing. Probably just sitting here like always. Why you ask?”

She smiles cheerfully as she says, “guess what? I just got a part-time job at Adge Winery!”

“Really? Why do you need a part-time job?”

“I need to do a few upgrades at the farm, but I’m a little short. Duke came over to my farm and asked me to help out for a week. But it is a lot of work to handle alone, so I was wondering if you want to work with me.”

Cliff’s mood brightens. “Me? You want me to help you? Are you sure?”

“Of course! I think this job would be a lot more fun if we worked together. What do you say?”

“Yeah, sure! I would love to work with you!” He couldn’t believe it. Of all the people she could have asked, Naomi chose him. His heart can hardly relax. Even if the job is only for a week, working with her will give him a chance to tell her how he feels and encourage him to stay in town.

Naomi shakes his hand and says, “meet me at the Adge Winery at noon tomorrow. Be there or be square!” She then leaves the church and returns to her farm.”

That evening, Cliff can hardly sleep thinking about spending five days working with Naomi. He imagines all the things he could say to her. The clock rings nine, and it’s getting late He’ll need his energy for the job tomorrow. So to relax, he takes a sheet of paper and begins to fold it into a paper flower. Once he is done, he holds it up and imagines giving it to Naomi as a gift. He can only hope that it can be a good enough gift for the girl of his dreams.

The next day, Cliff meets with Naomi at Adge Winery. Duke and Manna are already there waiting for them. Duke explains that the grapes are ready for harvest, and they need them to pick them so he can make juice. The juice will then ferment into wine after some time. The orchard has a lot of grapes, and it will take them all week to harvest them all. Cliff is happy to know that he can spend the week working side by side with Naomi. He can only hope that he finds the courage to say something before the job is over.

During the first day, Cliff carries the basket while Naomi picks the grapes and carefully places them in. Once the basket is full and heavy, Cliff brings them to Duke and helps him dumps them into a huge pot to make grape juice. He then rushes back and continues to help Naomi pick the grapes. They continue this all day and get a lot of work done, but there is still a lot more grapes to pick. So Cliff escorts Naomi home, then returns to the inn to rest for the next day.

The days pass one by one. Cliff and Naomi work together with no issues. As they work, Naomi does all the talking while Cliff carries the heavy basket of grapes quietly. He tries his best to talk to her, but he loses his nerve every time. His shyness makes him afraid that he will say something dumb or boring. He still continues to try every day with no success.

The harvest is almost done that Friday, and so is the part-time job. Cliff has tried his best to tell Naomi how he feels, but he failed to build the courage. He sighs wondering if maybe he is not worthy of her affection. Naomi is so bright and cheerful, while Cliff is quiet and reserved. He just accepts defeat and continues to work through his final day.

“Okay, that is the last bunch of grapes,” said Naomi as she pats her hands clean. “Time to wrap up and take the last load to Duke and let him know we’ve finished.”

Cliff nods quietly. As he lifts the basket full of grapes, the paper flower ornament falls out of his pocket without him noticing. As he walks away, Naomi notices the colorful flower ornament and picks it up. She admires it for a moment. The origami folds are skillfully done, and the petals are adorable. She looks at Cliff and wonders if he made it.

“Hey Cliff, what’s this?”

He looks back and finds the flower ornament in Naomi’s hand. He blushes and looks away as he answers, “it’s a piece of origami that I made. My mom taught me how to make that.”

“Oh really? Wow it’s so cute! But this is the first time you mentioned your family. Is everything okay?”

Cliff remains quiet for a moment before answering, “well you see, my mom passed away some time ago. Ever since then, me and my sister left our hometown to find a new home. It has been a long time since I’ve seen my sister, I miss her so much.”

“Wow, I had no idea. I hope that you can find a way to stay here in Mineral Town. If you do, then maybe your sister can settle here too. I think that would be nice.”

Naomi tries to return the flower ornament, but Cliff shakes his head no. “You keep it. I wanted to give that to you for some time anyway. Consider it a good luck charm.”

Naomi nods, then places the flower ornament in her rucksack. “Thank you Cliff, I’ll take great care of it.”

They then take the final basket of grapes to Duke and Manna. Their job is now over, and they eagerly wait to be paid for their work. After Duke inspects the grapes, he hands each of them an envelope with a fair week’s pay. Manna then hands Naomi a bottle of wine, “you both did great work. Please accept this as a token of our gratitude. You’ve helped us so much, it’s the least we could do.”

Naomi accepts the wine, and Cliff smiles. Duke then suddenly walks up to Cliff and says, “say Cliff, how did you like working at Adge Winery?”

“Oh, umm. . . I really enjoyed it! I never worked with wine grapes before, but it was such an interesting experience!”

“Is that so? Would you like to work with us full-time then?”

Cliff gasps, “really? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Making wine is a year-round career. Our daughter Adge was supposed to come home and work with us. She found happiness living in the city instead, so she decided to stay there. Truth is that we need help from someone young and strong. You did fine work, so we are hoping that you can stay and work with us. What do you say?”

“YES!!!” shouted Cliff full of excitement. He then calms down and continues, “sorry about that. I may not know much about making wine, but I will learn quickly and work hard. You won’t regret this, I promise.”

“That’s good to hear. Work starts on Monday, don’t be late, “said Duke.

With that, Cliff now has a job and a bright future in Mineral Town. He then escorts Naomi back to her farm. As they walk together, Naomi talks while Cliff starts to plan his future. Now that he has a job, his next step should be to find a home. If he saves up long enough, he could have a house built. Maybe he should find where his sister is and invite her to live in Mineral Town too.

Just before they reach the farm, Cliff gains a burst of courage to tell Naomi how he feels. Now that he plans on settling in Mineral Town, there is nothing holding him back. He got a job and a town to call home, now it’s time to get the girl who makes his heart beat.

“Naomi, can I ask you something?” Naomi turns around and waits for him to speak. “I like you! I’ve had a crush on you for a long time, but I never had the guts to tell you. But I am a new man now, and I want to get to know you better. Will you go on a date with me?”

Naomi approaches Cliff and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “Yes, I will go out on a date with you. How does tomorrow night sound?”

Cliff gasps cheerfully then nods happily. He then rushes back to the inn after dropping Naomi off at the farm. That night he makes plans for his first date with Naomi. His life is turning around for the better. He came to Mineral Town and found a home. Now he will begin writing his very own love story.

The End