I am at the bus station. I stare at my phone. Its been already an hour. Elora hasn't texted me back yet. I was looking for a part time job. A while ago, the director called me and ensured my job.
I get into the bus and take a window seat. I take out my phone to see whether she texted or not.
Nope. Not yet.
My phone buzzes up. Charlie called me.
- Bro, you left your poetry book.
- Oh! I'm already in the bus. I'll take it from you tomorrow.
- Where are you going now though? You seemed to be in a rush.
- I got a part time job at Paleo Blossom. Its a flower shop you know.
- Oh good luck!
- Did you guys reached home already?
- Yeah. I just dropped my girlfriend home and reached mine.
- Alright. Take rest then. I'm at the flower shop.
- Yeah. See you.
I hang up the call. I get down from the bus and walk towards the shop. Its quite huge though and the place it quite good too. I can smell different flowers even from outside. I step inside and someone grabs me by the shoulder. The guy is wearing a sweatshirt three sizes too big and faded, baggy jeans.
"How you doing, bro?" he asks walking me towards the counter.
He seems friendly. "I'm good. How about you?" I ask him back.
"Amazing!", he laughs. "You'll be sitting in the counter. And those two guys will be showing around the flowers to the customers". He says pointing other two guys, and they wave me hello.
He points me to stand here while he goes inside the room at the back of counter. After a while, he pops out his head and says, "come on in". I walk inside and he close the door behind me. There is someone else in the room with us. Its a man. Maybe he is the owner of this shop. "When will you start your work?"
Well he seems strict. Without any introduction he jumped into works. I take out my phone to see the time. Its 4:36. I look up to speak but the man interrupts me and says, "There is a clock above your head." I look up behind me and see the clock. He said that as though I knew that there's a clock above my head from before. Okay he is strict. "I'll start from now if you want", I say smiling at him but he nods ignoring my smile.
"Okay so lets get you to work", the guy again grabs my shoulder and takes me out of the room. "Don't mind that man. He is kinda like that."
"He's someone of yours?" I ask him while following his steps.
He turns around and stand in front of me. "He is my friend's father. Before you he was working here. He loves his girlfriend a lot but his dad is against them. Finding no other way he got married and went away with the girl. So he was in search of someone to take care of the shop".
"He didn't search for his son?". I'm just curious.
"No, bro. That man is clearly heartless". He hands me over clothes. "Wear this. Its for working hours. And yes don't worry at all about him. He will pay you well if you do your work properly. And this is the first and last time you meet him. He doesn't like people".
I stare at him for a while and say, "Oh".
The lack of emotions in my 'oh' causes him to laugh. "Don't worry about the money either. He hands me over the money. So yeah I'll be paying you. And yeah actually I got other passion so I really don't have time for this. But I don't think he even gives a thought about me working here", he laughs.
No wonder he doesn't wok here even though it's his friend's father shop. I wonder what passion he was talking about. "Yo bro, I meet a lot of people everyday and get a feeling about them. I got one towards you too. And I wanna say that I trust you okay. Now I gotta go."
Of course I can't break someone's trust. And of course someone like him. I get a feeling too that is we will be staying together for a long time. "Sure thing, bro" I smile and nod. Oh I forgot! "By the way, what's your name?" I yell.
He stops by the entrance and bend backwards. "Its Jason. And I know yours", he winks and disappears.
He is a nice guy. It hard to find nice people nowadays. We've got a long way ahead, Jason.
I've been sitting here for more than two hours now. In the last two hours 18 customers came of which 15 people bought flowers. Some bought for their love ones, some did for their mothers, some did for their own and some did for mourning over someone's death. When people were entering the shop, I could see a glow in their faces. Flowers does make people happy, huh? But not every time. Those who where to attend someone's funeral, were buying flowers too. But that didn't made them happy rather they seemed sad; they were buying flowers not cause they want to but they had to. Not to give it to someone who's alive and will be smiling but someone who is dead and won't even know they received flowers. I was wondering maybe I looked like them when I bought flowers for my dad. But there's a difference in this case. I didn't attend my dad's funeral. So I talked with the three customers who bought flowers to attend a funeral and made sure that they do attend. I know how it felt to not be in his funeral. To not prepare an eulogy and to not send him the flowers I bought. My thoughts get distracted by the entrance of two people who looked familiar to me. I tilt my head to the right side to see them properly.
Wait! That's Elora and she's with... Patrick? I immediately sit up straight, not knowing what to do. I watch her walking beside him. I hear her laugh every time he whisper something to her. I call out the guy in front me. "Sit here for now. Let me know when they leave, okay?"
He nods.
I scoot out of the counter and head to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I press my back to the door and close my eyes, letting out a deep, pent-up sigh. Damn I hate it. Damn I hate her being with him. Damn them for making me jealous. Damn him for showing up in between us out of nowhere. I wash my hands no less than ten times. I squirt more soap into my hands and wash them for the eleventh time, then work up the nerve to finally exit the bathroom and take a step towards the counter. I don't see them so I ask the guy about them.
"They left a while ago with a bouquet. The girl said she loves it when someone buys her flower", he says with smile.
I bend over and put my hands on my knees, inhaling through my nose and out my mouth, over and over. I would've smiled too only if Patrick hadn't bought flower for my girl.
I walk by the side of lake. Sitting at one place for almost five hours can be tiring too. I look up at the sky. The stars are brilliant at this time of night. I notice Elora sitting at a park bench two blocks from her apartment. She's seated alone with books laid out in front of her on a picnic table. I walk up behind her with my hands tucked inside the pockets of my jeans. My dark hair is unkempt and hangs down my forehead, swooping into my eyes. "Hey". I pause a few feet from her, waiting for her to give me permission to approach her. "Hey", she replies.
I walk to the picnic table and swing my leg over the bench and straddle it. I'm facing her with my hands still in my pockets. She stare down at her textbooks.
"I was just walking by. Saw you sitting here, thought I'd check on you. How are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm glad you're here. And I'm sorry I couldn't text you", she smiles apologetically.
"Its okay", I nod.
She doesn't look fine to me though. "Are you really fine?"
She forces a smile and nods.
I stand up and take a sit beside her. "Something's bothering you. Tell me."
She glances up at me. "I don't know I'm just missing my mother." She sighs. "Today Patrick told me that my mother is alive and he may have found out where she lives. But when we went there. I saw an old man. That was a wrong address."
"You two were searching for her together?"
She nods again and places her head over my shoulder. I don't know what the hell is Patrick planning to do with her. But whatever he is doing, if that hurts her, I'll surely make his life a living hell.
I hold her hand. "Don't worry. I will find her for you." I place a soft kiss over her forehead. "We will find her together, okay?" My chin tenses up, and heart clenches knowing that her mother isn't her mother anymore.
"Yes. I love you, Edmund", she smiles.
"I love you too, baby." I stare at the table. "What are you reading?"
"I have exam the day after tomorrow. And Ava is busy partying with her friends so..."
"If you want you can study at my house". Then I realize something. My eyes widens and I shake my hands in the air. "I'm not thinking about anything else."
"I know you're not", she laughs.
"You reading my mind again?" I ask narrowing my eyes.
"Oh! no no. I just know. Duh! I trust you."
That's all I need from you Elora.