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Inkwell Isle Three was greeted by a surprising event one morning. The sun was shining brightly giving the usual foggy and gray city some warmth and sunshine. The weather suited the mood for one nightshade flower who was climbing up his apartment steps, humming to himself.
Once he got to his apartment, he swung the door open and walked in, head high and smiling.
“Cagney?”
“Nathan!”
A yellow and orange carnation flower stepped out of the kitchen and went over to the nightshade, kissing him on the lips.
“You’re just in time. I made sandwiches.”
“Great! I’m starving!”
When they entered the kitchen, Nathan felt his stomach gurgle with hunger when he saw the plate of sandwiches sitting in the middle of the table.
“Club sandwiches?” He smirked. “You really outdid yourself this time.”
“Well I know it’s your favorite,” Cagney chuckled as they sat down at the table. “So how was work?”
“It was great,” Nathan replied as he took a sandwich. “No actually, better than great! You know how Clem had this huge meeting with the LadyBug Company today?”
Cagney nodded.
“Well for some reason he wasn’t able to do it so I had to meet up with them in his place. I managed to make a deal with them and the company tripled their orders!”
Cagney’s eyes widened in amazement. “Tripled? Wow, Nathan that’s great!”
“I haven’t gotten to the best part yet.” Nathan grinned. “After they made their orders, do you know what they did?”
Cagney thought for a moment. “Did they offer to sign another deal with the Nightshade Company?”
“Even better…they offered me a job promotion!”
“A promotion?!” Cagney felt a wave of joy and pride for his boyfriend. “That’s amazing!”
“That means we might have to move out of Inkwell Isle Three.”
Cagney felt a surge of relief. Finally a chance to leave this city. “Where?”
“Inkwell Isle One.”
Cagney froze at this reveal. “W-what?”
“What’s the matter?” Nathan blinked in confusion. “I thought since it was your old home…you might want to live nearby.”
“Well…” Cagney tapped his leaf fingers against the table. “Let’s just say…I don’t really have a lot of happy memories back there.”
“Oh…”
“But…” The carnation smiled a bit. “Maybe…I can make some new ones with you.”
Nathan smiled and reached over to give his boyfriend a hug. “Thanks Cagney, you’re the best!” After finishing off the last bit of his sandwich, Nathan immediately got up. “I gotta tell Mom about this.”
Cagney flinched at this. “Does she…really need to know about this?”
“Yeah.” Nathan shrugged. “She’s my mom and she did suggest that I should improve myself with the job.”
Cagney’s expression didn’t waver. Nathan’s face softened and he gently stroked Cagney’s petals. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. I mean sure Mom can be…intense at times, but she did help us out at times.”
“I guess so.”
Nathan’s petal hands went down to Cagney’s shoulders and he began to rub the carnation’s shoulders in an attempt to calm him. “It’s going to be fine…we’re going to start a new chapter in our life together. We’ll make it work.”
“I trust you,” Cagney gave a small smile.
Nathan grinned and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
Nathan had left his apartment feeling confident and quite happy with himself, but as he neared the mansion where he grew up all the excitement and happiness faded away leaving nothing but nervousness. The mansion loomed over him like something that was watching his every move, making sure that he didn’t step out of line. Shaking off these feelings of dread, the nightshade tried to bring up the excitement and confidence he felt after receiving the job offer.
A maid answered the door and Nathan was soon led to the parlor where he found his mother sitting on one of the couches and filing through some papers.
“Mom?”
Belladonna Nightshade looked up and immediately placed the papers down when she saw who it was.
“Ah, Nathan!” She stood up and went over to her son, embracing him before leading him to sit on the sofa. “It’s been awhile since you’ve visited.”
“Yeah, I know.” Nathan smiled sheepishly. “I was very busy with the family business and all.”
“Oh?” Belladonna raised a brow. “Does that mean the deal with the Pine Company is taken care of?”
“Yeah after Dad and Clem spoke to them…they wouldn’t dare turn down our offer.”
“Good, good!” Belladonna smirked as she settled down in the armchair across from the couch. “About time they see reason. Was that the only thing you came to tell me?”
“No,” Nathan shook his head. “I’ve got other news.”
Belladonna blinked. “Other news?”
Nathan nodded. “You know how the LadyBug Company was going to meet up with Clem and he couldn’t make it? Well I took his position for the meeting and I managed to convince them to triple their orders!”
“You didn’t lower the price of our nectars, did you?”
“No mom, of course not!”
Belladonna frowned. “If you had kept at it, you could have doubled those triple orders…”
“But…” Nathan closed his mouth. Best to skip an argument. “Well, that’s not all. They were so impressed with me, they offered me a job!”
Nathan grinned as he waited for the excitement to come upon his mother’s face. He waited for the congratulations, the hug, the declaration of pride for him…but Belladonna remained silent and staring at him. It was a couple of minutes before she spoke.
“A new job? Where?”
“It’s near Inkwell Isle One, but it’s just a short train ride away from here. I can visit and everything—”
Nathan stopped when Belladonna made a noise that sounded like a depressed sigh and a sob.
“Oh I knew it!” The female flower gave a soft wail. “I knew I’d be left alone!”
“Mom, I’m not leaving you alone!” Nathan tried to explain. “I’m just—”
“Yes you are!” Belladonna interrupted him. “First you left the family to live in a shabby apartment and now you’re moving to another isle far away from your family!”
“But, I just said it’s—”
“How could you be so selfish, Nathan? Right when the family needs you more than ever!”
