Even though Paul was a busy man, he never once missed out on attending Ash's school field trip, should Ash ask him to do so. Perhaps it was because, growing up, he always had someone coming along with him whenever there was a field trip, and they asked for more adult chaperones for the students. Paul had his parents, Brandon and Daphne, and his older brother, Reggie, if neither of their parents were available. However, Reggie would often tag along just because he wanted to go out on an excursion with his brother. Legally speaking, Paul was Ash's sole legal guardian, but Paul's parents, alongside Reggie and his wife, Maylene, would join them if there was a surplus of availability for family members for certain field trips. If Paul could have had someone always present in his school life, then Ash deserved the same treatment. Today was no exception.
It was an early Friday morning at North Veilstone Middle School, and the entire seventh-grade student population was ecstatic at the prospect of going to Big Bear Apple Farm. There were several Big Bear Apple Farms scattered throughout Sinnoh, but they were going to the original farm, located a thirty-minute drive away from the outskirts of Veilstone City. On the other hand, taking the train would take them forty-five minutes to reach there, and the school intended for everyone to take the train as their means of transportation.
Unfortunately for Ash, who suffered from motion sickness of various degrees depending on which sort of mode of transportation he was on, this meant he would have to endure forty-five minutes of pure agonizing torture. Fortunately, Dawn came prepared with ginger peppermint candy and freshly cut slices of green apples for Ash.
Gesturing to Ash with a glass jar of apple slices, Misty asked, "What's the point of you going to see to an apple orchard if you've got apples of your own?"
"Oh, Misty-Mist, my dear, come on now. Let's not be like that," Dawn scolded her playfully. "I bought a few of these sour apples for him because the poor boy will suffer if he doesn't have anything to help him with that terrible motion sickness of his. We're going to Big Bear Apple Farm, and this is the original location, too, so we're going to have rare varieties of apples that won't be found elsewhere in Sinnoh. Besides, you can never have too many apples! I mean, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, isn't that right?"
"Not necessarily," Paul argued. "There is a limit as to how many apples you can have. Their seeds have cyanide in them so you'll be going through poisoning because of them."
Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but you'll need to be eating lots of them for that to happen. The exact amount of how many apples you need to eat depends on the variety to be at risk for cyanide poisoning. I should know this: I am an international celebrity catering curator, after all."
"You know when I first heard about your job title, I thought they were just handing out degrees to anyone and everyone because I never thought you could minor in catering," Brandon confessed, "I hate aging myself but back in my day, these sorts of degrees never existed."
"If you're the one with a minor in catering, then he must be the one with a PhD in catering," Paul declared, gesturing towards Ash, who was sitting on Dawn's lap, eagerly munching on his apple slices.
"Hey," Ash cried out, "I only ever eat out because you're a lousy cook."
"Who, Paul?" Maylene pointed at Paul before chuckling, "If he's a lousy cook then I am a public menace to society…You should see me in the kitchen…I'm a hot mess there! If anything, Paul is like Chef Kofu from Paldea compared to me."
"More like Chef Siebold from Kalos if you ask me," Reggie chimed in.
"But, minus the good looks by a long shot," Dawn teased. A playful sigh escaped from her mouth as she placed her hands on her cheeks, tilting her head to the side, and she confessed, "I met Chef Siebold when I first started out…I know it's been fifteen years since his cooking TV show, Kisses from Kalosian Cuisine ended but he still is as handsome as he was when I was six years old, if not more! He's always been a looker but now as a silver fox…"
"He's even more so irresistible," Maylene suggested, "I know! Tell me about it! Young Kofu's not bad either but nobody beats Siebold!"
While it would be the proper thing for Daphne to cover her mouth and giggle at Dawn and Maylene's reactions, not say a single word herself. Daphne could not help but give her opinion to them as well.
"I suppose you youngsters have never seen Canalave City's Byron in his youth? He's not a professional chef but he was featured in an amateur cooking show back in the day."
"Oh, really, now?" Misty pondered for a moment before nodding her head in agreement. "I suppose that be right considering that his son, Roark was Oreburgh's heartthrob."
"He still is," Maylene argued, "I would have married him…His grandfather and my grandfather were best friends, and they've always wanted a marriage union happening, but..." She turned towards Reggie, intertwining her fingers with his. "I don't think I am suited for the mines…Besides, I don't think I will ever have a mother-in-law as amazing as you are."
Daphne grinned. "I am certainly delighted that you think so, Maylene. I'd have fought Byron myself to have you if we ever came to that."
Misty smiled at the sight, telling them, "I hope I get to marry into a family like yours."
Dawn nodded her head in agreement. "My grandmother's unmarried cousin used to say that if a woman loves you as her daughter and not as her son's wife, you've hit the jackpot. She's right about that…My father's Kalosian and he moved to Sinnoh to be with my mother in Twinleaf Town so my mother only has to endure her in-laws for the autumn. Lucky for her, my paternal grandparents at the best."
"I can't relate." Misty shook her head before saying, "My mother hated her mother-in-law. I guess my paternal grandmother wasn't too keen that her son married a woman after the first date. He cut off his family after seeing what they put her through. She was pregnant with Daisy at the time. Even though I never got to meet him, Daisy says that he never once regrets choosing my mother. He'd do all over it again, just that he'd do it earlier because she was super close to losing and miscarrying Daisy."
"I'm glad that wasn't the case, and your father's love for your mother still carries on. They carry on through you; you may not have met them, but they wanted you to come into this world as a child born from the union of their true love. I intend to honor their legacy."
Daphne whispered into Brandon's ear, "I don't care if Paul gives me adopted grandchildren, I will love anyone and have them as a member of my family all the same…I just hope that he one day opens his eyes and realizes that the perfect person is out there for him. I'd love nothing more for a daughter-in-law like Dawn."
Brandon whispered back, "I believe you mean to say that you'd love nothing more than for Dawn to be your daughter-in-law, madam."
"You know me so well."
"I am supposed to, madam."
"What do you think they're whispering about," Ash asked, finally removing himself from Dawn's lap and standing up to stretch.
They would arrive at their train stop in the next five minutes.
Misty shrugged. "Probably some husband and wife stuff."
They arrived at the train stop and although the head teacher in charge of the field trip, Cheryl Madam wanted to make an announcement. Most of the field trip attendants were preoccupied by the sound of a banjo playing.
"Is that a banjo playing?" Paul raised an eyebrow at the absurdity.
"Not only that, but they've got some elephants too! Look," Autumn called out.
"You're not kidding, Autumn," Ash exclaimed.
The sound of elephants trumpeting could be heard from the distance along with the boisterous laughter of the owner's daughter, Holly.
"This keeps on getting crazier and crazier by the moment," Paul mumbled but it was still loud enough for Dawn to giggle.
"Cheer up, Paul," she told him, "I mean, it's not every day that you have banjo players and elephants at an apple farm! I for one can't wait to see what's going on."
Paul groaned to himself. Perhaps he should have stayed home if his entire family were going to be on the field trip…It's not like Ash needed him to attend every single field trip that was available for parents and guardians to sign up for and attend as chaperones. But he didn't have it within his heart to do so.
To be continued…
