A Mate for Christmas

Botanic Gardens

Maeve walked to the gardens' entrance, and four people were standing and talking with one another. "E-Excuse me, are you guys from the Friends & More app?"

A woman who looked in her early to mid-fifties stopped talking with the others. She had slightly pale skin and gray hair that was put in a ponytail. The woman was slightly overweight and had a pink T-shirt, tight dark blue jeans, black tennis shoes, and a black cap. "Why yes, it is. You must be Maeve Connor." The older woman smiled, showing slight yellow teeth.

"Yes, I am and you must be Joanna, I thought you looked familiar due to your profile. It's nice to meet you." The women shook hands. Maeve noticed the other three people in the group, and they looked to be in their fifties and sixties. It didn't bug Maeve since she was willing to meet more people and make more friends. However, she wished to speak to more people her age since there were similarities. "I saw on the profile that twenty people are coming, are we going to wait a while longer?"

"Yeah, we still have another forty minutes to wait. We all came here early since the parking can become packed since it's a popular area. We also didn't know that a wedding was happening today; a Monday to top it off," Joanna huffed as she saw people in suits and beautiful dresses going to the right side of the Botanic Gardens entry. Maeve also noticed the wedding guests entering an entrance covered by green bushes and trees.

"Well, I guess people have time to do a wedding during the weekday. I heard it's cheaper that way."

A woman in the group heard a huff. "Well, if one wants to make their wedding memorable, they should go to the full extent! A wedding should be done on the weekend so more people can attend. I wonder if the groom was so cheap that he couldn't afford to give his bride a wedding to remember."

Joanna, Maeve, and the two older male members of the group eyed her. Joanna motioned herself closer to Maeve. "Don't mind, Jilian. She's my cousin, and she went through a divorce eight months ago. She's still angry and bitter since her ex-husband was the one who initiated the divorce." Maeve nodded as she looked at Jilian, who crossed her arms and ignored the other men who tried to converse with her. Her appearance and character held arrogance and bitterness; she also looked proud. She didn't know if Jilian was hurt or bitter, or both. She reminded Maeve of her situation, but she wasn't married, so it wasn't as painful. Joanna motioned the young women to the group, where Maeve introduced herself to the others.

Jacob and Nate were friends who loved photography and nature. Jilian didn't bother introducing herself; she eyed Maeve with disdain. "Ah, she is one of those types. I can see why her ex divorced her," she thought. However, Maeve decided to be the better person and tried conversing with the others in the group until more members arrived. 

Only twelve group members arrived, and Joanna believed it was time to go inside the gardens. Each member showed their ticket and entered the building. Maeve was excited and imagined flowers in bloom, ponds, animals, and magnificent trees. Once she entered, she saw workers putting Christmas lights on trees and other Christmas statues. There were many paths by the entrance, and a garden worker sat by a small table with pamphlets and maps; she noticed Maeve. "Hello there, is this your first time in the gardens?"

Maeve slowly walked toward the table. "You noticed?"

"Yeah, I can tell by your facial expression. Are you here to take a walk or to explore?"

"Is there a difference?"

The worker chuckled. "Kind of. People like coming here to exercise while others explore what our garden offers; the garden here is eighty-seven acres. We also get tourists here who want to take pictures of our flowers and trees. Also, we are beginning to decorate for the Christmas season. You should come by again during mid-December around nighttime; we tend to light up the gardens."

"Wow, you don't say. I should of worn appropriate attire for a long walk."

 It was quiet between the two, and the worker handed Maeve a garden map. "I sense that you went through something tragic. I hope the gardens can not only bring you a sense of relief but guidance. Enjoy, young one."

Maeve was surprised but moved along when she realized that people were waiting for a map. She went to the group that was deciding which lane to go to. While waiting for the decision, some men from the group tried to converse with her, and she gladly spoke. However, Maeve realized that the people in the group were photographers and hikers; she felt that she didn't belong. 

The young woman decided to go along independently to see what the gardens offered.  When looking behind her, the group went on an opposite path; it suited her fine. Maeve went to the desert garden with piles of cactuses and other desert flowers. They were beautiful and intriguing, but when she was going toward a road, a sign said 'Road Closed.' Maeve approached another road leading to the Dorthy and John Bohannon Rose Garden. The small garden section had beautiful roses of different colors placed in groups. There were wooden benches, small wooden house roofs, and miniature water fountains. 

The flowers were beautiful, and Maeve took some pictures. She continued to different paths with endless paths of trees and small patches of flowers. It was interesting at first, but it was slowly becoming a bore. Many of the flowers weren't entirely in bloom, and many of them lacked vibrancy. It was winter, and the skies were cloudy, so it did make a difference. Maeve had been in the gardens for thirty minutes, and she knew that there was more to see but believed the rest would be similar. However, she decided to go to one last part of the gardens: The Sakura Medow. While walking, Maeve noticed many families and couples walking together or taking pictures. 

She couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. Maeve wanted to walk through the gardens and take pictures with someone, but that wasn't possible. However, she shook her head and went on. When walking under tree branches, a soft cherry-like scent hit her nose. That was when the young woman knew that she finally arrived at the meadow. Upon arrival, there were sakura trees where the flower petals slowly fell like pink snow, a beautiful sight.

A few people in the meadow were taking pictures or sitting on the wooden benches, looking at the trees. "So beautiful." When a couple finished standing in the meadow's center, where the trees covered the skies, Maeve walked to the center. The petals flowed down, making her feel like she was standing on cloud nine. She took out her phone and was about to take a selfie. However, from the corner of her eye, she noticed someone standing by the entrance of the meadow; it was a man.

 The handsome man wore a black Kiton suit, black dressy pants, and black dressy shoes. He also wore a white buttoned shirt with a black tie and a dark red diamond at the top. He also wore a dark red vest. The man looked youthful, with a hint of maturity and light wrinkles. However, he had dark blondish hair that was nicely slicked back and a dark blondish beard that was nicely trimmed, which showed his square-shaped face. His clothes clung to his body, hinting that he was muscular. What was noticeable of him were his beautiful green-blue eyes; they glowed. The man looked like he was in a trance-like state. He slowly walked into the meadow and toward Maeve.

Maeve couldn't get her eyes away; his looks entranced her. However, she couldn't help but feel a pull that prevented her from walking away from him. The mysterious man stopped before her; the sakura petals still flowed down on them.

"Mate."