"Fireside Diaries"
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
So, this is the last of four straight 'character spotlight' entries, and now it's Ginger's turn to be the focus. She and her family are taking a trip, and you get to ride along, unlike Isabella and the others, who will be reading about it along with you!
Disclaimer: The characters of 'Phineas and Ferb' belong to Disney.
Prerequisite (i.e. read that first before reading this):
- Entry #470 ("Fireside Diaries," Episode 405)
Inside the troop's lodge downtown...
"It's up, Chief, it's up!"
Hearing Gretchen call out to her from across the room, Isabella - who was in the midst of sewing a new sash after her old one had worn itself out - ran over to where her friend was sitting. En route, she was joined by Adyson - who hung up on the person she had been talking to - and the two arrived at Gretchen's location, which was in front of the lodge's computer.
"I can't believe Ginger wrote an entry about her family's trip to Japan," Isabella said aloud. "Something big must've happened for her to not wait until she was back to post it."
"What could it be?" Adyson wondered.
"There's only one way to find out!" declared Gretchen.
She pressed the enter button, and all three girls gathered around the screen to read it.
Entry #502 - Written by Ginger Hirano
Normally, we're not allowed to post entries about what happens on family vacations. But I figure that Isabella will let this one slide, especially after she and the others read this.
Speaking of which, girls, if you are reading this, you might remember that I wasn't in the best of moods leading up to this trip.
On a school day when they were getting their math tests handed back, Ginger was given hers...
I got my worst score ever on a math test...
...and was shocked to see that she had gotten an 85 that was accompanied by a comment that stated that it was 'very disappointing.'
I failed to get the Silence is Golden Patch after getting paired up with Adyson, of all people...
Ginger and Adyson were in a small room where they were supposed to not make any sounds for 10 minutes. Then, out of the blue, both of their cell phones rang simultaneously.
"Turn that off!" they both shouted, in unison.
The door into the room opened, and they saw Isabella stare at them while shaking her head in disappointment.
And let us not forget what happened on the plane...
Ginger was looking out of the plane from her window seat as the engines roared to life. She could see all of her friends waving from inside the terminal, but upon seeing Baljeet's face one last time, she lost it.
"I can't do this!" Ginger started fumbling with her belt buckle, trying to unfasten it. "Get me off, I can't do this."
"Ginger?"
Her mom, who was sitting in the seat in front of her, was about to turn around and see what was up.
"I got this, Mom," Stacy interjected, as she was sitting next to her little sister.
Stacy turned to Ginger, who was having a nervous breakdown.
"I can't leave now. I won't see Baljeet for two weeks. I'm not ready to not be that far from him. I have to be there if he... if he... if he..."
Stacy snapped her fingers in front of Ginger's face, and told her two words...
"Apple cider!"
...the next thing I knew...
Ginger awakened to the sound of the pilot speaking over the intercom.
"...seats to the upright position. We will be landing at Narita International Airport in approximately 20 minutes."
She looked out the window and, although they were still over water at that moment, she could see land off in the distance.
But I guess by that point, it didn't matter.
-
Entry #502 [FSD406] - Ginger Lets it Out (07.15.13)
-
Anyway, my parents had been planning this trip to Tokyo for months. And for good reason... I've never been to my homeland before. So I was about to meet a lot of them in person for the first time ever.
The Hirano family walked up to the place where Stacy's and Ginger's grandmother lived.
"Hey, everybody!" she shouted. "Look who's here!"
A number of girls of various ages all ran out of the building...
And I meant a LOT of them.
...and the first thing they did was to surround Ginger and shower her with love and affection, all in the form of hugs.
A little while later, their grandmother gave them a tour. And it started with...
My grandmother owns a tempura restaurant. It's pretty popular, apparently.
All of Stacy's cousins were helping out at the packed eatery in some capacity, with most of the younger ones, including Ginger, stuck in the back washing dishes and doing other menial tasks.
It was fun. As fun as washing dishes can be, anyway.
Thankfully, it was a vacation first and foremost, so we did actually get to see some of the sights.
A number of photos of Stacy and Ginger were taken of them at Tokyo Tower, the Imperial Palace, and the Meiji Shrine, just to name a few.
And we got to see something special, given our timing...
