While She Can Still Smell Them

Chapter 4

The days following the party Elizabeth had a resurgence of energy. She was about the house more. She was spending loads more time with the kids, showering them with love and words of affirmation.

Then the flowers began to wilt.

We used the plant food. We used filtered rather than tap water. We kept the room cool. But nothing could stop the deterioration.

"Get them out!" Elizabeth shouted as she tried to gather as many flowers as she could.

"They were beautiful, now they are dying!" she said as she threw the flowers in to the large garbage bag she was holding. "What purpose do they serve now?"

"Beth, I don't understand."

"What good are they? They are supposed to be beautiful! For all their beauty, they didn't last long! A week and a half? Really?"

"Baby, you know that cut flowers don't last that long... I don't understand why you are so upset." I coaxed as I gathered some flowers. "Here, not all the flowers have wilted, let's just pick out the flowers that are wilted and leave the ones that are still good?"

I started to sort through the vase of roses her parents had brought her, picking out the unsavory stems.

"Why wait, Tom? They will just rot and die like the rest of them!" she yelled. she moved closer and snatched the bouquet of roses from my grasp. "Ouch!" she cried as she let the flowers hit the ground.

I close the space between us. "What happened?" I ask as my eyes roam her body.

"I pricked my finger on that stupid flower" she pouts as she holds out her finger and I see a single drop of blood on the tip of her finger before she puts it in her mouth to clean it. I release a breath I was unaware that I was holding. I press my forehead to hers and peck her nose.

"Please, just take them all out." she whispered.

"I'll take them all away, but can you tell me why? Why don't you want the flowers?"

"I told you." she bit out. "They were pretty. They aren't anymore. They have served their purpose. Get rid of them"

"They have more than one purpose, Beth. They attract pollinators to make sure that their species continue. They make things smell nice, even when they wilt, they serve a purpose."

"Save the speech, Dr. Phil. I'm not projecting onto the freaking flowers. Just throw the damn things away!" she fussed as she pushed away from me and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.