"Heart and Hearth"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

July 1st

The Hiryu Convention Center was really a kind of multi-purpose auditorium, flexible enough to accommodate the needs of whatever came to town. From anime expos to concerts to lectures, it was able to handle a lot.

This weekend, the event happened to be a home and garden show. Mahoro dragged a rather reluctant Surugu with her as they headed downtown. It was a brilliantly clear day and though the cicadas were chirping away, it was not broiling hot. Much of the heat was kept at bay with a prevailing breeze that came off the ocean and across the town

"But…but…" sputtered Suguru. "I mean, gardening is just so boring and it's such a lovely day out. There is so much more that could be done."

"And that is what we are doing. A home is more than a place to live, but a showcase for the neighborhood. You don't want to live in a 'haunted house', do you? I just need some ideas to make this house a location that people want to come to and not so they can point fingers while they make snickering noises. That is part of the agreement you gave to me a week ago. You left the care and feeding of the house to me." Mahoro was firm, but understanding.

Suguru sagged. Yes, she was right on that point. He hadn't done anything with the house for four years and it was looking shabby around the edges. It was equally embarrassing when she found the gardening tools underneath the veranda, overgrown with weeds. "But…these shows are just places for people to try and sell you things you don't really need. What good is it for me to have a teak Adirondack or an 80,000 yen futon?"

"Yes, that can happen, but if you have a good idea as to what you want to accomplish, you won't be taken in by anyone. Remember, we are after ideas and guidance. You did agree to do this two days ago over dinner." Yes, she was right on that point as well.

The center was a hive of activity, as people had turned out in good numbers. Mahoro stood in line for the ticket booth. "Let's see, 1800 yen for me and 1200 for you." She plunked down her money and was given her tickets and two credit cards. The booth person spoke as she passed everything over.

"As soon as you get into the building, there are some touch screen monitors. Insert the card into the slot and you can win a variety of prizes." They went up to the ticket taker, who took the tickets and gave them a paper, which was a map of the buildings and a schedule of events.

As they stepped in, a rather perky lady, dressed like a gigantic flower, came up to them and bowed. "Thank you for attending the Home and Garden Show. Here is an all-purpose bag, good for taking home your grocery or filling with clippings from the yard. And it is a place to put all the goodies you may accumulate while you are here." She gave them both a square-bottomed bag, plastered with logos from all the sponsors of the show. "You have your cards? Good, the display kiosks are over there. Try and win a trip to Hawai'i!"

They found a pair of open machines. The cards went in and they were asked a variety of questions for a survey. A plethora of coupons were spat out at them as they answered away. At the end, they sat on a bench to see what they had.

"Hmmm," commented Mahoro. "This coupon is good for a free shell lei at the Hawaiian Gardens display. Some seed sticks at Lawn Care Managers. 30,000 yen off a vacation when you book through All World Vacations. A free tomato plant at the Compost Center and a free tote bag at the Eco-Car display. This should make for an interesting time."

Mahoro put the coupons in her bag and looked at the map of the center. The show was spread out over two buildings and two tents, but there were items between the buildings. A lot of areas needed to get covered. She started to plan out her point of attack, running her finger over the map and looking around for landmarks of some type.

As she scanned about, she came across a line of people. Curious as to what was going on, she went over, Suguru scrambling after her. This booth was for a pool company, promoting their latest line of cleaning-related products. "This will keep your pool clean, and without that horrible chlorine problem. No smell, no problems, no mess, no kidding." The person speaking was dressed in a blazing yellow swim suit, with a rubber duck head inner tube about his middle and sporting a snorkel set.

People were trying to get a small basketball into a smaller hoop on a children's play set. No one was doing particularly well as the ball went everywhere but in. Suguru tried and he fell short of the mark. "I think this thing is rigged," he whispered to Mahoro. Mahoro put down her bag, gazed at the net, took the ball and sent it right through.

"Whoa! Nothing but net and the little lady wins a prize!" One of the booth workers called it out as the other gave her the reward. She was given a rubber duck. "For floating in the bathtub or the pool." She put it into her bag.

