(Special mention to: PAULA KEYTH VILLAMOR for this short story, she made this short story with me.)
I’m feeling kind a dizzy.
It’s like I’m going to collapse anytime but I can’t miss this occasion so I should hold on. The sun never shines this bright before; a perfect day for a flower to bloom. It’s just a matter of meters away and I can hear the ceremony starting. I want to see her bloom today—from a flower whose fragrance was once ignored before to be known as one of the most aromatic flower——
My ever beloved little plum…
It was the same usual day in the campus. I was wandering around like I used to; having fun watching different student’s behaviors. Messing around just like what they always do—talking aloud at corridors, running late from here and there, and laughing out loud in every side of the campus. Some students were getting better and some are just getting worst.
As I continue roaming around, something captured my attention. It was the scent of my favorite flower. But I wonder where it was coming from. So I followed the scent, and there I found, a messy room. An old fat guy talking in front of the room but it seems like no one is listening to him besides from the one that carries that scent. She’s different from those students that I used to see—sitting alone from the corner of the room and attentively listening. On her eyes, I can see how motivated she is. A promising view that is rare to be found today. I’ve never been this fascinated before on a little plum like her.
From that day on, I can’t help but to follow that scent. And it always drags me to where she is. Until I never noticed that I became her stalker and where ever she goes I follow her. I even memorized the rooms where she goes everyday, the time when she eats her lunch, and even the phone calls that she does every after class. But I’m wondering who’s that guy of her because all through this time I never seen her with him.
Until that rainy day comes when different scent of flowers suddenly appeared, everyone was wearing a smile and red are all over the place. I hardly found her with that guy—my little plum was crying, then I heard the guy said to her that they were over. She begged for him to stay but it seems like the boy doesn’t care at all. That was the first time that I’ve seen her like that; my little plum was soaked and drowning in tears, on that day she was wasted, like a flower drowned in rainfalls.
Days passed until its windy day, and my little plum was trying to stand still even if she’s breaking. After their separation, I saw her hardly moving on. She’s killing herself in studying just to forget what happened. The smiles in her face were absent and her eyes were dull and dead. I pity her so much, only if I could help her to move on I would. But who am I? I’m just nothing; she can’t even notice when I’m around, or even if she does——she would just run or send me away.
One night I saw her holding a book, she was trying to get something that seemed like hidden between the pages, those were plumerias. And after a long time I saw her smile again, then she collected more plumerias and kept it in her books. I saw her like a kid playing with flowers but however it’s lovely. I try to join her but again she has no idea that I was around. But at least I manage to get closer and to play around with her. One thing that I also noticed in that night was the sky, fortunately it’s clear and the stars were all shining a sign that the following days would have a fine and clear sky…
And now, after long days of raining and days the wind is blowing hard, the sun finally showed up to bless her blossoming. I want to witness it, even though I hardly see my way to her. People around are so busy. I didn’t mean it but I bump on one of them…
“Oh! God! Hit it with your cup!!”
“No, don’t! You’re not promoting ecological diversity if you do that.”
I was thankful they just let me go. I hope everyone’s like them, somehow they had just given me hope that I could still reach to her. I felt heaven is in favor with me. Although I couldn’t see anything now, I can still hear sounds but still not enough to identify where she is. How can I reach her if I had lost some of my senses now?
Suddenly, I sense a familiar scent—that scent of my favorite flower, that scent of my little plum, that scent of yours— I don’t know where I was going, all I know I need to follow that scent and it will lead me to you.
“I guessed a thousand thank you is not enough for all of these…”
It’s your voice, I heard your voice. It sounds like you’re about to cry again, but I think it’s a different sob right now.
“Summa Cum Laude, how did I end up this big honor? As I could remember, I was just a no one to all of you, a girl who spoke little and who’s always alone with plumerias flower on her books. And now, here I am, being recognized. After all those days, I almost drowned from heavy rains, and those days the wind almost blown me away, in the end, here I am, still standing up…”
I know I’m now at your side. Your scent is more aromatic than before. I don’t care if you’ll notice me—all I wanted is to be at your side. For 50 days of my existence and 43 days of following you, I lived my life fulfilled and with pleasure. I learned a lot from a little plum like you—how your motivations brought you to where you are right now. It’s an end for me now, but I know it’s only a start for you. How I wish my lifespan last like yours, but I’m just a bee after all. Even though I won’t be around anymore, I know you can now be on your on. There’s still a lot of rain and more intense wind to come but I know you——you’re not just a little plum anymore because you’re now a full bloom flower that will never wither.
“Sometimes I thought someone is watching me… someone who cares for me… And I think I was never wrong… someone had always been out there looking out for me, looking out for us… Maybe we don’t notice him a lot, he could be like a bee… we run away from him, worst is sometimes we send him away, but he will still come back to his flowers and help it bloom. I think I wouldn’t be here, in front of you, if that bee got tired following me. I wouldn’t be here without his guide through rain and shine—— that bee that was ignored, now I’m thanking him and I hope you too will also take a glance to him and say thank you——thank you for helping us bloom…”
…end.
