The Roses

Truthfully, my day couldn’t get any worse. My boss had fired me. My brother had destroyed my apartment. My landlord had called me to scream at me and I was probably out of an apartment. 

Thunder shattered the sky. Oh, well, it probably could get worse. Maybe I shouldn’t jinx myself. 

I bowed my head as the onslaught of sleet and rain unleashed it’s hell upon me. I tucked my hands deeper into my pockets and prayed that I made it to my stop without getting my bones wet.

I was unsuccessful. I collided into a tinny figure and we both went sprawling. My knees hit the wet pavement and soaked me down to my skin. Just great.

“Hey!” I barked out, spinning to confront the little person that had collided with me. Waif blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and paper white skin greeted me. Covered in a huge rain slicker, she barely stood at five foot. The flame died in my chest. She was so small… and in her hands was a single red rose that had been buffeted and broken by the storm. It was kind of sad flower that hung like a limp noodle pulled from spaghetti pot. 

“I’m sorry!” She squeaked. A child that small was hard to be mad at, even with the bad day I’d been having. 

“It’s okay, just watch where you’re going and get out of the rain! Do you have someone with you?” I asked and maneuvered us both under a pizza store awning. 

“I’m going to visit my grandma! She knows I’m coming, I gotta go!” She squeaked once again like an insistent mouse and scurried away. I stared after her, bemused. I nearly forgot all about my lost apartment. 

One week later and the week couldn’t get any worse. I’d lost my apartment. My brother had taken my credit cards. And no one would hire me. And yet, despite all that, I couldn’t get the little waif child out of my head. Going to visit her grandmother in the storms despite all odds.

And here she was again. She didn’t wear a rain slicker this week and this time I saw her skipping down the sidewalk. Her face looked a little paler and her eyes were a little darker, but she had a single red rose in her hand. And this rose was worse than last week’s rose. Petals fell off every third step.

“Hello!” She greeted as she got closer, a wide smile on her face. I blinked. I hadn’t expected her to say anything to me, let alone acknowledge me.

“Hi, visiting your grandma again?” I asked and then winced. God, that sounded creepy. She was probably 12 and I was here pushing 30 asking her what she was doing. I didn’t even know the girl’s name.

“Yep, yep, yep!” She chirped.

“You know, if you want to give her a better flower, my friend owns a flower shop and I could give you a better rose—”

“Oh, no, thank you! My grandma knows I’m coming! I gotta go!” She sang and then skipped away from me. I watched her as she skipped off down the sidewalk. I smiled to myself. The world couldn’t be so bad if this little girl could still smile and skip. I nearly forgot all about my brother’s credit card fraud.

Two weeks passed. I had gotten my old job back because my previous boss had been racist and sexist and had fired a whole group of people. The new management had hired me back with a better paying job. But my brother still found ways to take my money. And I was living with my mom and sleeping on the coach. But my life wasn’t as bad as it had been. 

The air was chillier today. Fall was on its way. I paused to inhale deeply. While my weeks sucked, at least life was getting better. 

“Hello, hello!” The sweet song voice of that little waif. I won’t lie. I had forgotten the little girl existed. Her blonde hair was somewhat shorter and up in pig tails today and her face a little sharper. And she held a single red rose. This time the rose was more alive. The petals still drooped, and the red wasn’t as bright as some of the roses I had seen before but obviously it was better than the last few roses.

“Hello! Your rose is looking better!” I smiled warmly.

“Thank you! I’m visiting my grandma, she knows I’m coming,” she danced away from me, spinning. 

“Be safe!” I called to her.

“I will!” She sang. I grinned. I wonder if she did this every day. I nearly forgot all about the uncomfortable couch I had to return to this evening.

A few days passed and I found myself taking the walking route to work to see the little waif with her infectious positivity. With this new raise, I had managed to score a much better apartment. I was off my mother’s couch and back into my own warm bed. My brother had gone missing with my new credit card information but didn’t seem to be buying anything. Yet. So, life was much better than it was.

And there the little waif was. Her blonde hair now hung at her chin and I could see her cheekbones, but a sun-warm smile lit up her face. She held a single rose in her hands. The flower this time bloomed brighter, but the leaves were a sad shade of green. 

“Hello!” She hummed as she skipped up to me. I smiled warmly at her.

“How are you today? You’re looking a little worse for wear,” I commented and then cringed once again. Such a weird thing to say to a child.

“I’m okay! I’m going to see my grandma! She knows I’m coming,” she lifted the rose to show me. I admired the flower with a nod.

“Your rose is looking much better,” I said thoughtfully.

“Oh yes! I’m very proud of what it is becoming.” I crinkled my nose in confusion. That was weird. A single rose couldn’t become anything. And it was a different rose every week. Maybe she meant the rose bush she plucked the flowers off of. 

“That’s… good!” I encouraged with a confused smile.

“Yes! I gotta go! Bye!” She waved at me and then skipped her way down the sidewalk. I watched after her, only slightly concerned. I could see her cheekbones now and her light blue eyes stood out like a dark saucers. Poor child… I wonder what she was going through at home. Whatever it was, she still managed to have a smile and see her grandmother.

It had been a month since I had taken this walk. I had gotten promoted a few weeks after getting rehired which transferred me to a different building. With the promotion came more projects and more hours. I never had time to myself, but I was flourishing. I lived in my own apartment and my brother finally got help and went to rehab. My life was much better than it had been just three months ago. 

I strolled along, not really looking for anything and noticed an old woman walking my way. She dropped a box onto the pavement and I immediately rushed forward to pick it up for her.

“Oh, thank you, dear, do you like the rose?” Odd question from this old woman. I glanced down at the rectangular box in my hand. There, behind plastic mesh, was a stunning red rose. Cherry red and glowing with health, the flower beamed up at me.

“Yes, ma’am, it is very beautiful. Who is this lovely gift for?” I asked and looked up at her. Her gray hair peeked out from underneath a scarf and her eyes were a pale blue. She gave me a warm smile.

“I’m going to see my granddaughter, she knows I’m coming,” she said with a nostalgic smile. I paused.

“Does your granddaughter happen to be a little blonde-haired girl?” I asked. 

“Once upon a time, yes, she used to bring me roses every day even though she was very sick. She is no longer with us unfortunately. Such a shame to take my poor granddaughter to soon. But she gave me her roses.” I stared at her.

“What… what… I… um, what?”

“Oh, yes,” the old woman examined the rose fondly. “She was always very proud of how they rose – oh, what silly pun – from the brink of death. Always so very proud,” she patted my hand, “I must go now, goodbye.” And with that, the mysterious rose and the mysterious little girl walked out of my life.