The entire Hirano family was among a number of others standing along the coast of Tokyo Bay up very early to watch the first sunrise of the year.
That was great and all, but even in a grand city like Tokyo, you will eventually run out of things to see and do that interest you...
...and that's when you start thinking about home, and the problems that you left behind.
In my case, well... you know that story already...
Ginger sighed as she stared out the window of the bedroom she was sharing with her parents and Stacy. She was oblivious to all of the noise coming from the restaurant downstairs, as she was lost in thought. If she could not hear any of the hustle and bustle going on beneath her, Ginger definitely did not hear her older sister walk in the room, closing the rice paper sliding door behind her.
"Ginger? Ginger!"
Not getting a response, Stacy went over and tapped on Ginger's shoulder. Ginger spun around and acknowledged Stacy's presence.
"Huh? Sis?"
"Ginger, why are you up here moping?"
The younger Hirano lowered her head in despair and sighed. Stacy instantly knew what was wrong.
"You're still thinking about him, aren't you?"
Ginger nodded.
"It's been several months already! It's time to move on, girl! And that's why we're spending Winter Break in our homeland, so you can finally get away from all that stuff back home."
"I know, sis. But..."
"But nothing! We're in Tokyo, the Fashion Capital of the World! You weren't even born the last time we were here; I was still a baby! We need to do more sightseeing! And by more sightseeing, I mean GO SHOPPING! I've got to buy a bunch of souvenirs for Candace and Jeremy and Jenny and all my other friends. Oh, and I've always wanted to try on a yukata."
"I'm not in the mood to blow six months' allowance in a day."
"Well, if you don't, Mom'll have you bus tables downstairs."
Ginger groaned in dismay. "Oh, fine."
"Come on," Stacy grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her out of the room with her, "we've only got eight hours of shopping 'til nightfall!"
I realized much later that going with my sis was a mistake. I was thinking so much about what was going on with Baljeet and Adyson and what they might be doing together while I was away that I had forgotten how much of a shopaholic Stacy was.
Stacy was seen running, not walking, from store to store in the Shibuya Shopping District. Each time the sisters came out of one, Ginger was holding a new bag. And that quickly added up over time, to the point where the younger Hirano was holding no less than a dozen bags.
And carrying them all used up a lot of energy. So, in store #13...
"Sis!" whined Ginger, as she sat on a bench with all the bags around her.
Stacy stuck her head out from behind a stack of shoe boxes.
"I know, I know. I doubly-extra swear that we'll get something to eat in a minute! I just need to try on two, no, three more pairs of shoes, k?"
Ginger groaned as Stacy walked off with some shoe boxes.
"She never realizes that when she says two or three, she means six or seven."
A local girl with brown hair, perhaps a year younger than Ginger, sat down next to her. Ginger gasped when she realized what the girl was wearing. The orange top was a darker shade than Ginger was used to seeing, but there was no mistaking that this stranger was...
"A Fireside Girl!"
"You know of the Fireside Girls?"
Ginger nodded. "Know of 'em? I am one!"
Ginger pulled out an ID card, which had her Fireside Girl credentials and troop number on it.
"I see," the girl said. "Well, welcome to Japan! My name is Sakura, leader of Fireside Girls Troop 70000."
"70000?"
"Yes. I'd give you a history lesson on the significance, but I take it that you have more important things on your mind."
As if to answer Sakura's question, Ginger's cell phone vibrated, indicating someone had just sent her a text. It was from Adyson, and it read, 'FYI, going out with B tonight. -A.'
"Why is she sending me..."
Suddenly, a second text. It read, 'Forgot you were still in Japan. Ignore. -A.'
I need to remind Addy that she doesn't have to text me every time she plans to go out with Baljeet anymore.
"Is everything okay?" asked Sakura.
"I... guess."
"That didn't sound convincing."
"Speaking of convincing, you speak English pretty well."
Sakura nodded as she pointed to the Second Language Patch on her sash.
"So... again, not very convincing. There's definitely something on your mind."
Sakura was right. I was ready to tell her everything that had happened between me and Baljeet and Adyson.
"I can help," Sakura cut her off, as she scribbled something on the back of a business card. "Meet me at this location tomorrow morning at seven."
She handed the card to Ginger.
"Seven? Is that a hard seven, or can I show up after spending half an hour getting lost?"
