Spencer Mackintosh was a young landscaper.
Five out of seven days a week, he would travel around town in a white van with his boss, Mike, an elderly man from South Africa. They would visit different apartment complexes, private houses, and anywhere in the city that needed a fine-tuning. Most of their work revolved around cutting lawns, trimming hedges, or raking up leaves and keeping residencies of others tidy and well kept. Spencer enjoyed the job because he always got to stay active. He wasn't someone who could sit still in an office all day, so it was the perfect opportunity for him.
One of the residencies that Spencer and Mike were required to maintain was a place called Chadwick Gardens. A twelve-story senior living home that rested right on the waterfront near the sea bus to travel across the city. It had, with no pun intended, beautiful gardens and green, luscious lawns. This was Spencer's favourite place to do work out of all the other properties he and Mike attended throughout the week. There was almost a nostalgic feeling of being there.
But not because he admired the fine beauty of the gardens, or the scenic view of the waterfront. Yes, those were nice sights, but it was because he always got to see a girl by the name of Matilda Mars. Spencer and Matilda had gone to the same middle school together. So every time she would walk by Chadwick Gardens on the way home, they would say a friendly hello, but never sparked up a conversation. Matilda might have been her first name, but Spencer, secretly intrigued by her mysterious yet sad aura, knew her best as The Girl Who Never Smiled.
Spencer thought Matilda was so pretty, but also so...sad. Everywhere she went, her innocent yet somber eyes would hang with sorrow. Whenever Spencer and her would say hello, she always gave a half-smirk, but never a full-on, legitimate smile. She often wore heavier sets of makeup, along with her black leather coat, and liked to keep her lips red like fresh cherries blooming in the spring. Strangely, Spencer was attracted to her sadness. He hoped that she was okay, but there was also a part of him that liked it.
He remembered that Matilda was rather shy in middle school. She only had one friend, and was often teased by other girls in class. And, of course, she never smiled. Spencer had always wanted to reach out and ask if she was okay, but he just didn't know how to go about it. He was often worried that she would take his concern the wrong way, and assume that he was out to get her like the other girls in class. It was a hard feeling for him to deal with.
So one day at Chadwick Gardens, Spencer and Mike were planting rows of flowers in the garden. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, when Mike explained that he had to go and make a phone call in private. Spencer, dressed in his work boots and pants, nodded and continued planting.
Moments later, as usual, Spencer noticed Matilda walking down the street. As she gradually approached, he wanted to say something that could cheer her up. This was a big leap, considering the two had never even held a conversation, excluding all the times they had said hello. Matilda gave her usual smirk and acknowledged Spencer, before, like always, returning her sombre eyes to the ground and walking away.
But before she got too far, Spencer picked up an extra bundle of flowers and called out to her.
"Hey," he said, causing her to turn around in surprise, walking over and handing her a pair of flattering, white daisy petals to her shy presence. "You're really pretty, you know that?"
And just like that, for the very first time in his entire life, after all the days he noticed her in the past, Spencer finally saw Matilda Mars smile.
And it was simply beautiful.
