Weighted Diamond, pt. 3

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We're going to the pharmacy today,
There's medicine but we don't care,
We're going to the pharmacy today,
We're going to the So - Da - Jerk!

There's lots of bubbles in the root beer float,
We have a great big foamy mustache,
When we go - down - to - the pharmacy,
Waiting patiently for the - So - Da - Jerk!

Some like cof - fee, some like tea,
Some like lem - on wa - ter but not me!
There is on - ly one thing I crave most - ly!
I want a root beer float, oh - oh - oh - please!

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Your morning started much the same as yesterday. You woke up fifteen minutes earlier. Hauling the unfiltered letters in the den, you went through them, finding nothing scary like a big envelope to worry Lady Miesha.

You still had a third of the letters to go through when the Lord-Regent arrived. It was only lunch time.

Your god-parents had a 'conversation'.

"I have a lot of shopping to do, and I can't be late."

"You'll take her next week, I'm sure," the Lady responded.

"I wanted to treat her. If she's staying up tonight, she can finish going through these letters when she returns."

"I suppose. Say hello for me, to those you meet."

"Of course, lovey," he said. "Hurry up Daffodil! Your coat is in the closet."

You knew he meant you by the flower name, and went to get your coat, from the closet you never opened before.

This was a new coat, a rain jacket really, silver with purple frills.

You followed the Lord outside for the first time since you got to the house. The flowers were still the nice kind of smelly. Without thinking about it, you instinctively followed behind the Lord.

"We'll walk today and get a hansom back, so I can show you the town. Our neighbors are good people to know."

 They walked down the middle of the road. There were a few people arriving home for lunch, but otherwise the street was empty.

"Our next door neighbors here are Doctor and Practitioner Gilliam. The Doctor is a Traveling Physician, and Lady Gilliam is a Nurse Practitioner and the Doc's perfect assist-woman. And on the other side of the road, that house with all of the gears and gadgets neatly tied out, that's the house of our neighborhood bachelor, or I should say fiancé. He's getting the house ready for his future wife. Mr. Goff is an expert mechanical engineer, and he specializes in repairing and making bicycles. Those are his creations outside."

You looked, seeing the rustic house still in need of cleanup and repair, but with the nice polished bicycles, but then your eyes flickered to the next house across the street.

"That's ol' Huber's residence. Professor Huber was a geology professor in the old city before he retired to Ellsworth. His wife still keeps some of the town's most cherished recipes, which she introduced to Ellsworth when they moved here. The Professor, in his retirement, finds time to be a bit of a books expert. If anyone has an old book, he can cipher it, and determine its value and meaning in our time."

The Professor's house didn't look especially great, being run down, but  there was a strange smell which was fascinating, which seemed to be coming from somewhere around the house.

Maple street crossed main, and you followed your God-father, turning left and keeping to the left side of the road, as a horse rider passed by.

The Lord Regent tipped his brown hat at the man passing.

"Lord Flowers," the rider said quickly, as he trotted by.

Before the pharmacist, which you could see in the distance, on the right side of the road, there was the general store, and the post office. 

On the right side, your God-father's storefront, and the larger greenhouse which loomed in the plot of land beyond the road. There were some other stores after your god-fathers', but you didn't see them, as you had locked on to the pharmacy on approach.

But first, there were people to talk to.

"Good morning, Lord Flowers," said a lady in her early twenties. 

"Milady, good to see you," Lord Regent (Flowers) said, nodding his head at her.

"You'll be opening up firstday morning?" she asked.

"Always, of course," he said.

He watched, looking for horse or hansom, and seeing none moving quickly, he crossed to the other side of the street, holding your hand tightly. The sidewalk was nearly full! There were four people there.

"Lord Flowers," said one man.

"Milord," said an older lady.

"Ned," said a neatly dressed man, wearing a grey coat and tie.

Your lord-regent responded to each of them. "Lord Iron, good to see you," and "Milady" and "Calvin".

