COUSINS
Chapter 7: June

An entire month had passed since Cheri, Olive and Cupcake had moved to Veltron, and coping with the environment was still difficult. They knew they would eventually adapt to it, but for the time being it was somewhat vexing. The bitterness of the winter was no longer present during the evening hours, and with each day, the summer blue jays and mosquitoes began returning to the village, settling on their favourite tree branches. The long-term forecast suggested that it was going to be a very hot summer in Veltron.

The brilliant radiance of life shone through vibrantly during the last few days of May. Although the villagers was looking forward to the summer months, June regularly comprised of daily rainstorms, with which the cousins were surprised because Veltron was isolated in a forest along the mountain range. The region would be in the middle of a series of tremulous showers—sometimes thunderstorms—and cloudy weather.

Cheri stood in the kitchen reading a letter from the town government. She had read most of the mail the cousins received that morning, but became overly shocked when she learned that the household's bills had arrived. The price was ghastly and initially she contemplated paying all of them off by herself, swiftly discarding the consideration after thinking about how her cousins would respond. It was somewhat dishonest too. After scanning through a few other bills, she chose to ignore the expenses and cook breakfast for her cousins.

"We've received our first set of bills?" Cupcake unexpectedly sat down at the kitchen table and saw a number of colourful papers resting on the counter next to the sink. A look of disbelief crossed her already-fatigued face and she grunted impassively. "I didn't think so much money could be spent in a single month!" Her tone darkened.

Cheri sighed. "What are you talking about? You haven't even seen the price yet. What sucks most is that you've been working like a chicken with its head cut off and still we're not making much progress. You're really supporting us, Cupcake, whereas I can't commit to a job, and Olive's still searching unsuccessfully." She set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her pink-furred cousin. "Now eat up! The day's not worth living if you don't have strength."

A short silence—disrupted only by a flock of robins on a nearby tree branch—followed and Cupcake shook her head. "Don't be stupid," she said. "It doesn't matter whether you work or not. You're still a member of this family and you'll find someplace to stick to with some time. Hey, perhaps you could start a sailing club. Wouldn't that be fun? You could professionally teach and that would bring in income."

"I don't sail professionally, though," Cheri retorted contemptuously. "It was nice of you to suggest, but I'm not really made for anything like that. Oh, here's a question for you now, Cupcake: why have you been so polite lately? I've heard rumours that you carried Lady Cleo's groceries for her recently. How sweet."

Cupcake rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I did... because she offered 3000 Bells! So I figured it was the right thing to do."

Cheri's expression turned sour. "Well, perhaps you'll always be a witch—that's fine with me. Oh, by the way, since we're on the topic of money, I guess it'd only be fair if I told you how much we owe the government. After including Nook's raffle tickets and cancelling taxes, which we've yet to pay, the total comes to 78 000 Bells. Not exactly a walk in the park, is it?"

"No, not at all. But we'll do what we can."

Five minutes passed before Olive entered the kitchen, her hair tied back, but messy. She enthusiastically greeted her cousins and wished them a "fantastic day". After yawning uncontrollably, the grey bear moaned, "Now that it's finally June, I think we should get around to taking care of some very important chores. I'd wanted to help Vesta remodel her house, but it turns out she's already hired handymen from the next village over. How about we try paying off the loan?"

Cheri nodded. "I know it's going to be a lot of work. When you think about it though, we're down to something like 120 000 Bells, and the animals have told me that some of them didn't pay the entire darn thing for several years. I don't think we really need to rush. So what do you want for breakfast, Olive? ...Oh, um, actually, I already cooked bacon and eggs. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes," Olive responded.

"These are actually quite delicious. I don't think you've made eggs these tasty in months," commented Cupcake somewhat hoarsely. "But I'd agree if you believed that these were not made by an almighty cuisine chef of the sorts. Still, I am impressed by your culinary skills."

Cheri shrugged. "Thanks, I suppose." The bear began preparing her own breakfast and joined her cousins a few minutes later. The clock's ticking was the only sound echoing throughout the kitchen while they ate mutely. Finally, Cheri broke the silence and said, "The fridge is almost empty. If neither of you mind, I'd like to do some grocery shopping today and visit the neighbours."

