Simon's Point of View
I'd been debating whether this was going to count as a date or not and finally decided that it was. Wow, did I really ask Jeanette out on her birthday? No, not unless she figured out the riddle inside and out. It was slow going to the gardens; I packed a picnic filled with food from Theodore and Dave. Long walks were usually fun, but when you have to carry a full picnic basket and you're a chipmunk, it isn't the easiest thing to do and my first stop wasn't even my destination! My first stop was to the closest greenhouse I could find; here I would pick up some fertilizer to aid in the health of Jeanette's violet. I waddled inside the curved building, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead shortly after. Like the gardens, plants were everywhere as well as garden supplies, and hand-grown food at the back. It was uncomfortably hot and the smell and taste of the mugginess only added to the awkward feeling.
"Can I help you find anything?" An elderly lady with curly hair kindly asked, not bothered by my stature or species. Guess she saw me as just another customer. She could have been Dave's grandmother, it's a wonder how she wasn't passing out right now!
"May I have a cup of fertilizer?" I stuttered. How stupid, who ever had to go to a greenhouse to ask for a single cup of fertilizer?! To make things worse, I forgot to bring anything to carry it in. how was I the smart chipmunk? "It's only for one plant," I quickly added, "A flower." the lady just smiled and found a cheap fertilizer and dumped enough to fill a medium-sized zip-lock bag.
"This must be a special flower." She finally said ending the awkward silence.
"It is." I said, sensing she wanted to start up a full conversation, "It's very important to my friend." I dropped when I said the word friend. I wanted more than friendship, but I didn't see that happening anytime soon. "I found it in The Gardens for her."
"The Gardens, eh?" She questioned as I were at an interview, making it a bad thing. "Heard talk that they were thinking of tearing that place down, they want to replace it." Her voice was cold and hard, this was a true gardener. Speechless, breathless, and shock; these were three simple words that described how I felt the moment I heard the rumor leave the lady's mouth. I carefully placed down the picnic basket and took a few calming breaths. Jeanette's favorite place to be, demolished? She would be heartbroken. I couldn't let that happen!
"It's just talk," The lady attempted to reassure, "besides, I know that people, or chipmunks, like you are what will save that wonderful place from dying. You are the life to the dying land." She zipped the bag tightly and gently placed it in the basket for me. "No charge, just promise me that you'll take good care of that flower." She smiled and I smiled back weakly.
"It's just talk." The lady's words echoed through my head, booming like a bullhorn, as I sat by the purple mass of innocence that was the violet. It didn't deserve to die, none of the flowers did. I did my best to bathe the violet in fertilized dirt, hoping it would still look nice for Jeanette. It was the first time I noticed that The Gardens were almost completely empty. Why did no one ever visit? Didn't anyone want this beautiful paradise to remain? What could they, the people of this community, want to replace it with?
"Stop thinking like that!" I scolded myself, "This place, this violet will not die, not if I can help it!" To quickly distract myself from the situation, I shuffled through the basket to set the picnic; with Jeanette being as smart as she was I knew she would be here soon. Sandwiches, fruit, and nuts with bottled water built the picnic. The blanket, the food, her gift in the basket. Everything was set for her special surprise.
"Well well, what have we here?" A rough voice sounded through my ears. I turned to find a large man in a hard hat and safety vest standing behind me, "Never thought there was any wildlife left, oh and the cute little critter brought me lunch!"
"Hey, back off! And what was that supposed to mean, wildlife?" I angrily asked, insulted by everything that this man said. I glared up into his rough eyes, I suddenly hoped he wasn't as rough as his voice.
"What the?!" He expressed, "I've been in the sun too long. This can't be real, critters talking."
"Guess again." I stated, "Do you mind, I'm kind of having a picnic here."
"Oh of course, uh, sir." The worker stammered, "Enjoy it while you still can little fella. Be sure to abandon this place like everyone else within the month." Before I could ask any questions, the worker was on his way shaking his head like he'd just seen a ghost.
"A construction worker." I thought, "Am I already too late? Are The Gardens really dying?"
"Wow!" Another voice soothed my ears, a more gentle and welcoming voice. A familiar voice.
"Jeanette!" I yelled, hoping to cover up my previous feeling of dread, "Happy birthday!" I subconsciously hugged her, sharing a much better warmth than the greenhouse. She said no words, just returned the hug; personally I think that was the best thing she could have done, the best way to say thank you."
"Wow!" I repeated her enthusiasm as I got a good look at her. She wore a radiating blue and purple sundress that only made she herself more stunning. I didn't think I could take my eyes off her until she looked away from me to gaze at everything I set out.
