The Final Goodbye

The Final Goodbye

   " Rosie darling", her mum called out happily. "Rosie", "Rosie", but there was still no response. Daisy, a single mother rushed upstairs to find her only daughter. She knocked on the door of Rose's room anxiously, hoping to hear the sweet hoarse voice of her Rose but to no avail. Then, she barged into the room. The cool morning breeze from the opened window increased her anxiety. Where could her daughter have run off to on a cold, Wednesday morning. At that point, she needed no prophet to tell her that all was not well. She rushed downstairs, threw her coat on the coat onto the sofa and grabbed her car keys and phone. "Where could she be", Daisy wondered. It was then that she realized how bad a mom she was because she couldn't even think of one place she could find her daughter. Shamefully, she dialed the number of the one person who would know where her Rosie was

     Jasmine grumbled and tossed herself on her bed. Who could be calling her at such an ungodly hour? She picked up the call and sat up as soon as she recognized the voice. "Is Jane at your place?",the caller asked. "No mummy" Jasmine responded. " Do you know where she would be?",the caller enquired. Jasmine hesitated before she finally said, "Yes, she's at Roseville Park". "Roseville Park?", she asked with a lot of trepidation. "Yes", Jasmine responded. With that, the conversation ended. The name had brought back a lot of memories and emotions she had tried to conceal over the years by making herself a very hardworking and successful lady. She started the car and drove hastily but reluctantly to Roseville Park which was two miles from their home. 

    The sun was smiling at the time she got there which was enough to let her see the name of the park engraved on the wooden gate. She smiled at the sight. She got out of the car and opened the gate. The gate swung widely with a little push. The security man was sleeping as always and forgot to say the usual good morning he was required to. "I guess a lot hasn't changed", she thought to herself. The smell of the daffodils, lavenders, lilies and of course, the rose wafted across the park on that early morning. The birds could not help but sing joyfully. Daisy looked around hoping to find her Rosie, and she did. 

Sprawled on the neatly trimmed grass was a teary eyed young child with a story to tell. Standing next to her was a mother with a story of her own. So as the birds chirped noisily from tree to tree, they caught bits and pieces of two beautiful stories from mother and daughter. Rose looked up and hugged the woman she loved so dearly. Tears coursed down their cheeks in that sorrowful embrace. The little bright green butterfly attempted to interrupt the moment but was ignored. Without waiting to be told, Rose wiped her tears and begun her story.

  "Aaron was his name. He was but a poor orphan. He had red hair and bright green eyes. People thought he was queer because of his freckles, but I felt he was the most handsome guy I had ever met. He had a way he used to look into my eyes, like he knew me. He would walk me to school and back everyday, even when he wasn't well. He used to say it was his responsibility to protect me, though I felt I could take care of myself. In less than three months, I felt I liked him so I told him. He brushed it off and told me it was a silly crush. I thought same but when my feelings didn't stop, I knew there was more. On my birthday, he got me a gift. I felt he didn't have to since he could barely make ends meet. He took me to a restaurant and after he brought me to this park. We had a lot of fun listening to the birds chirp as they moved from tree to tree and as the bees hummed from petal to petal. Then he did the most fascinating thing. He started from the flowers at the gate and told me the names of each and when they had been planted. Then he showed me his favourite flower, the white rose. His voice was shaky as he talked about it. It was as if he had some emotional attachment to it. On the twentieth of May 2002, he planted the white rose in memory of the love of his life. I laughed hard and asked him how old he was. He smiled and said he was quite older than I thought. Of course, I told him that was my birthday. He looked intently into my eyes like it was the first time he was seeing me and hugged me. He asked me to wait while he got me my birthday gift. He came back holding a bouquet of flowers and locket with my picture and name inscribed in it. He told me to never lose them because they were from his heart. I was so excited. All of a sudden, he said he had to leave. I thought he was joking. Then I realized he meant it. He told me he loved me more than anything in the world. Then he was gone. I thought he would walk me to school the next day but I never saw him again. I've been coming here ever since but I never see him". With that, Rose ended her story and resumed her sobbing. Tears streamed down Daisy's face uncontrollably as her daughter ended her story. That day, the river of tears in her were overflowing its banks and this time, Daisy didn't stop it.

After a series of tears from mother and daughter, Daisy began her own story." Aaron was your father. I met him in college and we fell in love. Those were the most blissful moments of my life. Every night, we would sneak out and come to this park. It was our favourite place. He would tell me stories of his childhood and how he was saving up money to take care of us in the future. Your grandfather thought he wasn't good enough for me but I loved him. On my birthday, he would bring me here and pick out some flowers for me because he couldn't afford an actual gift. He volunteered to tend the flowers in the park to get some extra cash for his upkeep. That's how he knew so much about this place. We used to go round and count the number of trees and flowers. It was what we did for fun, until I got pregnant with you. I tried to hide it from him because I didn't want him to get upset but he found out. He said it was his responsibility so he was going to work for money to take care of us. Of course, my mom was outraged when she found out about the pregnancy so she sent me off to her sister's place till I gave birth to you. When I came back, I was told not to see him again but my heart was yearning for the father of my child. I started sneaking out at night to see him. His appearance had changed slightly but he still had the kind heart that made me feel safe. The day you were turning a year old, I felt it was time he saw his daughter. On that fateful morning, I sneaked you through the window with me. He was so happy to finally see you so he planted the white rose in memory of you. He also gave me a lot of money to take care of you. I asked him where he got the money but he refused to tell me. He asked me to take care of you and gave me a faint kiss. That was the last day I saw him. Aaron was found dead the next morning. I was heartbroken and he knew it so he decided to pay me a visit recently. I could smell the moist earth everything he came home to visit but last night, I could feel him breathing down my neck. Your father was a good man who stayed true to his word and I'm glad you had the opportunity to meet him. But once again, he didn't leave us without dropping off a gift". Daisy took her daughter over to the car and showed her Aaron's parting gift to the two women he adored, the ownership deed of Roseville Park.