Olive swallowed a strip of bacon. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "Penny wanted to go sailing today and invited me. Because Vesta's busy, she can't go, which is all right. So I'm finally going to be whizzing around on a sailboat, something I've been dying to do since high school. This is definitely going to be an experience to remember! And before either of you ask, yes, it's Vesta's boat, even though she's not coming. Honestly, what doesn't she own?"

That question earned Olive a nasty glare from Cupcake. "A broomstick!" she yelled impulsively. "But you know something that she doesn't own? A wristwatch! If you don't have one, however does one know what the time is when you're going somewhere? There's the Museum and a bunch of other locales in town."

"As a matter of fact, we should go to the bakery sometime," Cheri said. "I've heard that the pastry is really something else. That ostrich who runs the store probably has her ingredients brought over from the capital since it's uncommon to find them around here. Maybe I'll pick some up on the way home."

"A wonderful idea," Olive said as she finished eating her breakfast. "Anyway, I'll be leaving for Penny's house shortly. Before we go sailing, she wants me to listen to her practice piano. Strangely, she doesn't own a piano, so we've got to go over to Lady Cleo's house. Apparently the two of them are really good friends!" She rose from her seat and placed her dishes in the sink.

Cupcake shrugged. "It's too bad they didn't invite me, but it's not like that would have mattered anyway. I'm working in an hour, so an adventure with me wouldn't be that great. It would suddenly end." The pink bear reached for her coffee mug before reluctantly deciding that she had had enough to drink that morning and instead left it on the table. "I'm going to get dressed. Can you deal with my fork and plate, Cheri?" Her tone had grown uninteresting and she stretched her whole body before making her way to the bathroom.

Cheri was left standing in the kitchen with a sink full of cutlery and a messy table. Although she wanted to sigh, she understood that she had done very little for the household since they had arrived in late April. She did not want to maintain that status and decided that she would take care of all the daily chores to relieve her busy cousins. After writing a lengthy list of the items they required from the store, she silently recited it to herself before stepping into her shoes. I wonder what the day is going to be like she wondered.

Her cousins left the house shortly before she did. As she locked the front door, she recited the list to herself again and decided that she was going to shop for the groceries first. Tom Nook's generally carried most of the essential food products one required, and because it was the beginning of a new month, the prices were cheaper than usual, at least according to his advertisement. The walk to the store was met with familiar faces rushing off to work and other places, and beautiful butterflies perched on elm trees. Cheri was happy when Nook's came into view.

"Good morning, beloved customer!" Nook shouted upon Cheri's entry. Although the cousins and Nook did not get along, they attempted to put aside their personal issues while in a business situation. However, it always seemed as though the raccoon was irritated with their presence in his store. Sometimes he felt that he had the right to remove them before they had completed their purchase because of their conversations surrounding him or simply for unexplained reasons. Today was no different.

"Hi, I'll have three beef jerky sticks," Cheri began as she threw back her hair, "and a set of stationery. Add the total together and I'll be back when I finish getting the groceries." Although the bear had not been interested in buying breakfast meals that morning, she knew her cousins well and that they were more than obsessed with cereal bars and pancakes. Sometimes she referred to it as "the never-dying tradition". A few minutes later Cheri returned to the check-out counter with a basket filled with food items, some of which she had picked out entirely for herself.

The counter was covered with groceries: cereal, cereal bars, chicken, eggs, juices, lobster, milk, oatmeal, pancakes, potatoes, rice, roast beef, vegetables, and yogurt. Nook stared courteously at the items and sighed intently, though it was plainly obvious that he was happy about Cheri's purchase. He opened the register and scanned the products several times over to ensure that he had correctly included every item. About five minutes later, the raccoon looked at the red bear and grinned sheepishly.

"Your total comes to something rather marvellous," he pointed out. "Are you certain that you need to serve lobster at your dinner table? It seems like a lot for a family of three. And you are not even mountain bears! It is a bit much, yes, yes, indeed. I wonder when you will be done with that loan you are still swimming in."

An infuriated sigh emitted from Cheri. "How about doing your job instead of bringing up irrelevant topics?"