"So," I looked down, my shyness starting to overcome me, making afraid to say what was on my mind, "you solved the riddle." She looked back, her eyes sunk into mine.
"Of course! I can't believe you set this up and just for me!" A breeze began to blow and I looked over everything once more before slowly taking Jeanette's hand and, guiding her to the picnic staged in front of her violet, showed her the fertilized soil.
"I think it deserves the best." I said, thinking of Jeanette more than the flower. Maybe we had different versions of the word, but no matter what hers was, what I said still made her blush. "I got you something." I announced and reached into the almost empty basket.
"There's more?" She asked dreamily after finishing an apple. I took that as a sign that I succeeded in making her birthday special. I handed her an envelope and she opened it questioningly. Inside I put a thin piece of paper with writing on it.
"What is this?" She asked quietly.
"You know how you wanted to sing a duet with me?" She nodded. "Well how about that song?" Her eyes instantly widened.
"Really?" She stood still as a statue, her face frozen in shock. I nodded and it was my turn to be surprised. Not half a second after my nod I felt her lips against mine and her body close. Some would call that a kiss, others would call it a peck due to how short it lasted. Me? I nonetheless called it heaven.
Sadly, heaven was cut short as she lifted her lips her eyes as surprised as mine at what she did. How I was standing was beyond my knowledge, but the fact that I was able to follow Jeanette who chased the paper, the song, that she dropped during our embrace was more of a miracle. The ever-growing wind didn't help in catching it.
"Got it!" she called though a patch of flowers and grass.
"Nothing can ruin this." I thought; until I heard her squeak.
Jeanette's Point of View
"Ow, that hurts!" I squealed as Simon dabbed my arm with his sweater. Cuts covered my arm which used to have at least a dozen thorns stuck in it. I sat on the ground with Simon right next to me.
"There are only two thorns left." He stated, "Come on, Jeanie, you can take two more pulls." I braced myself for the next surge of pain that would come form the thorn being taken out of my arm. I glared at my landing spot after tripping. A patch of weeds, weeds with evil thorns, somewhat bloody thorns.
"I got the song." I winced as Simon carefully pulled out another thorn. I analyzed him, concerned when he didn't reply. Glasses pushed against his face, a small blood stain on the sleeve of his otherwise blue sweater, and a smile. I knew what was on his mind as he tenderly treated my wounds. I ruined the moment by getting injured, but I still kissed him. I couldn't believe it, I kissed Simon Seville! One question came to mind; did he like it? It didn't last long, but it was still perfect … and awkward. I sighed fantasizing about another kiss. The only thing that could be heard other than my small whimpers of pain was the wind freely blasting.
"Lucky." I thought, "The wind gets to do whatever it wants; carelessly blowing with no consequences." Simon's smile faded into a frown. I knew he wouldn't like me! I fought back tears, "Sorry," I interjected with his train of thought as he blinked, "I don't know what came over me." Did I sense shame in my own voice?
"What are you talking about?" He asked, dumbfounded by my shamed sentence. I could tell he was intent on treating my arm, but gave me his own concern for my thoughts. Was that it? Have I been over-thinking everything this entire time?
"I made you uncomfortable…" What was I thinking? Of course he wouldn't think of us as anything more than friends! I'm not over-thinking this. You can't just kiss a boy out of nowhere like that no matter how ecstatic you are!
"No, that's not it." He said and returned his friendly smile, "It's just, we ran through every garden the other day and I saw no weeds whatsoever." He was right. Out of the hours that we spent here, I saw no weeds, and now I fall into an entire patch?
"Doesn't anyone come to care for these gardens?" I wondered out loud.
"No, in fact I heard that the original gardeners abandoned this place." What?! Who would abandon such a miraculous place? As if reading my mind, Simon spoke seriously, firmly, for the first time in my life.
"There was a construction worker here earlier and because no one takes care of this place, they are going to tear it down, replace it for houses or something like that." I was shattered. This place gone? I loved this place, I literally just shared my first kiss here! Simon grabbed my hands, sensing my fear and sadness. "We don't have to let this place die." He said, "We should fight for it, why don't we take care of this special place?" Was he really serious? Could we -two chipmunks- be able to care for fifteen acres of flowers, trees, and land by ourselves? He read my mind again, "I think we could do it; it'll be hard, but I think we can save this place." He stood up and collected the remains of the picnic, leaving me to think about what he had to say. Did he love this place as much as I did, or did he just want to fight to make me happy? I watched him do it all; this man, this chipmunk, had faith in me and was more than willing to save The Gardens with me. For me. Whether the kiss put us in a relationship or not I knew we had grown closer.
