november 7th, 2018
LITA
AUTUMN IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SEASON IN NEW YORK CITY. Between the decorations in the city, the sweet atmosphere, the colourful foliage. I love the colours of the trees in Central Park and the atmosphere in the city at this time of year. The leaves of the trees change colours and take golden, orange and red shades, and the show is just... sublime!
And of course, we can't forget about Halloween, even though it's over now we have to wait for next year. But with Thanksgiving around the corner, so the city is still buzzing with excitement.
The temperatures are a little cooler today, however I can still comfortably walk the streets of the city and for the first time in a little while I can soak up the New York atmosphere without suffering from the summer heat. That doesn't stop me from hurrying to get to Scarlett, I'm a bit late, and though I know they won't mind, it still laves me feeling uneasy. Nevertheless, this does not discourage me and I hasten to go up and ring the bell indicating my arrival. "Well hello hello Johanssons!" I greet the two blondes as soon as the front door to the apartment flies open to reveal the both of them. Well... to reveal Scarlett, and Rose who appears to be feeling a little shy on this fine day.
"See! I told you she was coming." Scarlett tells her four-year-old who comes out of hiding and crashes into my legs instead of staying hidden away behind her mother. I frown hearing her words of reassurance and Scarlett must've noticed the confusion of my face because she instantly explains to me what happened."Rose was a little bit worried you wouldn't show up when she noticed you were late."
"Oh, I'm so sorry peanut! I just ran into my neighbour as I was leaving my flat, and she just loves to chat." I emphasize, and fortunately it makes her giggle. The small pout and worried look she had on her face are immediately replaced by a small smile gracing her relaxed features.
They let me in while they finish putting their shoes on. I take that opportunity to give them what I brought them as I did not come here empty-handed. I hand Scarlett a bouquet, how surprising. "Mama? Are you going to put them in your special vase?" Rose asks, following her mother in a tow to the kitchen and not wanting to be left alone, I go with them. A bit like a mama duck with her ducklings following in line behind her.
"Yes, I am." She brings out the vase she painted a few weeks ago from the cupboard and handles it delicately. Rose watch as she fills it up with room temperature water, and and I pull out some tools to take care of the flowers to make sure they last as long a possible.
"Lita, what are you doing?" Rose curiously inquires.
"I'm taking care of the flowers, so they last longer. Wanna help?" Unsurprisingly, she nods.
The first thing we do is cut the stems. One of the most common mistakes people make after receiving flowers is forgetting to cut the stems. I use garden shears to trim one to two inches off and cut at an angle. Cutting the stems at an angle allows for better water intake since they aren't sitting flat on the bottom of a vase.
Then I pass them on to Rose and I let her remove any leaves below the water line. It will not only make the bouquet look better, but also prevent bacterial growth. Some flowers, like roses, have guard petals which are the two or three outermost petals of the flower. Removing these will allow the flower to open up fully.
The last thing I do is pour ¼ cup of soda in the room temperature water before adding in the flowers. The sugar in soda makes your blooms last longer and even smelling sweeter too. A magician is not supposed to reveal its secrets but for Scarlett and Rose, I'll make an exception I guess.
I have one last little thing for Rose as today I'm not only here for Scarlett, but also for her. I pull out a small box from her my bag, handing it over to her. "And for my favourite Johansson... Tadaaaa!"
Rose tears open the wrapping paper and squeals in delight when she sees the little wooden jewellery box that is now in her hands. I found it in an antique shop for less than $5. The little painted details, the felt red interior and the golden scrap convinced me to buy, and five minutes after promising myself not to purchase anything, I came out with this in my hands. I spent an entire afternoon thoroughly cleaning it, knowing it'd make a perfect gift for Rose as she always snoops around her mother's jewellery box. Now she has one of her own.
"What do we say sweetheart?" Scarlett pushes her daughter who's a bit too stunned to think or speak, apparently. Though, her reverie passes quickly, and excitement takes over.
"THANK YOU I LOVE IT." She runs out to her room, telling us how she's going to take good care of it and keep it on the bedside table with the rest of her favourite things.
For the first time, Scarlett and I are finally alone. We don't waste any more before leaning in for a kiss. Even though Rose knows, we decided to keep the PDA to a minimum until we're all a bit more comfortable.
"You didn't have to get her something. You're already spoiling her on a daily basis." Scarlett playfully scolds me but I shrug it off. I'll buy Rose anything she wants if that means I get to be on her good side, within reason, and we both know this.
Besides, today is a special day.
"Of course I had to! I'm taking both of my girls on a date, so I had to go all out!" I reason.
Rose comes back with her shoes on this time, but they appeared to be on the wrong feet. It takes a lot of convincing from Scarlett and I to reassure her that it is all okay, we all make mistakes like this and she isn't dumb. She's still learning. "It happens to me too sometimes when I don't pay attention." I eventually say to the sniffling child.
"It does?"
"Yeah! And I'm not dumb, am I?" She shakes her head quickly, almost as if she was taking too long I would be hurt.
We end up ready to go, finally. Shoes are on, last visits to the bathroom before leaving, coats are zipped u– "Rosie, your coat."
Scarlett holds out the pretty pink coat to Rose, who is not having it one bit. "But my outfit!" She whines, stomping her foot.
