The Lavender Fields

I walk into Benjamin’s room. He’s laying on the bed, his head propped up by pillows, staring blankly at nothing. 

“Hey, Benjamin. It’s me, Penny, remember?” I say, putting my bouquet of lavenders on the table next to his bed.

Benjamin doesn’t respond. I sigh and look around the room. There’s no pictures, no color, nothing for Benjamin to look at. Not that he would look anyway.

I sit down on the bed next to Benjamin. “Do you want to hear a story?” I ask, waiting hopefully. 

No response. Just like every time I’ve visited Benjamin since he’d gotten sick.

I continue anyway:

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Penny. Penny had bright red hair and mischievous green eyes. She lived in a small town, in a small home, surrounded by nothing but forests.

Penny would spend hours in these woods, exploring, watching animals, and trying to build forts. She was always alone.

Until one day, Penny met a boy in the flower meadow, full of lavenders. “What are you doing here?” She demanded. The boy didn’t answer. Penny studied him. He had sandy brown hair, and warm brown eyes. “I said, what are you doing here?”

“I’m Benjamin.” The boy said, ignoring Penny’s question.

“Well, Benjamin.” Penny replied, annoyed. “These are my woods, and nobody else can play in them.”

“How come?” Benjamin said simply.

Penny didn’t have an answer, but she didn’t tell Benjamin that. “Because.” She said instead. “But I’ll let you play if you ask nicely.”

Benjamin played along. “Can I play in your woods?” The boy asked.

“Yes, you may.”

A friendship quickly formed between them, warm and easy.

🪻🪻🪻

Penny and Benjamin spent many hours in the woods, exploring, watching animals, and trying to build forts. They were always together. Benjamin and Penny. Penny and Benjamin. 

“Look!” Penny shouted excitedly to Benjamin as she raced through the forest. 

“What is it?” Benjamin asked breathlessly as he finally caught up to her.

“It’s a dragon castle!” Penny whispered theatrically. The two were staring at a huge, gnarled old tree. If they had stood on opposite sides of the tree and hugged it, their fingertips wouldn’t even have touched.

Benjamin gasped. “Look, there’s his treasure!” He pointed to a cluster of bright red berries, high up in the tree. Penny looked at Benjamin and smirked, and suddenly they were both racing to get to the berries first.

🪻🪻🪻

Benjamin and Penny grew older. Instead of exploring and playing, they would sit and talk, simply enjoying each other’s company.

Benjamin was sitting alone in the lavender field, their special meeting place, when Penny arrived. Benjamin was holding something in his hands. “What do you have?” Penny shouted to him. 

Benjamin smiled and held the object up. “A crown!” He yelled back as Penny walked over. Benjamin had woven the lavenders together into a circle, and he placed it on Penny’s head when she reached him. “For my princess!” 

Penny giggled. “And what does that make you?”

Benjamin adopted a regal expression and made his voice lower. “Your handsome prince!” He replied, puffing out his chest. They both laughed until their stomachs ached.

🪻🪻🪻

Something more than a friendship formed between them, slow and comforting.

Benjamin reached the lavender field to find Penny kneeling on the ground, staring at something in her lap. “Hey, Penny!” He said when he reached her. Penny looked up at him, excitement sparkling in her eyes. “Look!”

Benjamin knelt down next to her. Penny had a tiny nest in her lap, and one of the eggs was slowly breaking. “It’s about to hatch!” Penny whispered. Benjamin watched as a tiny beak emerged, followed by a head, and then a bird. It was tiny and mostly grey, with delicate wings that had darker patches on them. 

“It’s beautiful!” Penny said quietly, her green eyes taking in the bird’s miniscule features.

Benjamin looked at Penny. “Yes, it is.”

🪻🪻🪻

Penny and Benjamin grew older still. Rather than sitting and talking, they would walk and laugh together. 

Benjamin and Penny were walking through Penny’s woods, in the field full of lavenders.

“Remember when we met?” Penny asked suddenly.

Benjamin laughed. “How could I forget? You were very adamant about your woods.”

Penny lightly shoved Benjamin, laughing. Benjamin suddenly stopped walking. “What’s wrong?” Penny asked, concerned. Benjamin grinned at her, and got down on one knee. Penny stood in shook, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.

“Penny, we met in your woods, in this very spot. You let me in your woods, and you let me in your heart. You stayed with me all these years, no matter what. I love you, Penny. Will you marry me?” Benjamin opened the ring box, showing Penny the ring.

“Yes!” Penny shouted, and not waiting for Benjamin, got down on the ground with him. Benjamin delicately put the ring, silver vines with a lavender jewel, on Penny’s finger. Penny leaned forward and kissed Benjamin. “I love you!”

I break off. Tears are running down my face. “I love you,” I say again, trying to continue the story but failing miserably. 

Benjamin will never remember. He will never remember my woods, never remember the lavender field, never remember the dragon’s castle. He will never remember the crown, never remember the bird, never remember the ring. He will never remember the full life we had lived together. Benjamin will never remember me.

I move closer to him on the bed. Benjamin’s breathing is slow, and he still stares blankly at the wall. He hasn’t moved an inch since I came in. I lay my head on his chest, and listen to his heartbeat. Feel his chest move up and down.

“Benjamin.” I whisper hopefully. “Do you remember me?”

Silence stretches, broken only by his heartbeat.

Thump thump. Thump thump. 

Hints of lavender fill the air.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Slowly, I notice Benjamin’s heartbeats coming further and further apart. 

“Benjamin?”

His chest rises up one last time.

“Penny,” he says weakly. “I… love…”