Nook shook his head. "You will see! Believe me on that. Anyway, the bill comes to 4905 Bells... or do you not have enough cash?"

Still angered with his incompetence, Cheri dug into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "After I get home, I'll be sure to tell the others not to shop here unless it's very, very necessary. Your service is worse than that eagle's was back where I lived. And, oh, you should know... it's not good to be compared to him." She placed 5000 Bells on the counter and winked at him decisively. "Keep the change and leave us alone. You're a true pain."

As Cheri exited the store, Nook cried out, "What horrible cousins! I really loathe them."

---

Upon returning home, Cheri noticed that the dishes were still in the sink. She had groaned for forgetting, but still washed them with due speed. After ten minutes, they were neatly stacked in the cupboard next to the window. It was early enough to ask one of the neighbours if they wanted to do something together that day, and Cheri contemplated it for a second before allowing her consciousness to get the best of her. She then gave the room a long scan, occasionally lifting her finger and pointing at what she disliked most. "Now what am I going to do? I'll clean up and mow the lawn. Since I've already gotten the groceries... yeah, that's done. If there's nothing else to do after that, I think I'll call Dizzy or one of the other animals," she said to herself. Her day had been planned out, which she liked.

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the kitchen window. Cheri was in the living room vacuuming and was unable to hear the knock, so the visitor instead walked up to her door and rang the bell. The sound echoed throughout the entire house and the bear quickly stopped the vacuum. She was surprised to hear the doorbell ring and dropped a handkerchief on the coffee table.

"Dizzy! I had been thinking of you a few minutes ago. What brings you here so early? Aren't you usually still waking up at this time?"

The elephant nodded. "Don't worry, it's the beginning of June and symptoms of summer are absolutely everywhere. Believe me, any body of water imaginable is ready to be swam in and the heat of the sun is hotter than it was last August. Last year was a cooler summer, but this one's looking to be a scorcher. The ice cream wagon starts coming around at this time and kites are very populous in the sky. That's why I dug this out." He held up a blue-and-green striped kite, which looked aged at the corners.

Cheri was impressed. "That kite you've got there is quite something. It's awesome! Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes. Three years ago," responded Dizzy. "It should still be in good flying condition and if you're not too busy—it would be unusual if you were—I was hoping that you'd help me try to make this thing become airborne? I haven't had an aerial adventure in a while."

"Fantastic idea! I'm expected to take care of all the chores today. So far I've finished grocery shopping and washing the dishes. After I vacuum the house, which won't take that long, I'll get changed into something a bit more outdoorsy and then we'll have a great time. Just hold for about fifteen minutes, okay?" The bear smiled as she closed the door.

Cheri's outfit did not complement her hairstyle, and she was afraid that the two of them would run into Mathilda. Because of this influence, she let her hair slightly hang down and she changed into a Nebula Shirt, which was one of her favourite outfits. After applying some eye shadow for a "more intricate" look, she finished vacuuming—to her relief—and exited the house.

The temperature was below average that morning and a chilly wind brushed by the animals frequently. Cheri and Dizzy were happy that it was windy, though it seemed to subside every few minutes before picking up again. This looked as though it would prove problematic for most of the day. They tried to stay positive in the least.

"It'll be all right if we can't get the kite to fly. We'll still have an experience to share with the others!" Cheri cried jokingly, slapping Dizzy on the back, which made him jump. "We can get this kite to sail around in the sky, you'll see, almost like Olive is today. The only difference is that she's sailing around in the sea." Dizzy failed to respond to her yarn.

The Pond was generally very crowded. Many animals were fishing and preparing themselves for the June Fishing Tourney, an upcoming event that the majority of the town's residents practiced for year-round. It was to begin in two days and last until the final Sunday in June.

Cheri recognized some animals who were: there was Butch, who had been at the Pond nearly everyday since the cousins had moved into town; Mathilda, though she was concentrating more on gossiping with another animal that she had yet to meet; and Punchy was fiercely gripping his pole, as if to imply his impatience for a fish to bite his line.

"Dizzy, before we do anything, who is that purple boar chatting away with Mathilda?" Cheri gestured toward the pair.

