The abandoned apartment was all the way on the far side of town. Either took the bike or walked it between classes. In the cold quiet air or a light mist, it was so easy to sail standing on the bike pedals. Always had to stop by at the cannoli shop. I still say that they were the best that I ever had, especially the chocolate ones. And of course, on the right hand side was an oasis of long stemmed surveilling sun flowers to watch over the pedestrians walking the narrow brick road. They saw it all, and the gossip spread quickly among the eavesdropping petals. Necks craned to hear every joy, every sorrow, and some hushed tones. Penned in their corner they could only, vicariously, through those that hadn’t put down roots yet.
Down the grape vine, they heard of one sad and tragic story. It was about a young bright boy, that was striving to reach the stars. He had ideas and inventions, hopes and trepidation. He was unmoored and his life was cut short. Stem seceded, out stretched leaves wilted, petals silently drifting away. This boy had a large and loving family. They searched and searched, but in the end all they found was the remnants of flowers: daisies, daffodils, roses, and tulips.
The fire alarm sounded off like a drill sergeant tsunami in the damp early dawn. The sophomores in their slump walked into the grass outside the building and chirped about this disturbance to their dreams. And this is when it all came crashing down. A friend of a friend, said that he heard of the demise of his comrade. It happened in an instant, with less warning than the persistent fire alarm, and without any regard of anyone at all. A mere hug, broke down hemmed dam doors. The fear, the anger, the abyss of the loss at hand swept through the body in a violent convulsion. Ripped apart and unshrewn to reveal the layers of pain that had been searching for a way to be heard. Tears irrigating his ripe face, and cowl swallowing the rest. Stumbling down the hill to find ground that could conduct all of this shock. On the third tree, a place to rest the head while the gut wrenched and moans couldn’t be escaped. The legs buckled a long time ago.
He liked the girl and wanted to share a small of piece of himself with her. At first she was reluctant to go with the boy. She didn’t reciprocate his feelings. But, she was kind and wanted to be a supportive friend. He told her it was a surprise, and had to walk a little bit more down hill. Wasn’t too far away, and he thought that she might appreciate it like he did on his daily commute to class. He had been scheming about taking one every time he walked by. They were inside a fence and who was he to take one. No one would know, no one would care. They were a bright spot in his day, and a tiny dream to hold on to. And what a romantic gesture it would be to give it to the girl with almond eyes.
She was certainly curious of where he was taking her, and hesitant about following him. Yet, they found themselves in front of the patch of sunflowers. This was his surprise to her. Perhaps fool hearty and misguided in romantic notions. She didn’t seem as impressed with the golden solar panels. He had already decided that he was going to go for it from the very beginning. Craining over the black metal gate, he got a firm grasp of the spiny and thick sunflower stalk. Ripped in a sideways to motion, until the clear sap was visible and the last fibers splintered away. Fresh and fragile, he handed her the flower.
She liked it, but didn’t love it.
A large man walked out of his apartment building onto the front stoop. Presumably on the way for some errands or perhaps just take in the beauty and aroma of his sunflower garden. He saw the transaction unfold.
The man: “ Why did you take the flower? ,” he asked angrily.
The boy: “ I thought it was beautiful,” he said naively but honestly.
The man: “ If everyone takes one, no one could enjoy the flowers.”