The Angriest Angel

Chapter 22

Avery led Chase down the walking path toward a small hut made of silvery mesh, which seemed to let in both sunlight and air.  The entrance was a door of vertical beads, like something out of the 70's.  She stepped through and held the beads open for him to follow.

"This is my butterfly house," she explained.  "The plants here are all favorable to butterflies.  Blazing star, purple coneflower, aster, and garden phlox."

"Wow," Chase said, looking around in awe.  It was as immaculate as the rest of her yard.  Perfectly groomed shrubs, plants, grasses, and bird baths adorned the entire space.  A variety of butterflies fluttered about, unable to escape through the mesh or the beads, although he suspected some of them did find a way.

She smiled at his reaction, "I'm glad you like it."

"It's amazing," he said.  "But also a little ridiculous.  I mean, how do you have time for this?  And what is the point?  Do you study them?"

"Yes," she said.  "I bring the caterpillars in here and let them run through their complete cycle, taking notes on their tendencies but not disturbing them."

"But what do they have to do with botany?"

"Well, butterflies pollenate flowers.  They are an important part of the ecosystem, just like bees.  But if I'm being honest, I enjoy them."  She smiled and said, "I have monarch and purple spotted swallowtail, although I haven't been able to find purple in a while now.  He may have gotten away."

"So, this is like a butterfly hangout, and you stop in every so often and check them out?"

"Yes," she said.

He nodded, "Okay, I can appreciate that."

Avery led him through another wall of beads which led out of the butterfly house and back to the walking path.  On the right-hand side of the path there was a cluster of very strange looking flowers.  They had four ribbon shaped petals extending out and curling underneath. Their color was incredible, unlike anything Chase had ever seen.  They had an orange-red center—like the color of fire, starting darker in the middle and dithering to a lighter hue toward the tip.

"What the hell are these?" he asked.

"Hmmm?" she turned around.  "Oh, ah—those are terrablaze.  Do you like them?"

"They're amazing," he said sincerely, not taking his eyes off of them.

"They are very—ah—rare," she said tentatively.  "Come this way, I want you to meet Daisy."

"You have daisies too?"

"Daisy," she corrected, flashing a smile over her shoulder.  "She's a dog."

Avery followed the path toward the greenhouse, but stopped in front of a raspberry bush.  She looked at it critically and started pulling off some of the darker colored berries.

Chase frowned, "How is this already cranking out fruit?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's spring," Chase explained.  "No offense, I mean, I am not a botanist or anything, but I used to have raspberry bushes.  Berries didn't grow until summer."

Avery smiled and nodded, "Ahh.  You're right.  Here hold out your hands."

Chase cupped his hands together as she dumped the berries.

"They love acidic soil," she explained.  "And lots of water.  Lots.  Come on."

Chase noticed that her mood had changed significantly since he agreed not to leave.  She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely on her own turf, letting her hair down and acting more natural.  Her level of innocence appeared genuine.  She seemed somewhat puritan, but with no self-consciousness.  Her goody-goody nature was almost infectious to Chase.  He had never thought of a garden as something to appreciate.  His memories of gardening were minimal and frustrating.  Every attempt to grow something quickly turned into a weed farm.  He had neither the patience nor the desire to fight that battle.  But Avery seemed to enjoy the challenge—and she seemed good at it.