Just to be safe, I do not own ANY of the characters in this.
Also, any similarities with real life facts are mere coincidence.
He still didn't know, but that Monday would change his life.
He arrived at his teacher's house early that day. It surprised her, since he usually came by around midday.
"What brings you here so early in the morning Cam?"
She pointed to a yellow armchair by a corner table where he sat down. Since he moved to the countryside he never noticed how much his teacher's house changed. Her wooden floor was less shiny than he remembered, the chandeliers were dusty and her kitchen had a pile of plates waiting to be washed. He thought he should help her a bit, but first things first.
"Teacher... I don't want to compete anymore on the flower contests."
"What are you talking about, Cam! This is your dream!"
"I know," he said, trying to find the right words. "But... For a while already I've had this feeling that I'm missing something..."
His teacher crossed her arms and started to walk slowly around the room.
"I think I know what you've been missing Cam."
"Really?" He perked up. He knew that his teacher would know what to do.
"Your bouquets are great, really. But you don't know the meaning of the flowers."
"Meaning...?" He asked her, "I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about, teacher."
"Well, most of the flowers have a meaning, and you should keep those in mind when doing a bouquet."
"Why you never told me something like that?" He asked her, sighing.
"Because you were young, dear... And to be honest, I was also studying the flowers meaning," she said as she walked up to one of her shelves.
"So, we're going to study those together?" He asked her.
"No, dear. I already learned all that had to be learnt about that. I can lend you my notes if you want them," she said after grabbing a small notepad from the shelf.
"That would be good," he said as he reached for the notepad.
"But Cam, I need to tell you one more thing," she said, pulling the notepad back.
"What is it?" He asked, a bit impatient.
"There are some flowers that do not grow in our country. I've been trying to contact some people to get me some samples of those flowers. This way we can try and see if they would be able to survive here or not."
"And could I help you with that?"
"You only come here on Mondays, dear," she said, going back to walking through the room.
"I know, but I can try to grow those flowers on the countryside."
Again, he made his teacher think.
Nina came from a family of florists, so she was pretty fond of her flowers. She knew Cam's parents before they died and she raised him as if he was her own son. She never had kids and lived away from her family, so Cam was all she had. It took her a lot of time to get used to the idea of Cam living alone on the countryside. She also participated in the old contests, but now she used to say that the young ones should be the ones participating. Cam knew that this was her own way to support him.
"I would like to see you compete someday," Cam said, finally being able to give a look on Nina's notepad.
"You used to see me on the contests all the time when you were a kid, Cam."
She knew that, deep inside, Cam wanted to see her bouquets again.
"Every florist has their own way of arranging flowers," she said, patting his shoulder. "I have mine and you have yours. You should not imitate my work just because I used to won the contests. You were doing a good job."
"Not good enough for a first prize," he sulked, handing the notepad back to Nina. It was useless. Cam was bitter again, and nothing that she said could change that.
Cam spent the rest of the afternoon with his friend.
"Where is your girlfriend?" He asked.
"She went shopping with some friends. I hate to go with them, because they make me carry all their packages."
At least he could have a good time before going back.
Before leaving, Nina gave him a pack of seeds.
"Those are pink rose seeds. They said they have more from where this one came. This will be your first task, Cam. Grow those flowers and show them to me. If you manage to make the flower bloom, then your chances at the flower contests will increase."
"Thanks Nina," he said as he hugged her.
"Don't thank me yet. Keep it for when the flowers bloom," she said with a playful smile.
That day, for the first time in some time, Cam went back to Bluebell without thinking about what he did wrong. Instead, he started to think about his future. And it all depended on him.
Back to Bluebell, Cam started to take care of the seeds his teacher gave him. He thought if he should take any special care with them. He never had grown roses before, so he decided he should read some books before planting them. Since he didn't have that many clients, reading while taking care of his stall was a nice idea. At least he would have something to do while waiting for a customer.
It was Wednesday again. Ash came, as usual, to talk about his mother, his sister and his livestock. Sometimes he would talk about one or two things he heard from customers. But this time, Cam was surprised by what Ash was talking about.
"That girl is funny, don't you think?" Ash started.
"You mean Lilian?"
"Yes. Even living in a town where everyone raises crops, she came to buy livestock," he said proudly.
"Really?" Cam asked even though he wasn't that surprised. She had come a couple times already to buy his seeds so it was obvious that at some point she'd buy other things from Bluebell too.
"Yes! Talk about surprise. She sure has some guts do raise livestock in there. Ah, look!" He said, pointing.
When Cam raised his head to see what Ash was pointing at, he saw her.
"Hi Ash. Hi Cam," Lilian greeted them.
"Hi Lilian!" Ash greeted back. "I hope you didn't want to buy any animal today, since we're closed."
"Yeah, I noticed," she said, patting the guy's shoulder. "But today I came to buy flowers."
Cam tried to remember the last time she came. And by his counts, the last bunch of seeds she bought shouldn't be ready yet. Unless...
"Did your flowers die?" He asked with a frown.
"No! Why are you asking something like that?"
"Because they should not be ready yet, right?" He asked, sure that he had cornered her.
"Well, you're right, they're not," she confessed. "But your shop will be closed by the day they're ready."
"And couldn't you buy seeds from that... What was his name again?" He tried to remember.
"Gombe," she said. "No, he does not have flower seeds. And I like flowers better."
"People at your town must hate you," Ash said. Lilian looked at him, puzzled.
"Why?"
"Because you're buying livestock from me and flower seeds from Cam. In other words, you're not buying anything from them," he said bluntly, shrugging.
"Ash!"
Cam wanted to scold his friend but it was too late. The usually cheerful smile that Lilian would carry faded away as soon as Ash said those words.
"Maybe you're right," she said, looking to the flowers seeds. "I should buy some vegetables too," she added, returning half of the seeds she was going to buy. "Sorry Cam. And thanks for the seeds."
He watched as she left. When she was far enough Ash tried to flee but Cam got a grip of him by his suspender.
"Ash..."
"I'm sorry man!" The other said apologetic. "I just thought it is weird that she is spending her money around here instead of helping her town."
"It is not like you to care for Konohana," Cam said, still bothered.
"Yeah, I know... It is just that she talks so much about the place when she comes to visit."
"She visits you...?" Cam asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Not specially me, but the ranch. She comes everyday to ask things about the animals. I'm even thinking about putting up a request for her the next month. Just to test her willpower," Ash said as he looked to the way Lilian had left. with a devilish smile.
"You're mean, Ash."
"I'm not!" He protested. "I just can't help it when it comes to her."
Cam thought it was weird. Ash was not the kind of person who would be mean to someone on purpose. On the contrary, he was pretty chivalrous when it comes to girls. He could only think about one reason for this kind of behavior.
"Do you like her by any chance?"
"Maybe," the other said with a gentle smile. "I don't know her well enough to be sure. Well man, I'm going for now. Take care of yourself!"
"I will..."
Ash just ruined a good deal. Now, half of the seeds he would sell were left behind, and the girl who would buy them left with a serious look on her face. Somehow that serious face started to bug him. As Ash said, he also didn't know much about Lilian, but even so, he cared for her. He brushed off the thought of his mind and went back to his books. His new seeds depended on his success to grow them and make them bloom.