The birds chirp as the sun rises warming the cold ground melting the snow around the windows edge. I look over at my side table as my alarm goes off even though I've been up for hours. The sound pulls me from the haze I'm in staring out the window from my bed. I propped myself up on my elbow and look out the window across my green house where the sunflowers grow in full bloom. A smile spreads across my face at this. I'd picked up gardening after my wife had passed in a way to commemorate her beauty. I push the blankets aside and stand looking up at myself in the full length mirror. My tousled blonde hair in my green eyes and beard I haven't shaved in two weeks. I straighten my gray long sleeve shirt and fix the buttons along the collar. It may be plain but this shirt was one of the few she’d bought for me. My lovely sunflower. I frown and look up at my wifes picture on the wall….My beautiful wife. The sigh that leaves me almost surprises me. Her blue eyes look down on me framed by her gorgeous black hair and round face. I make my way down the hall to the bathroom and undress to take a shower. The bright pink and purple shower curtain rustling as I step into the bath. My wife had picked it out after we moved into this house. She’d said it needed a pop of color in contrast to the browns and beiges most of my home decor from my apartment had consisted of. After my shower I put on a yellow shirt and black jeans my wife had gotten me to match her sunflower sundress. I make a beeline for the green house. I would worry about breakfast later. The green house door creaks a bit as I push it open. The warm air spreads across my skin and engulfs me. Quite the contrast to the brisk cold of the winter weather. The sunflowers greet me with their beautiful yellows and greens. I never really liked bright things before my lilith. She brought the much needed brightness into my bleak life. I grab the neon green watering tin and water the flowers careful to not overdo it. The tin makes a clink sound as I put it down to pick up the fertilizer and sprinkle it atop the dirt. I take three sunflowers and put them in a vase for the dining table. The memory of Lilith sitting at the table as we have breakfast together and she laughs at something I've said crosses my mind as I set the vase on the table replacing the vase with the wilted flowers. I've decided what to paint today. My stunning lilith and her radiant smile. My paint brushes rattle when the art pack connects with the table while I set it down. I set up my canvas on the easel and fill a glass with water to rinse my brush. The paintbrush glides across the canvas as I recreate the memory in the paint. My chair creaks when I lean back to admire my work, capturing her beauty perfectly but it just seemed like something was missing. The light in her eyes, that's what's missing. The cheer in her face and the love in her personality. Tears begin to well up and I reach up to wipe my eyes. A sudden laugh rings through the house startling me. I jump up looking around me as another laugh reverberates against the walls. Before I realize it's her, it's her laugh, but where is it coming from? The painting in front of me teeters on the easel as the image began to look up at me. She raises a hand and beckons to me as if telling me to join her in the painting. I simply stare amazed and confused as to what's going on. The chair falls as I stumble back away from the hand that seems to reach to me from the painting. The wedding ring, similar to mine, sat upon what appeared to be a woman's hand. I reach out and take the hand only for it to pull me seemingly into the painting.
IT ALL FADES TO BLACK……….
“Sunflower?.....” a male voice mutters from behind me causing me to freeze in place.
“My love?...... my lilith..” the voice calls to me again. I spin around as a million thoughts flash through my mind at once. It can’t be, its impossible. My knees buckle as I take in the sight in front of me. It’s him! The mug I’d been clutching tightly drops to the floor shattering almost immediately. I drop to my knees hurrying to pick up the pieces. He kneels down in front of me, hooking a finger under my chin making me look up at him. His green eyes bore into mine as he mumbles,”look at me sunflower….please”. My composure crumbles as tears start to cloud my vision, ‘F-felix…”. A soft smile grace his lips as he looks down at me as if nothing had changed.
