Autumn Love

Part Six:

Feast (ChiChi's Birthday)

ChiChi woke up happy and apprehensive. Today is her birthday. On this day, she is off. She doesn't cook. She doesn't clean. She doesn't sew. She doesn't do any laundry. It's a day ChiChi can put up her feet and relax. She can do anything she wants. If she wants to stay in bed and sleep or read all day, she can. If she wants to get on Nimbus and spend the day on an island by herself, she could. It was her day. On the flip side, it meant someone else will do the cooking and cleaning. That someone else was her husband and sons and the day after her birthday, ChiChi is left with double the work because she has to undo the mess of sons and husband created.

With time to herself this morning, ChiChi rose from the bed and went to her bathroom. There, she found a surprise on the sink. A gift basket of candles, bath oils, gels, scrubs, bath salts, and bath bombs. All were in her favorite scent: lavender. ChiChi picked up the card attached.

"Gohan told me you like bath shops now but I picked this out. I forget a lot of things but I can never forget loving you. Happy Birthday! Goku." Goku never wrote notes for her so this was a gift she will cherish.

Fifteen minutes later, ChiChi settled into a hot lavender-scented bath. Lit candles from her gift basket surrounded her tub and oozed a calm and relaxing scent around the room. ChiChi inhaled the fragrance from the water and sighed. It was nice to relax and enjoy the solitude. She rubbed her hands over her legs and arms giving them gentle massages.

Usually at this time, ChiChi would hear the clangs of something falling on the floor and a raised voice. It was usually Gohan's. They have gotten better over the years cooking her breakfast with Gohan taking charge and making sure Goku and Goten didn't make a mess but those first couple of years were a mess. The first one was a complete disaster.

ChiChi laid in bed. Not by choice but by force. It was her birthday today and ChiChi expected, wanted to cook breakfast for her husband and son. She thought and hoped her husband would take today off from training for the Artificial Humans. It was only one day and those monsters weren't coming for at least three years. ChiChi saw no wrong in expecting for her birthday she spend it with her husband and son.

And the green thing.

ChiChi groaned thinking of seeing him on her birthday. Could it be her wish, she didn't see him? Goku and especially Gohan would insist Piccolo stay. Gohan thought it would be a good way for Piccolo to understand humans and build his socializing skills. ChiChi also knew Gohan came up with the idea for her to take a day off for her birthday to make up for having Piccolo live with them.

She wasn't in the best moods with Piccolo living with them for the next three years. The first six months were rough. Goku and Gohan played referee to Piccolo and ChiChi's verbal spars. The night before her birthday Gohan told her he and Dad will take care of her all day.

"You cook and clean for us every day, Mom. For your birthday, we should do everything for you." ChiChi was flattered but when she woke that morning, ChiChi was alone and heard clatters from the kitchen followed by Piccolo's raised voice.

Piccolo? Why was he in her kitchen? ChiChi thought Goku and Gohan would cook for her.

There was another louder clatter. It sounded like glass breaking. ChiChi couldn't stand it anymore. She had to see what was becoming of her kitchen. She got out of bed and quietly crept from her bedroom to the kitchen. She heard the sound of something falling on the floor again followed by Piccolo's scolding.

"Dammit, Son! Are you always a klutz?!"

"This wasn't my fault. You bumped into me when I took the eggs out."

"Only because I stopped to wipe the oil you spilled because I almost slipped on it!"

"It was funny seeing you struggle to stand and bump against the refrigerator, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan giggled.

ChiChi peered her head into the room speechless at what she saw. The kitchen was a mess. Flour stains and food droppings were all over the floor, stove and counter. There was even a chocolate-stained handprint on the refrigerator. The hand was too small to be Gohan's. It could be Goku's but hearing Piccolo bump into the refrigerator, she guessed it came from him. ChiChi feared she will be cleaning for a week to get it pristine again. Her kitchen was a food warzone but it was oddly comical. Gohan stood on a chair in front of the sink scrubbing dishes. She noticed him wearing an apron she got for him that read: 'Momma's Helper'. Piccolo wore one of her aprons with the caption reading 'Kiss the Cook'. One of his antennae drooped while he was on the floor wiping up food droppings by Goku who had flour in his hair and food stains on the apron he used when they barbecue. ChiChi let Goku pick out his apron when they went shopping and regretted it for the caption on his read. 'Call Me Daddy And Eat My Meat'. Goku thought the meat reference was food. He was in front of the stove stirring something that will quickly burn she feared as she noticed how red the stove burners were becoming.

She was mad. They destroyed her kitchen but the thought of these three who fought aliens, monsters and each other to save the world can't cook without making a disaster was hilarious. The idea of Piccolo being forced and there was no doubt in her mind about that was cooking, too, had her internally giggling. This moment was too perfect to miss so she returned to her bedroom and retrieved a camera.

Creeping back she heard the arguing hadn't stopped. There were more noises of dishes banging together and raised voices from Piccolo.

