Deep Red And Violet Tulips Bloom

:warning: TRIGGER WARNING! :warning: Death and Grieving #WTW

⊱ :rose: ⟿ Rough Draft ⟿ :rose: ⊰

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The imported bulbs sat on the table waiting for me to bury them in the soil prepared for them so they could grow.  I sat there staring at them as they waited to go under the soil leaving me above.  We bought them together as we looked through the catalog online.  They were from a Turkish horticulturist whom we both knew from our trip there two years ago.

We chose colors to symbolize our feelings for each other while adding to the bouquet of our existing garden.  The deep reds and violets would fade into each other when we planted them in the garden representing our love and positions mingling together.  I couldn’t bring myself to take them out of the packaging just yet.

I could feel my eyes tearing up as I looked at the last tulips we planted together just starting to break the soil with green sprouts.  I your explanation of why you wanted to put the white and yellow beside each other.  “Yes, yellow used to mean hopeless love, but now it is more sunshine and cheerful thoughts.  They will go wonderfully next to the calming forgiveness of the white,” you said as we took the bulbs out of their packaging.  “Besides, I’m hopelessly in love with you.”

Those bulbs came from Holland when we vacationed there for our second anniversary.  That vacation was so special for us.  I ed the two of us sitting there working together to plant them.  I think we had as much soil on us we had around the bulbs.  I couldn’t help but laugh and cry with the memories.

I wiped the tears from my eyes before looking back down at the bulbs in the package.  “You wouldn’t want me to cry or to delay it.  I’m almost out of time for these.  They need to be planted before the season is too late,” I said to the empty air around the garden.  I swallowed hard trying to push down my emotions.

“That’s not good for you,” your voice said in reference to my suppressing of my emotions.

I looked around for you knowing you were gone.  It had been your voice.  Yet it couldn’t be you, you’re gone.  You weren’t there, or at least I couldn’t see you if you were.  I took a deep breath before I opened the packaging on the first shade of violet bulbs.  I planted the two rows before I moved to the next set of bulbs.  I managed to plant all of them before the noon meal.

I was standing up from the ground after finishing when Alyson came out yelling “What were you doing?  You know the doctor said you shouldn’t over-exert yourself!”

“I’m not Alyson,” I said answering her as she reached me.  “I just planted some bulbs which needed to be planted before tomorrow.”

“You should have asked for help!”

“Aly, I’m ok.  I needed to do this by myself.  Please understand.  Now, is the meal ready?  Is why you came looking for me?”

I dusted the dirt off my hands against my pant legs as I heard your voice say “You let out some of your emotions and frustration while you worked.  You always have.”

I leaned back some wishing I could feel your chest behind me as your arms encircled me.  I could feel my chest tighten with the thoughts of you again.  I moved my left hand to above my chest feeling the tightness there.  I wasn’t sure if it was grief or my own injuries which made me ache physically, but I knew it was my need for you which made my heartache.

Aly practically leapt to my side to hold me up as she said “Yes it is, and you need to come in out of the heat.  I’ll get you a cool drink with your meal.”

She lead me into the house to our kitchen nook.  Sitting me down with her mothering way, she gave me a towel to clean my hands while she went to get me a cool drink.  She moved around putting my meal on a plate for me.  “You know I can feed myself,” I said protesting a bit after taking a sip of the drink having finished cleaning my hands.

“Yes, I do,” she said as she continued ignoring my protest.  Aly had been there before we met and knew the house and grounds like the back of her hands.  It was as much her home as it was ours.  I still felt ashamed at times with the formality of things.

Giving up on my protest, I looked out on the garden through the window.  Where the new bulbs were newly planted, I could almost see what they would look like when grown.  My tears started before I knew they were there.  Aly sat the food down in front of me.  She stood over me looking at me waiting on me to eat.  She took a clean towel then tried to dry my eyes.

“Your Highness, please don’t cry,” she said as she stood back.  “He wouldn’t have wanted you to.”

I nodded to her as I said “Yes, he wouldn’t want me to.”  Though, I could not stop the tears of heartbreak and loss.

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Spring finished its term with the sprouts of life showing through our garden and the land around us.  The pure love between us symbolized by the deep red and violet as they took over the garden’s carpet.  Summer brought the heat and more blooms which we had set for rotation of the colors of our year in the garden.  By autumn, the trees and vines were baring their fruit for harvest.  While I wanted to go help with the harvest, Aly wasn’t the only one who objected to my participating in the harvest.

It wasn’t hard for them to talk me out of it.  I was having difficulty getting around especially getting up and down.  The day before the first snow I took to my bed.  With the first snowflakes, our son took his first breaths.  I cried as I looked into his eyes as I held him.  He had your eyes and the features of your face.

In the spring with the flowers blooming again, he learned to crawl beside our garden as I picked some for you.  I carried him down with me to the family graveyard to place the flowers in your vase.    Once I set the dark red and violet tulips in place, he reached down to get to them.  I tried to hold him as he squirmed till I knelt next to the stone and vase to introduce you to your son, your namesake, and your heir.

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Word Count = 1120

#EWCWeek20

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Works of fiction have no real people in them.  All written content, unless otherwise indicated, of my posts are my intellectual property thus covered under copyright laws.  Do not use without permission or steal.

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