Sunflower's Daughter/Chapter 1-2

This is the second subchapter of Chapter 1. It was released in February 12, 2014.

Chapter 1-2
10:22 AM.

“Really, Nina? You still shop here?...”

Nina and Lasse park near a small grocer named “Downriver Parkway.” It was notably small, almost reminiscent of a questionable liquor store where robberies are almost frequent, but it's just the right amount of disguise to keep the “normal consumers” away as Nina believes. Of course, it's still got its share of questionable customers, but they're usually outnumbered by the recluse and the morbid, Nina being among them.

“Oh my god, look at—” Lasse observes the entrance curiously, measuring it with her eyes. “Am I even gonna fit right through that…?” She looks at Nina beside her and finds her looking straight, lacking the teased reaction she expected. Nina's been doing extremely well putting up with her this hour. “Okay...”

And with enough reason. Nina was a frequent customer of this place. She's visited it to the point that she's so comfortable, she might even be bored of it. But that usually goes away after five minutes of walking around. The place never changes since she first visited it when she was five.

They both walk through the somewhat clean entrance, pushing the handle with peeled paint. Lasse didn't need to make any adjustments, even though she was practically towering over Nina.

Upon entering, the two are greeted with a unique smell; the smell of fresh-from-the-cargo merchandise, combined with dust, and month-old cigarette smoke. To Nina, a fresh, sweet reminder that she's ready to shop.

“Well the... the outside doesn't lie.” Lasse's eyes move from the short, worn shelves, to the seemingly short, patterned and peeled ceiling, to the people walking around those shelves. A really weird, cramped space feel, like she’s walking into the set of an emotional indie movie.

“Y-yeah, yep, see, that's the hippie guy who always stands at the end of my street from my shop...” It was a wild guess, seeing as that may have been any other person with an unmistakable unkempt beard, hair, and glasses, but she's too confused to even make the distinction.

She shrugs, rolls over her eyes to Nina beside her, and says, “Okay Nina, let's get your weed...—” Instead, she sees her halfway through leaving her behind, paused and looking at her to follow. “Oh...”

Lasse scurries to her side, and they continue their walk. Lasse still acted like a tourist, observing every shelf she passed by. They were... normal merchandise, at least from the angle she was in. And there was a weird pattern of old people near those shelves.

“Hey Paco,” Nina greets casually, passing by a stout, olive-skinned man wearing a cap that hid his eyes, toting a heavy-looking box with both his hands. The man named Paco smiles and nods back. Nina gets Lasse’s attention and asks, “Paco?”

She nods and glances at her. “Yup. Storage.” Paco’s part of the Mexican family who owns a portion of this place. In the other half, a Chinese father and daughter, a European immigrant, a spiritual traveler, and a bunch of other randoms worked in their stead. Nina knows, since she worked here once. But even she can't take the consumerism roaming about this place.

Lasse lightly chuckles, and looks away. Just her expression tells her that she really knows this place. They make a quick turn to the nearest shelf and proceed walking ahead of it, with Nina at the front. They were headed for the produce section.

“So... Nina,” Lasse calls. “Apart from your almost-hippie self—just almost, like you're this close—” Nina gives her a weird glance over her shoulder. “Why do you shop here?”

There were numerous answers to that question. The people, the smell, the prices... but there was that one reason that’s always at the top of her head.

“Everything's organic.” Organic. No additives, preservatives, chemicals, none of that junk. She maintains to look up front, not bothering to turn back for Lasse's reaction.

Lasse keeps a straight face, but gives in and chuckles at the next second. “Y-yeah, that pretty much did it. Pfft—”

What did Nina expect but for Lasse to tease her all day? She knew this was going to happen. Lasse's better, she knows, but it takes time.

“Whatever...” They finally reach the produce section, with Nina shaking her head. This particular section had that distinct fresh smell that only this place can provide. Photosynthesis combined with soil... perfect. Nina scans around and walks sideways, leaving the scarce stock of Chinese cabbage, ginger, and okra behind. Lasse couldn't help but notice there was practically three of each vegetable in this section.

Nina finally reaches the prepackaged salads section, taking one out of the only five containers. It had moisture against the wrapping that Nina's all too familiar of. They water everything here.

Lasse turns up to her side. “Salad. Ah, I knew that…” Nina looks up to her, then back to the salad.

“What? Least this is better than that... supersized Karls Jr. stuff you got.”

Surprisingly, Lasse just looks at the salad without much response. She shows thinking in her expression, and shrugs. For once, she's right.

“Let's go pay for this.” They walk away from the section, and back into the shelves.

"Weren't... didn't you used to be a vegetarian?" Nina asks Lasse. “I thought I persuaded you enough when we were going out.”

Lasse was looking at her tattoo-covered arms as if she had forgotten about them. She was looking at her right arm in particular, where a highly detailed vine maze made its way to the back of her hand.

“W-what?” Lasse replies, eyes wide and wondering and looking at Nina. “O-oh. Yeah. Vegetarian. Hah… I—I remember that.”

They make it past the two shelves full of non-brand name condiments and sauces, and into the next shelf full of snacks wrapped in clear plastic bags.

“Guess that was just when we were going out,” Nina says. She should know.

“But… but we [i]are going out, Nina,” Lasse replies, looking at her but Nina didn’t return it. “Like, right now. And since—since last week!”

Lasse was right, and yet, she wasn’t completely right. Nina has, for the last year, believed that she and Lasse are no longer together. She even went out with another girl at that time but that passed over their heads fairly quickly.

They finally arrive at the cashier’s booth, numbered “4”, where a fair-skinned, long, black-haired lady was waiting. She looks at Nina as they approach with a pleasant smile.

Nina withholds an answer from Lasse. Lasse exchanges glances between the cashier and Nina, hoping to not repeat herself.

