Generation 8 - Chapter 21

Cherish just assumed that when something good happened, Death was not far behind. Death was there when things were bad too but it seemed like he enjoyed showing up at parties and celebrations the most. Maybe he felt left out since rarely was anyone happy to see him.

He came for Jinx the Kat the night of Graduation Day. Jinx had been getting on in age but it was still a shock to see Death. Cherish knew she should be sad, but death was so......common around here that she wasn't. She sighed inwardly knowing GG Wind would probably keep the tombstone around the house like all the others. One more ghost to go bump, BANG!, or claaaang in the night.

She leaned over to Fatima, "When I die, please put my tombstone in the cemetery so I can haunt the mausoleum instead of you. I don't need to watch you chase boys for all eternity."

Fatima giggled into her hand trying to hide it from Wind and gave Cherish a punch on the arm.

Later that night Cherish couldn't sleep. Jinx's death really was sad and she would miss the little furball. She had been feeling a bit guilty for her earlier attitude. What if it had been Mikey? The thought of losing her dog made her heart clench. She shouldn't have been making jokes about the cat. How callous could she be?

Since she was up anyway she decided to show her dog how much she loved an appreciated him by giving him a good brushing and a pre-dawn walk around town. No one else was up and about yet and that suited Cherish just fine. This time she remembered to put a note on the fridge so GG didn't freak out.

Things had been a little tense since her birthday. She was taking extra steps not to upset her GG Wind and avoided being in a room alone with her. Cherish and Wind finally had it out about college.  They argued about her plants and her future. To Cherish her plants were her future. Cherish made it very clear that going off to school wasn't for her. She offered to pay rent or move out. After she found a suitable place that had space for her plants of course. She didn't want to leave. She had an established garden. Do you have any idea how long that takes to set up? Well, maybe she did want to leave a little, but it was so much easier just to stay. 
Wind was not happy but eventually agreed to back off. It was her life and college wasn't for everyone. She refused to charge rent and told Cherish that her place was right here with the rest of her family and if that's what Cherish really wanted, she would be supportive. Cherish kept to herself the offer from Grandma Maya but it was more and more tempting as time went by.

She and Fatima hung out less and less. Cherish had thought that they'd have even more time together since she could do all her gardening things before Fatima got home from school. But she guessed the age difference was starting to be a problem again. Fatima was in high school doing high school things. Cherish was...what, playing in the dirt as if nothing had changed?

Cherish was coming to the realization that life after high school was much bigger and scarier than she had ever thought it was. No one, well other than Wind, was there to tell her what she had to or should do. Really, she didn't have to do anything. Her gardening didn't seem like work and when she wasn't out getting dirt under her nails she felt a little lost. So much free time, so many things she could be doing that it was impossible to decide. It was a little overwhelming.

So Cherish decided to focus all of her energy into her garden and business. It was predictable, steady, safe. She knew exactly what she was doing and knew areas she wanted to learn more about. She didn't need some post graduation epiphany or lifestyle change. She was productive and her plants made her happy.

This circle of thoughts is what often went through her head and had her staring off into the distance. Now that she had fewer daily tasks she brooded more.

***

Wind is having a midlife crisis and wanted a new, expensive car. I'm pretending its a Telsa

  Jonas has taken up haunting the garden while Cherish is out there. Not very helpful dad. And please get some new cloths!

*Cherish comepleted her LTW for Greener Gardens. it was to bloom 100 plants. Pretty easy! Now to finish that gardening career....
She does have the shy and brooding traits. two that I don't normally play with and I have been surprised more than once by how they effect her mood.