Dead Flower (Sequel to The Flower Girl Book Two)

Chapter 2: From the Beginning

      Andrew

You might be wondering what's happening. Why Veronica decided to leave me, taking my little flower girl with her. Let me rewind it for you. Five months prior, so you know exactly what I'm talking about. Here we fucking go again.

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March, the time of year for St. Patrick's Day. A holiday most Americans have no fucking clue what it's about, but still love to celebrate. Any excuse to go out and drink. While Veronica is at the doctor's for Flower's check up, I've decided to take advantage of the day and work outside.

I went to the hardware store earlier. Bought some soil and seeds to grow a garden. I never had the opportunity to plant one until now. I want Flower to grow up on home grown food. Though I don't want to take part in butchering animals, I do want to plant a garden. This could be something Flower and I could bond over.

Picturing her out here, picking vegetables, show her how to split the pods open, so she can eat the sweet peas inside. Then images of my beautiful wife, coming out here to get whatever she wants unfold in my head. So when she feels like cooking, she can pick right from our backyard.

It worries me when she goes to the grocery store with our daughter, while I'm at work. I want to be there, to protect them. Cutting all contact with carpentry, I want to save my body. Keep it young longer, so I'll be here when Flower is forty.

I switched to an office job. Sucks having to sit all fucking day, but it pays really well. Beats slamming my damn hand with a hammer. I'll do anything to make sure Veronica can stay at home with our baby. It frightens me, Flower will be starting her first year of school coming up.

Veronica has done a tremendous job teaching her the basics. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm scared she's going to get bullied. I want her to stand up for herself. Make sure she can defend herself physically as well.

I'm relieved she has the opportunities I didn't. I thought about home schooling her, but I want her to make friends. To be exposed to some social activity. Not just be home all the time with mommy and daddy. She doesn't need to be anything like me.

Digging up the ground, I decided to take my shirt off long ago. It's not as hot as it could be, but it's still hot. Especially with the way I'm working. Had a buddy come through with his rototiller. That way the ground was all mixed around and ready for me to plant.

Down on my knees, I make holes, spacing them out from each other. How amazing is life? It's fascinating to know that I can plant this tiny seed in the ground, nurture it, and tomato's will sprout. Just like when Veronica and I made Flower. I planted my seed inside of her perfect Lilly pad.

While Veronica took care of her as she developed, a beautiful baby then sprouted. Bloomed, and here she is, alive in the world. Covering the seeds with excess dirt, I sustain until out of that particular seed. Then, I move on to peppers and so on.

Suddenly, the sun hides. Boisterous dark clouds suffocate the light. Shifting, rain sprinkles down on my back. I hope it doesn't rain too hard, flooding the garden. I gather up the tools, rushing them into the shed. I don't need them rusting on me.

Locked away, I run to the house. Wiping my muddy sneakers on the outside mat. Kicking my shoes off before entering, I strip my pants. Throwing them in the hamper off to the laundry room.

When I enter the bathroom, I escape the hold of my boxers. Feeling the shower rain it's own water down. But this water is warm. Far from the cold drops outside. Scrubbing my skin raw, and free of dirt, I hear something. It's not the booming thunder either.