☆°・*:.。.☆simi☆.。.:*・° ☆

“Valentina….Valentina, ya pues!”

Dannie huffed in frustration, his phone balanced between his ear and shoulder as he tried to buckle in the fussy infant. Having to wake up early in the morning with a very schedule-oriented baby to go hours out into the country to see a random property he now owns from his now passed grandfather… Yeah, that definitely wasn't on his plan.

“Yes, mi amor,” sarcastically, of course. “I have the the girl with me. -Well, it's not my fault I couldn't find a sitter in time. Honestly, I don't know why you're complaining. She should be with you.”

Separated but not divorced, Dannie often wondered what he was waiting on. They don't love each other, that much is clear. And yet his wedding band weighs heavy on his ring finger, a bitter taste coming to his tongue every time he glances at it. He shakes his head, running a free hand through his hair. A quick day trip. Visit and assess the property, then see how quickly he could sell it. Either to Joja or some lucky sucker that wanted a random piece of land in the middle of nowhere. It surprised him to find out there was a JojaMart there, much less an entire town. But here he was, driving to….Pelican Town? God, he felt stupid, it all sounded fake. Then again, he hadn't seen his grandfather in….years. Not since climbing up the ranks at corporate.

-

After what felt like eons, he arrived to Pelican Town. God, what year was it? No parking, no tolls, just a lowly bus stop and a rundown bus to accompany it. With a heavy sigh, he climbed out of his car, scooping Valentina into his arms. Even he had to admit, the breath of fresh, country air was better than the concrete jungles he was used to. Stepping onto the dirt and gravel, his shoes already became dusty. Wonderful, he thought.

He made his way to the property that was supposedly left after his grandfather’s passing. When he arrived, he was immediately greeted by an absolute mess, a carved away path pairing with it. He saw two figures standing in front of what seemed to be his grandfather’s rundown farmhouse. Was it always this bad?

The male figure, who Dannie recognized to be a now much older Mayor Lewis, turned to him with a surprise but welcoming smile.

“Dannie! Goodness, it's been years! Look at you, you're not the little boy we all remember!” He chuckled, walking over and patting Dannie on the back, leaving a slight print of dirt on his suit. Great. “Ah! And who’s this little one, yours?” He asked, gesturing to Valentina, who stayed surprisingly quiet as she admired her new surroundings.

“Lewis…It’s definitely been a while. And yes, this is my daughter, Valentina. She’s…my angel.” Dannie responded, bouncing the infant in his arms slightly, but she was too confused by something she swore her little mind saw scurry through the treeline.

The other figure with Lewis finally came over, a woman with red hair and a worn smile, a family woman. “Hi, I’m Robin. I’ve heard so much about you from your grandfather! I’m so sorry about his passing…”

At the mention of his grandfather passing, Dannie tensed. He remembered being particularly close with his grandfather as a child, but grew apart when he joined Joja. Definitely not his proudest moment. He let out a quiet sigh.

“Right, thank you… Can we just get to business? What is the state of the house, does it need repairs? Does it have mold? What’s the policy status on the property?”

Robin and Lewis stood there like they were listening to Dannie speak in tongues. Why would they know about these things? Robin finally spoke up after a moment, trying to catch up to speed with Dannie.

“Uhm…the house is in good condition. If anything, you can renovate-”

“Great, I’ll look into that.” Dannie cut her off, not bothering to hear anymore. He looked down at his phone, getting an email from work. With the service he barely had, he opened his email, scanning over the text lazily.

‘There’s a local JojaMart chain in your area. Check up on it, see how it's doing. Last thing we need is another downsizing.’