Marisol's Story

In Mexican culture marigolds are planted around altars for Dia de los Muertos, the day of the dead celebrations. The marigolds magic is that its scent and beautiful bright color attract souls back from the land of the dead. It’s for this reason that Marisol had a bouquet of marigolds on her desk at work. She hoped that her deceased beau would return to help her find another partner. So far, it hadn’t worked. It had been four years and Marisol wasn’t even sure if she was ready to fall in love again.

When he died she thought her life had ended too. It might as well have. She felt numb for almost a year when David was killed in the car accident. His death dropped her to her knees, literally and metaphorically.

When someone from the police station called to give Marisol the news that a Mr. David Chalmers had her listed as the emergency contact she was concerned, but not deathly so. Death was the last thing on her mind. She figured he had been in an accident and that he would just need to be picked up at the hospital after receiving some injuries, a few cuts and bruises, perhaps a cracked rib, things that were painful but things that would heal quickly enough. She was wrong, so very wrong.

Sunny, as David called her, was putting away groceries when she got the call.

“Is this Marisol Juarez?” The voice on the phone asked.

“Yes, I’m Marisol,” she answered. She remembered like it was yesterday. She felt it as if it were yesterday.

“Ms. Juarez you are listed as the emergency contact for David Chalmers,” the voice droned.

“Is he okay?” Marisol asked.

The voice hesitated. “I’m sorry ma’am. He’s dead.”

Marisol dropped to her knees. The jar of mayo she was holding fell as well.

“Is this a joke?” She asked, knowing that the tone of voice did not indicate it was a joke. She already knew what the answer would be. Sucker punched by life…again.

“Ms. Juarez?”, she could hear the voice calling as if from deep inside a tunnel.

She had dropped the phone. The mayo jar had rolled across the kitchen floor. She looked up at the kitchen island where she was unpacking groceries. There was a bouquet of marigolds, bright, sunny and sweet smelling. They were not diminished. They were David’s favorite. Their color was the reason he called her Sunny. She was carrying them around the farmer’s market when David first saw her. He always said the flowers brought them together.

Marisol picked up the phone. “Would you repeat that please? She didn’t cry out. She was just numb. “Please fill in the details,” she added.

The voice told of a head on collision, instant death, a totaled car. She could hear what was being said, but she wasn’t listening.

“Ma’am? Ma’am?” She heard the voice calling.

“I’m here,” she answered. “I know this is a lot, but you’ll need to pick up his belongings.”

“What about the body?” Marisol asked.

There was silence at the other end.

“We found his phone which had been thrown from the car and that’s where we got his emergency contact info…the car was incinerated, as was the body. It’s best that you don’t see it. There will be a DNA test as standard procedure for verification, but we have no reason to believe it’s not him."

Marisol felt dizzy. She didn’t like remembering David’s death at all, even after all these years, even though it was much easier for her now.

She had felt David’s spirit with her over the years. She always noticed the scent and smell of marigold’s before she saw them. While looking through shop windows or magazines, pictures of the flower always seemed to leap out at her. That’s how she got the idea to start dating again. She felt like she was being nudged. She was looking at an interior design magazine and in every room, there was either marigolds, pictures of marigolds, or the colors of marigolds somewhere in the design. The last photo spread showed one of the homeowners sitting with the designer in his newly decorated great room. He seemed to be smiling right at Marisol and sittng in a planter right next to him, you guessed it, marigolds.

Marisol went to visit her favorite psychic and tarot reader Jennell. Jennell had wanted Marisol to stop by because she felt like she was getting messages from David. Jennell told Marisol that David wanted her to start dating again. He wanted love for his Sunny, so she finally stopped by.

There was a basket of fresh marigolds sitting under the window when Marisol entered Jennell’s parlor. The open window was blowing the fragrance throughout the room. Not a complete surprise, Jennell knew the marigold connection.

Jennell said she could feel David’s presence all around Marisol when she entered the room. The marigolds in the basket were meant to help David’s spirit find his way to her.

“Let me pull one card for you,” Jennell nudged. It was The Empress card. Jennell smiled. The Empress represents a new opportunity, abundance, the creation of life, a romance, the budding of something new.

Marisol left Jennell’s feeling a little more lighthearted, like her energy had been lifted. She seriously considered the idea of finding love again.

Marisol decided to walk through the farmer’s market on her way home. She thought she might be inspired by all the fresh produce and the creativity of the local vendors. There were so many new ones since the last time she was there with David. She got a cup of lavender coffee and meandered through the market.

There it was the beautiful fragrance of jasmine, lavender, and marigolds. Marisol’s heart swelled. She whispered “Hi David,” as she continued to stroll, a bit misty eyed. Walking up to a new vendor, Marisol nearly dropped her lavender coffee. The vendor was showing a lot of the home decor designs she had seen in the interior design magazines she had been looking at recently. Lots of bright colored goodies to purchase, and guess what was coming around a corner, but a cart full of bright colored marigolds. "Beautiful," Marisol heard herself saying out loud.

“Thanks,” said the very handsome guy pushing the cart. Marisol laughed and blushed.

“Oh, you meant the flowers,” he teased.

Marisol smiled and sipped her lavender coffee. Thank you David, she thought to herself.