R is for Rose – A to Z Challenge April 2015

This is a continuation of “L is for Leaving“.

Nora laid the dried roses into a brown shoebox. The roses were a present from Peter from when they started going out, from when they still lived in the same town. Now months later, with many train hours between Nora and Peter, the roses in this  box, were ready to be moved to Nora’s future home. Peter’s home.

This was goodbye. She had not always called this place “home”, but her love for roses had helped.

Waiting for her taxi, Nora turned around and at the rosebushes in full bloom. She felt tears arriving in her eyes, but smiled. There was no garden at Peter’s house, there were no roses she could tend to there. Not like she had done here.

“Nora!”, she heard someone shout.

“I am glad that you have not left yet!”, the elderly lady from the 3rd floor approached her with an envelope in her thin hands. “Here, this is from all of us, almost the whole street has signed it! We will miss you and your flower keeping talent around here. Just don’t open it right away.”

In the train, wiping the tears out of her eyes, leaving was so hard, Nora opened the envelope. It was a big card depicting a bouquet of roses.

Thank you, for being there for our roses. We hope that you will never forget them, just like us. When you arrive be ready to be surprised.

Peter welcomed her with a kiss and a red rose.

“Let’s go home, a surprise is waiting for you”.

Written by Solveig Werner