Another line of people were at a wheel, where more prizes were given out. Suguru saw what they were giving away. "Hmm. T-shirts, commuter coffee mugs, a flashlight, an antenna ball, light bulbs, a pencil. Just what I want, a pencil." One box on the wheel was marked 'Special'.

"What happens if you get the special box?" Suguru asked, before he spun.

"Well, you have to get that special box three times in a row and then, you get something special." The booth worker was being rather cagy on that point.

Suguru spun and won…. "Well, at least it wasn't a pencil. But it was a pen. But it does light up." Suguru clicked the button to show it going through a range of colors.

Mahoro spun and got the special box. She spun again and got it again. "Well, a lot of people have gotten this far but none made the final turn," chided the booth worker. Mahoro made the final spin and the clacker waggled upon the spokes. Everyone was watching with great intensity, hanging on each click the wheel made. It looked like Mahoro would end up with a flashlight, when a final drop of gravity pushed her into Special.

"We have a winner! Dingdingdingdingding!" Everyone cheered as the man went under the draped table and brought out what looked to be a suitcase. There was some buzzing, as a few thought they knew what it was. He opened it up and presented it like it was a magnificent treasure. Everyone crowded around to gawk at it.

"This is the finest barbecue set around. Stainless steel 18/8! You get an extra wide spatula, tongs, a three-prong fork, a small basting brush, a temperature fork, a long knife, a wire brush/scraper, four skewers and eight corn holders, all with hardwood handles. And a coupon to mail in for a free replacement scraper! Congratulations!"

Mahoro bowed as she accepted the gift. Suddenly, she was going to all of these little tests of ability that the booths offered. She sank a putt from 20 feet out to get a pair of garden speakers that looked like rocks and a free sample of fake lawn. She was able to extend a measuring tape upwards 30 feet and magnetically latch it to the ductwork overhead, but not have the tape fall over and won a laser level for her success. She tossed four bean bags through a tiny hole to get a choice of any piece of hand-held gardening equipment they were offering, opting for the uproot weeder. She answered a question about light bulbs the fastest and received a spiral light bulb.

And the t-shirts. Lots of t-shirts. She won a blue one from an energy drink, a white one from a water purification system, a scented one from the room freshener display, one extolling liquid nails, another from a chain saw company and a bright green one from a sod business.

One contest was a bit of a workout. If you were able to correctly guess how many ladybugs were in the container, you received a free professional consultation on how to make your lawn and garden better, a 25,000 yen value. Mahoro rubbed her chin as she stared at the container.

"Oh, Mahoro, I don't think you can get this one. That is a lot of ladybugs," commented Suguru, compressing under the weight of all their gifts. Both of their bags were stuffed with stress balls shaped like apples, seed packets for purple carrots, plant food tubes, pest control spikes, sticky note pads and lots of candy treats.

Mahoro moved closer and placed her ear against the container. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then wrote down her suggestion on the entry form. She slipped it into a giant fishbowl as they went to a painting demonstration.

"How good of a guess did you make?" asked Suguru.

"Plus or minus two ladybugs. They had 2046 in there. I could hear them scratching about." Suguru's gaped. "Besides, I really could use that free consultation. The lawn is in need of something and there may be an infestation in the hydrangeas. Plus a good check-up of the trees and I would be able to make some real work of the garden. Summer is upon us and I know you would like to entertain on the veranda. No one wants to see icky snails and slimy slugs."

They took advantage of the Do-It-Yourself show to take a break and rest their feet. Even as an android, she could still feel fatigue of some nature. Suguru kicked off his shoes and rubbed his toes. He hadn't done this much walking in a long while.

The person on stage was showing the ins and outs of faux finishes and making it work for you. Mahoro was amazed as to how he took ordinary pine and changed it to look like marble, like granite, like steel. She also saw him take that same plank of wood and transform it to appear to be another kind of wood.

This isn't that hard to do, she thought, as the pine sample turned into quarter-sawn oak. Too bad I really don't have a need to do something like that. When the show ended, Suguru spoke up. "I am really hungry. Could we eat? Please?"

"Yes, that is a marvelous idea, as we still have the other building to view." Suguru whimpered as he picked up the bags and headed outside. In between the buildings, the food stands were set up. Mahoro decided on the yakisoba for the two of them. As they sat down, they saw a booth where one person was pouring small sips of tea.

