21: HM2V: Garden, Bursting into Life

8:15 am, Organic Grocery Store, Produce Section

Jordan and Harry paused to review their respective lists. Jordan's predictably read as follows: tampons (Maggie), peppermint tea, almond-encrusted dark chocolate bark, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Harry did a once-over, then perused his own list, which was the following: fresh blackberries, 2 jars of pickles (the unsliced kind), pre-sliced watermelon, peppermint tea, 3 bags of ginger chews, 1 bag of gingersnaps, fresh pre-sliced coconut…

…And a pregnancy test, Harry thought to himself, making a discreet beeline for the drugstore products aisle.

8:15 am/3:15 pm Madalena Village, Azores, Epicenter Pico No. 23, Front Garden

The heat was beginning to wane a bit, so Macy took an opportunity to spruce up the front garden. Granted, it wasn't quite on the scale of Vera Manor Garden, but it was a plot of land, and it was hers. She gathered the seeds and sprouts she had obtained from Matias earlier that week (cilantro, aloe vera, basil, chilis, zucchini, oh my), and drew forth a bucket containing a couple pairs of gardening gloves, a spade, and potting soil, as Maya dutifully followed her out to the front lawn.

Kneeling, Macy dug a three-inch-deep well with her spade and carefully dropped one of the chili seeds in, covering the seed with the remaining dirt. Maya watched silently, and after a few more chili seeds were planted, she wanted to have a try too. The general plan was to create something akin to the victory gardens of yore, except with a uniquely tropical twist. The chili contained capsaicin, which would hopefully deter various woodland creatures (if there were any on the island, thought Macy), from feasting on the greenery once they began budding weeks from then.

The sprouts soon followed—first, a line of cilantro, then a line of basil. The zucchini came next, though as Maya and Macy each dropped the tiny, shriveled seeds in, Macy privately thought to herself it would take a miracle for this gourd-like specimen to thrive. She hadn't seen many large zucchinis in the market as of late and thought it would have been a waste to plant it in the first place, had Matias not suggested otherwise. Fried zucchini fritters for lunch, and chocolate chip zucchini bread for dessert? Tantalizing…

The aloe vera sprouts were firmly planted by Macy and Maya both, at the furthest end of the garden plot; this was meant to provide a naturally spiny, prickly barrier against plant pests. Hopefully, with water, ample sunlight, and a bit of luck, the garden would flourish, Macy thought to herself. Her horticultural daydreaming was momentarily interrupted by Morgana, who had noticed the pair and decided to walk over for a quick chat.

3:25 pm Madalena Village, Azores, Epicenter Pico No. 23, Front Garden

"Growing a garden, I see?" Morgana politely inquired, her voice still holding a barely perceptible Portuguese accent.

"Afternoon Morgana, sort of—just sprucing up the front yard—" Macy began, straightening up to a standing position.

"Ah, lovely," Morgana clasped her hands together excitedly. "It's simply been ages since anyone's done anything with it—I keep bugging Matias to add more cassava to his, but you know him…" her voice suddenly trailed off as she peered closer into Macy's eyes. "You look…different. Is there anything I should know?" Morgana half-whispered.

Macy looked puzzled. "No…not that I'm aware. And different in what sense?"

"Well…" Morgana hesitated. "There's something about your eyes, as if you've seen something of the future, something of the soul. And there seems to be two, this time around." She paused in wonderment. "Oh my…" Just then, Maya gently tapped Morgana, seeking her attention in the here and now.

"We're growing chili and cilantro and basil and aloe vera and zucchini," Maya announced, reaching for Morgana's hand. She led the older lady around the rows of seeds and sprouts, pointing to what plant or sprout went where.

3:45 pm Madalena Village, Azores, Epicenter Pico No. 23, Kitchen

After Morgana had taken her leave, Macy brought Maya back inside, along with all of their gardening gear. They had both rinsed their hands of any remaining dirt, and entered back into the condo, where Harry awaited them, his wares in hand. Macy and Maya hugged him, then Macy put Maya down for a nap; the little girl was soon fast asleep.

"Did you get the blackberries?" Macy inquired. Harry fished the pint-sized bushel container out of one bag, which she rinsed and dabbed dry, popping a berry into her mouth. "Yum." He unloaded the rest, placing various items in the fridge. The ginger chews and ginger snaps remained on the kitchen table.

"Is there a reason you wanted ginger snaps and ginger chews, Macy?" Harry regarded his wife carefully.

"No—no reason—I was thinking up a snack that would go well with afternoon Earl Grey tea and ginger snaps sprung to mind. The ginger chews, well, why wouldn't someone buy ginger-flavored candy from the grocery store? There's a sale going on, so I've heard," Macy retorted, her eyes widening as she saw the last item Harry pulled out of the remaining grocery bag.

A pregnancy test. Oh NO he didn't.

Without so much as a word, Harry seized Macy's hand and they orbed into the master bathroom, closing the door behind them.

3:49 pm Madalena Village, Azores, Epicenter Pico No. 23, Master Bathroom

"Why do people keep implying I'm pregnant?" Macy shrieked indignantly as she awaited the test's results with a much-bemused Harry, who was alternating between checking his stopwatch and regarding her curls flying all about in this tempestuous tirade of hers. "It's all they ever talk about—first Hestia, now Morgana! I thought Morgana at least would have more tact. Here she is, telling me about "two souls" this and that, and telling me she might stop by Vera Manor in a couple of weeks. As if I didn't already have enough on my plate."

"Macy, I really think you should calm down—" Harry ventured, but Macy cut him off.

"They shouldn't be saying this stuff, imagine if we had fertility issues—it would cut like a knife! For all we know, I very well could—"

"Um. Macy," Harry remarked in a low voice. "I don't think you need to worry about any…err…fertility issues."

Macy paused in her tracks. "Why would you say that?"

Harry held up the stick. It showed a bright, unmistakable "+" plus sign. "I hope you're ready for round two," he whispered, gathering Macy in his arms as they both began tearing up.