Strawberries
Eri loves strawberries.
No, that is an understatement. Eri has an addiction to strawberries. You wouldn’t see her without her childish and eye-catching strawberry headband, or a back pack shaped as a strawberry during school.
She is in high school, yes, but she usually doesn’t care if people call her childish and such. Her addiction to strawberries won’t describe her maturity, right? Besides, they are cute and fashionable.
It starts when she was little, and her mom bakes a strawberry shortcake. She does this once a month, and little Eri would be so happy she would eat the cake whole day.
Of course, Eri wouldn’t miss a chance to be with her mom during her baking process. She usually eats the strawberries ahead then complains.
“Mom, this strawberry is too sour,” she said, raising a strawberry on her right hand. “And this one’s too sweet. Why, Mom?”
“That’s strawberries, Honey. At least, they’re delicious, right? It’s worth it.”
And she would give her the most charming smile in the world. She can’t complain, because she is right. Who cares if it’s too sour or sweet?
Her grandma has this large candy shop— largest in the town. Every time she would go to school, she would visit the shop and ask for her grandma for some strawberry candies.
She never misses a day without her candies.
“Look, it’s Eri, the strawberry!”
Her classmates would tease her right after the Nutrition Parade. The students should wear something that would resemble a vegetable or fruit. What would Eri wear? Of course, her favorite.
After the parade, one of the students mentions, “Look, there’s no difference in Eri! She’s still a strawberry!”
And he is right. With her red cheeks, strawberry headband, strawberry back pack, and polka-dot dress (which is, red and white), she is the epitome of a human strawberry. She takes it as a compliment.
Her dad goes home late at night, kisses Eri in cheeks while asleep, and drops the strawberry in the refrigerator. He is Eri’s supplier of daily strawberries. He is working at a famous enterprise as a manager, and every day he would buy strawberries.
Yes, there are days that he would miss buying strawberries. But he knows that he is forgiven when Eri kisses him in his cheeks and hugs him tightly.
She would usually say, “Dad, I still love you even if you don’t bring strawberries. But make sure tomorrow’s not a miss.”
Puberty visits, and she becomes a strawberry-shaped teenager. Big breasts, moderate stomach, and fairly moderate thighs. She grows a fair amount of pimples in her cheeks. She never leaves her strawberry addiction to her life.
She has friends, but they never understand her addiction. Not until, a boy asks her a strawberry flavored drink.
That time, she knows he is the one.
His name is Jericho. He is in her same year— Freshmen. They share two classes together; the first period, English, and the fifth period, History. Both very boring.
He sits beside her, and she doesn’t even notice. He would simply stare at the direction of the window and glance at her. When she notices, he averts his gaze to the window. He would be the first to hear if someone would talk about Eri. It is to say, a lot.