"Piccolo, will you keep your voice down?" It was Goku. "You're gonna wake ChiChi."

"I don't care if I do," Piccolo growled as he furiously stirred eggs and cream in a mixing bowl. "I didn't want to do this anyway."

"But you have to, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan told him. "You made Mom real mad and this will make her happy. She'll see you're not a bad person."

"She makes me mad. She keeps hitting me every damn day because I left you in the woods for six months. You survived. Why is she still mad?"

Because you left my four-year-old son alone in the woods every damn day for six months.

"Piccolo," Goku frowned at Piccolo's fast stirring. "ChiChi doesn't stir that fast. She's gentle with it."

Goku's words encouraged Piccolo to stir faster. "The faster I stir, the faster it's done!"

ChiChi shook her head. It looked like Piccolo was stirring frittatas and Goku was right. He was stirring too fast. That makes the frittata dry. He slammed the bowl down and some of the eggs and cream sloshed out. He picked up ChiChi's cookbook and read the next instructions.

Piccolo put a white onion on the chopping board and sliced it into four big chunks. He scooped them in his hands and was going to dump them in the bowl when Goku stepped in.

"Piccolo, that's too big. Ya gotta make them smaller."

"I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Damn onions hurt my eyes!"

Goku placed the wooden spoon he used to stir the pot near a stove burner and went to Piccolo. He took the knife and chopped one of the onion quarters in smaller chunks but still not the tiny size ChiChi chopped them. "See?"

"Then you do it!" Piccolo pushed the chopping board to Goku. "She's your wife. You should do it."

"Onions hurt my eyes, too." He pushed the board back to him. "You do it."

"Dad!" Gohan screamed.

Goku turned to see a small fire erupting from the stove where Goku laid the wooden spoon. Goku screamed and ran to the stove. "Out of the way, Gohan!" Gohan jumped from his chair but Piccolo went the extra mile rushing to Gohan's side and pulling him from the sink. In his quick haste, he knocked the table on its side and his bowl of eggs and cream, vegetables for the frittata and the dishes they did cook crashed on the floor. This calamity happened while Goku yelled, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" over and over as he carried the burning wood spoon to dump in the sink.

ChiChi shook her head. She saw enough. If they complete this meal, ChiChi feared her house will be sacrificed for it. "Guys."

Eyes of three panicked males looked in ChiChi's direction as she snapped the embarrassing photo. There was so much ChiChi could say. So much to scream but she only said. "I'm not cleaning this and my kitchen better be in the pristine condition I left it or I won't cook for you or Piccolo again, Goku!"

Piccolo chuckled. He wasn't scared of her threat. "I don't eat food. I need water."

ChiChi had a way to put Piccolo in his place. "I'm going to shower, visit my Dad and make postcards of this photo. I'm sure Master Roshi, Vegeta and Kami will love to see how domesticated you are, Piccolo. Gohan, you're with me. We're gonna spend the day with my Dad."

Gohan was reluctant to leave his father. "But I should help Dad with the mess. It was my idea."

It was but he was a child. "I won't say it again, Gohan."

"Go on, Gohan," Goku encouraged him with a smile. "Daddy and Piccolo can work better without you around."

Gohan bowed his head and followed ChiChi. ChiChi and Gohan left and stayed with her Dad until Goku came to get them that evening. He even had flowers and promised to do better the next year but what impressed ChiChi more than anything was how pristine her kitchen looked. It was cleaner than when she left it.

Goku, Gohan and Piccolo were much better the next year. The kitchen was messy but the food was edible. Piccolo's frittata was delicious and the best dish at the breakfast. When Goku died, sometimes Piccolo visited on her birthday and helped Gohan and Goten prepare a meal for her and made his signature frittata. It was a nice gesture for by that time, the two had become friends.

ChiChi emerged from the bathroom warm, relaxed, and scented in lavender. It was one of the few scents Goku could tolerate on her. She inhaled deeply the smells from the kitchen escaping into her room. Whatever they cooked this time smelled delicious and there weren't as many clatters this year. ChiChi couldn't wait. She disrobed and stood in her closet deciding on what to dress when Goku appeared in the room by teleportation.

"Goku," ChiChi scolded as she pulled out a dress. "Use the door."

"Then you would've covered up." He circled his arms around her. "You feel good naked."

"Goku," ChiChi gently warned. "Not now."

"Breakfast is ready and so am I," he ignored her as he dropped a kiss on her neck.

ChiChi gently pushed Goku away. "Not until later."

"At the party?" Bulma was throwing ChiChi a small affair at her home.

"No." ChiChi was adventurous but not that adventurous. She slipped her dress over her head. "Later, when we are home."

"Okay," Goku agreed but his mind was made up on the matter and he knew just how to lure ChiChi but that was for later. For now, they were going to enjoy a happy morning together with their sons, celebrating ChiChi.