'Calvin' was the only one who stopped and spoke to them. 

"I see you've brought the young lady with you to the pharmacy."

As you knew you were supposed to, you let your god-father answer in your stead.

"It's her first trip into town. A nice treat for her. I was worried for Deanne at first, but now the young miss is already marking her own path, and this time, it fits very nicely into my Deanne's own pursuits."

"Well good, good. One of these weeks, we'll have to have the family over."

"Deanne and I would like that, once we get settled in with our god-daughter."

"Good good, well I will be on my way."

'Calvin' was headed in the opposite direction, but you couldn't help but be bored by anything but the pharmacy in the moment, so you were giddy, maybe more than you ought to be, as you entered.

There was a long bar with a soda jerk, wearing his white shirt with red stripes, standing behind it. 

Two younger men were sitting at the bar drinking shakes, but you wanted the root beer float. 

The kids in school couldn't help but talk about trips to the pharmacy, that's what they all wanted when they got their god-parents. You weren't much different, even though you had bigger dreams too.

You repeated your God-father's words: "It's good to see you Mr. Jerk."

"It's good to see you too. Is there any medicinals your Lordship needs to get? I would be happy to keep the young lady company while you attend to your business."

"Thank you, Mr. Jerk. I really appreciate it. There's no better Jerk in all the River valley," your god-father said.

"Aww, geeze, thanks Mr. H. --coughs-- anyway, Lord Regent, I will take your order for the soda counter if you'd like."

Lord Flowers smiled, saying, "I'll have the butterscotch sundae, and the young lady will have a root beer float."

Then your god-father wandered over to that tall counter in the other half of the building.

"A 'scotch and a classic, excellent."

You wondered what it was like to be a Soda jerk. It seemed wonderful, but maybe you would get a stomach ache to be around the sweet stuff all day long.

You sat on one of the bar stools, fading away into a dream land of butterscotch trees and root beer lakes. Ice cream hills and cherry peaks.

What would it be like to live in a land like this,
Of vanilla and butterscotch and all kinds of pop,
Every day you swim in a lake of fizzy root beer,
Every day you sleep away on a bed of ice cream,

You were knocked out of your reverie by the Soda Jerk's words.

"Here you go miss," the Jerk told you, sliding the root beer float over in a big frosted mug.

You took quick sips of the foamy root beer to stop it from overflowing. Your thoughts wandered away again.

Swim-ming in a land full of lic-orice and pepper-mint,
Fizz pop the root beer goes until I float away,
Bubblegum and cherry candy and sweet bread,
Every day you sleep away on a bed of ice cream.

 
 You were shocked at your float. It was half-gone.

"Woah, slow down there sweetie, you'll freeze your head," said your god-father.

You decided to take a break, swooning a bit. The freeze-head flew away after a minute or two.

"Try this butterscotch," your god-father said, and you took a fresh spoon from the Soda jerk, taking a small bite of butterscotch topping, ice cream and banana.

It was wonderful, but you were already feeling a little overwhelmed. Hard to appreciate it all.

"Maybe we should have split," the Lord Regent said.

You swooned, your head was fuzzy as you stood up. You stumbled, collapsing to the ground. Why were you so clumsy all of a sudden. You blacked out, and the next thing you knew, you were laying in bed.

````

 "I thought there was no family history, Doc?"

"Her mother's side had a small susceptibility. We don't have the equipment to know anymore."

"Ruthenian," said the Lord Regent.

"Mother's Father's side. Leblanc was her mother's mother's side."

"I think she's waking, Lord Doctor, Lord Regent," said a woman's voice.

"Tabatha, can you hear me?" said your God-father.

You blinked a few times, then opened your eyes.

"I can hear," you mumbled.

"She's recovering. But, Ned, I only have so much supply. You need to keep her on a careful diet. And no more trips to the pharmacy."

You didn't want to wake up anymore. No trips to the pharmacy? You could have fought to stay awake, but you drifted off in sadness instead.