l i t e r a l . t o r t u r e
Chapter Two: Imperfection
He hated this.
It was like torture; literally. Waking up every morning to a perfect family, only knowing that there was something missing.
Jack seemed to have it all; A successful farm, a loving wife, and a gorgeous baby boy. But deep down he knew that there was something lacking, something big.
Ann was great, sure. She was beautiful and caring, and she even helped out around the farm, which was good since Jack didn't have to do all the work. But again, something was missing. He just couldn't quite pinpoint it.
He often went to sleep, merely wondering what this feeling was. Was it longing? Possibly. Maybe, there was someone who he missed.
That day, Jack had run into Karen in town. She was passing through, all one her lonesome, excluding the unborn child sleeping in her belly. She was nearly due, that was evident. Still, she looked as pretty as she ever did, with those familiar emerald s and brunette/blonde hair. It didn't matter how pregnant she was. Even if she were old and wrinkled, in his eyes, she would always be beautiful. Because it was her imperfections that made her so special.
He then easily figured out what was missing from his seemingly perfect life.
It was imperfection that he longed for.
He missed his troubled teenage friend, the misunderstood one. He missed Karen.
He missed her laugh, her smile, everything. But most of all, he missed her insults.
Weird, eh? How he would miss being insulted by his best friend.
But it just wasn't the same! He wanted to hear Karen chuckle and say 'you're such a weirdo' just one more time. As he was walking home from town that day, Tommy's birthday cake in hand, he remembered when he had first met her.
-
Jack had only moved into town about a week ago. He had been so busy fixing up the farm, that he didn't really have any time to go out and socialize. He was told by the mayor to go out to the old carpenter's house in the valley if he wanted to get any remodeling done on his house. At the time, it was pretty sad looking; Very vacant and small.
So, he took the older man's advice and went out for the first time, other than a few trips to town. The valley was pretty basic, with a river and many trees, some woodland animals running around.
Yep, nothing out of the ordinary.
Until he saw her.
She was beautiful, with long brunette hair and blonde bangs. Her most noticeable feature, however, were her piercing green eyes. Jack was curious; he'd never seen her in town. He didn't even know her name, yet he was instantly captivated.
So, he approached her.
"Hello," He smiled, "Um, I just moved in…" He pointed to the old log cabin she was standing near. "Is this the carpenter's house?"
She, much to his surprise, didn't smile and nod like the other villiages. She, in fact, flashed him a rather dirty look. "… Don't talk to me."
He frowned. "What?"
"I said don't talk to me!" She exclaimed. "Like, I don't even know you."
Jack found himself speechless. Even though she was pretty, she definitely didn't act like it. You would think that he would say something rude back, but Jack really wasn't that type of person. Instead, he pulled out some berries he had found on the way, and handed them to her. She eyed them suspiciously, before taking them. She looked at them for a moment. And that was when he first saw her smile.
She grinned widely, lightening up all of her features. "You're such a weirdo." She chuckled, putting the berries in her pocket. She looked him in the eye and smiled. "Thanks." She extended out her hand. "I'm Karen, by the way."
He nodded and smiled, shaking her hand. "Jack."
-
So, first impressions aren't always the best. Karen's first words to him made her seem like a completely unpleasant person, but in all truth she was very pleasant. Unlike any girl he had ever met. And that includes Ann, too.
She was clever, with a great sense of humor. She could be a bitch if she wanted to, but she always ended up laughing.
And soon after they met, they became best friends.
Jack was eighteen when his grandfather died, and he took over his farm in Flower Bud Village. Karen was two years younger, sixteen, but the age didn't make a difference. Neither did the difference in genders.
Karen was like 'one of the guys'. She sometimes acted like them, and she never really had many female friends. The girls in town weren't exactly her type. Not that there was really much to chose from.
There was Maria, the annoyingly shy librarian and the Mayor's daughter. There was Popuri, the overly preppy flower girl, Ellie, the sweet and friendly one… Ellie was okay, but Karen didn't get along with her. Its not that Karen didn't like Ellie, it was that Ellie didn't like Karen. And last but not least, there was Ann, the joyful, cute, and tomboyish one.