"Coat. Now." Scarlett holds it open to make it easier for Rose to put it on. The girl begrudgingly slips her arms through the sleeves and watches her mother with a scowl on her face as Scarlett buttons it close to keep her warm enough.
Scarlett slams the door shut behind us before locking it, and we walk behind Rose towards the exit of the building. "I didn't know you had a teenager." I tease with a small smile.
"Ha ha, you're so funny."
"I know, that's my secret talent that made you fall in love with me." She feigns annoyance with an eye roll but the subtle blush apparent on her cheeks and the cheeky smile on her face betrays her almost immediately.
We make it to the busy streets of the city. People are rushing to get back to work from their lunch break, and by fear of losing the small child in between us to the large crowd of passer bys, Scarlett and I opted to hold both her hands. They let me guide them blindly through the streets, but not without Scarlett pestering me every five minutes to ask me where we're going every time to turn a corner. "Ask Lita where we're going. Because she won't tell me, but maybe she'll tell you!" She demands, not so quietly, to the four-year-old who just does as she's told.
"Litaaaaaa?"
"Yes Rooooooose?" I mirror.
"Where are we going?" She voices for Scarlett. She looks up at me with those big doe eyes and her pouty lip, but I won't fall for it. Not this time, I can't. Dates are always a surprise and Rose joining us is not a good enough reason to break this little tradition I have.
"That's a surprise peanut." I tell her, booping her nose which makes her break a smile. I can hear Scarlett huffing and whine about the fact that she wants to know.
"You're basically kidnapping us." Says the woman who planned an entire weekend away to the mountains without ever telling me where we were going.
"Too bad because I won't tell you."
"Ugh Lita..." Scarlett whines like a petulant child. She drops Rose's hand to cross her arms in front of her chest like she wants to prove a point or something by refusing to follow us further.
Rose and I just giggle at her antics, and I take her hand in mine because it seems like she doesn't want to walk, and I have to drag her everywhere like a real toddler. At least, Rose is having the time of her laugh, laughing her head off. I suspect that's why Scarlett is acting like this, because just like her, I'm starting to realize I'd do almost anything to make this child laugh.
We manage to reach our destination in time somehow. I usher them inside, leaving them a moment to realize we're going bowling.
We get the shoes, and walk over to our lane. Rose is excited to start, explaining to me that she's never been bowling before, but she's seen it on her uncle's Wii Sport.
Scarlett goes first, and turns out she's not too bad, so this is going to be good once we'll start to get competitive. Then it's Rose's turns. We made sure to have bowling bumpers and a ramp available just in case. She lifts a lightweight bowl and after a bit of guidance from both me and Scarlett, she's able to hold it properly.
For her first time playing, she's doing quite good and already knocked off a couple of pins.
And then comes my turn. I decide to take my time to start the game well and ensure the victory. Scarlett didn't strike, but I intend to. I align my feet slightly on the left side of the lane and try to visualize the steps I will take in the lane when I throw the ball.
I keep my arm completely straight during the throw and slightly rotate the ball when it leaves my hand. We watch as it takes down all 10 pins. I cheer, Rose's eyes widen and Scarlett's just gasps.
It's on.
We both do our best, but as competitive as we are, in the end we let Rose win for her first time. Next time however, we won't be so kind. "What now?" Scarlett asks me as she helps Rose put her outside shoes back on. She is too excited about winning, she can't focus on anything else. It's like she's high on sugar, just without the sugar. Now I wonder how Scarlett dealt with the massive sugar rush she must've had on Halloween with all the candy the kids ate that day.
"The park?" I suggest taking in consideration that we have Rose with us. I'd suggest going on a walk around the neighbourhood, but I know she'd be bored and tired, dragging her feet and throwing tantrums.
Hearing the word 'park' Rose jumps up from Scarlett's lap and starts to run towards the exit and I manage to catch her arm. "Lita, it's time to play—let's go!" She tries to pull me and Scarlett along with her, but we were holding her in place, causing her body to freeze.
"Now, now little lady, not so fast." Scarlett and I gently scold as she was about to run out the door and in the street. After a little reminder that what she did was dangerous, we grab her hands and walk to the closest park we find.
Rose immediately heads to the sandbox and Scarlett and I find a quiet bench to sit on. The sun is shining on our faces, but it's still cool outside, so we're not suffocating. From our spot, we can easily see Rose play whether she decides to stay in the sandbox or she decides to play on the swings or on the slide.
At about 4:30, we decide to head home so the girls can start making dinner. They are planning to do "make your own pizza" night and I don't know if Rose is more excited about making the pizza or eating the pizza. Unfortunately, it seems like today tired her out and Rose falls asleep in my arms after demanding to be carried home. I take off her shoes and coat before laying her on her bed, then I head out to kiss Scarlett goodbye. Today ended up being a blast.
As soon as I get home, I have Erin on the phone asking me for details and threatening me that if I don't give out anything, she'll come over with takeaway food and hold me hostage until I tell her something. I choose the second option... I mean, who would turn down free food?!
AUTHORS NOTE
helloooo
alexis updating on time?!what on earth is happening
enjoy though, because im going back to uni fully tomorrow so idk how much time i'll have left to write
hope you enjoyed
have a good morning/afternoon/evening or night
alexis
+ another one of my Letterboxd review nobody asked for