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Samira glances over at Victoria, whose face is screwed up in concentration, her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth as she focuses on scraping out the guts of the pumpkin. It's very cute. She can't stop her lips twitching up in a smile. Samira sighs and refocuses on her own pumpkin. She's scraped out most of what she thinks she should, but it's hard to know for sure. She watches the YouTube video they've pulled up for the occasion again, and goes back in to get some more pumpkin guts.
Samira looks back at the carving book. At this rate, they'll never get to the carving itself, which looks complicated, too. She can perform lifesaving procedures without batting an eye, but for some reason, trying to carve a pumpkin is stressful. She's been more relaxed in a trauma room with mangled limbs and open wounds.
The smell of the open pumpkin is unpleasant. Samira's not sure why she expected this to be a cozy, sweet-smelling experience, but it definitely isn't. It's actually extremely gross. It's nothing on the blood and gore they both see daily at the hospital, of course, but it's still unpleasant. Samira wrinkles her nose and sighs as she digs back in. It's unnervingly quiet, despite the Halloween playlist Victoria found for the occasion playing in the background.
Victoria puts the scraper down and flops into her seat. "Maybe our parents were right not to participate in these silly traditions. I didn't realize how much work carving a pumpkin is, and I haven't even started the actual carving."
Samira blows out a breath. "I know! Why do people find this fun?" She looks at their hands, covered in pumpkin, then at the pumpkins themselves, then at the carving kits they'd picked up with the pumpkins in the grocery store. "I'm not really having a good time doing this. Maybe if I had done this as a kid, but right now it's just miserable."
Victoria nods. "I'm not having a good time either. I really thought I would! But this isn't very fun." She chews her lip for moment. "Do you want to maybe watch a Halloween movie instead? Get in the holiday mood that way?"
"Yeah, that sounds so much better," Samira answers. "We could watch some of The Addams Family, maybe. I used to watch reruns on television as a kid during October and it always made it feel like Halloween."
Victoria pulls out her phone, googling where to find it. "Oh look, there was an animated movie made in 2019, do you want to try that out?" Victoria extends her phone up Samira to take a look at what she's found.
Samira skims the page and sighs. "I can already tell that it won't be as good, but sure, we can watch it." She turns away from the phone and turns the water on to wash her hands.
Victoria rolls her eyes. "I'm sorry that I'm not secretly 50 like you apparently are," she says with a snort.
"Hey!" Samira says, "the classics are classic for reason!"
"Of course, Grandma Samira. You'll fit right in at the nursing home." Victoria giggles madly.
"Tori!" Samira hits her with the towel she was drying her hands with, before also collapsing in a fit of giggles. "Sure, let's watch this new attempt at a classic. Maybe then I can show you the true Addams Family and you'll understand."
Victoria rolls her eyes, but leans up and peppers kisses all over Samira's face. "I love you, you know."
Samira's eyes crinkle with her smile. "I know. I love you too." She holds Victoria still and gives her a real kiss, then taps her shoulder. "Let's give this monstrosity a watch, yeah? Get it all set up in the living room and I'll clean up all this." Samira gestures at the table.
"On it!" Victoria gives her one more peck before heading out. Samira smiles and huffs out a laugh as she watches her girlfriend leave the kitchen. Then she turns to face the mess and sighs.
"Well, we can't both be good at everything."