Chapter 4

Discovery

Spring 5, 2005 (Friday)

Five days has passed since Trei woke up in Forget-Me-Not Valley. He is still struggling to have any relationship with his wife and child. He still sleeps on the floor, avoids kissing his wife, and bathes alone. In order to avoid Muffy discovering the truth, he wakes up before her and runs out of the house to do the ranch work. He tries his best to stay busy until late at night when Muffy and Myo are already asleep.

Trei is not happy with his life in the ranch. He gets bored very easily, and the days seem like weeks. He then comes home feeling very exhausted at the end of the day. The Harvest Sprites has been giving him guidance, but even that is not enough. It is too much work to be thrown at him all at once.

Today at 5:00pm; his works gets done early, and there is no way that he could stay out of the house any longer. Muffy is happy that she is getting to spend time with him, but still upset that he has been avoiding her all that time. Inside the house, Trei is just as bored as outside. There is nothing for him to do, not even a decent television show to watch.

At 6:00pm, Muffy is getting dressed in her blue dress in the bathroom. Trei walks around the bedroom blankly almost going insane from the boredom. Myo is by the beds playing with her toys. Soon enough, Myo gets bored with them. She walks up to Trei and raises both her arms in the air. She says, “Up! Up!”while she is reaching for her father. Trei looks at her in utter confusion, he has no idea what does “Up!” mean.

Muffy walks into the bedroom not too long after. She notices Myo raising both her arms up, and Trei looking at her in a daze. She couldn't tell which one is the child at that moment. “Aren't you going to play with her?” complained Muffy. “You haven't done that in a few days.”

Trei looks at Muffy, and nods silently. He picks up Myo, but he is still clueless as to what to do with her. He knows by Muffy and Myo's reaction that he used to play with her all the time, but he now has no clue how to play with his baby girl. Nik has given him some advice on raising kids, but each child is unique and needs special attention.

“Snuggle. . . Trow!” cheered Myo. Not fully sure what she meant, he throws her up in the air slightly, and snuggles her. He also pats her back which makes her feel happy. Soon enough, Myo makes an odd face which causes Trei to feel nervous. The face she makes seems like she is struggling or forcing something. As soon as she is done, Myo begins to cry.

“Hey, what's wrong with her?” asked Trei trying to get Muffy's attention . “I was playing with her, then she made a funny face! Now she's crying, and she smells like poop!”

Muffy sighs and takes her daughter from Trei's arms. She takes off Myo's pants, and changes her diaper. This is the first time Trei remembers witnessing a baby being changed in front of his eyes, and it is making him feel queasy. After she is done changing the diaper, Muffy places Myo back in Trei's arms once again.

“If you wanted me to change her, all you needed to do was ask,” complained Muffy.

“How was I supposed to know that she needed to be changed?” thought Trei. He knew that if he said it out loud, it would seem very strange to Muffy.

Myo starts to cry again. This time, even louder than before. “Now what!? She's changed, so why is she crying now!?” asked Trei as loud as he could.

“Can't you tell!?” asked Muffy. “She sounds like she's hungry!”

“Then feed her!” yelled Trei.

“You'll have to take care of that! I'm going out!” said Muffy.

“Going out!? Where are you going!?” asked Trei

“It's Friday remember!? I have to go to my cooking class with Ruby! I'll be back in a couple of hours!” Muffy walks out the door. Before she closes the door, she turns around and yells, “Oh by the way! I left a kettle on the stove! Make sure you get to it!”

She then closes the door leaving Myo in Trei's care. He has no idea what else to do but to rock her until the crying stops. As soon as she quiets down, Trei sighs and says, “Okay, so you're hungry. What do you want to eat?”

Myo sniffles and sobs for a moment before she answers, “cake.”

“Cake?” Trei asked. He then carried her to the kitchen, and sits her on the table. “Okay, let's see what we have in the kitchen.”

In an attempt to find some cake, Trei looks through the refrigerator, cupboards, drawers, and anywhere else food can be found. But he finds no cakes for Myo. He looks at Myo nervously and tells her, “um. . . Sorry, but it looks like we don't have any.”

