The rose bush grew near the fence in Mr. Brown’s unkept front yard, and its flowers were within easy reach of the sidewalk. Mr. Brown did not prune the rose bush anymore. This was ok because Mr. Brown did not take care of the rest of the garden either. Most days he could not remember his own name, and on the bad days he forgot to eat, sleep and use the restroom.

Mr. Brown planted the rose bush for his wife many years ago, and he tended it with much love after her passing, talking to it as though it was her. For the last few months though, the garden grew wild, and the rose bush grew through and over the fence, its flowers on display like an invitation to pick one. Carefully! Roses have thorns.

On the day that Mr. Brown forgot to wake up, Wayne picked one of these roses. He struggled to break the stem without bruising or breaking the petals. This rose was meant for Sara. They have never spoken before, but Wayne can’t get her out of his thoughts. He needs her attention to strike up a conversation, and he thinks giving her this rose will do the trick.

Mr. Brown was a very large man, and the paramedics had a tough time getting him out of the bathtub onto the gurney. Getting the loaded gurney out of the house through all the clutter was another struggle. The moment Mr. Brown’s body was loaded into the ambulance and the door slammed shut, the stem of the rose let go and Wayne almost fell on his ass with the rose in his hand.

It was a beauty. Wayne is sixteen, and not particularly interested in flowers, but even he can see that this one is special. It was big, and heavy, and had an incredible scent. Wayne removed the few thorns from the stem and plucked some of the leaves from it. Perfect! He can even give this to Sara’s brother and she will still talk to him, he thinks!

Sara and her brother rode home on another bus. Wayne goes to a different school, and today his bus arrived first – giving him the opportunity to pick the flower. ‘Who gave you the flower lover boy?’, someone asked. Wayne realized he had been standing motionless admiring the rose and enjoying its fragrance. It was Gus, Sara’s slightly annoying older brother, always hanging around her like he was her minder.

Wayne gave him a sidelong look and walked right up to Sara with the rose in front of him. She stopped, so did he, and so did time. Sara looked at the rose with delight and raised her teal eyes to meet Wayne’s brown ones. Her face lit up even more and Wayne’s heart started beating again, reminding him that now is the time to take a breath if he wants to say anything.

‘I got this for you Sara’, Wayne extended the flower to her, ‘I even took the thorns off. One of them is still stuck under my thumb nail.’ It was just him and her; he was blind and deaf to the world, but still managed to slap away Gus’s hand when he reached for the flower. ‘I hope you like it’.

Sara took the flower and brought it to her nose, her eyes never leaving Wayne’s. She smiled and blushed a pretty pink on both cheeks. When she took the flower Wayne’s soul also became hers. He felt something unseen reach out of his chest for her and felt the same energy from her. Through the simple action of giving a beautiful girl a pretty flower these two souls became forever connected on a level that not even they themselves understood.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown smile down on the lovestruck teenagers. ‘They are going to be so happy’, Mrs. Brown whispers, ‘for a while’.

‘They are so fucked’, Mr. Brown responds, ‘Such a beautiful thing cannot last. Life is just too short and filled with nonsense. I do envy them though. What a magnificent feeling!’ Mr. Brown looks into the teal eyes of his beloved, his own brown eyes misting over. ‘I still remember when I gave you your rose!’ Mrs. Brown smiles, ‘Yes! Me too! And I am so happy we grew that rose bush from that flower.’

Mr. and Mrs. Brown turn away and walk into eternity, hand in hand. Wayne and Sara walks from the bus stop, hand in hand, into their own uncertain future.