Sweet (Potatoes)
Watanabe You was always nervous when Ruby invited her to the Kurosawa house. It was so elegant, at least the non family rooms. The bedrooms upstairs, the music room, and the Kurosawa den were off limits. You was curious, of course, but a controllable amount. And she was never here alone with Chika so curiosity could be resisted. One of her favorite spots was the tea house, where she and Ruby would talk about costumes and idols. Today, was a perfect Autumn day, the wind was softly rustling the golden leaves of the gingko, Ruby had brought out a delicious tea in a beautiful brown pottery set, and the cookies You had made were crisp and warm. Ruby sat across, relaxed and comfortable, smiling at You.
You cleared her throat, “So what’s your favorite thing about Fall, Ru-bester?”
Ruby bit into a cookie.
“Camping.”
“Camping?” Ruby seemed too delicate for camping.
“Yeah. We have a cabin in the mountains. We go there every year.”
“Really. Your moms don’t seem like the camping type either.”
“Either?” Ruby squeaked.
Oops, had You offended Ruby somehow? Quick You, save this. “Dia, Dia seems way too fashionable for dirt.”
Ruby giggled, “Dia and Mama find and hide geocaches. Mom and I bake sweet potatoes in the fire.”
“That sounds amazing.”
Ruby nodded earnestly. “Yeah, it’s fun. I love sweet potatoes. When I was little, we’d always talk about how it might be fun to have a farm. Growing things we love, harvesting and cooking, inventing new recipes, maybe having a restaurant.”
You had this sudden mental picture of Ruby in faded denim overalls, with a pink checked shirt holding a floppy straw hat, standing with a boot on the step of a tractor. It was so cute, Ruby’s red hair glowing in the soft light of autumn sunlight.
“Ooh, I have an idea for a costume. You’ll be so cute.”
Ruby blushed. You heard what she’d said in her head.
“Everybody, everybody would be so cute.”
Ruby giggled again. You wondered if there was now a blush on her own face.