Myo wastes no time in crying again. Trei could not take her crying for too long, so he yells, “okay, stop crying!” Myo quiets down, but she is still sobbing. Trei sighs in relief and says, “I'll find something else for you to eat. Just wait there.”

He digs through the refrigerator to see if there is anything else he could feed her. He finds a carrot, and places it in front of her hoping that she will eat it. She stares at it for a moment, then she starts to cry again. Trei returns to the refrigerator, and tries his luck with a series of items he is able to dig out. First an eggplant, then an ear of corn, a tomato, a turnip, then finally an unidentifiable fruit or vegetable Trei does not recognize. Myo still continues to cry.

Returning all of the produce to the refrigerator, Trei yells, “okay Fine!” Myo quickly stops crying, but she continues to sob sadly. “I'll try to cook something, what would you like me to make?”

Myo sobs as she says, “fishy.”

“O. . . Kay. I think I can do that.” Trei pulls a small fish out of the freezer, and places it into the oven. He remembers his mother Sarah making charbroiled fish by baking it in the oven. However, he has no idea how to use an oven, so he sets it to the maximum temperature. He thought it was a good idea so it can cook faster, but then the oven starts to smoke up. He pulls the fish out of the oven, and finds it burnt to a cinder.

“Oh man, even Muffy can do better than this,” said Trei.

Myo starts to cry once again, this time even louder. Trei runs to Myo and says, “Hey, I'm sorry! Geez, you're worse than your mother!” Myo quiets down for a moment. Then Trei continues, “I couldn't do the fish, would you like something else?”

Myo sniffles and sobs some more before she says, “egg.”

“Egg huh? I think I can do that at least,”said Trei feeling confident.

He pulls out a frying pan, and places it on the stove. He turns on the burner and heads over to the refrigerator to get a couple of eggs. Trying his best to remember how his mother makes eggs for him, he grabs some oil and pours it on the pan. As he continues to pour, he turns around and says, “Don't worry, I'll make the best eggs to the best of my ability!”

As he is looking away, some of the oil spills into the burner and catches on fire. The sudden flash causes him to fall onto the floor. Luckily he is fine. Myo starts to laugh at Trei's careless mistake.

Suddenly, the kettle starts to boil over. He was so preoccupied about feeding his daughter, that he forgot all about Muffy's warning. He runs over to the kettle and tries to move it, but the handle is made of metal. The handle became so hot that it burns Trei's hands when he tries to move it. He drops the kettle, and the hot water spills on his pants.

As Trei jumps around in pain, he starts to smell something else in the kitchen burning. He forgot to turn off the oven and the stove. The oven continues to emit smoke, and the oil in the frying pan catches on fire. Trei panics and tries to put out the fires, but he only makes things worse. Myo claps her hands and watches in amusement as if Trei is putting on a show for her.

At that moment, Muffy walks into the house. She is depressed at first from her failure at her class, but she quickly smells smoke coming from the kitchen. She also hears loud crashing and screaming from Trei running around. She runs into the kitchen to see what is all the commotion about. She gasps as she watches Trei running around the kitchen trying horribly to get things under control. The stove is on fire, the floor is soaking wet, the oven is spitting out smoke like a chimney, and Myo is entertained by the disaster. Muffy quickly grabs the fire extinguisher, and puts out all the fires.

After things are under control, everyone takes a minute to look around. The kitchen is a complete mess. Muffy and Trei takes deep breaths trying to calm their nerves. Then Muffy leers at Trei furiously, all he could do is step away from her nervously.

“What happened here!?” yelled Muffy with a terrifying tone. “Were you trying to burn the house down!?”

“I'm. . . Sorry,” apologized Trei. He does not know what else to tell her.

“You're sorry!? Look at this mess! It's going to take me forever to clean this up! And all you can just say is you're sorry!?” Muffy then runs to Myo to see if she is okay. Luckily, she is completely fine. She then turns back to Trei and yells, “and on top of all things, You had Myo just sit here and watch this disaster happen!! What would you do if something happened to her!?”

Trei looked away in shame and says, “hey, I can't help it. I don't know how to cook after all.”

