Gen 3- Chapter 11: Apricot Bloom

“Hello?”

“Hey Apri! Its Precious.”

“Hi ya! How are you?”

“I’m Great. Hey you ready? I was thinking we could go today around 2.”

“Ready for what?”

“Our Tattoos silly.”

Oh Crap. I had completely forgotten about that. I guess I had hoped she had to.

“Meet me at the Hard Candy Salon around 2?”

“OK….”

I hung up the phone, and I could feel my stomach tying itself up in knots. Why did I ever to agree to that?! I took a couple deep breaths trying to give myself a little pep talk. You can do this. One step at a time. Like Sensei always said, “Worry not of the future. Only the present moment.” Lets just worry about getting to the salon first.

I asked mom to watch the girls while I went out. I kissed all three on the forehead and off I went. Precious was already waiting for me when I arrived. She had a huge smile on her face. I gathered my courage and rushed up the steps. She laughed as she called back to me.

“Hey you! Wait up!”

Once we were inside, my fear began to grow. I started looking at all the awesome pictures on the wall trying to calm myself. I saw a few things I liked, but nothing really spoke to me. I had an idea of what I had wanted and I did not see anything close to it.

Precious walked over to me. “You alright? You look a little paler than usual.”

“Oh ya. Hunky Dory.” I said as I tried to fake a smile.

“Do you wanna go first?”

“No no be my guest.”

Precious nodded and pointed out the design she had been eying to Taylaberry the tattoo artist. Tayla asked what colors she would like and then excused herself for a few minutes while she drew up a sketch. When she returned she put the outline on Precious’s ankle and went straight to work.

I was so jealous. Precious was so brave. She watched the whole thing. Not even a hint of nervousness or anxiety.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Nah its more like a hot rubbing feeling.”

“I see.”

When she was finished, Precious had lovely pink and white stars that  encircled her ankle. It was quite pretty.

Precious got up from the chair and Tayla came over to me.

“Ok so did you decide what you wanted?”

“I uhhh. Well… uhhhh.” My mind was completely blank and I started to feel dizzy. “I uh need some air.”

I ran straight up the stairs and outside. How embarrassing.

Once outside, I tried to catch my breath. The cool air outside was quite refreshing and the dizziness started to fade. I was so frustrated with myself. Just like every other time I got scared, I wimped out and ran away. I actually wanted the tattoo, but the fear just took over. I took a couple more deep cleansing breaths. No more scaredy Apricot.

Lets do this.

I marched back down the stairs and straight over to the design I had chosen. She went to her desk, drew the sketch and came back. I was sitting in the chair already.

“Ok lets do it.” I said in the most confident voice I could muster.

Tayla laughed. “Well if you want this on your back, you are gonna have to turn over.

“Oh right.”

She motioned for me to get up so she could recline the seat and then instructed me to lay on my stomach.

Now I am not gonna say it didn’t hurt, because it did. It just was not as bad as I was expecting. Afterward she told me I had picked one of the most sensitive areas to get a tattoo. Wish she would have told me that before hand…

She was excellent at her job that was for sure. I was happy that I finally went with through with it. I Apricot Bloom the biggest nervous nelly in all of Twizzlerbrook got a tattoo!

We ended our day with a trip out to the Lemon-Mint for some of that killer cobbler. Yum Yum! What an exiting day.

The kids have also had some excitement recently. A fire broke out in one of the science labs and caught the entire west wing on fire. The entire school was evacuated while firefighters (including Pummy) rushed in to put the flames out. The poor kids were screaming and crying. Orange Blossom was so scared something was going to happen to daddy.

Once the flames we extinguished all of the fireman emerged from the building unharmed. Orange rushed to Pummy and wrapped her little arms around his neck. She was so happy to see he was ok that she started crying all over again.

“Its ok Sweety. Daddy is fine.”

The experience was quite moving and scary for everyone involved. The other kids were so greatful for their valiant efforts. Pummy received a gift in the mail from one of the young girls. There was a note attached that read.

Dear Mr. Chiffon

I just wanted to thank you and tell you that you have changed my life forever. You were so brave and I cannot tell you, how safe I feel knowing that people like you are out there keeping us safe. Please take this small gift.

Deepest Regards,

Ruby Red Grapefruit

Inside the box was a drinking llama statue, which now sits proudly on the end table in the living room for all to see.

Thankfully unlike her mother, Orange recovers quickly from lifes bumps in the road. I think she is just too busy to have all the worries I did when I was her age. She simply adored that easy bake oven. She was quite the baker and she even took it one step further, and started selling her goods.

She set up a little table just at the front of the house. She had drawn a little sign with muffin and cupcakes on it, and with her little simoleons jar she set up shop. I think her vanilla muffins were my favorite. They were just the right amount of sweet. Sometimes I think she ate more than she sold, but she had fun.

I loved that our neighbors were so supportive, when ever they saw her little open for business sign, they would come over and check out her daily goodies. Awww my little entrepreneur.

The girls were getting so big. They were learning to walk and talk right before my eyes. Pumpkin Pie was our little chatter box. Once she learned to talk it was almost impossible to get to her to stop.

“Momma! Dadda! Papi!…..

Even with his hectic new schedule, Pummy made time to hang out with all the girls. Just like Orange Blossom they adored him.

“I wuv you daddeee.”

I could never repay my dad for all the support he gave me through the triplets toddler years. He was an amazing teacher, and I never would have made it through with out him. So many times I would get overwhelmed, but dad would be right there to step in and help out.

One afternoon, while Persimmon and I were learning how to walk, there was a knock at the door. I put her back in her crib and headed downstairs to answer it. I was more than shocked when I saw who was standing on my door step.

“What are you doing here Olive? If you are looking for Peche, he doesn’t live here anymore.”

“I know. I came here to see you acutally.”

“Me?”

“Ya…You…I wanted to explain something.”

“Why explain it to me. Don’t you think Peche is the one who deserves an explanation.”

She sighed and dropped her head. “Will you just shut up and listen for a second.”

“OK…”

“This isn’t easy for me to say, but you are the closest thing I have to a friend, and for some reason I feel I need to say this to you.”

“I’m listening.”

“I have my reasons for leaving Peche. I do, but I wanted you to know it wasn’t some diabolical scheme to destroy your families life I swear. Peche is the most amazing guy I have ever met.”

“Wait, I don’t get it. If he is the most amazing guy. Then why would you leave him?”

She stood motionless for several moments.

“Do you have any idea the kind of family I come from? No one ever said I love you. I can’t even remember the last time I hugged my mother. Only thing my family cares about is perfection. Bitters don’t make mistakes. So you can imagine when I came home pregnant and not married, how well that went over.”

“I’m sorry Olive.”

“Ya. You’re sorry. How do you think I feel. I had a beautiful newborn son, and thanks to my mother, no idea how to love him. Then there was Peche, so loving and so amazing with him. I felt so inadequate. I could never be the mommy like you or Cherry are.”

I just stood there looking at her. I didn’t know what to say.

“Thats all I came here to say. If we ever could even possibly been friends, please don’t tell Peche that I was here. He would never understand. Its better this way. He will find someone new, that will know how to love him and our son.”

As quickly as she arrived, she was gone again. She had her reasons, and as much as they did not make sense to me, it was not my place to make her decisions for her. I knew she was serious, she wouldn’t be coming back. I watched with a heavy heart as the sad and lonely Olive Bitters walked off my porch for the last time.