One Wish For Summer

Chapter 6

To confirm my suspicions I turned around quickly. Strangely enough, there was no one there. I had probably been hit one too many times and just needed to rest. In the staggering heat of the midday sun I slowly walked home. Passing by Avie's house I saw her mom working in the garden. Not in the mood to talk I tried walking by without being noticed.
"Don't you plan to stop and say hello, Mr Rivera?"
My body involuntarily stopped, despite the protests of my mind to keep walking. Soon I found myself walking back to her.
"I'm sorry Mrs Allen, I've been running errands all day and didn't even see you."
"Oh really now?" " That's quite interesting."
I remained silent, unsure of what to even say.
"Let me not hold up any more of your time, Mr Rivera." "But I'm sure Avie wouldn't mind if you joined us for dinner next Thursday, yeah?"
Huh? Me? Dinner with her and Avie? It appeared I was making steady progress in getting her to acknowledge me. I greatfully accepted the offer, already planning how to dress for the day. I continued my wall home, sweating profusely as I baked in the sun. For some reason I had the urge to stay outside and bake a little more, but following my better judgement I went inside. As is the norm, dad was out at work or something, leaving my to solitude for yet another day. Sitting down to drink some water I got a message on my phone :

"Hey! So you're coming for dinner next Thursday?
It was Avie. She seemed to be excited about the idea.
"Yeah I'll try to bring a housewarming gift"
"If you do, you don't need to go all out for something by the way"

She says that but Im thinking about bringing something flashy, maybe a bouquet? Or a bottle of sparkling wine might be better. To know for sure what would be good, I thought about Isaac's mom. She had a knack for hosting housewarming parties and dinners, so it seemed like a good idea to hear her insight. The closer I got to Isaac's house, the more I could smell mamma Pam's sandwiches. The entrance to the deli was so welcoming. The doors were wide open and let the scent of freshly made deli meat dance around in the air. Instead of entering through the front, I went to the backyard along two fences with a small space in-between them.
"Hey mamma Pammmmm!!!!" I shouted as loud as I could
"Ahhhhh, now I know that isn't Juan all the way over there." Isaac's mom said as she came to the fence.
In one hand she held a meat cleaver with a drunken grip. This was a little odd as she was not one to drink on the job. I hopped over the fence and gave her a warm hug.
"So what brings you here?" "Hungry for my famous deli delight?"
"Deli delight?"
"Yess, my soon-to-be world renowned sandwich" "I've spent the better part of three weeks trying to perfect this masterpiece" she swung the meat cleaver with great pride, having me take a step back out of concern for my own safety. She had a gleam of pure passion in her eyes, complemented by the way she described her process. Completely enthralled by her monologue I sat on the ground listening to her go into detail on the method of creation she chose, as well as the mistakes made along the way.
By no means was her explanation boring. Her actions alone gave had me able to imagine myself in her shoes as my mind anxiously waited to hear more.
Finally ending her elaboration, she snapped back and thought to herself for a moment.
"Woah, sorry for talking about food for as long as I did, now what can I help you with?"
I told her my situation, aski for her thoughts on a good gift for Mrs Allen.
"Hmm, why don't we talk about this over some tea?" " I'll need a little time to think."
"Sure, that's fine." I replied. We headed to the kitchen where she set on a pot of Chamomile. I took a seat in the living room, looking around at the familiar decor as this wasn't my first time here. Mamma Pam sat beside me, ready to start our theory crafting.
"Okay Juan, do you have a price range in mind?" Come to think of it, I was just expecting to hear her suggestions and work out finding the cash. But Avie did say not to go overboard with my gesture.
"No, but I'm not planning on spending too much." I replied.
"Ah, well if it's a cost-effective gift you're looking for, try a small potted plant."
A reasonable idea, Mrs Allen did take enjoy working in her garden so giving her a new member seemed like a nice enough present. But which plant should I get? Would it matter the type of pot it's in? Almost like second nature, my mind began trying to find blurry spots in my plan. What if she was allergic? Or didn't like it? Swamped by uncertainty I began fidgeting with my hands. Not too long after Pam's hand covered mine.
"This is really important to you, isn't it?" Her facial expression changed to one of concern.
"Well, yeah I just want everything to go perfectly."
"I know Juan, and it will." "You know what, I'm sure Byron still has the business card for a popular flower shop in the city." This news calmed me down a bit, hoping the flower store would have what I was looking for.
"ByRON!" Shouting with enough force to be heard for miles, she ased him to come downstairs. Being his usual self he descended the stairs looking higher than a kite.
"Ohhh, Felix you're here, welcome to my humble abode mi amigo." He waved to me with his blunt still lit. The smoke he exhaled made him resemble a locomotive, his red eyes warning lighs to inform you the train has left sober station and is on route to Stoner City. With a staggering drunken walk he fell into the sofa and gave his loving wife a kiss on the cheek. Smiling back at him she asked if he still had any business cards from that one flower shop.
"Of course mamma P, I got loads." "Here you go lil man." Handing me about five of them. The moments that followed were mostly him uncontrollably giggling. Pam appeared irritated and snatched the blunt out his hand.
"Come on, not cool."
"It's not amusing seeing you like this for so long." She tossed his ticket to High Town in a nearby bin.
"Oh yeah?" "We both know I get paid top dollar to test this stuff, basically easy money man."
"Back me up here Felix."
I did my best to avoid eye contact with him, feeling the gravity of the situation. Much like the kettle, things were getting heated.
"Pam, I help keep this family afloat and maybe you don't like this hustle but it gets the job done."
"I could do this alone you know." Standing up with her hands crossed. "I can manage just fine, I didn't ask for help."
"And what kind of husband would I be Pam?" "What kind would I be if I didn't help out!?"