The Beauty of a Home

The most beautiful flower grew through the cement. It was in the parking lot of an old Walmart, which hadn’t been open in years. Yet somehow, this flower still grew. She was a marigold with bright yellow petals; She also had the greenest and brightest stem. It was a hot day and she would soon find that there would be no rain in her near future. Each passing day was lonelier than the last. The thought of no one appreciating her made her feel sad. Her bright and beautiful colors will go unseen. The feeling of being alive wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to feel loved and to feel appreciated. She wanted her beauty to be seen by many. Most of all, she wanted a family and a home to call her own.

Despite growing in the parking lot, it would never be her home. She wondered how she even grew. She was also curious about how she could break through the cement. Despite feeling lonely, she wasn’t alone. A small bluebird, who built her nest from twigs and branches, kept her company. The bird kept her nest on the rooftop of the Walmart, overlooking the flower. She was also alone, but she chose to be alone. Knowing the flower grew through the cement filled her with questions. She didn’t mind answering the questions. She enjoyed talking to the bird; it made her feel less lonely. She enjoyed the connection they had.

“What is it you eat?” the bird asked. She flew down to the cement to keep the flower company.

“Mostly water,” the flower answered. It’s been a few days since she grew from the cement and not a drop of rain had blessed her. The bird knew of this and instantly felt sad.

“There hasn’t been rain in days,” the bird chirped, worried. The flower’s petals weren’t as bright as they were a few days ago. She saw that the flower’s stem was turning into a darker green with little brown spots. She wanted to help her friend. Saying nothing, she flew off. She left the flower and her nest behind. She wanted to keep it a surprise. The flower grew sad, thinking she would never see the bird again. The bird leaving left her confused.

But that sadness and confusion turned to relief when the bird returned. The bird was carrying something in her talons. It was a water bottle! She drizzled the water over the flower. It felt refreshing and made the soil under the cement more comfortable. The flower could feel her petals growing stronger and turning brighter. She was so grateful to the bird and was so happy to have her friend back.

The bird helped the flower stay alive. She would continuously bring the flower water and keep her company. Though the flower loved the bird and always wanted her around, she still felt lonely. Every time she thought the loneliness went away, it would always come back. She hated feeling stuck in the cement and wanted to break free from it. Each night she would ask God, “Why would you allow me to grow from this cement? Why was I not good enough to grow in a field like other flowers?”

She never received an answer.

The air began getting cold. The flower found it hard to maintain her structure as her petals fell to the ground. She could feel her brightness fading and her stem wilting. She was frightened and overwhelmed by how weak and lifeless she felt.

“I have to leave,” the bird said. Frozen rain was falling around them and covering the cement. The flower remained where she was, shivering as the bird continued. “I won’t survive here if I stay. I need to be somewhere warmer.”

“I won’t survive either. Please take me with you,” the flower begged. The bird refused.

“Don’t you see? You can’t die; you are what makes the universe so beautiful. Your petals will fall, and you will shrink back into the cement. It will only feel as though you’re sleeping. Once it gets warmer and the snow melts away, you will wake up. You’ll be more beautiful and brighter than ever. When you wake up, I will be right here,” the bird said.

“Can’t you just take me with you? I will be so lonely here without you,” the flower begged again. Once again, the bird refused.

“I’m afraid I can’t. If we remove you from the cement, your life would only be temporary. I couldn’t risk that.” She paused before continuing onto her last request. “Promise me you won’t leave. Promise that you will stay here and wait for me.”

The flower didn’t want to promise such a thing. But something about the seriousness in the bird's tone worried her. Agreeing to the request, she watched as her friend flew off. The bird found a beautiful flock of multi colored and sized birds. United at last, they flew off towards the distance. As they got farther away, their colors blended, and it reminded the flower of a rainbow.

Now the flower was truly alone, and she was cold. Panic began setting in, knowing she had no one there to calm her. She knew she could trust the bird and that the bird will be back. But that didn’t keep her from being afraid. She missed her friend more than anything; however, she never got the time to grieve. Before long, she heard a couple of voices. The sound was unfamiliar to her because she’s never heard humans before. She saw a young girl and her mother approaching. The girl was maybe 8 or 9 years old, and her mother looked to be middle-aged. They both had brunette hair and had similar features around their faces. The little girl wore a pink dress with little yellow flowers on it. The flower was drawn to the dress because she knew the flowers to be marigolds. The flower was in awe of the humans approaching her. Finally, someone who can see me and feel me. Someone who can appreciate my beauty and love me for what I am. The flower thought to herself.

“Oh mom! It’s beautiful!” The little girl cooed at her mother. She sat down next to the flower and gently touched a petal.

