Dead Flowers - Chapter Thirteen

Robert's been gone for over a year and Leena needs to find a way to move on. She doesn't understand why she can't get the ghost out of her mind but she knows she needs too. Leena's life quickly changes but when a strange woman meets her in a Salon, what will she do?

A year passed. A long year that no matter what occurred I couldn’t get my mind off Robert. I tried my hardest and, in a way, moved on but deep down, my heart still wished he’d return.

The house had been completely finished. Every room had been made over. Every room except for Robert’s. I wouldn’t dare touch it nor would I allow anyone else too. The door had been locked and it would only be opened once he returned.

Luke seemed to move on. He didn’t call anymore and he had defiantly stopped hassling me to leave my home.

Cassandra had started to date Dan the last time I checked. She called now and again with news about her life or why her brother was such an idiot. I, in turn, would fill her in with mine.

I had begun to write a book about 3 months after Robert’s disappearance. It recalled the life of my grandmother and how her dreams had brought such joy and heartache to mine.

I adored her for allowing me to leave the nest. I adored her for giving me a project that consumed my life and I adored her for introducing me to Robert.

It just hurt that he had been taken away.

Sometimes at night, I would find myself sitting in the dining room with my head plastered to the glass table because I had drank too much. I swore, in those drunken moments, I could hear his deep voice. It would say my name over and over and over again until I began crying and muttering that I wouldn’t drink anymore.

I knew how he felt about it.

It wasn’t until about 5 months in that I realized I was a pathetic human being. I had barely begun to date the man, barely had a relationship with him but it was all I craved.

Luke had been right. I was loving a memory, a memory I would never see again.

So I decided to try and get out there and not a week later I met Caleb.

He had been sitting in the park waiting for his little brother to come from an interview. Apparently the young teen had been trying to get a job at the grocer’s. I had sat down beside him, tried from my daily run when he asked me my name.

“I haven’t seen you before,” He said with a surprised tone, “You’ve really lived here for a year?”

“I don’t get out much,” was all I replied.

“Well that won’t do,” Caleb chuckled, “How about I take you out tomorrow night?”

And my heart had stopped. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? I knew I had to get over that faded memory of a ghost I was trying to tell myself didn’t exist so why did I turn him down. Caleb didn’t seem depressed or down hearted, in fact, he was thrived.

I apparently was a new challenge for him.

So the week following, I’d wake up to find flowers on my doorstep or a sweet hand written letter in the mail begging for a chance. These little trinkets made my heart flutter and my stomach leap, something I hadn’t felt in a long while.

But still, as I placed the fresh flowers upon my bedside table, all I could wonder was if Robert would’ve liked them.

Finally, about three weeks from our meeting I agreed to a dinner date with Caleb Pine. He had been thrilled and took me to the Little Corsican Bistro, a replica of the place my grandmother brought me when I was a child.

He was the total gentlemen. He paid for my meal, complimented me on my attire and even walked me to my door.

When we stood, in the darkness, in front of my large entrance I wasn’t sure what to do. My head dropped as nerves took over because I really didn’t want to kiss him.

I knew he expected it and I sure as heck would’ve with how well our date had gone but all I could do was stare down at my feet because this wasn’t that fiery red ghost.

“I’m sorry,” I had whispered and disappeared inside without a word of goodbye.

The next day there was a knock on the door and Caleb stood there with a sheepish grin asking if he could come in. I agreed and the moment he had stepped over the threshold, I had been swept up into a heated kiss that I allowed myself to sink into.

I knew I had done this before. I had numbed Robert’s rejection by drinking and now, as the months progressed, I numbed it with Caleb Pine.

It was a warm afternoon, about 6 months after I had agreed to date Caleb when he took me to a familiar little garden that I didn’t dare tread in. Anxious and sullen, I followed him to look at the brilliant community vegetable garden until he turned to me with a glorious beam.

Caleb was known for his smile.

“I love you, Leena Harlton,” was what he said as he fell down to his knee, “And I want to marry you.”

I couldn’t speak.