Muffy quickly drops her purse. A feeling of horror and shock suddenly comes over Muffy as she realizes that something is terribly wrong. She trembles with fear as she backs away from Trei.

“What did you say?” asked Muffy. “You. . . Don't know how to cook?”

Trei notices that Muffy is now afraid of him. He then realizes that he just said something wrong. “Oh my god, was I supposed to?” Trei tries his best to calm Muffy down, and says, “Come on, I was just kidding. I'm-”

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!” demanded Muffy.

Trei jumps back after hearing his wife's terrified words. He fans his hands up and down and says, “Calm down Muffy, please don't freak out. I-”

“Who the hell are you!? What did you do with my husband!?” interrupted Muffy.

Now even Trei begins to get scared. Nothing he could say at that point is going to comfort Muffy. He just remains quiet staring at her blankly. Muffy just looks back at him like if he is some sort of monster. As soon as she couldn't take it anymore, she runs out of the house grabbing Myo on the way out.

Trei is now alone in the house, confused and stunned. He thought for a moment that he may have destroyed whatever life he spent the last five years building. He wants to sit and think things over, but the huge mess in the kitchen is disrupting his concentration. He also decides to leave the house to get some fresh air, and think with a clear mind.

As he walks aimlessly through Forget-Me Not Valley, he finds himself at a huge lake close to the beach. Near the lake, he finds a huge log where he could sit and think about things for a while. He sat on the log for about an hour staring at the moon before someone finds him. A young woman slowly approaches Trei so that she does no startle him. As soon as she gets close enough, Trei notices her.

At first, he does not recognize her. But after a minute, he notices that the young woman is Lumina from the New Years party. But she is wearing different clothing this time. She is now wearing an olive-green and brown dress with tan shoes. An orange bandanna is tied around her neck, and a yellow hair band is in her hair. Trei looks at her for a minute without saying a word. Lumina looks up at the deep blue starry sky running her fingers through her hair, and asks, “Can I sit with you?”

“Um, sure. Go ahead.” answered Trei.

Lumina sits next to Trei on the log. He is surprised at how close she is sitting, almost as if they are supposed to be close friends. He feels nervous, he wants to know why is an important girl like her is sitting next to him.

Lumina sighs and asks, “so, how are things with your wife?”

Trei hesitates to talk to her. Even though she acts like someone he knows well, in reality he doesn't know her at all. As they sit together, Lumina stares at Trei. She wonders why he is so silent, so she asks, “is everything okay? You don't look so well.” Lumina tries to move closer, but Trei moves away. She becomes very concerned, so she asks, “what's wrong? You know you can tell me anything that's bothering you.”

Trei surrenders and tries to talk to her. “I don't know. I'm lost, and I don't know where to go.”

Nothing that he just said to her makes any sense. So she asks, “are you having problems with your marriage?”

“All we do is fight. She gets so mad very easily, and she never gives me any space. I don't know what to do anymore.”

“That's very odd. You and Muffy always got along before. Why the sudden change?” asked Lumina.

Trei starts to feel a bit more comfortable talking to Lumina. He takes a deep breath and asks, “your name is Lumina right? Do you know who I am?”

Hearing those words shocks Lumina. She looks at him in the eyes, and sees that he is very serious. So she answers, “we're friends of course. You and I met 5 years ago shortly after moving to your father's farm.” Lumina pauses for a minute, then asks, “what happened to you?”

“Well, the thing is. . .” He wants to tell her the truth, but he feels that he would only scare her if he does. Even so, since Lumina is a friend, he feels that she deserves some type of explanation. “Last New Years Eve, I got a little drunk. I fell, and hit my head pretty hard. When I woke up that morning, I forgot everything that happened within the last 5 years. I don't remember getting married, having a kid, meeting you, or even coming here at all.”

After thinking about what he said, he feels that his excuse is no better than the truth. But Lumina gets up and starts to think. He is worried about what she is thinking.

“I get it, that explains everything,” said Lumina.

Trei is shocked to hear that she bought the lie. He also stands and asks, “you actually believe me?”