The wind picked up and the sunny sky grew dark and cloudy. Not fluffy white cloudy, black endless cloudy. A drop of water hit my nose and I giggled.
"I guess we won't have to water the flowers anytime soon."
"Yes, but it also means more weeds will come." Simon said and looked around the violet before we started home; hopefully we wouldn't get too wet. I was clearly mistaken as we were attacked by billions of black raindrops. A half hour walk with a picnic basket, we were seriously going to get wet. The rain poured and a storm was sure to follow; with my fur soaked, I stood by Simon who fell behind. He was carrying the basket, the basket that held numerous containers, some filled with food, bottles of water, and our song. I had no intentions of running ahead and leaving his side.
"You could use a towel." Brittany greeted us as we burst through the door, which was luckily open. "Dave, get Simon and Jeanette a towel!" No labor for Brittany, not after a day of being pampered at the spa. I had to admit though, she did look even prettier than usual; her pampering did not go unnoticed.
"So how was the picnic?" I overheard Theodore ask his older brother, who never got a chance to answer.
"Dry up you two," Dave ordered, "Alvin has a surprise for Brittany and he wants everyone to hear it.
"Must be a big deal if he wants to in front of everyone." I thought. How would Brittany feel about this; she liked Alvin, I knew that much, but I was unsure if she liked him the way I liked Simon. I prayed Alvin wasn't going to pull a prank, not today of all days, not on Brittany's birthday.
Dave sat us down on the couch, it's rough leather cushion covered with a warm blanket. I made sure to snag a spot next to Simon; we sat close, almost huddled for each others warmth. Almost.
"Ladies and Gentlemunks," Alvin began, "The gift that I got Brittany does not come in a box. It isn't wrapped. It isn't even here!"
"I knew it." Simon whispered to me. Brittany had a confused look spread across her vanilla face.
"The present," Alvin continued, "is a concert in her honor." Dave's eyes grew wide, but no words escaped his gaping mouth. "I am asking you guys, everyone EXCEPT Brittany to perform for her." I looked at Brittany who burned red; red like Alvin's sweater, but I don't think it was out of anger.
"You organized this by yourself?" Dave asked, oblivious to his facial expression and disbelief in his tone.
"Yup." Alvin said in his usual cool way, "Don't sound so surprised, Dave." Alvin then shot him his signature "I'm awesome" look and sat down next to Brittany. "You're welcome. And Simon," He turned to his younger brother in blue, "in your face." Everyone other than Dave laughed.
"I think you need to work on your whispering." I whispered in Simon's ear.
"I'll say." He sighed back.
It was the end of the day, time to relax before school tomorrow.
"Did today really happen?" I asked myself this question multiple times and still couldn't tell; everything that happened was so dream-like. We sat on the couch while the boys went in the kitchen to have a snack after their long day of making our own day special.
"Can you believe that Alvin did that?" Brittany said for the third time. It was a little hard to believe that Alvin of all chipmunks did something like this; I haven't seen Brittany stop smiling all night.
"It's pretty shocking." Eleanor burped, "I don't think I could eat another bite if my life depended on it!" Theodore had flooded her with sweets and I knew she would sleep well tonight. "What about you, Jeanette?" She asked, " How was your date with Simon?"
"Careful, Elli," Brittany joked, "she doesn't want to believe it was a date, even though it totally was!"
"Maybe it was." I admitted. Why did Brittany always have to bother me on this?
"Oh ho, she confessed. Jeanette confessed to going on a date with Simon! Something went down at your 'special place.'"
I blushed, stammering I retorted, "Well, it was actually really great. Super f-"
"Then what's with the cuts on your arm?" Brittany interrupted. I never knew she was so observant.
"Oh.. Nothing, just some thorned weeds I fell into."
"Jeanie! Are you okay?!" Brittany nearly screamed. She'd better not alert the guys. She and Eleanor wrapped their arms around me.
"Of course I am!" I confessed, "I feel great! Because I fell, I got even more attention from Simon." I told my sisters about everything that happened except for my present, the song. That shall remain private for now.
"You kissed?!" Brittany squealed. I knew she would want details, every detail. No matter how in-depth.
"Yeah," My knees wobbled at the thought of it, replaying the brief moment of heaven. This was tough to explain and talk about, even to my sisters who looked so excited to hear about my possible love life.
"Wow, Jeanette," Brittany applauded, "I guess you know what you're doing after-all."