The Prince and the Plant Whisperer

Walk Back

He shrugs. "I'll just get some back at the dining hall."

Right then, from a distance, a thin figure waves toward them, and shouts:

"Greetings, my fair Lord!"

It's Barry, addressing Kai from across the lawn. His oversized shirt, huge on his wiry frame, flaps in the morning breeze. He looks like a scarecrow.

A few students glance over.

But Kai, being the big dork that she is, just grins at Barry's jokey, Dungeons-and-Dragons-style salute. He's been doing that ever since "Egg-pocalypse." And long ago, Kai decided that if anyone's in her inner circle, she'll never, ever be embarrassed by them. Barry was the second friend she'd made in college. A friend she'll have for life.

"You off to architecture?" Kai asks.

"Yep! Lunch later—with Lilly too?" As she nods, he gives a thumbs up and continues on his way.

"Is that your friend?" asks Lukas, coolly.

"Yeah," Kai says, "'Barry. He's taking medieval architecture." Then she continues: "I think it's so that he can build a castle for massive role-playing games someday."

Suddenly, she wonders what Lukas thinks of all this.

Did I just explain to Lukas that one of my closest friends's life goal is to host massive fantasy multiplayer games?

It's surreal.

I'm telling the campus heartthrob about my friend's deeply dorky goals.

And then she decides, Whatever—If Lukas is an elitist snob, that's his problem.

Meanwhile, Lukas just says: "Your friend—he has a brother I met the other day."

So Lukas knows Tom Levay.

Ugh. Right. That dinner invite from Tom—she owes him a reply. But, now that they're all going to that awful dance together: Does that mean she's off the hook, dinner-wise?

She suddenly catches Lukas watching at her with a curious expression. As if he's taking stock of all the reactions parading across her face.

"Do you know Tom well?" Lukas asks.

"No," responds Kai. "I've met him a twice and he, erm... He seems very, um, different from Barry."

Lukas smiles to himself: an unexplained smile. But he says nothing.

So Kai changes the subject. "You said you were picking up ramen? At the post office?"

Looking sidelong at her, Lukas lets his small smile grow into a broad grin. He adjusts his shirt-sleeves. "I can't survive on American cafeteria food. My MSG addiction? My chili pepper addiction?"

His face turns mournful, serious: "Without enough umami... I will die."

They're suddenly laughing together.

Then Lukas asks: "How about you? What did you get—back at the post office?"

Glancing at her big box on his bike, she reflects for a moment. She feels sure that Lukas isn't the sort to rat anyone out.

But still, you can't be too careful.

And her weird scheme to set up a greenhouse on the roof? 

Well, her plan surely breaks every rule in the campus rule book.

After all, she'll have to do all sorts of questionable things. She'll be hauling gallons of water up to the roof. Bags of dirt. Worm casings and fish bones, as plant nutrients. She'll soon be mixing fertilizer with the proper ratios of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus for each plant. Plus, mixing sh*t with nitrogen—well, that's also how explosives get made too, no?

Also, if any of her plants developed spider-mite infestations, or mealybugs, or anything—

She might have to bring spiders and other predators up there, to control pests.

Really, Kai! Are you TRYING to get expelled?

She's got no doubt: school administrators will shut her plan down, the second they catch wind of it.

So for now, she just says, "It's just a gardening thing."

Lukas lets her answer be. But then he asks, "What's in the other package?"

"Just a dress."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

~~~~~~~~~~~~