"Yummi Tea Company." Mahoro went up to check it out. A large man was filling sample cup after sample cup from his pump-action carafes. "This is the finest tea in the world. Yummi's vision is to inspire well-being of mind, body and spirit through the simple art of tea, which elevates the tea experience through quality, creativity, and authenticity."

Mahoro had a small taste. "This white hibiscus is stunning. So light and flavorful, I can see this as both a hot tea and an iced tea."

The man tapped a box behind him. "This is a sampler of all our teas. I will give it to you if you can tell me about the different kinds of tea plants there are." He smiled broadly.

Mahoro spoke. "Tea comes from a single plant, the Camellia sinensis. From this one seed, grows over 3,000 types of tea. What is picked are the top two leaves and bud of this evergreen bush. After the leaves are plucked, they are left to wither and oxidize and undergo meticulous processing. This leads to four main types of tea: White, Green, Oolong and Black. Puerh, one kind you have here, is picked from old wild tea trees."

The man's jaw dropped, as he fully expected Mahoro not to reply with much of anything. He handed her the sampler box. "A deal's a deal. But I am amazed that you know so much about teas."

"I take great pride in putting out a marvelous meal and tea is a vital component in that. If you do not know what you are doing, you are just running hot water over cold leaves, without a thought to the enjoyment of the tea." She bowed to the man. "Thank you for this."

She returned to see Suguru, noodles hanging from his mouth. "That was amazing! I didn't know all of that about tea," he mumbled out. With their lunch finished, they proceeded into the second building.

Mahoro was overwhelmed when they stepped inside. This building had been converted over to show a variety of garden expressions. Little display homes were everywhere, with a particular style or approach. The first one they saw was a koi garden, complete with a working koi pond and real koi swimming about. A deer scare delicately resounded as the water gurgled about.

The garden itself had bamboo plants about and ground cover to transform it from an auditorium to a mountain hillside. A mockup of a classic Japanese house was in the back of the set up, but people walked on the flagstone-and-pea gravel pathway. The path had lighting that looked more like paper lanterns, giving a soothing, subdued aura to it. Numerous signs were up as to who put the display together and all the companies that helped assemble this one.

"This is really nice," whispered Suguru, as though he did not wish to disturb anyone or anything, the stones crunching under his feet.

"I am going to work with what I have, but this one is magnificent," responded Mahoro.

Another was a Santa Fe theme, with an enormous barbecue wall that arced about. It had a gigantic pergola with honeysuckle intertwined through the rafters. "You would need an enormous house to be able to put this in the back," commented Suguru.

"And like to host a lot of big parties all the time. It's a bit much for us," completed Mahoro, as they went to the Eco-House. This one had a lawn on the roof and gave a 'natural' look to it, so it appeared to be wild and unkempt.

"It looks more like the gardener gave up and moved to Okinawa," mused Suguru. Other displays included a stone-wall fence with a moon arch; a modern house with hard angles and equally hard plants; another made from recycled material so it seemed more like the junk yard, ("A rather creative use of the back part of a car," noted Mahoro); a drought-resistant approach, which was funny, as it sat jowl-and-cheek with a house that had waterfalls and rivers as part of its presentation.

As Mahoro came around one display, she saw what she wanted. It was closer to her yard in style and approach; a real, normal, regular yard. The hydrangeas were in bloom and there was a small porch with some chaise lounges on it. Mahoro peered intently at things. This is what she wanted to accomplish with the garden part of it, but she was reluctant to think about digging up the yard to install a drip system.

She also needed to know how to care for the plants better. She knew that she might have to sacrifice a plant or two and allow the others to grow out fuller and thicker, but she needed to know which ones to cull. There is nothing worse than having a great gaping hole as you wait for the plants to fill it in, owing to an errant decision.

And what would be the best way to tend to the soil? Compost? Rake it bare and put in the plant spikes? Allow the leaves to do as they seemed fit? She only had one real shot at this, so she wanted it to go right.