Ginger looked to Sakura for an answer, but she had left in a flash.
"Hello?"
Ginger glanced down at the card Sakura had given her.
Should I take her up on this offer, or just completely ignore it?
Well, if I had chosen the latter, you know I wouldn't be writing this, right?
The next morning, Ginger arrived at the location written on the card, which was in one of Tokyo's many parks. Sakura was waiting for her.
"For a minute there," Sakura told her, "I didn't think you were gonna come."
"I had to find out why you thought I 'needed help,'" said Ginger in reply, accenting the last two words with air quotes.
"All you have to know, Ginger, is that if you do what I say, then your problem will be gone forever."
"Okay. But, again, why do I 'need help.'"
Sakura rolled her eyes, and then got right to the point.
"You like a boy named Baljeet, and you have for a couple years now. But despite your love for him, you're afraid to confess your love to him. Meanwhile, you have a friend named Adyson, who is also a member of your troop, who agreed to one date with Baljeet last year, out of pity. Nothing came of it until a few months ago, when suddenly Adyson developed feelings for him and asked him out on a real date. When you found out, you were enraged. You wanted to tear your friend apart, but you also confessed your love to your crush and you wanted him to choose you or Adyson. He chose Adyson. After a few days of sulking, you got over it and made peace with her. Only you're not really over it, and although you haven't acted on your feelings because you made an agreement not to as long as the two of them were dating, it's tearing you apart on the inside to just stand there and pretend to be okay with it."
Ginger was stunned speechlessly.
Wow. How did she know that?
"Those 'Fireside Diaries' are an interesting read, by the way. I'd say your troop should be more careful about how personal your entries get, but, eh, it's your blog."
Of course.
"Okay, so you actually do know my problem. So, how are you gonna fix it?"
"Follow me, and I'll show you."
Ginger did just that, and let Sakura lead her to a place where a bunch of wooden poles were sticking out of the ground.
"Ginger, I'm about to teach you the Way of the Samurai. It'll help you solve your problem."
"How?" questioned Ginger, still unsure of what Sakura meant.
Sakura picked up a bo staff, which was propped up against one of the poles. She twirled it around her body in various ways, to the amazement of Ginger, before swinging it at the nearest pole, breaking it in two at waist level.
"Whoa."
"Now you try."
Sakura handed Ginger the staff and directed her to the next pole in the circle. Ginger did not understand why, but she took a swing at it with the staff. But when the weapon hit the pole, nothing happened.
"Lemme guess," Sakura interjected. "You just swung, hoping you'd do the same thing I did with ease, right?"
Ginger nodded.
"You can't just break a wooden pole on will alone! You have to have a reason to use that bo to break it! Tell me, Ginger, if that pole was actually Baljeet, what would you do?"
"Um," Ginger giggled nervously, "something I'm too young to be doing?"
"Let's put it another way. Ahem... what would you do if that pole was Baljeet and he was telling you that he chose Adyson over you?"
"I... I'd ask him why!"
"And?"
"And I'd prove why I'm better for him than Adyson!"
"How?"
"By... by... by..."
Without thinking, Ginger took another swing at the pole with the staff. This time, it resulted in the pole being left cracked slightly after being hit. Seeing this, Sakura continued to urge Ginger on.
"Now, imagine that pole is you! You're just waiting and waiting to confess your feelings to Baljeet, but you can't do it! What do you do?"
"I don't know. I... I..."
"Don't use words, use actions."
Upon hearing that, Ginger raised the bo and took another swing at the pole.
"Hah!"
The crack in the pole became bigger. But it was not yet to the point where it was completely separated at the point of impact.
"Now... imagine that it's Adyson! You're in disbelief that, despite her knowing you had a thing for Baljeet, she went and asked him out anyway. WITHOUT ASKING YOU IF IT WAS OKAY FIRST!"
Filled with rage, Ginger screamed angrily as she swung at the pole a third time.
"HAAAAAAAH!"
This time, she swung with enough force to break the top part of the pole away from the bottom part, sending it flying a few feet before hitting the ground.
"I..." stuttered Ginger, "I can't believe Adyson would do that to me. We... we're such good friends. And yet... and yet..."
