Lilacs Forever

Chapter 26: Magic

Author's note: Hi guys, Sophie here. I haven't posted in a while, so here's a chapter to make up for it! I'll be posting more now cause I'm doing better in my classes now XD

The alarm clock blared into the cold January morning. "Ugh, five more minutes", Delilah groaned. She pressed snooze and buried herself in the blankets, huddled in the cozy, comfortable warmth. She closed her eyes but wasn't able to fully enjoy her sleep because in a blink of an eye the alarm rang again, louder than ever. Delilah forced herself out of bed, the frigid morning air hitting her body. She had work to go to after all.

Delilah turned on the shower, making sure to step out while the water warmed up. She loved hot showers, especially on cold days like this. She felt the warm water flow down her hair and body and sighed a sigh of contentment.

She then worked on her hair, lathering the shampoo onto her scalp. Her hair was soft and smooth and never caused her any trouble. Delilah never got a complaint from her mother whenever she would comb her hair when she was younger. The thought of her mother lingered on in her mind. Now that Delilah was grown up, she wouldn't need her mother to comb her hair. She thought about her as she ran her fingers through her long, dark brown hair, the warm water glistening down her hands.

After a pleasant shower Delilah dried herself and got dressed. After putting on her stockings she then went to step into her skirt. It was difficult to fit into, to her dismay. Maybe it was her weekly trips to the bakery...

Am I... gaining weight? Delilah thought to herself in horror.

She caught the morning bus just in time. She could see people looking at their phones, reading the newspaper, and looking blankly in the distance. She fidgeted in her seat, not sure of what to do. It would be rude to stare at other people so she just directed her gaze towards the outside of the window. Snow blanketed the ground as if it were gently putting the grass to sleep. It will only be a few months until spring arrives and the plants will come alive again.

As Delilah left the bus it started to flurry. She could see her breath in the frigid New England air. She felt her legs give way and in a matter of seconds was stuck in a split. Of course, she slipped on the ice on the sidewalk. Her ears burned as she found a passerby staring at her. A small child pointed at her, she could see his missing front tooth.

"Mommy, mommy! Look, that lady fell!"

"Billy, it's not okay to point!" His mother said sternly.

Red from embarrassment, Delilah was sure that her day was ruined. But before she knew it she could hear tiny footsteps. The little boy approached her.

"Are you okay, Miss?" he asked. He didn't look older than five.

"I'm alright, thank you" Delilah sighed in relief.

"Are you going to work?"

"Yes, and are you going to school?"

"Yup!" The boy nodded his head up and down. "It's my birthday today so my mommy bought munchkins!"

"Well happy birthday!" Delilah turned to the boy's mother. "You raised quite the gentleman."

His mother beamed. "He takes after his father."

"Sounds like the perfect family," Delilah remarked as she got up, catching her breath.

"Far from perfect, there's a lot of ups and downs but the good shines through the bad I guess. You'll understand when you have kids", the mother laughed as Delilah blushed.

"Maybe I'll get a dog first..."

—

"Good morning, Delilah!" Janet greeted as she entered the building.