Despite the bedraggled nature of the yard at home, she would need a major catastrophe to excavate the yard as well. Sure, if the lawn was fully dead or lots of bald spots, that would not be a problem, but the lawn could still be saved as it was. Mahoro sat on a nearby bench and pondered her options.

All the people she had spoken to had given her good advice. When she got the seed spikes, she received excellent information about the lawn and how to make it both green and hearty. The tree folks suggested having someone come out to look at the health of the trees, as a stressed tree doesn't always show that it is in trouble until it is too late.

So lost was she in thought that she did not feel Suguru prodding her. "We have a couple of minutes before they pull the winning ticket for the Power Tool drawing!" They scampered back to the other building, to where a knot of people stood about the booth. A rather provocative woman, wearing a very skimpy pair of blue shorts and brandishing a drill flirted around. A man in a dark blue work shirt grabbed the mic.

"OK, everyone get your tickets out. We are going to read off the number for the power drill, the power saw and the recharger unit for both. The winning number is 8…4…1…0…" Mahoro stared at her ticket. Suguru stared at his. However, the first four numbers on all the tickets were 8410. The man continued. "…7…" Mahoro and Suguru both had sevens. Suguru's glasses fogged over from the anticipation.

"The next number is…..5!"

"I have a five, Mahoro! 841075 and one more. One more number and…." Mahoro didn't want to say anything, but she was also in the running for this prize.

"And the last number is…is…is…I can't make it out!" Everyone shouted and booed and hooted. He continued. "Wait. I may have it upside down!" He tried to stand on his head to read the ticket and the crowd laughed at him.

"Do you want the last number?"

"YES!"

He stuck a finger in his ear to clean it out. "I said, do you want the last number?"

"YES!" The roar shook the rafters.

"Very well. The full number is 8 4 1 0 7 5…..are you sure you want the last number?" Pieces of candy were thrown at him in mock indignation. "8 4 1 0 7 5….9!"

Right behind Suguru and Mahoro, a man began to jump up and down, shrieking and hollering, waving around his ticket. "Hmmmm. I guess we have a winner," remarked the booth man. "So, come on over!"

He pushed past the two of them as a path was cleared to the booth. Suguru looked at his ticket. "My last number was a six."

"I had a five," offered up Mahoro. Actually, she was a bit glad she hadn't won. What would she ever do with tools like that? As the crowd broke up, they headed along to the plumbing section.

Once there, they saw a man standing in front of a wall with a hole cut out on it, about big enough to put your head and shoulders through. He was wearing overall and a hat, but the fabric looked odd.

"Folks, never have to worry about working in the garden and getting soaked or messing your clothes EVER AGAIN! DDG Enterprises presents Suuuuuuuuper Duck, the finest in garden clothing."

The man stared right at Suguru. "I could use a person from the audience for a demonstration, who is YOU!" Pointing at him, Suguru's eyes bugged out. "Let's give our victim…I mean, helper, a big hand!" Everyone applauded as Suguru was brought onto the stage. A neck-and shoulder garment was attached about him and a hat placed firmly on his head.

"I will show you the power of…..Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck!" The crowd roared as the man really worked them. Two assistants came out and led Suguru to the back of the wall. He was placed through the snug hole. What the audience could not see is that Suguru was locked into place to prevent him from backing out. He looked at the crowd apprehensively.

He did not like being the center of attention; it just made him nervous. The man continued to talk as he paced about.

"What makes Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck so suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper is how it repels. It repels dirt, it repels mud and most importantly, it repels water!" Out of nowhere, one of assistants handed him a bucket. Before anyone could react, the man heaved the contents of the bucket at Suguru, but it was confetti. The man looked upset as he handed the now empty bucket back.

He straightened an imaginary tie and launched into his spiel again. "It repels dirt, it repels mud and most importantly, it repels water!" Another bucket was given to him and it was flung at Suguru, covering him with….popcorn.

The man rubbed his forehead in mock frustration. Then he spoke in a flat monotone. "It repels dirt, it repels mud and most importantly, it repels water." A third bucket appeared and this was flung with full force, but it WAS filled with water and Suguru got absolutely drenched. The crowd reacted, none louder than Mahoro, as water sprayed everywhere.

