Autumn Love
Day Two: Pumpkins
Goku giggled as he ran across the field. It was that time of year. The weather wasn't so hot they sweated at night in their small home and it wasn't too cold where they wore extra blankets to bed. It was Orange Head Season! It was a favorite time for Goku for Grandpa made his famous Orange Head Soup.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Goku pointed at the rows of round orange heads. "There are so many orange heads!"
"Yes, Goku, they are but I told you. They are not orange heads. They are pumpkins."
Goku covered his hands over his mouth giggling again. He knew that but orange heads sounded better to him. "Oops. Sorry, Grandpa."
The field was filled with large, orange healthy pumpkins. So many to choose from. Some were as small as acorn squash and some were as big as Goku who barely reached the old man's thighs. "Now, let's see," Grandpa Gohan walked up a row judging the pumpkins and which one he should choose.
Goku was ahead of him. He wanted to pick the right one this year. It couldn't be too small. It had to fill him after all and he had a bigger stomach than Grandpa. "Grandpa! What about this one?"
Grandpa Gohan chuckled at the pumpkin Goku wanted to pick. Leave it to Goku to think with his stomach and not his head. "That's a big one, Goku." Very big. Grandpa Gohan was concerned what this large pumpkin would do to his back. "I don't know if I can pick it up." He was still a sharp martial artist but his bones and strength weren't as strong as they used to be and that was a very big pumpkin.
"Don't worry, Grandpa." Goku grabbed the pumpkin from its large round end and pulled.
"No, Goku," Grandpa Gohan stopped him. "You should pull from the three vines attached to the stem." He pointed at the three green veins attached to the green stem on top of the pumpkin. "Pull the vine from the stem so the stem doesn't dry out. It'll stay nice and green."
"Okay, Grandpa!" Goku followed the simple instructions. When the pumpkin was free, Goku wrapped his arms around it but discovered his arms were too short. It didn't reach half the size of the pumpkin but the boy with the furry tail didn't let that stop him.
He might pull something but Grandpa Gohan wanted to help out. "Maybe I should…."
"I got it, Grandpa." Goku crouched in front of the pumpkin. He reached behind, grabbed the pumpkin and pulled it forward so it leaned against his back. Goku got a good grip and pulled himself up. He smiled triumphantly he held the pumpkin against his back. "It's bigger than me, Grandpa, but I can carry it."
Grandpa Gohan chuckled with pride. "You are a very determined boy, Goku. Nothing can stop you when you set your mind on something."
"Will this be big enough?"
It was so big they might have leftovers. "It will. Now let's return to Mount Paozu. There are many ingredients to gather before we can make Pumpkin Soup."
Goku nodded and followed his grandpa. "Okay, but I think Orange Head Soup is better."
"Here it is." Goku was so happy to see this field again. It's been many years. The last time he was here Grandpa was alive. Since his death, Goku hadn't had the urge to see this field. It brought up many memories he wanted to suppress. He could've tried to make Grandpa's soup but it wasn't the same with him gone. Now with a wife, who was carrying their baby, Goku found the urge to visit this field again and make that soup.
"Wow." ChiChi marveled at the field. When Goku told her about it, ChiChi expected a small plot. She didn't expect a quarter-sized acre field of pumpkins. "You and your Grandpa came here every year for pumpkins?"
"Yup. There are so many. Sometimes we came once a week."
ChiChi envisioned young Goku with his Grandpa, running the field like a carefree child. He spoke to her excitedly when he talked about this place. She knew it made him happy. She could only imagine the energy he had as a child. Probably like a child on Christmas. Goku talked a lot about Pumpkin Soup he and his Grandpa always had. He thought it would be good for her and their baby.
ChiChi rubbed her swelling stomach tenderly. It would be good for the baby ChiChi, decided. Very good because it's something Goku wanted for them.
"How about this?" Goku pointed to a very large pumpkin.
The pumpkin was large. ChiChi guessed twenty pounds. It would be enough but Goku had a big appetite and with the child growing her, her appetite was growing, too.
"That's fine for me and the baby but what are you gonna eat?"
