mon chouchou . jb

007

mud, dirt and all

aurelia's morning routine wasn't as bizarre as anne's. she doesn't wish good morning to avonlea, or make pancakes from scratch.

instead, she simply dines with her family with whatever it is her mother prepared. that morning, she decided to make breakfast with aurelia and anne - to make them less bored than they already were.

or aurelia, at least. anne was cheery as usual. aurelia was overthinking about her routine too much to even be as close to how excited anne was.

"is everything okay, dear?" mrs. thatcher queried, seeing her daughter gloomy on such a beautiful morning. it worried her as a mother, she really cares for her child.

"i'm fine, mum. don't worry." aurelia cracked a small smile. "i just didn't get as much sleep." she yawned, as if right on cue.

"i wonder why." anne snicked from beside her, preparing eggs to eat with toast. "was it because of a certain.. someone?"

aurelia gently stepped on anne's foot, hoping her mother didn't hear all this nonsense anne was spouting. anne, satisfied with aurelia's reaction, continued her part of the job like usual.

during breakfast, anne managed to form a bond with aurelia's siblings. exchanging small talk with her younger sister, while playing with her baby brother. there's just something about kids that pulls anne towards them, they're adorable!

to give aurelia's family some alone time, anne and aurelia decided to clean the dishes that morning. in which mrs. thatcher was very delighted to hear. she would like the break, the baby's been keeping her busy nowadays.

"in all seriousness, aurelia, are you alright?" anne asked, in a more worried tone than her previous playful one. "why couldn't you sleep last night?"

"i.. don't know." she lied. "i guess i was just afraid that my routine was too tedious compared to yours, anne." another lie. well, half a lie. she was worried about it, but it wasn't the reason she was awake for half the night.

'i promise to tell you someday, anne. just.. not now.' she thought, wiping the droplets on the washed plates and bowls.

"oh aurelia, my darling," anne sighed. "no one's routine is tedious if they still put effort into it! don't fret. we're going to have the same amount of fun we had with mine, alright?"

aurelia just nodded, clueless on what else to say. seeing how dazed aurelia was, made anne upset. so, to cheer up the girl, she splashed some water on her face.

i mean, what else would she do?

"anne!" aurelia gasped, wiping the water with the sleeves of her dress. although, as usual, she wouldn't let it go that easy.

first, a pillow fight, and now, a water fight. mrs. thatcher watched from a distance, but let it be. she would rather see her daughter smile than be in a depressive state for the whole day. and for that, she had anne to thank.

with messy, damp hair, and water spots all over their dresses, the routine still had to go on. the two girls went straight to the garden to help mr. thatcher with his work.

while mr. thatcher was pruning his trees, aurelia showed anne her job, which is to check for pests! her mother said, it might seem like a simple job, but one bug can cause a big mess. therefore, the girls took their task very seriously.

they checked under the leaves of every single plant, checked the dirt for any signs of pesky slugs, and made sure no plant is left unchecked.

you might think this whole process is a piece of cake, but for a garden as big as mr. thatcher's, it took quite some time. the girls were proud of themselves for completing their job.

after pest inspection, aurelia brought out a second hose, to get the chore done quicker. before watering the plants, she went through how much each plant needed, whether it be a quick rinse or a few droplets.

thus, the watering began. this was anne's favourite part of the garden work, she really liked seeing the small rainbows form when the sunlight passes through the water droplets, it never ceases to make her grin.

everything was going well when suddenly, aurelia palmed her forehead with a small 'ah!'. anne hurried to her friend, worried if anything happened to her. was it a bug? was it a leech? was it a snake?!

"i forgot to pull the weeds!" she yelled out, loud enough for her father to hear from the other side of the garden. "i should've done that before i water the plants." she sighed, upset at her own carelessness.

"it's okay sweetheart, we can pull the weeds tomorrow." mr. thatcher assured his daughter. "besides, the weeds aren't that long yet."

hearing this, aurelia felt relieved. especially with her friend rubbing her back to console her. this was one of those moments where she knew, she really is loved by these wonderful people around her.

now with all smiles, the girls continued their work the best they can. and finally, came aurelia's favourite task. picking the fruits and harvesting the vegetables!

mrs. thatcher told anne that it is better to harvest vegetables and gather fruit in the mornings, since they are crispier, juicier, and sweeter at this time of the day.

aurelia's bed was the best place to be after hours of garden tending. anne never knew how tiring gardening was! especially since her chores usually revolve around cleaning the house and checking up on the animals.

aurelia's tasks are way tougher than hers, and she looked up to aurelia for having the courage and energy to do this everyday.

"what do we do now, aurelia?" anne said, stretching her arms. "i'm energised right now! are we going to plant a tree next?"

"that's the thing, anne." aurelia sighed. "that's all i do for the morning. i'm free to do anything i please until the evening."

"i do wish to help my mum with the baby, but she always told me to do my own things. she said something about feeling guilty that i had to help with the shops after school, but i really don't mind." aurelia explained, laying flat on her bed.

"as for dad, he only lets me help with the shop sometimes during the weekends, with the same excuse as mother." she continued. "although like i said, i do not mind at all. i mean, they've done so much for me growing up, this is the least i can do to repay their hard work."

hearing this, anne felt bad towards her friend. she laid next to aurelia, and comforted her the best she could.

"i really like your parents." anne breathed out. "them not letting you help just shows how much they love you, aurelia. i'm sure they just want you to live a life as a growing girl, and not a helping hand."

anne held aurelia's hand, gently gripping it while turning to face her. "your parents are really proud of you, aurelia. don't beat yourself up over it." she smiled.

anne always knows what to say in these situations. aurelia beamed to the red-haired girl next to her, and she started to wonder, how lucky was she to be blessed by a friend like anne?

indeed, she was very, very lucky.