“It’s a flower…” her mom breathed, staring at the flower curiously. It creased her eyebrows as she stood confused. “How is it growing in the middle of winter, in a cement parking lot?”

“It’s so cold.” The girl sounded worried. “Can we take it home?” The mom was silent for a moment before answering.

“Yes, of course. We should put it in some water right away.”

“Maybe warm water?” The girl asked. Her mother only chuckled and shook her head as she carefully plucked the flower from the cement.

“She wouldn’t survive in warm water…” her voice trailed off as she stared at the flower and her eyes traced down to the cement. “Well, maybe this flower would. It seems she would survive just about anything.”

They took the flower home and placed her in a beautiful blue vase. The color reminded her of the bluebird. I hope she won’t be mad at me. The flower thought to herself. It worried her to think about how mad the bird will be once she returned.

It was everything she wanted; a loving home and a family. They displayed her where everyone can see her. They cared for her and made her feel wanted and loved. The little girl would water her daily and talk with her. Whenever they had guests, they would surround the flower and tell her how beautiful she was. But there was still something missing. Why wasn’t I happy? She asked herself. She wished the bird was there to see her shine. She thought of her friend often and grew sadder.

The weather warmed, and the flower grew more worried. She knew the bird would return soon. She knew the bird would see that she was gone. Though she was on the windowsill, it was the first time she felt the warmth of the sun since her time in the cement. She noticed since the weather got warm, the girl would talk with her less frequently. She spent a lot of time outside. The flower would often watch her from the windowsill and feel nothing but envy. She wanted to be outside and bask in the warmth.

The flower watched the girl packing; She and her mother were going away on a vacation. The flower had never been on a vacation before and she wasn’t sure what that comprised. But she was excited to experience this with her family. She wondered if the bluebird ever went on a vacation and how long a vacation was. She was ready for the little girl to pack up the flower in a safe carrier.

However, she didn't.

The flower watched as the little girl left their home with her suitcase. She heard the car engine sounding and the mom and the girl entering the car. The flower sat at the table side, listening as her family drove off to vacation without her. Sadness overwhelmed her as she realized she was, once again, alone. She did not know what was going to happen to her and how long she would be alone. How could they just forget me? She kept asking herself. But, of course, she had no answers.

With each passing day, the flower grew dry. Her color faded and the green stem turned brown. Her petals fell around her, leaving her nothing but a wilted stem. She could feel herself getting tired and she knew she would soon fall asleep. She only hoped that the bird was right, and once she wakes up her family will be home. The memory of what the bird told her, long ago, came rushing back. Don’t you see? You can’t die; you are what makes the universe so beautiful. Your petals will fall, and you will shrink back into the cement. It will only feel as though you’re sleeping. Once it gets warmer and the snow melts away, you will wake up. You’ll be more beautiful and brighter than ever. When you wake up, I will be right here.

As the flower wilted, soon there was nothing left.

The flower was gone when the bird returned to the parking lot. I hope she found what she was looking for, she thought to herself. She allowed herself to grieve in her nest for a long while. The thought of something terrible happening to the flower worried her. There wasn’t much she could do though; especially since she didn’t know the flowers’ whereabouts. But that was the moment the bird decided she no longer wanted to be alone. As she spread her wings, she flew from the nest to join the flock she arrived with. They welcomed her in with open wings and made her feel like a part of a family.

As time raced forward, the flower woke up. Once she woke, she noticed she wasn’t in her home. She also wasn’t in the cement. Where am I? she asked herself. She realized quickly that she was in a field. Other flowers, much like herself, surrounded her in this field. They were all so vibrant and beautiful. Their bright yellow and orange petals swayed in the wind as they lived so freely. She finally felt as though she was a part of something. However, that didn’t mean she didn’t miss the bird. She felt sad that the bird wasn’t there as she woke up.

She thought to herself: I thought I found a family that loved and appreciated me. But once they got bored with me, they left. They allowed me to wilt without a care in the world. The bird has always been there for me and never abandoned me. She showed me kindness and love and, most of all, appreciation. She gave me a home. I’ve been chasing something I already had. This entire time, I didn’t see the home I had in front of me.

A flock of birds flew through the sky as she looked up. It reminded her of a rainbow. Their chirping was serenading the flowers, and they kept a protecting eye over them. The flower grew eager as she examined the sky. Seeing her little blue bird, she yelled to her friend. The bird was just as happy to see her flower. She smiled down at the flower, allowing the warmth and love to radiate through her aura. The flower’s aura was just as loving, and soon they would be together again. United as a family of flowers and birds.

At that moment, the flower knew she was finally home.