AllFreeNovel
Share Us
On Saturday morning, I’m surprised when the SUV turns up at the house. I watch through the window as Angelo and Heidi get out. Then he opens the back door, and my heart skips a beat when the kids jump to the ground.
I go outside to greet them, overcome with excitement. I didn’t expect Angelo to make an effort for me, but when I take in Sophie’s sullen face, I realize the effort isn’t for me but for her.
Angelo and Heidi carry the groceries they brought to the kitchen while the boys kick a new ball around outside. Sophie barely says hello before going to her room. I linger in the lounge, suppressing the urge to go after her in lieu of giving her space.
Angelo exits the kitchen with a dozen red roses arranged in a waterless vase that he puts on the coffee table. “For you.”
I take in the perfect blooms with their burgundy petals. “Me? Why?”
“Don’t you like roses?”
“I love them.” I search his face. “What did I do to deserve such a pretty bouquet?”
“You don’t need to do anything. You always deserve beautiful flowers.”
The statement catches me off guard. The compliment is so out of place that it makes me uncomfortable. Lowering my gaze, I say, “I’ll go put them in water before they wilt.”
“No,” he says quickly, his tone stopping me. “They don’t need water. They’re forever roses. They’re treated with chemicals that prevent them from dying.”
The notion is both miraculous and sad. The idea of transforming them to last forever seems to go against the cycle of nature. There’s profound beauty in impermanence. The short-lived peak of a flower’s blossoming makes it all the more precious. Knowing it doesn’t last makes us appreciate it more. We’re all like flowers, following an inescapable cycle of birth and death.
“I thought it’s a novel idea,” he says. “The petals won’t turn brown and eventually drop off.”
I think about the graveyard and the faded, disintegrating roses on the graves. My heart softens with compassion. “Thank you.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and replies in a quiet voice, “You’re welcome.” A deep line cuts between his eyebrows when he looks toward the stairs.
My chest tightens with concern. “What’s going on?”
He crosses the floor, opens the door, and tilts his head toward the veranda. I go outside and stop in a sunny spot from where I can see the boys playing in the yard. He closes the door and walks to my side.
Tension flows between us, but neither of us mentions the elephant in the room, namely how he walked out with no excuses or regrets after stomping on my dream and denying me the most important opportunity of my life. I stopped trying to fix things that can’t be mended. More importantly, this isn’t about us. This is about Sophie.
We watch the boys for a moment before he speaks.
“Sophie isn’t adapting well at school.”
The news settles like a stone in my stomach. I turn to him. “What happened?”
He stares straight ahead to where Étienne heads the ball. “She latched onto Beatrice again just when I thought she was finally letting go.” He pulls a hand from his pocket and drags it over his mouth. “The teacher reckons I shouldn’t have made her leave the doll at home when she goes to school.” He adds in a wry tone, “Or I should’ve gotten her buy-in for the decision.”
“You made her leave Beatrice behind?” I ask with disbelief. “It’s her coping mechanism, especially when she faces changes, and going to school is a major change. Weaning her off the doll gradually may have been a better approach.”
He chuckles. “The teacher will agree with you. All I seem to do is fuck it up.”
“What about the other kids? How are they treating her?”
“Good.” He braces his forearms on the rail and shoots me a sidelong glance. “The problem seems to be you.”
“Me?”
“She misses you.”
“I miss her too.”
He steeples his fingers. “She insists on moving back here, and it’s not going to happen.”
I swallow a retort. He’s her legal guardian. Sheshouldlive with him. He has the means to protect her and to offer her a good future. What I want doesn’t matter. “Isn’t she happy at your place?”
