Till the Star Blooms

Chapter 7 - Orchid

Summer 68

“Who drank the last of the beer? Tyrone…was it you?” Neil eyed him suspiciously. Putting his hands up in defence Tyrone shook his head.

“Honestly if I had, I’d still be sleeping it off.”  Neil nodded instantly agreeing with his logic. He looked at the others. “There aren’t even any signs of the cans,” Tyrone slumped back against a rock disappointed, having missed a mornings drop.

“Have you seen my earrings?” Lorrie asked tipping her bag out.

“Those annoying loopy ones?” Renata groaned. Lorrie frowned at her and continued searching.

“Perhaps you lost them in the sand yesterday,” Darryl reasoned. She considered it for a second and shook her head.

“But I’m sure I left them in my bag. They were real silver too,” she sighed. A sudden wave of realisation hit me. Was last night real? Jami noticed my reaction.

“You alright?” she asked. I shook my head. Why was I so stupid?

“I saw someone last night. I think it was the thief Doc was chasing last week. But at the time I thought I was still dreaming.”

“Oh yeah, apparently that guy is really sneaky, but he usually tells his victim’s beforehand,” Darryl noted. “It’s been in the newspaper recently, what’s his name? Sultan something-or-other?”

“Sure thinks high of himself, that rotter,” Leroy blurted out. I hadn’t really heard much from Leroy, he was one of those guys who generally kept to himself. He had this shy feeling like Jami; it must be a farmer thing. “We’ve got to catch him before he steals anything else.” Everyone agreed to work together. And that was how that week ended.

So now it was nearing the end of summer. Jim was at hard preparing next seasons plants and I was doing the laundry. Who knew there would be so many sheets that would be need washing in a mansion no one lied in. Carrying another load of wet cloth, I strolled to the long lengths of wire Jim had set up for me. A dozen other sheets flapped in the wind.  Placing the basket down, I shook out the next sheet and quickly pegged it before the wind could claim it as its own. I finished the basket and began folding the dry ones, I would have to iron them later.

“Hey Cameo!” I looked up to see Jim waving. “Take a break, don’t over work yourself ok!” he yelled across the garden. I smiled and waved back at the old man.

“Ok!” I yelled back. I picked up the basket and took it back inside.  I walked around the garden thinking about the old saying, ‘take time to smell the flowers.’  It was a pity the summer blooms were fading. I found Jim’s little green house near the cottages. He had told me once that was where he cared for the sick plants and grew new ones. I never had a green thumb but I wondered what it was like in there. I opened the door and stepped into a humid room. There were rows and rows of little seedlings and benches covered in pots, soil and various tools. Walking down the rows of seeding and out of season plants, I read some of the labels. Gerberas, iris, marigolds, none of which I would be able to identify without their flower.  I made it back round to find a one off flower in a pot. It was an orchid, a gentle, elegant, white and simple compared to others I had seen. The flower like the rest was nearing its end. Jim came in and saw me looking at the flower.

“You like it?” he asked? I smiled.

“Nice and unpretentious, but elegant,” I mused. He nodded in agreement.

“It only flowers once a year, if it is well looked after right. You can have it if you like. Put it on your window sill so it will have enough sun.”  He picked up the small pot handing it to me.

“But I’m not good with plants, they always end up dying.” I protested. He laughed.

“No plant will die so easily with me around, so don’t worry,” he let go of the pot and shooed me out of his greenhouse so he could care for his up and coming plants. I strolled over to one of the garden benches. And set the plant on it and looked at the little thing. It was going to die.