Myshuno! Prompt: Flowers for a loved one (373 words)
The prompt for this story was “Flowers for a loved one,” submitted by hbcirce. This story fits into Already in Progress round about Chapter 18 or 19.
Suitable for all ages, but may perhaps require a tissue. Or then again, it may not.
Dramatis Personae
Jonathan “Jon” Littledragon, widower and former model.
Setting
A quiet, peaceful cemetery on a brilliant fall day. Jon, carrying an assortment of bright Gerbera daisies - yellow, orange, red - approaches a particular tombstone.
JON: Beautiful day, isn’t it? (sits on the ground, a bit stiffly, placing the flowers next to himself, against the stone) It’s been nice all week. It’s supposed to be rainy this weekend, but not yet. (pause) I thought about you today. Timmy gave Sarah Jane a pathos. (quickly) Just a cutting off one of his mother’s plants in an old jelly jar, nothing formal, but it got me remembering. Do you remember the first time I brought you flowers? (chuckles reminiscently) Pink roses. I brought you pink roses, because I thought they were romantic without being too pushy. You sniffed them, so serious, and then you asked me what they meant in the language of flowers. (shakes his head at the memory) I’d never even heard of the language of flowers. We always meant to learn it, but we never did, did we? (pauses, then, thoughtfully) I wonder what Gerber daisies mean in the language of flowers? They always were your favorites. (frowns in contemplation briefly) I think Sarah Jane’s going to marry that boy, Emmy. I don’t think he knows it yet, but she’s made up her mind and there’s nothing he can do about it. (smiles fondly) She gets that from her old man. There wasn’t much of anything you could do once I’d made up my mind, was there? (thoughtful again) He’s younger than her. (hastily, with a guilty glance at the tombstone) Not that there’s anything with that! It’s not a problem per se, but it means she’ll probably go first. And I feel sorry for him being left alone someday. (sighs) Do you know? There’s this one culture where their version of “And they lived happily ever after” is “And they lived to be very old and they died hand-in-hand, in their sleep, at the same time.” (sniffles) That’s what I wish had happened to us, Emmy. (whispers) I miss you so much… (buries his face in his hands for a while, eventually wiping his eyes and standing, leaving the flowers behind) The flowers are for you, Emmy. I love you.
Note
In the language of flowers, pink roses signify different things according to their shade. Daisies in general signify loyal love (among other meanings) and red daisies in particular signify beauty unknown to its possessor. Both meanings are applicable to Jon’s feelings towards Emmy.
Suitable for all ages, but may perhaps require a tissue. Or then again, it may not.
Dramatis Personae
Jonathan “Jon” Littledragon, widower and former model.
Setting
A quiet, peaceful cemetery on a brilliant fall day. Jon, carrying an assortment of bright Gerbera daisies - yellow, orange, red - approaches a particular tombstone.
JON: Beautiful day, isn’t it? (sits on the ground, a bit stiffly, placing the flowers next to himself, against the stone) It’s been nice all week. It’s supposed to be rainy this weekend, but not yet. (pause) I thought about you today. Timmy gave Sarah Jane a pathos. (quickly) Just a cutting off one of his mother’s plants in an old jelly jar, nothing formal, but it got me remembering. Do you remember the first time I brought you flowers? (chuckles reminiscently) Pink roses. I brought you pink roses, because I thought they were romantic without being too pushy. You sniffed them, so serious, and then you asked me what they meant in the language of flowers. (shakes his head at the memory) I’d never even heard of the language of flowers. We always meant to learn it, but we never did, did we? (pauses, then, thoughtfully) I wonder what Gerber daisies mean in the language of flowers? They always were your favorites. (frowns in contemplation briefly) I think Sarah Jane’s going to marry that boy, Emmy. I don’t think he knows it yet, but she’s made up her mind and there’s nothing he can do about it. (smiles fondly) She gets that from her old man. There wasn’t much of anything you could do once I’d made up my mind, was there? (thoughtful again) He’s younger than her. (hastily, with a guilty glance at the tombstone) Not that there’s anything with that! It’s not a problem per se, but it means she’ll probably go first. And I feel sorry for him being left alone someday. (sighs) Do you know? There’s this one culture where their version of “And they lived happily ever after” is “And they lived to be very old and they died hand-in-hand, in their sleep, at the same time.” (sniffles) That’s what I wish had happened to us, Emmy. (whispers) I miss you so much… (buries his face in his hands for a while, eventually wiping his eyes and standing, leaving the flowers behind) The flowers are for you, Emmy. I love you.
Note
In the language of flowers, pink roses signify different things according to their shade. Daisies in general signify loyal love (among other meanings) and red daisies in particular signify beauty unknown to its possessor. Both meanings are applicable to Jon’s feelings towards Emmy.