Before the Marigolds

I leaned towards the sun as the early morning rays touched my petals. My soil was moist, and the wind caused me and the others to sway along with it.

Another quiet, perfect morning, but through the soil, I felt the humans coming my way. They were new but loud. Nothing like our old caretakers who were gentle and sung to us. These two only fought.

“Heather, you can’t just walk away from this?” He was always chasing after the woman, and she always ran to this spot. She stood in front of me, casting me in her long shadow, cutting me off from the warmth of the sun.

“Look, I like it here.” Her arms hugged her body, as she turned and looked down at me. “Ever since I was little I always dreamed of a house like this. And look at this garden. The marigolds are just to die for.”

“And if we stay we may die, did you think of that?” He took a step toward her.

“And why is that?” She said, stepping back.

“You know why. You’re smart, you can figure it out.”

“No, I can’t. This...you...who you are right now, I don’t understand. This isn’t the man I married.”

She tried to take another step back from him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. His heavy shadow overlapped hers, cutting us further away from the sunlight.

“Then let me explain it to you, we would be a white couple in an all-black neighborhood. They’re already looking at us; looking at what we bring into the house; the type of cars we’re driving. And don’t think for a moment that boy next door wasn’t thinking of what he could do to you.”

She quickly pulled away from him, this time squaring her shoulders and looking him in the eye.

“If I knew that was how you felt, I would have never married you.” Her voice sounded different from when she would speak to the flowers with love and touched our petals.

“Heather.” His fists were clenched. “...I am just trying to protect my family. Why can’t you understand that?” He said through gritted teeth.

“Protect me from what? Have you looked at my family?” Her voice got higher as she stood there, shaking in place. “How do you see my brother-in-law, my nephew?”

“Heather, it's not that simple.”

“No, it is.” She was looking at me now with tears in her eyes. “You don’t have to live here. I will buy you out, and look at what steps I need to take to end our marriage.”

“Baby, I know you’re upset, but just calm down and think this over.”

She was quiet, but before she looked away from me her face was in stone.

A moment of silence fell over the garden before she turned, looking away from him, stone-faced, devoid of any emotion.

“No. There’s nothing left to think about, goodbye.”

He took a step toward her, but stopped short and turned away. I could feel the vibrations of his footsteps fading away until he was gone. I felt the sun again as the woman knelt before me. She gently ran her fingers along my petals as her expression softened. Tears started to stream down her face, the salty water droplets dampening my petals as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Moments passed, the sun’s warmth gone, replaced by the woman’s touch.

She just looked at us, lost in her thoughts. She didn’t even notice the woman peeking out over the fence next to her.

“Sweetheart, are you okay?” The older woman said, just loud enough not to startle Heather as she sat in a daze.

“Yes. I will be at least. I’m so sorry, I take it you heard everything?” She said, standing to let the woman in through the gate.

“Every word, you guys weren’t exactly quiet.”

“I’m sorry again...about him.”

“Oh sweetie, no need to apologize. Trust me, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before. Besides, it is a lovely home.”

I watched the older woman as she looked down at me. “And these are beautiful marigolds.” She said as she knelt before me.

“Do you know how to care for a garden?” The older woman asked as she gestured toward a nearby weed.

“No, I was planning to learn.” Heather sat next to the woman, admiring the garden with her.

“Well, I'd be happy to teach you.” The older woman said. “And, you know what else. I think you’ll fit in the neighborhood just fine.”

A smile came across Heather’s face as she wiped the tears welling up in the corner of her eye. “You know, I think so too.”

The two women sat before me until the sun rose higher and became too hot for them to handle.

As the sunset, I looked forward to tomorrow being a quiet, perfect day.