I drop the pieces of the mug and hug him tightly. His familiar scent of dirt, wood, and lemongrass fills my nose as I relish in hugging him again after all these years. “Felix?...how are you here?” I manage to spit out as his grip on me tightens. “you.. You brought me here. You pulled me through!” he exclaims, backing away looking down at me surprised. I shake my head at him stunned and stand motioning to my painting materials. “I didn't pull you anywhere. I turned away for just a moment to change my paint water” I say as I grab the broom and sweep up the broken mug. He stumbles back confused and whispers, “But…your ring, I saw it”. He reaches out to touch my hand where our wedding ring still graces my finger. I step back, flinching ever so slightly. “Felix I didn’t bring you here, I didn't even know I could, I’ve only tried it with landscapes till now”, I explain. He turns to look around our house before looking at me and I look away whispering, “I haven't even finished it yet, it's still missing your smile…”. Felix looks up at me with a determined look in his eyes and suggests, “Well…. If people can go through paintings come with me, come home to me my sunflower…..please”. We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity before what he's asking of me sinks in completely. “Go back through the painting with you…..” I repeat his suggestion running through all my options in my head. He steps forward slowly so he doesn’t spook me and raises his hand caressing my cheek. The gentle gesture clears my mind instantly. Suddenly it's just him and I looking into each other's eyes. The love and passion burning in his eyes almost scares me while it draws me in. Our children had moved out soon after their fathers passing leaving me in this bleak house all by my lonesome. I started to go over the thoughts of how our children would feel if I came up missing. All the while I couldn't ignore the inexplicable pull to go with Felix. My darling, I've missed you so much. Crosses my mind as we continue to stare in silence. Almost as if he felt if he breathed wrong I'd turn him away. “Felix.. My love….T-take me home”, I almost whisper as I melt as his eyes softened at my words and he let out a breath he seemed to be holding. The relief visible on his face as he reaches for my hand. “We need to finish the painting first or else everything will collapse and we will both cease to exist entirely even in the painting”. I inform him and grab some brushes and hand him one before I ask, “ready?”. We begin working on the painting, each taking the task of completing one side. By the next morning we’d finished the painting and had let it dry. Felix reaches out for my hand and pulls me close asking, “are you positive you want to return with me my sunflower?”. I look up at him as all the memories come flooding back to me from the day we’d met in that community garden, to that fateful day when the cancer finally won. Then it hit me that we would be in a painting, there would be no cancer, no losing him, no more sadness, no more loneliness. “I'm very sure my darling”, I respond. He begins to slowly step into the painting leaving a hand out for me, which I take and follow in behind him.
“Sunflower”, Felix’s voice calls out to me one last time…..
20 YEARS LATER…
A young woman approached me at my desk asking “Excuse me sir, who do I speak to about donating paintings?”. She had the most beautiful round face and bright green eyes I'd ever seen. “That all depends on what kind of piece you’d like to donate!”, I respond trying not to stare. “It's an old painting we found in my parents house, I think it was their last work, see both of their names here at the bottom”, she asked and motions at the corner of the painting. I look down to where she points hoping she didn’t notice me almost memorizing every feature of her gorgeous face. I recognize the name almost immediately and ask, “Your parents are Felix and Lilith Nightingale?!” She simply nods and sets the panting atop my desk. I brush my white hair out of my brown eyes and it draws her interest as if she's trying to figure me out. “I was born with white hair, strange huh?”I ask her. She giggles a bit and looks up at me with those big green eyes making my knees lock almost immediately. “What's wrong with strange, I think it suits you just fine white or not”, she says, turning a light shade of pink. “I-i…We should probably get the paperwork done to complete your donation to the museum”, I state, stumbling over my words slightly before handing it to her. She fills out the paper and hands it back before asking for a sticky note which I hand her. She begins to scribble something on it, but looks up at me for a moment, “I’m sunny it's nice to meet you!” For once it's me who turns red. It takes me a second to realize I'm just staring at her before I spit out, “Im Shawn it's nice to meet you as well”. She gives me a small smile and sticks the sticky note to the paper before handing it to me. “I should be going now but I hope I see you at the introductory event for the painting”, she says.
“I usually work events like that so I sure will”, I manage to get out as she turns and slips out the door sparing me a wink as it closes. I look down at the paperwork she’d given back to me and the sticky note catches my eye. I take it off and file the paper with the painting. A smile creeps across my face as I see the sunflower she's drawn in the corner. She gave me her number and a small quote with it. The quote read……..
‘My mom use to tell me if you see someone twice it's meant to be,
maybe you are my meant to be”
