The Bouquet

Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Memoriam, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Photo prompt © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

 

He’d always forget the flowers.

Birthdays. Anniversaries. Valentine’s Day. Births of children.

It’s not that he didn’t love her. She knew he did. He showed it in how he always cleared ice off her wind-shield. In how he took the garbage out and did dishes she’d left in the sink for the morning. In how he put the toilet paper ‘over’ even though he preferred it ‘under.’

But he always forgot the flowers.

The day of the biopsy results he came home with a gilded bouquet.

“These won’t wilt,” he said. “You’ll see them and not forget me.”

 

 

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers

 

54 thoughts on “The Bouquet”

    • Yep … not a poem … and yep … this one’s short (the Friday Fictioneers challenge is fab for keeping us all concise … which is especially good for writers/poets/verbose persons like me … who tend to go longish if not told to go shortish …) 😉
      As for the breath part — I take that as a compliment … but … please continue breathing …
      Thanks for the comment!
      🙂
      Na’ama

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      • 🙂 Glad to hear you are still breathing! Whew! Can you imagine the guilt (and I’m Jewish, so it comes built-in as it is …) if you hadn’t … 😉
        Jokes aside … I agree that sometimes less words can carry more emotions. While I do enjoy painting the more elaborate aspects of scenes and dialogue (none of my three full length novels are particularly short … ;)), I find it good practice to distill my vision of a story, scene, or character in brief vignettes like these, as well.
        Language is fabulous.
        And … thank you again for the compliment! 🙂

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  8. Your story is beautiful and poignant. I love your choice of everyday actions that show he really does love his wife dearly. As Gabi says, though, his wife may find flowers too upsetting to give her pleasure when they are so strongly associated with her loss of him.

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  9. This could be written about Terry and me. He never thinks of flowers, but he takes such good care of me in more practical ways, and I think I’m really rather spoiled 🙂 Lovely story, even though the ending is sad.

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  13. There are many touching stories this week. I believe the everyday little things are the most important in a relationship. I think we all want to remember a loved one in a way that honors their life. Perhaps, she grow to love this last bouquet. I loved the title, Na’ama. It’s fitting.
    Isadora 😎

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    • I think she knows … and I think that they both waited for the biopsy results and his gilded bouquet on the day the results came in was his way to help, perhaps, both of them process the reality of what it meant. …
      What do you think?

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      • At least I certainly hope she knows! … Sounds like their relationships was a very loving one, and that they’d share the process …
        Great comment, though. Because the very fact the question rose in you means that the possibility remains that even in such a relationship there could be secrets kept, even under the false perception of ‘protective love’ or ‘not wanting to worry.’
        Personally, I’m for transparency. Together through the good times. Together through the bad times. Eh?

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