Prince Larry hated afternoon tea. Everything was fancy and he had to be proper and good postured. He was none of those things. His mom, Queen Blueberry, however, insisted. Luckily, it was just them today, no fancy dukes or duchesses or kings and queens and princesses. His mother took a sip from her tea while he tried to figure out which side of the cake he should eat first. After all, it was huge.
Larry sighed. "I don't know why we have to do this stuff, Mom. I don't find it fun."
"Maybe to you. I find it a delight."
"Easy for you to say. You are fancy."
"It doesn't mean if I'm fancy; I should like this."
The young prince looked out on the kingdom. "You know, why don't we have our afternoons walking in the woods, visiting the townspeople?"
"Visiting is not a bad idea. But you know me well, son. I can't walk too far." Queen Blueberry reminded.
"I'm a guy. I should be riding horses, going out on adventures…"
The queen smiled before she took another sip. "Except you're afraid of horses and too lazy to go on adventures,"
"Mom…" Prince Larry moaned.
Blueberry giggled. "You know, I'm not surprised you are acting this way."
The prince raised an eyebrow, "You aren't?"
"No. Ever since I got my head out of the mirror, I noticed it. You just want to hang out with Sweetpea."
The prince felt blood rush up on his cheeks.
"MOM! That's not the reason!"
"Why not? You like her; she's beautiful, funny and polite. Plus, you once told me she was, in your words, the 'oddest and most awesome person' you've ever met."
"I-I—well… Maybe—you—Aw… You got me again!" Her son scoffed.
The queen simply smiled in triumph.
"Okay, say I like her; it doesn't mean I don't want to spend time with you."
"Larry, I wasn't saying that."
"Oh… I just felt that I had to keep you company since Dad… you know."
Both of them nodded. They missed that man. They agreed before that his passing was one of the reasons the queen started to focus mainly on her looks. But they got over it and let it pass on.
"Larry, just because I run the kingdom alone, it doesn't mean that I'm feeling alone."
"I know, Mom. But I feel guilty of spending less time with you." Prince Larry sighed.
"Nonsense! You spend plenty of time with me! Last week, you helped me sort my books in my study."
Larry started to smile. "What about that time, when I was a kid, you read me a story and when you were done, the sun had set?"
"It's not my fault. You begged me to read it again and again!" Queen Blueberry grinned.
"Oh! Oh! What about the time Uncle Phillip was here?!"
The queen laughed. "We forgot to close the lid of the barrel we were carrying, and when he came in and slipped across the hall!"
"Did you still remember what it sounded like when he slipped?!"
"Like a kitten in a bathtub!" The mother and son yelled in unison.
The two laughed it off. Moments later, their laughter faltered to catch their breath, but were still smiling upon the remembered incident.
"We used to have lots of fun back then." Larry said.
"We did. But everything's changed today. You're growing up and the kingdom's getting bigger…"
"Yeah…"
"You know what, why don't you spend this afternoon with Sweetpea?"
The prince looked at his mother. "But—Mom…"
"I'll be fine. Besides, I have a lot on my plate."
Larry gave this some thought. "How about we see Sweetpea together?"
Blueberry gave his son a smile. "I would love to, son."
They got off their chairs and went on their way to visit their friend. This is how afternoons should be, mom and son together. As they walked on the hall, a thought ran on the queen's mind that made her snicker. Her son thought this as particularly odd. His mom was an elegant and poised woman. He never heard her snicker.
"What is it?" Prince Larry asked.
"Nothing. I just thought I could use this time with Sweetpea as an advantage." Queen Blueberry replied.
"How?"
"Oh… we have a lot of things to talk about: the weather, the economy, her future…"
Prince Larry nodded, not knowing what his mother meant. When they got out of the castle, and upon seeing Sweetpea, that's when he understood what she meant.
"Mom!" Larry whisper-yelled.
"Oh, Sweetpea!" The queen sang, running ahead of Larry.
"Sweetpea, don't listen to anything my mother says!"
Sweetpea looked at them. "What was she supposed to say?"
"Nothin'. Nothin' at all!"
The queen rolled her eyes. As the mother and son exchanged looks, Sweetpea can't help but smile. Queen Blueberry was lucky to have a son like Prince Larry.
Just a comment: hey, has anyone seen the new VeggieTales series that will be released on Netflix? You know, VeggieTales in the House? Saw the theme song. It. Was. Awesome! :D And-FINALLY!- Petunia's got a new hairstyle. Check it out! It's on YouTube! Eye colors, FINALLY!
That's all I got to say.