Ginger moved on to the next pole without being prompted, and swung at it. It broke on one try. Sakura stood back and observed as Ginger went in a circle to each of the other poles, also slicing them in two, one at a time.
"Excellent," mumbled Sakura.
Ginger was panting heavily, exhausted.
I still was not sure why I was doing this, but for some reason, I knew it made me feel... better.
The next morning, I returned to the park. And Sakura was waiting again, this time with more poles, and all made of a slightly harder wood to break than the ones used yesterday.
Sakura handed over her bo to Ginger once more, and after a little more suggestion, Ginger went to work slicing all of the poles apart. It required a little more effort to cut them off, but Sakura kept her thinking about what she, Baljeet, and Adyson had all done wrong.
"There you go!"
"Yes!"
I kept going to the park at the same time every morning for the next four days. Each day, Sakura would have more poles waiting, and they'd all be harder to break than the last set.
"HAH! HAAH! HAAAAAAAH!" she grunted, upon breaking three poles in quick succession.
I just kept breaking pole after pole after pole. At some point, though, I started to struggle...
On the fourth day, a few of the poles refused to break in one try. On the fifth, even more took several swings to be snapped in half.
...and then...
On the sixth day, which also happened to be the last full day of the Hirano family's vacation, Ginger appeared to be at an impasse. No matter how hard she swung, the poles refused to break. Or even crack.
"What's going on?" Ginger asked aloud. "Sakura, I'm doing everything you're telling me. I'm using all my strength and I'm not tired. What's going on?"
Sakura was suspicious. She could tell Ginger was being truthful. She could also tell the girl was frustrated.
"Tell me... are you still angry at Baljeet for choosing Adyson over you?"
Ginger thought for a second before responding.
"No."
"Are you still angry at yourself for not confessing to Baljeet sooner?"
"No."
"Are you still angry at Adyson for dating Baljeet without asking you first?"
To that final question, the answer was also the same.
"No."
Sakura motioned for Ginger to hand her the bo. Once she had done so, Sakura gave her some good news.
"Your problem is solved."
"Huh? Wait... you're telling me... what ARE you telling me?"
Sakura put an arm around Ginger and the two started walking.
"Why don't I explain it to you over lunch?"
So, after finishing a meal at my grandma's restaurant, which would've been my treat, but SOMEONE not only spent six months' worth of her allowance but a couple months of mine as well... CoughBigSisCough...
"You're telling me," Ginger repeated, "that my problem was that I couldn't move on because I was still so angry about what happened and what everyone did? But by keeping it in and not being vocal about it, that made it so it would keep lingering, hurting me both on the inside and outside, and I was almost to the point that if I didn't let it out, I'd explode and unleash my wrath on anyone and everyone around me, destroying my relations with family and friends alike?"
Sakura finished chewing the piece of tempura fish in her mouth before answering.
"Exactly. And now that you get it, I can give you this!"
Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out a Way of the Samurai Patch.
"Thanks! Though I'm not sure how getting me to release my anger is something a samurai would... it's better if I don't question it."
"Uh huh."
The two girls laughed before going back to finishing their meal.
And, just like that, I guess I can truly, officially, FINALLY say that I have moved on. Baljeet, I respect your decision. Myself, I understand that I am to blame for not making a move. And Adyson? You're free to date Baljeet without worrying about me looking over your shoulder. He's all yours as long as you want him.
And with that, I'm gonna sign off. By the time this is posted, we'll be on the plane, making the long trip home.
If big sis can get her suitcases closed, that is.
"We can all rest easier now that all that's over," Gretchen said, relieved.
Isabella looked at the others. "We should go meet her at the airport in the morning and celebrate after she arrives."
"Mmm hmm," Adyson nodded in agreement. "At last."
The three then started making plans for Ginger's return.
End Entry
Author's Notes:
For clarification, before anyone asks, I decided that since they have English names, Stacy and Ginger were both born after their parents immigrated from Japan. I think that's a safe assumption to make.
Also, yes, we've moved into the winter months with this entry. Expect pretty much the rest of the episodes this season to take place in that time frame. Speaking of which...
Next Week: The competitive juices are flowing as the girls all become rivals! They are amongst many youngsters in Danville competing for tickets to go to the International Winter Games! Which Fireside Girl will emerge triumphant? Find out the answer on the next episode of the "Fireside Diaries!"