“Well, you were acting very strange at the New Years party. You've always complimented on my piano skills, then you would tell me how well you and Muffy are getting along, then finally show off your daughter. But this year was different. I saw you at the party. But you never even came up to me and say hi. You just sat on a chair all by yourself with you daughter in your arms. The look in your eyes told me that you didn't know anybody. I tried to say Hi by waving at you, but you kept looking away. Then I haven't seen you since then.”

Trei feels relieved that there is someone who can understand him. “Did you tell Muffy about your little problem?” continued Lumina.

“I tried, but it came out all wrong. Right now, she's terrified of me,” answered Trei.

“I don't blame her. If I was in her shoes, I would probably feel the same way too.”

Trei nods in agreement. He finally dares to ask, “tell me, why did I fall in love with Muffy?”

“To tell you the truth, I don't know. Since we've met, you've always treated me like a younger sister. You only showed me that side of you. The other side is something only Muffy knows well. I was really surprised when you came to my house that day to announce that you and Muffy were getting married. It hurt very much, but I was able to get over it.”

“Get over it?” Trei asked Curiously.

“You really don't remember at all, do you?” Lumina held her right arm, and fidgeted nervously. “Before you married Muffy, I confessed my own feelings to you. Even though you know that I loved you very much, you still chose Muffy. . . Not me.”

Trei gasps. He didn’t know that he actually had a choice before. He has no idea why he chose to marry Muffy and not Lumina. In the few moments that he knows Lumina, he already sees that she is much kinder, understanding, and gentle than Muffy. But in the end, he still decided to be with Muffy.

“So, what do I do from here?” asked Trei.

“Maybe you should rediscover why you fell in love with Muffy. Then maybe you and her could get along better. I'm sure that after you regain your memories, you won't have anymore problems.”

Trei smiles and says, “thank you for listening to me.”

Lumina smiles back and says, “what are friends for? If you ever need to talk to me, you know where I live.” Lumina turns around and says, “I should head back home now. Grandma might worry about me.” She then returns to the mansion.

Trei knows what he has to do, but he is not sure if he can pull it off. The house is still empty when he returns home. He is starting to get worried seeing that Muffy still has not returned. He sits on the bed to think things through. Things are getting complicated, and each clue he gets only creates more questions. How did he end up marrying a woman like Muffy? Especially knowing he could have had a different life with Lumina instead.

Ten minutes later, Muffy finally walks into the house. She came back alone without Myo. Trei could still see the fear in her eyes. But he knows that he needs to be brave. “Who are you? Tell me the truth.” asked Muffy.

Trei sighs heavily and answers, “Muffy, I know that I've been acting a bit strange within the last few days. I guess I'm going through a very. . . Strange phase in my life. I know it sounds weird, but please trust me.” He tries to approach her, but she steps away.

Muffy then looks at him seriously and says, “if you are my real husband, then prove it!”

“How?” asked Trei.

“My true husband knows what’s my favorite food, and only he knows how to make it the right way. If you can make it, then I'll believe you.”

He feels that the terms are impossible for him, but he still sighs and agrees to them. He goes into the kitchen and stares at the mess. He is scared that he might not be able to comply, but he still wants to try. The first thing he does is clean up the kitchen. Making something as impossible as an unknown recipe is bad enough, doing it in a messy kitchen is not going to help him. As he cleans, he notices a small book near one of the cupboards. He takes a look inside, and finds a bunch of recipes.

“This cook book is hand written. And this is my handwriting,” whispered Trei. “I guess I'm supposed to know how to cook all of these. But there are just too many recipes, it'll take a miracle to figure out which one of these is her favorite.”

As he flips the pages, he notices that one of the recipes is different. There is only one recipe in the whole book with a star shaped sticker on it. “Pound cake?” he said out loud. He thinks for a moment, and continues to talk to himself, “Didn't Myo ask for cake earlier? Could this be what she was asking for?” Trei continues to think for a while, and concludes, “Myo has a very similar personality as her mother. . . Well, this is the only recipe that stands out. I guess I'll give it a shot and make it. If this is not the one, I'm screwed.”

