Flowers in the Wind

Un-needed-titles

By the time I got to my new home the sky turned as dark as my soul. The house was quite simple. It had a few windows and a sign above the door saying one of those cheesy religious quotes about "helping thy neighbor." Then my new parents walked out onto the porch.

"Girl! What's your name?" the mother figure screamed at me. After waiting a few seconds for an answer from me, she whispered to my father "Go fix her!" The man started to walk towards me and bend down on his knee.

"Princess..." he said as he extended his hand as to offer me a ride a in a fancy horse drawn carriage. I took his hand and he led me inside past that witch that he calls his wife.

"Well welcome to this shack you are going to call home, for a while at least." He paused and looked back at the witch. She motioned for him to continue to work his magic. "What is your name darling?"

"A-J Rose," I answered. It was more like a squeak rather than an answer. He mouthed my name as of he was trying to decide what it tasted like. He smiled and led me around the house.

First he showed me the kitchen. There was the smell of warm bread that engulfed the whole room when he opened the oven. He explained how that was mother's area and not to touch anything even the dishes that need to be washed after a meal. Then he showed me the simple living room. There was a couch, a radio, a storm kit in the corner, and a small desk covered with pictures, envelopes, and letters.

"Those are from the last storm... Mostly thank you letters or follow up letters from the insurance companies," he said, catching me staring at the desk. He took my hand and led me upstairs to the second level where there was four doors, two on one side, one on the opposite side and one door straight ahead.

"This will be your room, princess," he opened the door straight ahead and ushered me in. "It's not much of a room but you have a window with a seat and a bed." The bed had a simple brown blanket on it with one pillow. In about two steps from the bed there was a window seat, a simple bench with a dark simple floral print cushion. On the ledge there was a simple ink pen forgotten and dust covered. "Dinner will be in an hour or so," he said exiting the room "make yourself at home darling."

"Okay," I replied rather softly. I made my way and sat down on the window seat. I looked out the window. It was still dark as if it were night without a moon. The clouds seemed to cover the sky like a blanket. It looked as I have always felt in a new home. I've been in this foster system for my whole life and nothing ever works out. All the families try to respect me but they end up treating me like a lost puppy waiting for the owner to come back and get me. I guess I've never really had a true parent let alone a true family. Nothing really goes right for me, ever. I end up staring out the window at the "Welcome to Stuart, Florida. Where your neighbor is your family," like anyone would actually believe that. The wind starts to pick up and is howling around our house. A woman in a car pulls in across the street and runs inside as if expected a horrific accident inside.

"A-J, hurry and get down here! A hurricane is coming!" calls my new father. Before I leave the window all I see is a trash can rolling down the street of a perfect neighborhood.

"Dinner is going to be a bit late," said my new mother. The lights flickered then went out. The wind whipped around the outside of the house, howling like a wolf who just became the pack leader. In between the howling, you could hear the shattering of windows and the debris just smashing into everything in sight.

Then everything went calm. I looked up at the my new father for reassurance that the terrors were over but he turned his head and blinked some tears away.

"I need to go check on the new neighbors stay here. The storm isn't over yet," he said carrying a flashlight with him and left me with that witch huddled on the couch with a few candles lit around us. A few minutes later he came back and chuckled a little "They thought it was over, but no one is hurt over there." Father was right, the storm wasn't over yet and this time it was much worse. The house sounded as if it would just fly away like a paper in the wind and the rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon. Hours pass but the storm doesn't slow till the sun is ready to rise. "The storm is over," he says finally a few hours after sunrise. We head outside and the perfect little neighborhood was torn to shreds with torn up trees and grasses. Flowers and bushes were gone as if Hurricane Nate wanted to take everything beautiful. All the houses were still standing but they definitely didn't look perfect like before. One house across the street had a huge palm tree in it with all the windows broken. Everyone stood in shock and some were crying. In a matter of seconds everyone started working as if nothing devastating just happened. Everyone from the little kids to the old seniors started towards the worst looking house on the street. My father took pictures and helped the new neighbors. It looked like their first time the way they were crying, and it was a lot of tears. They seem to have said thank you and offered him to come inside. He didn't accept the offer and called over to that witch to go help them instead for a little bit. Mother seemed a bit angry at first but she happily went when she realized she would have to stay with me if she didn't go.

"I'm coming darlings!" she said excitedly like it was her birthday. Father came over to me and bent down on his knees to talk to me on the same level.

"You okay, princess?" he asked.

"Yes I am," I spoke in barely a whisper.

"Nate seems to take everything beautiful in sight now doesn't he..." he held his clenched hand up to me and opened it. Inside his huge palm was a little frail flower with bits of pink in it. "For you my princess." He gently put the little flower in my hair and slowly got up. "I must go my darling my quest awaits."

"Okay..." I said almost at a normal volume. He smiled and walked towards the neighbor's house disappearing at the door. Maybe the world isn't all bad. Storms of chaos and pain rip through our lives but this community doesn't respond with complaints or grieving. This is a family, my family. A storm could never rip us apart.