While Suguru sputtered and gasped for air, he was released and brought around to the stage. The man presented him to the crowd "Now look. Every place that was exposed is wet." He wiped his finger across Suguru's glasses as he spoke. "But everything covered up by Suuuuuuuuuuper Duck is…" The neck piece was removed to show not a single drop penetrated. "…dry!" The hat came off to show the stark line between wet and dry on his head. "Dry!"

The assistant came out with a full martini glass, which the man drained. He smacked his lips. "Dry! Shaken, not stirred." He took the neck piece and showed it to Mahoro. "Please feel that for me. What can you tell me about it?"

Mahoro felt the fabric. "It's….it's dry! But you got him soaking wet." Mahoro worked the fabric, but it was bone dry.

Suguru was toweling off his face. "I know! I know!" The crowd laughed

The man finished up his spiel. "You can laugh at the rain and the water. Ho, ho, ho! Because you have…..Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck!" The audience broke into applause when he was done. "And let's have a round of applause for our wet visual aid here. For him being such a good sport, we have a Suuuuuuuuuuuper Duck work shirt!"

The assistant paraded around the shirt for all to see. Suguru and the other assistant went back stage as people crowded around to get their Super Duck items. The man bent down to Mahoro. "You need to come backstage as well, for a little gift for you."

The walk home from the convention center was pleasant, as the cool of the evening was embracing the town. Suguru was squishing about. "I sure wish I had some Super Duck boots. My feet are going to be wrinkled."

Mahoro smiled as she carried all of the bags with all of their goodies from the show. She now had a Super Duck garden bag, her gift from the demonstration, but, more important, lots and lots of information to get the yards back into shape. Her mind was awhirl with all kinds of plans, envisioning what the garden could become.

"What would you like for dinner tonight?" asked Mahoro.

"How about some……Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck?"

MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 384 DAYS

End Notes

OK, I was trying to figure out what things Mahoro could do, especially in the early days, and I felt that a Home and Garden show might just be the thing for her. Also, she could see all the possibilities and take advantage of some of the "events" they have.

For me, this is a confluence of the San Francisco Flower Show and the Orchard Supply Hardware Home and Garden Show. Since I have used the mythical Hiryu Convention Center for other things (although in the timeline of things, this would be the "first" usage of it), it just makes sense to put it there.

Oh, the "18/8 stainless steel". That is 300 series stainless steel having approximately (not exactly) 18% chromium and 8% nickel. The term "18-8" is used interchangeably to characterize fittings made of 302, 302HQ, 303, 304, 305, 384, XM7, and other variables of these grades with close chemical compositions. There is little overall difference in corrosion resistance among the "18-8" types, but slight differences in chemical composition do make certain grades more resistant than others do against particular chemicals or atmospheres. "18-8" has superior corrosion resistance to 400 series stainless. (Now you can impress people at parties with this mindless minutiae!)

I also realize that I am putting a real American approach to things and am wholly uncertain if they would even do something like this in Japan, with all the grandstanding and demonstrative demonstrations that were put forth. And speaking of American, let us address the barbecue. I know that I have never really seen a BBQ at the Misato household, but I cannot believe they do not have a hibachi (or, as far as they are concerned, the shichirin) or a mushikamado (kamado) pot.

I didn't want this to be a 'date', but I also have to start building the affection that they have for one another. This is more than the maid and her master or an "onee-chan" (an older sister), but, especially in the latter stages of the manga, they come to realize that they really do love each other in a deep and respectful way, it has to start somewhere.

One wonders what would have happened is the inevitable would have been altered to another course of action or fate. How DO you have a romance with an android? (Quiet, I know others have explored this avenue), but I mean more with Suguru and Mahoro (Quiet, I know this has been explored on this website as well).

The "Yummi Tea Company" is based off of Numi Tea.

"Duck" is a rather odd term to use when you are talking about cloth canvas. I mean, we don't speak of Moose pants or an Albatross shirt, so, why a duck? (And there will be NO mention of any Marx Brothers routines, OK?)

It actually comes from the Dutch word "doek", which means "linen canvas", but since people don't listen too well, we have "duck". There are 12 grades of numbered duck, with #1 being the heaviest grade (that is for sandbags) and 12 being the lightest (filter cloths).