He tries his best to follow the recipe, but it is easier said than done. The recipe calls for several ingredients that he is not familiar with. They are mother's milk, mother's butter, and golden eggs. Instead of thinking too much about it, all he could really do is use his common sense. He checks the refrigerator for the ingredients. Inside, he finds many different types of milk butter and eggs. He felt that using any of them would do the trick, but he remembers Muffy saying that it has to be the exact way he used to make it. So selecting the correct ingredients is very important.

Normal, star, brown, and marble milk and butter. The variations confuses him. As he pushes the milk and butter around, he finds two pink containers. One of them has milk in it, and the other has butter. They are both labeled “mother's”. Since the recipe calls for mother's milk and butter, he decides to use them.

He has chicken and duck eggs in the refrigerator, however he can't tell the difference between them yet. He starts to get worried, he knows that if he uses the wrong egg, he is done for. However, he notices two eggs mixed in the bunch that has a slight golden color to the shell. Since the recipe calls for golden eggs, he decides to use them. As far as how does eggs get a golden color, he has no idea.

Following the recipe to the letter, Trei mixes all of the ingredients together. The cook book does not say exactly how much of each ingredient to use, so he tries his luck, and hopes for the best. He places the batter in a deep baking pan listed in the cook book and places it in the oven. Soon enough, the cake is done. The cake smells good, but is it good enough for Muffy?

“Okay, it's now or never. If this is wrong, then it's over,” he said to himself. He places the cake on a serving plate, and carefully cuts it into even slices. He carries it into the bedroom where Muffy waits patiently for him sitting on the bed. He presents his creation to her awaiting the results. Muffy is satisfied with the scent, but not fully convinced yet.

“Well, it is the right recipe. But even Ruby can't make it taste the same way. It's time for the final test.” She grabs a fork, and has a small taste of the cake. Trei sweats nervously, it is his recipe, but he has no idea if he did it correctly. After sampling the cake, she places it down and stands up. She slowly walks up to him, and embraces him tenderly.

“You really are my husband,” said Muffy. Trei finally feels relieved to hear that he did it right. Muffy starts to shed tears of joy, and says, “I'm so sorry, I thought you were replaced my an evil clone or something. Please don't scare me like that.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you,” reassured Trei.

Muffy tightened her embrace and says, “Trei, I love you so much.”

Those words touches Trei's heart. Even though he has been expecting her to say them, this is the first time any woman other than his mother told him that. He is moved to tears, he dares to ask, “Muffy. . . Do you really love me?”

“Of course I do. I wouldn't have married you if I didn't.”

Trei dares to wrap his own arms around her. This feeling is new and unusual for him. It feels warm and comforting. Something about this feeling makes all his worries and stress melt away. “Is this what I felt when I married her?” he asks himself silently. Even though this feeling is alien to him, he refuses to let go. They hold each other for a while, then Muffy lets go so she can get her daughter back.

Once again, Trei is alone. He feels different than before. It’s not love, but it’s comforting and nurturing. He imagines him holding Muffy for years. Seeing how good it feels, he feels guilty that he has been denying it from her. The loving embrace of the husband who vows to love and protect his family. Without it, she was insecure and scared.

Muffy returns home with Myo not too long after. Myo is tucked into bed, and she fell asleep quickly. Muffy then goes into the kitchen to finish cleaning. Trei feels guilty about leaving her to clean the kitchen alone, so he helps her. They both get done at 11:00pm. They are now both tired and needs to sleep for the next day. Muffy climbs into the bed like usual. Trei wants to sleep on the floor again, but he changes his mind. Instead, he climbs into bed with Muffy.

“Trei?” asked Muffy. “What are you doing?”

Trei Answers, “It's natural for a husband to sleep in the same bed with his wife. Isn't it?”

Muffy grabs onto Trei and holds him close. He is not fully comfortable being so close to a woman, but he needs to get used to it. “You're right. You are my husband after all.” said Muffy.

They both quickly fall asleep. It was a rough night for both of them, but they were able to get through it together. Trei still has no idea what makes Muffy so special, but he wants to try a little bit harder to find out.