“Come on, Grandma!” Patricia, my seven year old granddaughter, whines, grabbing me by the hand and tugging me out of the car. Laughing, I rise slowly from my seat, taking my son, Marcus’ arm to steady myself gratefully.
“Have some mercy, Patricia. I’m not as young as you.” What I say is definitely true. Patricia is my youngest granddaughter. Lincoln, the oldest who was named for his grandfather, my husband, is engaged to be married to his girlfriend of several years, Kate. Where on earth had the time gone?
With her mom, dad, and eleven month old brother Calvin behind us, Patricia grabs my hand and pulls me with her into the small flower shop we stopped at.
“Can I pick the flowers out? Can I?” Patricia looks up at me with huge, green eyes—eyes so like her grandfather’s.
I use one hand to slightly rumple the girl’s blond hair. “Of course. Let’s go find some flowers.”
Together, we move through the flower shop, intensely scrutinizing every flower arrangement we come across. A few times, I think that she’s going to settle on one, but she quickly finds something wrong with each one and moves on. I let her move to the row ahead of the one I am in, and pull out an arrangement to look at for myself. The last set of flowers I brought home have already begun to wilt, and it would be nice to have some pretty foliage to brighten up the house again.
My thoughts are interrupted when Patricia reappears, a large bouquet of daisies clutched in her small hands. “These are the ones, Grandma.” Her voice drops in volume as she smiles down at the flowers she has in her arms. “They’re perfect.”
I don’t think I would have picked out the flowers that she had, but I had promised her that she could choose. “They look beautiful,” I say, and it’s true. They are beautiful. “Let’s go pay for them.”
We walk hand in hand to the cash register and purchase three bouquets, then walk out of the store and climb back into the car. Patricia is bouncy and the green plastic her flowers are wrapped in has wrinkled where she is squeezing tightly.
The four of us reach the cemetery quickly, and clamber out of the car and head into the small gated area. Patricia’s enthusiasm seems to have dimmed considerably and she walks behind me slowly, her free hand holding firmly to my skirt. I stop at my mother’s grave first, and brush away a scattering of dead leaves that have fallen onto her plain granite headstone. She died several years ago, before Patricia was ever born, and is buried next to my father, per my request. I set the bouquet of lilies I bought for her against the gravestone, before moving over to where Patricia, Marcus, Kelly, and Calvin are.
“Hello, you old fart,” I say quietly, staring down at Linc’s headstone.
Patricia looks up at me uncertainly, and I nod at her reassuringly. “These are for you, Grandpa,” she murmurs as she sets the plain flowers down on top of the headstone. “I picked them out myself.”
The four of us are silent for a few moments. I’m not sure what the others are doing, but in my head I’m reliving my memories with Linc. Our first, awkward kiss after the fashion show; our first official date at the ice rink… I’m even thinking about our fights as a couple.
We don’t stay at the cemetery long, Patricia’s short attention span won’t allow it, and we’re soon making our way back to the car.
As everyone is piling back in, I pause and look back over my shoulder. Usually, I’m not able to tell Linc and his mother’s headstones apart, but with Patricia’s daisies smiling brightly in the waning sunlight, it’s hard to mistake them. He would have liked the flowers, I decide.
I climb into the car after my family, and as we drive away I’m smiling. In the rear-view mirror, I watch the daisies and their petals swaying slightly in the breeze until they are no longer in sight.
///
Dedicated to broken_dreams_xx for her guess as to what 'The Daisies' was about. This wasn't exactly a picnic. But it was kind of cute? XD
This concludes any and all parts of Learning to be Beautiful. There are no other bonus scenes, and I don't plan on making an informational post anytime in the foreseeable future. This is it. The final goodbye.
As always, thank you all so much for reading. It means so much that you've taken time to read these digital words on your screen. (:
YOU ARE READING
Learning to be Beautiful
Teen Fiction"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in...