She wasn't a tomboy in the same way Karen was. No, she was more of a farmer, whilst Karen just liked to kick back and be lazy. They were polar opposites… Jack knew that Karen didn't like her very much.
But a year later, that no good Kai rolled on into town. Him and Karen became friends quickly. Jack was always jealous of him…
But when Kai asked Karen to marry him, and she accepted? That was where the line crossed.
Jack loved Karen. He was sure he was. He just never had the guts to tell her.
He regretted that so much.
He always beat himself up for it. He thought that maybe, just maybe, if he'd confessed to her, that they would have ended up together. That her and Kai would have remained friends, while her and Jack married.
He never went to their wedding.
He felt like such a jackass for not going. Karen knew that he was upset with her… She was just too naïve to understand why. After that, was when they grew apart. Now that she was married, he couldn't stop thinking that he needed to marry to. He was older than her, after all. He didn't like feeling like a child next to his seventeen year old friend.
So, he befriended the girl he liked the most of everyone.
Ann.
One thing lead to another, and they ended up married.
And what made things even worse, was that Karen went to the wedding. She went to it, enjoyed it, and smiled right at him as he waited for Ann to walk up the runway. When she was walking up, looking as beautiful as ever, all he could see was that familiar smile. The one he had fallen in love with the first time they met.
Jack was forced to quit living in the past when he arrived at his front door. He walked in, put the cake in the fridge, and then lay down in his bed. Ann was obviously out, probably buying Tom a last minute gift. She had brought the baby with her.
He didn't realize how tired he was until he was falling asleep.
* * *
Jack awoke only hours later to someone pounding on his door, louder than necessary. He lazily picked himself up and groaned, before walking over and answering the door. Much to his surprise, it was Kai who stood on the other side. His expression read a mixture of worry, anger, and hate. Jack frowned.
"Kai, what are you doing here?" He queried, trying not to sound rude.
"Where is she." He demanded, completely ignoring the question.
"Where is who?"
"Don't play dumb with me." He spat. "Karen! Where is she."
His frown deepened. "I… I don't know. The last time I saw her was in town."
"Did she say anything? Did she seem angry?"
"…No,I don't think so… Why, what happened?"
He sighed in frustration. "She's gone, Jack."
His eyebrows raised. "Gone? How?"
"I don't know!" Kai exclaimed. "But she left. While I was out, she just packed up her stuff and ditched."
"Well… I don't know what to say." Worry now creased Jack's expression. Where was she? And why did she leave? Was Kai even telling the truth?
"Just… never mind." Kai said, rolling his eyes as he turned to leave.
"Are you going to look for her?" Jack asked.
It took him a moment to answer. He looked Jack in the eye, before answering: "No." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small golden ring. He held it out to Jack, and the young farmer accepted it. He looked down at the small object in his hand. Something so beautiful, but it was covered in dirt and somehow looked sad while not with its proper owner.
"H-her wedding ring?" Jack's stuttered, but when he looked up, Kai was already gone.
Part of him wanted to go seek out Karen. He was worried and curious. Didn't she love Kai? So why would she run away…
Perhaps she was kidnapped, or in danger…
Nah.
Karen was way too tough for that. She would kick any kidnappers ass, pregnant or not. Jack knew that.
So something must have happened. Something Kai was keeping from him.
Jack bit his lip, thinking a lot harder than he usually did. He had a big decision to make.
Would he leave, a day before his son's birthday, or go seek out the woman he secretly still loved?
…
He just didn't know what to do. He couldn't just leave. What kind of husband would that make him? Then again, if he didn't go find Karen, that would make him a terrible friend too. So, he decided.
Even though he knew he would regret it, he had to find her. He wrote Ann a quick note, before racing out the door.
Author's note: Here is the chapter two rewrite! Hope you liked it (:
review please :D