“Hey Anna,” Nina greets the cashier, handing her the salad. The girl named Anna just smiles and runs the salad into the scanner. Nina, at this time, looks up to Lasse with a smirk that implies her answer. It was mostly a look of held-back jeer.

Nina turns back to the cashier upon hearing a shuffling paper sound. She hands her a brown bag, and slips a plastic fork inside of it while she takes it.

Nina made it clear in that… that voice mail. It was right after their hardy talk that pretty much brought the attention of separating with her. “[i]I think you were right Lasse,” Nina remembers saying. And that was that.

“Let’s go.”

The two walk past the booth, toward the entrance. Lasse has been deduced to folded arms by this point, looking up front just like Nina was. Nina pushes the doors for both of them and exit.

They were greeted by a gentle breeze that blows both Nina’s and Lasse’s hair sideways. How Nina is still withholding an answer is making Lasse anxious.

The two enter Nina’s car without a word. Nina seats herself in the seat and rests the paper bag on her lap. She inserts the key and starts the car while Lasse takes her time to enter.

Once the engine revs, Lasse closes the door and seats herself. She was looking at the compartment, as if she’s let go of the subject matter. What she didn’t realize was that Nina was looking at her.

Nina made it clear, yet… in a vague manner. Something about her didn’t want to let Lasse go. Not completely.

“Hey,” she calls to Lasse, who has a delayed response.

She looks with a blank expression, some traces of contempt in her eyes.

“Before you…” Nina looks away from Lasse’s intense stare, turning to the wheel and tapping it with her index finger. “Before you get any ideas, [i]yes we’re going out. Still… going out.”

Lasse’s stare stays, but only for a second. Her eyes soon give way to the smirk down below. She looks at her, then to the compartment, then back at her. “O… okay. Sure.” She transfers back to the compartment, seemingly permanent this time. Nina just chuckles quietly and throws her bag to the backseat.

Nina undoes the gear, parking break, and goes on reverse. She turns around and looks back at her car. While at it, she passes a glance at Lasse. She was looking at her as if she was planning something.

Before Nina can let her foot go off the break, Lasse pinches her cheek and plays with it, forcing Nina to pull away. “Lasse wh….—” Nina keeps her foot on the break, and rubs her cheek while looking at her with a smirk. She expected this but she didn’t think she’d go through with it.

Nina’s cheek has turned into a reddish pink. Adorable, as Lasse likes to see.

10:53 AM.

Nina was quick to catch on to one of Lasse’s ramblings; one moment led to another and… she was now talking about what has happened since they left off. Particularly, her rocky pace with the tattoo shop.

“You—you remember Howard, right? Well I doubt it but yeah, cousin. Bikes sometimes—pretty much helped me get the shop set up. He’s like the most regular artist there next to me—”

Nina was doing most of the listening, as always. To the side, she’s minding each and every turn she makes toward their house. Not a lot of trees yet, so they still have a little bit ways to go.

“Howard’s cool. Yeah…” Lasse pauses and looks upfront, at the windshield, as if she was recollecting a memory. “Oh, what about—what about Scott? Oh my g—”

Lasse uttering that name makes Nina cringe. She hastily looks at her with brief disgust. She was expecting this reaction.

“Do not ever—[i]ever mention that name ever again—”

“He—he totally tried to get a job at my shop! I freaking remember him. He was that short, skinny Mexican dude and his hair is like—like always swimming in gel—”

Nina is so close to slapping Lasse anywhere, [i]anywhere, just for her to shut up. But they were so close to her house that there was no turning back. She tries to ignore it as best she can, but she can’t wipe off the loathing in her expression. Scott—that fool—was her first and probable only boyfriend. The guy responsible for the tattoo in her right hand.

“Oh my—but to be serious, Nina…” Lasse’s tone of excitement weakens a bit. “I turned him down for a job. Of course I did—what else was I gonna do? You went out with him he—he saw your private parts—”

“No he didn’t—” Nina tries to squeeze in. He didn’t deserve to.

“—and he was such a runt compared to all of us in the shop. And he didn’t have enough tattoos…”

It was surprisingly relieving, hearing all of this from Lasse, even if her intention was to annoy her.

“Haha, wow… wonder what happened to him…”

Nina, by this time, was slouching down on her seat as if she was having a stressful day. But it was hardly a stressful day. In fact, it was supposed to be a special day… but Lasse’s here, and she’s making it hard to remember why she invited her in the first place…

It was to be expected. Lasse always does this to her, guaranteed.

The drive toward the end of the street seems to pass by. Leaves of the trees lined in the sidewalk practically block the sun out. They were home.

“Okay, we’re here…” Nina shakes off what she has just heard and unbuckles her seatbelt. Lasse can’t seem to wipe the smile off her face, that is until she notices Nina parking the car.

Nina notices a few of her neighbors out in this block. One in particular, just on the opposite side of her house, was Mr. Roland. Fred Roland, father of one, husband of Brady. He was out in his luxury SUV, packing stuff in the back… he could be seen looking at someone but he can’t see from here.

Lasse notices Nina observing the people near the car, and looks on with her.

Nina could’ve sworn they’re reminding her of something… something important. Something she needs to be concerned about.

But all she could be concerned about now was how she’s going to exit of her car without an awkward greet. Would a hi, or a hello, or a how are you would do?...

“Hmm...” Nina turns back around to Lasse and grabs the paper bag near the backseat with no trouble. Lasse was pretty much prepared with her very own bag resting on her lap.

Nina opens the car and gets out, Lasse following along with her. She sees Mr. Roland vanishing behind the SUV, probably walking back into the house…

Saves her from an awkward greet. Nina closes her door, waits for Lasse to do the same, and locks it.