“But Mom,” Nathan protested, “you told me that I ought to climb up the ladder of the company and—”
“Did I say anything about moving away?” Belladonna snapped.
“Well no, but—”
“Honestly Nathan, you have always been so self-centered! Never appreciated what your father and I have done for you. We gave you everything and you want to abandon us?”
“Mom, I—”
“At least Clem had the sense to stay here with us! He, Lilly, and even Danny knew better than to go against the family!”
“I-I’m not going against the family, Mom!” Nathan’s voice was rising in desperation. “I just thought—”
“That’s the problem with you!” Belladonna stood up and glared furiously at her son. “Most of your thinking results in disaster and then either your father or I have to clean up after you!”
There was no point in arguing anymore. Nathan fell silent and just stared down at the floor. Eventually Belladonna sat back on the couch, sighing with despair. “Look what you did…you made me into the bad guy.”
Nathan said nothing and kept his eyes staring at the floor. Eventually he felt someone stroking his petals and he stiffened.
“I’m only harsh on you because I love you, Nathan.” Belladonna reassured as she continued on stroking his petals. “I worry about your wellbeing. You’ve never been to Inkwell Isle One before. Who knows what kind of people there are in there? Conmen, scammers, swindlers, the list is long. How would you know which one is an honest businessman or a scammer?”
“Cagney could help…”
“Oh please,” Belladonna snorted. “It’s been years since that carnation left that isle. Change always happens whenever you’ve been away for so long. It’s best to stay where it is safe…with the family. Take a look at your grandfather.”
Nathan slowly turned his head towards the huge portrait that hung above the fireplace of a white Datura plant with a narrow face and dark eyes that seemed to stare down at Nathan, a small narrow mouth twisted in judgement.
Nathan hated looking at the portrait. Even though it was his grandfather, it still unnerved him.
“Your grandfather worked hard in his work to provide us with everything,” Belladonna went on. “When he passed on I had to take on his work and I expect all of you to continue on the family business once your father and I step down. You wouldn’t want to bring all of your grandfather’s hard work crumbling down all because of some silly job offer, do you?”
Nathan looked down at the floor again. “No…I guess not.”
“Good.” Belladonna stopped stroking his petals. “Now that doesn’t mean you won’t climb up in the family business. I will find a job that is more suitable and even better for you. You will thank me later.”
“Okay…”
“Oh and Nathan?”
“Yes?”
Nathan gave a small yelp of pain as his mother gave a sharp yank on his petals, forcing him to look up at her and the glowering look in her eyes made him freeze in terror.
Belladonna’s voice became low and soft.
“Don’t ever think about leaving this Isle.”
Nathan closed his eyes and swallowed. “Yes Mom…”
Belladonna sighed with relief and released his petals. “I do love you Nathan, do you know that?”
“Yeah…yeah I do…”
The sunny weather had disappeared when Nathan returned to his apartment as did his excitement and confidence. Now as he slowly climbed up the stairs, he was feeling a huge weight on his shoulder. A chance at a new opportunity and a new home…gone.
As he thought about it, the more he thought about what his mother told him. Was he really being selfish in moving away from Inkwell Isle? After all, Clem and his father had been very busy with the company and the family business…no thanks to him rarely being there.
Guilt started to claw at Nathan.
Maybe his mother was right. Maybe it would be better to stay close with them and help them out more. He loved his family so he must help them out anyway possible.
Yet despite the determination to help his family, Nathan still felt the weight of disappointment grow heavier and heavier.
He entered his apartment where Cagney was sitting on the couch, writing something on some papers.
The carnation looked up and smiled. “Oh hi Nathan. How was—”
Cagney hesitated when he saw the expression on his boyfriend’s face. The nightshade slowly went over to where the carnation was sitting and stared down at the papers. “What are you writing?”
“Oh,” Cagney held up the papers. “I was just writing some letters to some old friends of mine from Inkwell Isle One. Since we’ll be moving there, I thought I could tell them the news and we can meet up once we get there.”
Nathan merely stared at Cagney and the long pause of silence caused the carnation to squirm uncomfortably.
“So uh…how was your visit?”
Nathan turned and walked into the kitchen. “I declined the job offer.”
“What?” Cagney stood up in disbelief and followed him. “But…why?”
“Well you know,” Nathan shrugged as he opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of gin. “My family has been having trouble with the company and I should help out more…”
Cagney frowned. “But…I thought you wanted that job.”
“Yeah well I changed my mind.”
“But—”
Nathan slammed the refrigerator door closed and turned towards Cagney, glaring at the carnation. “I declined the job, that’s it! What’s done is done, so quit pushing it!”
He turned away from Cagney and opened the cabinet door, searching around for a glass. Once he found one, he started to pour the gin into the glass but once again Cagney had to speak up.
“Nathan, did your mom…had anything with your—”
Cagney jumped in alarm when Nathan slammed the glass down. The nightshade whirled around, taking a threatening step towards him and pointed an accusing finger at him.
“You got a big mouth, you know that? I told you to quit pushing it! So shut up and leave me alone!”
Cagney took a step back, eyes widened with terror. Without another word the carnation left the kitchen and headed towards their bedroom, closing the door shut.
Nathan snorted in disgust as he went over to his armchair and sat down, taking a gulp of the gin. A twinge of guilt pricked his heart but he took another swig of the gin in order to drown it out.
He’ll apologize later.
Outside of the apartment, the sky burst with rain and the clouds darkened right alongside the heart of a nightshade.