I couldn’t move.

I just stood there with a shock across my face until my sorrow took hold and I nodded. I agreed because I was, for some horrid reason, still hurting. I had hoped Caleb would take that pain away.

Though as the weeks past, I knew he would never be able to and yet I still went along with the idea of being married to the happy Caleb Pine.

The closure I needed, I would never get but my hope was I would be able to hide it, drown it with a happily married life. I would be able to get over Robert sooner or later. Yet, when Caleb came to me one day with the proposition that we get rid of Robert’s garden in the corner of the yard, I knew I never would.

The plants were dying. I tried my hardest to keep them alive, tried my hardest every day to go out and water them like Robert had but nothing I did seemed to help.

They were dead flowers, disappearing in the wind just like their caregiver had.

It was a Friday and Caleb, who worked at the Doo Peas Corporate Tower, was busy at the office. I, on the other hand, took my fiancé’s offer to get out of the house and attempt to try on a few of the wedding dresses I had ordered from Bridgeport. They had been delivered to the Salon, a simple little place.

I shuffled on the dress. It was beautiful. It was gorgeous but I held no delighted grin on my face. A woman made a passing comment as she walked by and I thanked her quietly but nothing seemed to encourage my grin.

“You look quite beautiful,” said a female’s voice, a different one then the girl before. She stood behind the mirror with a stoic face but a polite one.

“Thank you,” I muttered, turning from the mirror.

“You don’t look like a lace girl,” continued the older woman. She was quite beautiful with a professional look to her, “But it does suit you.”

I just nodded.

“You seem a little down, an usual emotion for a woman searching for her wedding dress.”

“I’m fine,” I breathed, “Just a little tired.”

“When is the wedding?”

“Not for another 6 months. Caleb just thought it’d be fun for me to get a start on my dress shopping.”

“But you’re not having fun, are you?”

I didn’t want to consol in this woman. She would think I was crazy. Caleb was a catch, an amazing catch that I should cherish and stop taking for granted.

“Who’s the lucky man?”

“Caleb Pine,” I muttered.

“A Pine? They’re a rather respected family in town, hardworking,” She smiled, “How did you manage to catch him?”

“I didn’t,” I breathed, “He found me. He was persistent and I thought -”

“You thought what, my dear?”

I shook my head , “Nothing.”

“If you’re not happy, why don’t you just call it off?”

“Caleb doesn’t make me unhappy,” I replied with a frown, “Besides, calling it off or not calling it off won’t change this mood.”

“Hmm,” and she looked liked she was thinking, contemplating something, “There is another man, isn’t there?”

“In a way... but he’s... he's never coming back...” I turned back to the mirror.

“I wouldn’t say that, Leena.”

My breath caught.

How did she know my name? I hadn’t told her it, had I? No, I defiantly hadn’t told her my name. I slowly turned back around and the woman, she continued to stand there with an odd emotion on her pretty face.

“My name is Dr. Hannah Best, Leena.”

What was this? Was Caleb trying to check me into some depression clinic? I gave her a weird look.

“Did Caleb send you here or something?”

“No,” She giggled gently, “Not Caleb. Guess again.”

“Luke?”

Her head shook.

“Cassie?”

“Oh you are a silly girl! A little bit slow, aren’t we?”

I scoffed.

“Now, why don’t you go take off that silly little wedding dress and stop playing dress up? I think you know what you want and I can take you too him but... you need to be sure he's what you want still.”

What I want?

My eyes widened, “What is this? Did Luke put you up to this because it’s not funny?”

Dr. Best sighed, “No Leena, this is no joke. I took it upon myself to find you and it seems like it was a good thing I did. Your poor little Robert hasn’t stopped talking about you and I thought you should at least look upon him one more time... just in case.”

“Just in case?”

She turned, walking towards the door, “I’ll be waiting in the red van outside. Hurry and change, Leena, I’ll do my best to answer all your questions.”

Dr. Best disappeared outside and I, I hurried back to the change room while my broken little heart pumped heavily against my chest.

To be continued...