The Flower That Survived 19 Years of Drought

Weeping Clouds

Weeping Clouds

Daybreak, day of her third anniversary, she rested in bed with her eyes wide opened, reminiscing on the extraordinary and unforgettable moments she and Jack had shared. Her heart pumped slowly and cried out with an empty soul. Her breath was taken away by lustful desires and fantasies. There was a reserved space in her heart for Jack, it was irreplaceable and she treasured it dearly.

Abruptly, her cell phone began ringing, instantly snapping her out of dream land. It rang three times and stopped.

"Old people are always good at resolving marital problems," she thought to herself with delight. "I'm going over to my mother's house to have some of that nice coffee she makes in the mornings."

Dressed in dark blue stretched jeans pants and pink sweater, she trotted the right hand side of the road with her hands folded until she was in the next lane of the community where her parents resided. As she approached the gate a shaggy black and brown dog waggled his tail and greeted her with a loud bark.

She knocked on the front door several times, but no one answered. Unable to wait, she pushed the door and entered inside.

In the kitchen were Granny Jeana and Grandpa Sledge. Granny Jeana was preparing hot coffee while Grandpa Sledge sat around the dinner table and whistled as he impatiently waited for his mug of coffee. Granny Jeana appeared to be an ignorant old lady, but I always

thought she played fool to outsmart the wise. However, Grandpa Sledge was at times aggressive when his pocket was dry, despite that, he loved cracking his lame man jokes. He also had a kind heart and would have given it away his for the ones he loved.

"Good morning mama and papa," SunShine hailed.

"Good morning darling," they both replied in one accord.

"So how is everything?" SunShine questioned.

"The arth-wrongnis pain is always in my knees seizing up my feet. I don't call it arthritis you know," Grandpa Sledge replied as he grinned.

SunShine smiled.

"Shut up old Sledge, you take every blinking thing for joke. Well, my dear SunShine, things could be worst, so we give thanks," said Granny Jeana using a red marker to measure the remaining coffee left in the bottle.

"Mama you measure the amount of coffee left in the bottle each time after you use it?" SunShine asked in surprise.

"Mind your own business dear, I have to conserve hard my child. I don't have anyone to beg when it's finished. Turn off the light for me, running up the bill. When last have you heard from Jack?"

"I talked to him yesterday because I have been hearing some disturbing news about him, but tell you the truth I don't know what to believe," SunShine replied in disheartenment. "I just hope for the best for us. At this moment, I want a change and a new life, why life have...."

"Zip it, don't utter another word, sit down and let me tell you something my daughter. Birds don't pray for new feathers they hope for life," said Granny Jeana with eye contact. "Give Jack the silent treatment. If you love something let it go, if it comes back to you, it was yours, but if it doesn't, it never was yours."

"Thanks for the encouragement mother, pour some coffee into this saucer," SunShine requested.

"Sure but you can't get too much because old Sledge is a man who loves his mug full to the rim. Him greedy you see," Granny Jeana whispered to SunShine.