Flowershop

Chapter One

Honda Kiku moved to New York not too long ago. It took him a while to memorize and become familiar with the area, but he managed. Now, Honda Kiku loved flowers. He filled his apartment and any windowsills he had with the plants. While he was walking around the cluster of busy shops, he realized there was a nice little flowershop there. A large sign that read "HELP WANTED" was displayed boldly next to the entrance. He needed a job, and this one was perfect. He slightly smiled to himself as he walked through the front door as a blast of cool air hit him.
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Our man Honda Kiku had been working there for about a few months when he started to notice a blond haired, blue eyed American come in everyday. He thought the man was strange, he got so excited over the smallest things, and his eyes always shone with this radiating happiness. He never saw his face without a smile. Kiku wasn't really sure how he felt about the man's strange behavior, but he concluded he didn't really mind.

The first few days in the city were rough. He didn't know anyone, and he barely knew the block. He had to keep asking around for help, much to his embarrassment. But the people there were nice for the most part. They were loud, but he liked listening to their funny accents. Kiku's mother kept calling and asking if he was fine, and he insisted he was, but he wasn't so sure. He was very confused all the time, and kept almost speaking japanese to people. He didn't appreciate people making faces at his accent, but being Honda Kiku, he said nothing, and just accepted their words and actions. They were nice for the most part.
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He was becoming acquainted with his job and the setup of the shop, too. Every couple of days, he would notice a certain blond American come in to purchase flowers. They were usually forget-me-nots. But he occasionally bought other flowers too. His visits started becoming more frequent over the next couple of weeks, and he started to become acquainted with Honda Kiku himself.
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Honda Kiku had learned the man to be named Alfred F. Jones. He really liked the name and thought it was silly, because it wad quite honestly....so.... American. He had learned that the man has a love for ice cream, and is very passionate when it comes to aliens. He loved to talk Kiku's ear off about it. Kiku also noted that the man seemed slightly lonely. He also seemed to have few friends. Kiku didn't understand why, though. Sure, he was loud, and laughed way too much, and came off as a bit nosy, but one of the many things Kiku noticed about this man is that he seemed to genuinely care what other people were feeling, and he seemed popular in Kiku's opinion. In the Japanese's eyes, Alfred was a kind man who liked people. From what he experienced, Kiku really liked him, even if he really knew how to make the man tick.

As weeks progressed into months, the two were on a first name basis with each other, and Kiku expected him everyday. He usually knew which flowers to give him, and Alfred always knew the amount of money to give. Kiku wondered why he always got forget-me-nots from time to time, but decided that it wasn't his business, and never asked. Alfred would just come over to the shop, and they would talk and talk, sometimes earning a snide remark from an impatient customer. Kiku was happy, he was away from his even louder family and was actually comfortable with another human being. Honda Kiku started his life, and he was happy to say it was going well.