Falderol Falls: Daisy's Decision
Daisy MacPhearson had never known that so much happiness was possible.
Sure, she had her fair share of crappy moments,
but overall life was excellent. Makayla was absolutely beautiful--and completely normal looking. It wasn't until now that Daisy had realized a tiny part of her was worried--she did not want another child to go through the many agonies of being so different from everyone around her. And to celebrate the happy occasion, Gerard gave her the one thing she wanted most--a plot of land to open a new business. It was a good thing Daisy didn't need to sleep! She soon opened Gadgetery. Despite the rain at the Grand Opening,
if by rain you mean freak monsoon,
Daisy quickly had people lined up to pay outrageous prices for all things electronical.
It was almost like they were zombies!
Of course, everyone knew zombies didn't really exist. Using her initial profits, Daisy opened a business for Gerard so that he and all his buddies could sit around telling fish stories. (The fact that she would simultaneously make money was definitely a bonus!)
Amidst all this business growing, other growing was going on as well. Makayla transitioned quietly into a beautiful toddler.
Gerard spent a lot of time with Makayla--teaching her and playing with her--and Daisy was jealous. She quietly began looking for qualified people to run her precious businesses so she could spend more time at home with her family. As much as she liked to prove that she was a million times more awesome than any of her "normal" neighbors, she wanted to stay home once in awhile even more. She wanted less "Dadda" and more "Momma!"
But she had to do it quietly because she couldn't trust just anyone not to wreck all the hard work she'd done. She started by hiring a well-qualified "assistant" for PartyPartyParty. After careful training and observation, Daisy promoted her assistant to handle all the day-to-day business. She went through a couple of "assistants" for Gadgetery before she found just the right person. One afternoon, as she was scanning a pile of applications for the perfect manager for Sunshine Grocery, Gerard called her over to the couch. Always eager to spend a little time close to him whenever Makayla fell asleep, she did.
"D, if you had one wish, what would it be?"
"Why are you asking me something silly like that for? I'd wish you'd scoot over here a little closer, of course."
"No, D, I'm being serious. Do you ever wish for your life to be different?"
"Babe, you already know the answer to that. I want to be home more and I was just looking through that huge stack of paper over there to get what I want. What's going on?"
"I was talking to Price Hummer the other day. You know his kids are a little older than our little Cake-Eater. Anyway, he said his oldest two have started school and one of the boys brought home an interesting friend the other day."
"And this means you have to be on the other side of the couch because...?"
"It was an alien. At least, so far as Price could figure."
"Oh, babe. Be logical. There aren't any aliens running around Falderol Falls. Unless you mean Rose had another 'accident' and if that's the case, you need to just tell me straight out."
"Well, if she had, what would you do?"
"Are you kidding me? She told me before that she wished she could so she could have an army to tend her plants. I can't imagine anything more horrible than to grow up and be forced to stay inside her greenhouse--the nice one that I paid for."
"Daisy, I'm being serious. If she had spawned another green baby, and to my knowledge she has not, what would you do?"
"I don't know, babe. Maybe I'd kidnap it. Or at least meet the seedling and offer it a home when it matures. If I liked it. No, definitely. If I didn't like it, I'd sell a business and build an apartment complex and let it live there for half rent. But no one should be forced to live in squalor where no one really loves you."
"When we were dating, I came by early one morning hoping you'd be out and about. As I was walking by, a huge shadow blocked out the sun and all the sudden your ... Jason landed in front of me. He fell right out of the sky--bounced, even. I looked up, but could only see a Frisbee-looking-thing moving away. He told your mom that he'd been taken by aliens, though she obviously didn't believe him. Price used to live near Strangetown, you know, and he has heard rumors of alien children. Supposedly, they are implanted in men who have been nosing about the skies. I think it's possible Jason had alien babies."
"Wait, wait, wait. Jason was abducted? And no one noticed?"
"Well, I was around a little, you remember. It seemed to me that Rose spent all her time on her plants and you were so busy with your studies and PartyPartyParty and Philip wasn't really in a position to complain about his father not being around."
"Um, you said babies. As in, more than one?"
"Right. Twins. A boy and a girl. I think his name is Preston Priestly and her name is Pepper Pot."
"So Rose named them."
"Obviously, D. Who else could top the name Pansy Posy? Besides, it looks like Jason has checked out. I know he hasn't been going to work. Price said Preston was very polite, but ate everything in sight. Price cooked six pork chops for dinner the night Preston came and that boy ate three all by himself. That's more than 'growing boy' can explain away. Price is afraid the kids are starving."
"I can see Rose forgetting that human children need food. Jason was always the one who had to see to my water needs."
"Not forgetting. Rose sunk every penny into that business of hers--Gaia?--but she's never made any money off of it. And with four children in the house even if Jason WAS going to work money would be tight."
"We have money, babe. Let's just send them some in the mail."
"And finance another greenhouse?"
"Well, what else can I do? It's not like I have a crystal ball or anything!"
"I had an idea, D. You've been driving yourself crazy looking for just the right person to take over Sunshine Grocery. And you've always said you thought the reason it did so well is because people assumed it would be amazing produce since you're a little plant-ish. Well, why not make sure it continues on in the hands of someone a little plant-ish?"
"You mean...? Babe, you have a devious mind. If you wanted another one, all you had to do was..."
"No, I meant hire Rose. Though, I wouldn't mind..."
Makayla began, at that moment, insisting that she be let out to play and the phone began ringing only moments later. Gerard smiled wickedly and then bounced up the stairs while Daisy answered the phone. In one of those life-is-too-weird moments, Rose had called to talk. There were kids playing loudly in the background and Daisy couldn't hear anything. She -loudly- requested Rose to meet her at Sunshine Grocery so they could have a real talk. Then she followed Gerard upstairs to let him know she would be gone for a few moments. When she got upstairs, she paused in the doorway for a moment.
It was moments like these that made her want to be home more. And maybe also that earlier unfinished business.
Daisy had already made several sales to passersby by the time Rose made it to the store. She looked more than a little frazzled. For the first time, Daisy realized Rose would be approaching elderhood soon. She decided not to lay it out quite as bluntly as she'd originally planned. Instead, she made it seem more like Rose was doing HER the favor, rather than the other way around.
As she thought about it later, perhaps that's really what happened after all.
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