Goku caught her sly smile and mirrored one of his own. He really liked ChiChi could eat like him now and knowing his child caused it and that child will eat like him when he's born filled Goku with pride and happiness he couldn't explain.
Goku remembered what his Grandpa taught him and removed the pumpkin from the stems. He selected another pumpkin around thirty pounds. He placed one pumpkin over his shoulder and the other in his left hand. "Let's go."
The pair walked off with their big catches. Seeing Goku carrying the large pumpkins stirred something in her. It nearly made ChiChi swoon whenever Goku showed off his strength. He was really excited and ChiChi was very intrigued by this soup. "What else did your Grandpa put in the soup?"
"Grandpa mixed water with an apple, root food and green plants from the ground and animal meat. Sometimes we mixed bear, tiger or fish in it. Then he cooked it over a fire. It was always yummy, even the green plants. I could never eat them but in Orange Head Soup," Goku smiled lost in memory, "they were yummy."
ChiChi suspected the root food and green plants were onions and kale leaves Goku showed her growing in the forests. A soup with onions and kale wouldn't be enough but since Goku grew up with limited foods and knew nothing of seasoning, the mixture was appealing to him. In memory, it still will be but Goku's appetite has changed. Now he knew of food with spices and seasoning. If he ate his grandpa's soup without that, it would sour the memory of this soup with his precious Grandpa and ChiChi didn't want that.
"I think we should add some more food," ChiChi suggested. "It will make the Pumpkin Soup more appealing."
Goku frowned. He wasn't sure of that. "But it won't be Grandpa's soup."
"It still will be. Just yummier."
"Are you sure?" Goku was hesitant in changing Grandpa's recipe. "Grandpa already made it really yummy."
"Trust me."
It was something Goku often said to ChiChi when she was hesitant in doing something he wanted. In the end, ChiChi never had regrets. Goku decided to take that chance and trust ChiChi, too. He trusted his gut in marrying her. Trusting her making changes to Grandpa's recipe would work out for them.
He hoped.
When they were home, Goku and ChiChi worked on making his Grandpa's Pumpkin Soup. Goku cut the top and removed it and the pumpkin seeds like he did as a kid. He cleaned the seeds and added seasoning them as ChiChi wanted. He cooked them over a fire in an old cast iron skillet he found in Grandpa's hut.
ChiChi sauteed the onions with butter and mixed in seasoned breadcrumbs and flour. Those ingredients were new to Grandpa's recipe. She poured that into the pumpkins and stirred in chicken broth which she substituted for the water. Lastly, she added cooked beef for the meat, cheese, and more seasoning with the kale to finish it off. ChiChi poured the mixture into her pumpkin while Goku added the rest of the mixture to his pumpkin.
Outside, ChiChi sat with Goku in front of the fire watching their pumpkin soup cook. Goku and ChiChi snacked on the toasted pumpkin seeds and drank pumpkin spice hot chocolate as they chatted and waited. This whole excursion was one of the few times Goku talked a lot about his Grandpa. ChiChi suspected it was a sensitive subject for him but with Goku being so open now, ChiChi took a chance to ask questions before Goku closed up again.
"Did you make this soup after your Grandpa died?"
For a long moment, Goku was quiet. Through the flames of the flickering fire, ChiChi saw sadness in Goku's eyes. She regretted asking her question. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I know you love your Grandpa, Goku. I want to know him so I can love him like you and so we can tell our child about him."
Goku popped more pumpkin seeds in his mouth and washed them down with his cocoa. He put his empty cup down and gazed at the stars in the sky. "I couldn't go by that field after Grandpa died. It made me think about him a lot. When I think about Grandpa, I remember how much I miss him and how quiet it is here without him. I like the quiet," Goku quickly said. "I'm used to it but it's nice when it's not so quiet…" Now he was looking at ChiChi. The tender look he gave her reminded ChiChi of several nights and some days during intimacy when he would stare at her and his eyes say what his mouth couldn't. "Like now."
He hated the loneliness. My sweet Goku. You'll never be alone anymore. I promise.
