On April 1, in the year 2012, people on the streets watch as a man walks into a flower shop and picks up a solitary rose. He walks over to the check out line and waits patiently until it his turn.
The man puts his money on the counter.
"Will that will be all sir?" asks the friendly sales clerk.
"Yes, that will be all." replies the man.
He walks out of the door holding the rose. He crosses the street, carefully checking to make sure that the way was clear first.
People stare as he goes by, wondering. They whisper to each other, asking themselves, "Why did he only buy one rose?"
One lady wearing fine jewels and a fur coat tells her husband, "I bet that he is going to give the rose to his wife, the cheap man. Probably for their anniversary. Some men just don't know how to spend money on their wives."
Her husband nods as he watches his wife smell the bouquet of flowers he had just bought her. "Lets see where he is going."
The man continues to walk at a quick, steady pace, determined to reach his destination, completely unaware of the people beginning to follow him.
People driving down the street stare and think, "I wonder why he is walking instead of driving in a car. It is terribly old-fashioned to walk in this day and age."
Finally, he turns into Rose Cemetery, a small crowd of people following at a distance, not wanting him to know they were there. They had been following him for a while now, curious to see where he was going to. He seems to already know where he was going, so they watch behind trees and bushes.
He walks up to one of the grave stones and sets the rose down on top of it. He sits down next to it even though he is wearing a suit.
After a moment, a lady wearing a dress that looks slightly worn walks up next to the man and sits down. They talk some, but mostly they just stare at the grave stone. Finally, after almost half an hour, the man and woman stand, hand in hand, and walk away.
As soon as they were out of sight, the people ran out from hiding and up to the grave stone. It read;
Leslie Jade Mason
Daughter of Mark and Diane Mason
Born April 1, 1996
Died April 1, 1996
The men took off their hats and the women bowed their heads in shame. Today, would have been his daughter's 16th birthday.
Good job on the story Summer! It is really intense and sad.
ReplyDeleteJtr
Howdy! I saw that you posted the story at my blog, so I decided to come here to see it in its full glory. :)
ReplyDeleteYour story is moving and beautiful. The way that you keep what is truly going on a mystery until the very end is wonderful. When he entered the cemetary, I assumed that the rose was for his wife, not his lost infant daughter. It is a great twist that adds perhaps makes the tragedy that he has experienced even deeper.
Keep up the great work! Can't wait to delve further into your blog and read more of your work!