Ch.6
"I do not know. I purchased the plant only a few weeks ago. We shall both be surprised in a few weeks when it blooms."
The days passed, as days are prone to. The evening plant work became the chief event in Laura's day. She would have skipped dinner to go up into the attic if it were acceptable, but that would be both noticeable and suspicious behavior coming from her. Laura wasn't sure how to comport herself. She had never been enthused about something before and found it both enjoyable and irritating.
She took note of when Ororo did her morning gardening and watched from a distance, intently focused on absorbing as much knowledge as she could about the plants. After a few weeks, Laura considered herself fully educated in every plant the mansion contained and could answer nearly every question Ororo may casually ask her. She knew all the latin names, the common names, how to care for all of them, if they were annuals, perennials, and every other detail. Their lifespans, produce, and pollination cycles were all tucked away in Laura's mind. She wasn't sure what to do with all this new knowledge but was secretly glad it was there to fill up her mind.
But one morning, when it was a new day but the sun hadn't yet come up, the emergency alarm for the X-Men sounded and the senior X-Men rushed off in the jet to save something. The remaining students still acted normally, getting themselves fed and off to school on time (a much easier task as more of them acquired drivers' licenses).
Laura realized while standing in the empty kitchen uncertainly that she would not be able to go about her day in the usual manner- the plants wouldn't be watered if Ororo wasn't around, and Laura didn't know when she would be back. It never occurred to her to neglect them or leave them for Ororo to handle later. Rarely the X-Men were gone for days at a time, but there was never warning if this was going to happen until it already had.
It occurred to Laura that she knew how to do all of Ororo's gardening. It would take much longer because she couldn't make it rain over every plant at once, but she knew where all the equipment was to water everything the normal way. Hours of silently stalking Ororo were paying off already. She decided to start with the outdoor plants since they would take much longer.
Since she had to lug water cans back and forth from the water hose on one of the far mansion walls to all corners of the mansion grounds, and weed the flower beds, and spread some fertilizer, prune, pick ripe things off- yesterday Ororo had said she was going to do this today- and then do essentially the same tasks to the greenhouse plants in the attic, it was nearly supper before Laura finished.
Her secondhand clothes, face, and hair were covered in stains and dirt when she wandered downstairs again wondering vaguely about whether there would be food prepared or not. The X-Men had just returned as well, and Ororo, still in her uniform, was looking around with a perplexed expression while Logan, a few of the X-Men, and the Professor discussed something nearby. She spotted Laura coming down the stairs.
"The gardening has been done. Laura, did you do this?" she asked, uncertain as to the answer.
"I've watched you on several occasions, the task did not seem complicated," Laura said, reaching the bottom of the staircase and approaching Ororo.
"But this must have taken most of the day for you! All of the plants were watered and properly cared for, and although I haven't been to my attic garden yet I'm sure it's just as maintained," Ororo thought aloud in Laura's direction.
"Yes. Although I was not sure what to do with the ripe tomatoes so I sat them in the kitchen. They may have been consumed by now," Laura solemly informed the older woman.
"Aren't you tired?" Ororo asked sympathetically, noting how filthy and disheveled Laura appeared.
"No," Laura lied, and suppressed a yawn. "However I would like to bathe now."
"Of course. Take your time, I will set aside some food for you to eat once you're done."
Without another word, Laura left. Ororo glanced around, noting that even the small but living decorative plants in the vases had been watered. Many of the students didn't realize those plants weren't fake. She turned when Xavier said her name.
"I feel I should congratulate you," he said, smiling, "I had my reservations about your suggestion initially but Laura has taken to gardening much more intensely than I expected."
Logan, who had been in the process of leaving for a motorcycle ride, turned abruptly and came back. "What's going on?" he asked bluntly. "You've been leaving me out of the loop on something and I'm getting tired of it. What's Laura doing with you, 'Ro?"
Ororo smiled slightly as she turned to go change into non-uniform clothes and prepare a quick dinner for everyone.
"She is assisting me with an experiment," she responded mysteriously, leaving Xavier to explain the deal now that enough time had passed since the initial incident. An hour later there was spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce for supper.