THE FLORIST
I gazed upon the night sky as thousands of stars glimmered above me. And like the numbers of those white twinkling grains on the dark sky, are the numbers of praises I heard from people I know about how beautiful the world is even when it is covered in darkness.
I never understood what they meant, that every time we stop just to admire the firmament, I'll just stand there like some sort of a wall desperate to deeply understand the wonders of beauty.
It was supposed to bring happiness to everyone, they said. To bring smiles to everyone's faces. Like the kids I usually see on the streets whenever they play together, or recieve gifts and candies from their families. My Master Attendant whose smiles reached from his ear to ear whenever he met the King of Gloriville or when he bought a new pack of tobacco. The women who recieved jewelries from their partners.
I never understood a thing about it. All of it. Because I am just a piece of metals. My heart, my body and my mind were all metal and been programmed by my Master, as a warrior. I am far different from humans who has the ability to feel, understand and express their feelings; while I cannot.
Have I ever yearned to understand humanity?
I did. When I first saw her, the florist.
Just like every other night, she'll stand by the side of the road near our headquarters. Her body were covered by her cozy brown coat while in her hands were a basket full of flowers that the colors changed every night she visits.
Her smiles were wide and bright as usual and her soft giggles whenever the other knight says silly things. I never understood why she would go length on doing those things. It wasn't even our choice to patrol the whole town, but it was our job.
"Thank you for all your efforts on protecting the town," her sweet and soothing voice were like a bell that rang in both of my ears as if that was all I could hear. Her hair that were swept by the chilly wind, emmits a sweet strawberry scent that made me want to bury my nose into her neck and took in all her scent. I want to touch her soft and milky skin and just feel her; skin to skin.
She was extraordinaire. She was like a drug and I was her victim. Somewhere inside me wants to get a hold of her, my heart screams for her. But, I know she is bad for me. Like a virus that contaminates my system. She's the sole reason why sometimes I feel like I was betraying my Master, because I want to break the system he made for me just for her.
On the same nights, I always begged my Master to inspect my system. Thinking and hoping. Thinking that maybe there's just something wrong with my system and it's malfunctioning while hoping that somehow it was all true.
"You've been asking me every single night to check on you when it's clear that you're doing fine and nothing's wrong with you, why is it B-52?"
Master Attendant's question left me silent as I tried to think whether I should tell him or not. But again, there were never a choice. I was programmed to follow his commands; and I should do so. I told him about the florist. And rather than an angry tone from his voice, he spoke with calm and understanding after he heard my story. Something that I was not expecting. But what he had said next caught me in pure surprise and disbelief.
"It took you long enough to realize that you were never different from us kid. You are a human like us, but you were raised by your mad parents like you were a machine."
"But...the check up-"
"It was just a normal health check up that humans take, kid. You were the only one who keep on thinking you're some sort of a machine, because that's what your parents made you believe so."
The truth that was unveiled in front of me were hard to fathom that it left me blank for a couple of days and weeks. Until I finally understand it all.
I wasn't a machine. I am a human. Like them, I have the ability to express, feel and understand other people's feelings. My feelings...especially towards the florist. The feelings and emotions that I have felt every night whenever we met; I had learned it was called love.
A pair of blue orbs stared right back at me as if it could see my soul. And the more I look straight to it, the more I get lost from its gaze. A smile form on the lips of the owner of those dazzling eyes, that tempted me to plant a kiss filled with love and affection on those lips.
"I love you, Camellia."
The quiet words left my lips as I buried my face on her hair while I locked her between my arms. Our naked bodies were touching, giving each other warmth.
"I love you too."
Love is beautiful, more beautiful than the starry sky. The love I had for the florist were both my beauty and happiness. And I want to treasure those and her for the rest of my life, until the day of my last breath.