The elephant gasped sarcastically. "Well, Mathilda's crowd is made up of a bunch of wacky and weird gossip-freaked ladies. That purple boar, as you'd referred to her, is her best friend and the queen of the unpredictable. Her name is Susanna Ester, but some animals call her Sue E. to make it easier. I'll admit though that lately a lot of us have been using her full name. Anyway, let's not approach them."

He untangled his kite and handed it to Cheri. "Okay, you're going to run while holding the kite and I'll make sure that the rope doesn't come undone. If I'm not mistaken, something like that happened the last time I'd tried flying this thing. Remember to run very fast!"

Complying, Cheri examined the kite and momentarily admired the cold-coloured pattern before beginning to run across town. As she sprinted, occasionally she felt a draft, with hopes that she was going to be lifted off the ground, but that was not the case. Instead the kite gained speed and flew for a short period of time before returning to Cheri's grasp.

By noon, the kite still was not in the air. It had come very close to soaring above the treetops almost ten times, but eventually the wind either died down or the rope became tangled in a branch or two. At 12:30, Dizzy concluded that the kite was never going to fly again and decided that he would trash it when he returned home.

"It wasn't meant to fly?" Cheri speculated vaguely.

"Yes it was!" Dizzy exclaimed impatiently. "I did it a few years ago. How could it give out like this now? Man...!" He grunted several times over and threw it on the ground. "I'm going to talk to Punchy. Do what you want with it before I leave."

The kite did not fly, even after several more attempts by the red bear. Her patience also expired sometime by late afternoon and she left it by the side of the Pond, where she knew Dizzy would locate it when he was prepared to go home. She placed her hands in the pockets of her outfit and began walking home, dissatisfied.

For the remainder of the day, Cheri mowed the lawn, tended to the garden, washed and hung the laundry to dry, dusted furniture, and vacuumed the kitchen. By the day's end, she was overly exhausted. Although she had debated taking a nap, she figured that her cousins would return home by 7:00—it was 5:30—and she began preparing dinner. She walked into the kitchen, reluctantly pulled the lobster she had purchased from Nook's earlier that morning out of the refrigerator, and set it on the counter top.

Olive stepped in the door at 6:45 and Cupcake followed at 7:15. Both were very exhausted, but not to the extent of their cousin. Cheri was sitting at the kitchen table half-asleep, her comprehension likely elsewhere. A glass of orange juice sat next to an almost-completed crossword puzzle. They laughed at what they referred to as the "sleepless spectacle".

"I see she bothered to take care of some chores," Olive commented. Her eyes darted around the kitchen.

"Yeah," agreed Cupcake. "The laundry's been hung as well, did you notice?"

The two bears laughed as they went to get changed. From the table, Cheri shook her head and brought her hands to her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. "I'm glad they like the place," she said to herself. "It's definitely something, considering that I was the one responsible for it today. It's beautiful. I'll try to keep it this way every time it's my turn to clean." She lowered her head again and fell asleep.

Olive and Cupcake re-entered the kitchen dressed in their nightgowns. They each poured themselves a glass of milk.

"What was it like sailing?" Cupcake asked her younger cousin. "It must have been great, I mean, you were gone for the whole day."

Olive nodded. "Well, Penny was late, so we didn't leave the harbor until 10:30. When she finally arrived, we went out to sea and sailed about for three hours. After that, we decided to go back to her house for lunch, and she cooked grilled cheese sandwiches! She says that they're one of her favourite foods. Anyway, we went back out to sea until just a few minutes ago and then I decided that it was time to leave since my favourite movie is on TV tonight. Do you know which one that is? Impossible Fantasy! It's the best romance of all time! It also happens to star my favourite actor too!"

Cupcake played with her tongue momentarily. "That gorilla, right? What's his name? Peewee? He's certainly something else, I'll tell you that."

"Yes!" Olive responded. "Well... I see Cheri prepared lobster for dinner. I wonder how much money she spent at Nook's today? Anyway, the movie starts at 7:30. Let's get comfy in the living room with our food and watch it, okay?"

A playful grunt came from Cupcake. "All right, that sounds great."