Goku looked away from ChiChi to the fire. His hand reached hers and slowly closed around it. "I don't know why but I felt like showing it to you. I don't feel so bad anymore Grandpa ain't there."
ChiChi's eyes became misty. Goku didn't understand but ChiChi knew the reason. When she sniffed, Goku looked at her and panicked at her tears. "What did I do wrong? I wasn't trying to make you sad, ChiChi."
"You didn't." Silly man! "You made me happy." ChiChi threw her arms around Goku and kissed him. As they kissed, their bodies were pressed together and Goku felt a light jab against his stomach. The kicking of their unborn child broke their kiss. "You made our baby happy, too."
Goku smiled at ChiChi's growing stomach. "You both make me happy. Do you think the baby will like it?"
"Let's find out." ChiChi noticed the bottom of their pumpkins turning a dark orange. She slipped on her oven mitts and pulled both pumpkins from the fire and placed them on plates. With a spoon, she stirred the mixture. "Smells good. Looks good." She scooped a spoonful of soup, blew gently and placed it in Goku's open mouth. She looked expectantly at her husband. "Well?"
Goku tasted and swallowed the savory mixture. The taste buds of his tongue danced with joy. He tasted all kinds of food from several people but something about ChiChi's cooking made it better than anyone else's cooking. "Wow! This tastes better than Grandpa's!"
ChiChi ate from her pumpkin pleased. "We should eat this every year, Goku. We can go to the field with our children, pick our pumpkins and make Pumpkin Soup together."
"I want that." Goku liked that idea. It made him smile thinking of their child running through the pumpkin field and picking his pumpkin as he did with his Grandpa. "But it's Orange Head Soup," Goku corrected ChiChi.
"Goku," ChiChi playfully tapped Goku's forehead with her spoon. "This soup is good and I know it means a lot to you we make this soup, but I'm not calling it Orange Head Soup."
"Wowwee! Look at the pumpkins, Momma! There are so many."
ChiChi's heart burst with pride watching five-year-old Goten run through the pumpkin field. He held the same exuberance as his Daddy. Seeing Goten's excitement, made ChiChi feel Goku was with them carrying on the family tradition.
"Yes, it is, Goten." ChiChi inhaled the fresh air. Another Fall, another start to a family tradition. "This field has grown pumpkins for years. It grew them when Gohan was a baby and it grew when your Daddy was your age."
"Wow!" The child was in awe of this news. "That's a long time ago, like a million years ago, Momma."
ChiChi laughed. "Well, not that many years, but it's been in the family for a long time, and as such, we have to continue the tradition and make your Great Grandpa's famous soup. He taught Daddy. Daddy taught me and I'm gonna teach you and Gohan."
"Yay!" Goten pumped a fist into the air. "I wanna pick my pumpkin." He ran through the field again looking for his pumpkin."
"Not too big, Goten," Gohan warned. His little brother had Saiyan blood but he wasn't that strong yet. Last year, Goten picked a pumpkin too big for his small body. He dropped it several times on the way home Gohan decided to carry it with his pumpkin and left ChiChi to carry her pumpkin.
"Let him pick." ChiChi was confident last year's mistake wouldn't happen this time. "He's bigger now and he's determined like his Daddy."
"This one, Momma. This is my pumpkin!"
ChiChi joined Goten and examined the pumpkin. It was half Goten's size. "If you want it, gently break these three green veins near the stem of the pumpkin."
"I know," Goten remembered the instructions of his mother from last year. He gently broke the stems and picked up his pumpkin. He could hold it. Too bad Goten couldn't see what was in front of him. "I can carry this home. Just tell me where to walk."
Giggling at her determined son, ChiChi picked her pumpkin and Gohan picked his. On her shoulder was a tote bag carrying the other ingredients Gohan and Goten helped her pick. "We got everything. Let's go home and make Orange Head Soup."
"Shouldn't it be Pumpkin Soup, Momma?" Goten asked as he waddled behind her with his big brother following last to keep an eye on both.
"No, Goten." ChiChi looked up at the sky knowing somewhere Goku is looking down on them. "It's Orange Head Soup."
