Chester Bennington - Unusual Neighbor

Flowers & Beers

Janice knew my grandparents even before they were man and wife, but she always knew they belonged to each other. And watching as they took care of each other until my grandfather's last breathe proved that she wasn't wrong. They were the living proof that love truly exists and make me hope to find one of my own.

"I am sorry about your grandfather. Life wasn't kind to him, but he kept a smile until the end." She said. 

I showed up at her store in the shopping mall, and she received me with open arms and a smile on her face.

"When Alice called me asking for a job for you, I couldn't refuse. Not only because I needed someone to help me - my back isn't like it used to be - but because I needed company. And I was willing until the right person showed up. I think you are the one."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cooper, really, thank you. What do I have to do?"

"Please, call me Janice. And don't you worry, I'll pay you very well, enough to pay your bills twice and still there will be money left for you to have fun. As you can see, I don't have many years to live, darling. I have no children of my own - one of my biggest regrets - and my husband died a few years ago. So I have no one else and all I want is some company here to make sure everything is how it is supposed to be. I'll want you to clean up the store, take care of the customer's orders and make the orders to the suppliers to make sure I have every flower I need in stock. Your schedule is flexible, I just need the job done and if you need to stay home for any reason, it's fine by me. Just let me know." She looked around and decided to show me the store. It was a slow day, so she had time to teach me about my tasks. She told me about the most occupied times of the year, like Valentine's day, Christmas, Hallowmas and some others. Then she showed me pictures of her best works. She even made floral arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II and for the European Commission when they had a reunion last year in England.

I thanked her and slowly started getting the hang of it. At least the simplest parts.

My trip to the shopping mall is quick. There's no need to use the car (at least if it's not raining) and I could walk for 5 minutes and I was at the store. So I walked home that day, contented with the outcome of this choice of mine.

I decided to call Nicole, my best friend. She was always my support since I was a little girl. Obviously, I was in a private school all my life, filled with rich and famous kids, highly protected. But a group of friends and I had a way to sneak out without getting caught. We would go to the public school near ours and hang out with another group of friends. Nicole was there and we connected instantly, being inseparable friends since then.

"I am so happy for you, Ana." She said sounding exciting. It is good to share these achievements with someone. "As soon as I can take a few days off, I'll make myself invited and will spend a few days with you in your new house."

"You don't need to invite yourself. You are always invited."

"Yes, except for your old mansion." She said with sarcasm on her voice, but in a playful manner.

"Yeah, except for that." I entered my building and used the stairs instead of the elevator. I mean, it's only one floor and few stairs.

"Have you met any neighbor yet?" She asked while I was searching for my key in my bag. I turned around when I heard the door in front of mine closing slowly like in the last time. 

"No, not even a soul."

After hanging up, I decided to fill the bathtub and relax in the hot water. I ignored my phone all day, my mother, my father, and my sisters tried to call me but I wasn't in the mood for that. Instead, I texted them saying I needed space and time to get my life going. I talked to nanna though and she was so happy to hear that I enjoyed her home.