Chapter 4 - Thinking seriously

The garden was thriving under Little feets careful care.

Meanwhile Laughing bear had stumbled upon an angler's dream, the Riverview fish hatchery was packed full of many different types of fish. With fish in abundance and not many keen anglers in Riverview, Laughing bear was told he was free to fish there whenever he wanted. He started going there on a daily basis and selling his catches. 

Laughing bear found that he liked his new life. He had his own plot of land and was able to provide the means to survive. He found Little feet to be a hard worker and he had grown accustomed to her presence. He found it comforting to come home to her after a long day's fishing and they had developed the habit of sitting up and staring at the stars together after dinner. 

They had both made new friends. Little feet had met Shana at the community garden when she had been harvesting vegetables. Shana had begun telling a ghost story and Little feet had been fascinated. She had sat down and hung on her every word. 

While Laughing bear had made a friend of his own called Angel. He had gotten used to being the only one fishing at the hatchery and was surprised one morning when Angel walked up to him and started fishing. Angel started chatting and over the next few weeks they ran into each over often and Laughing bear got used to talking whilst fishing. 

A couple of months after he first met Angel, they were fishing together at the hatchery. They had gotten to know each other quite well and Angel had been to their home a few times and met Little feet.

"So what's the deal with you and Little feet?" Angel asked, glancing sideways at Laughing bear to see his reaction.

"Deal?" said Laughing bear, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, you married or what?" continued Angel.

"Married?"

"Yeah you know, married. Together, I know you live in the same house, just wondered if that was it."

The speech still confused Laughing bear, however the eye brow waggle that Angel did as he finished off the sentence spoke volumes and he at last understood what he was getting at.
"No we are not together." replied Laughing bear.

"Not your style I expect. Marriage is so final, stuck with one woman for the rest of your life and before you know it saddled with four or five kids. Bet your more of a free spirit."

Laughing bear had only listened to the beginning of this speech, his minds eye was filled with the image of Little feet, children at her feet and a baby in her arms.
"How do you get married?" Laughing bear enquired.

"Well you buy a ring, take her somewhere special and get down on one knee" 
"and then you're married?" enquired Laughing bear.

"No, then you're engaged, then you have to have a ceremony in front of your friends and exchange vows and rings."

Laughing bear absorbed this information for a few minutes before saying "Many people get married here?"

"Some." conceded Angel, "Women like it mostly, but it ties a bloke down and like I said before you know it you have lots of little mouths to feed and no time to call your own." Angel looked at Laughing bear who was staring off into the distance and knew it was no good. He wasn't listening anymore. His representation of marriage seemed to have the opposite effect from that which he had intended.  

Laughing bear was now planning the whole thing in his mind. He would need to save a little more money and then could go and buy a ring. If marriage was what people did here to show that they were together and exclusive, he would do that and then perhaps he would be blessed with a family of his own.