Dead Flowers - Epilogue

The final installment in Leena and Robert's tale. 

A week after Robert had returned home I had found him staring at his garden. He seemed nervous, dishevelled so I had begun to wonder if maybe one of his plants had died. It seemed like an odd occurrence though as Robert had never once let a plant slip away into the night, regardless of frost or pesky animals.

“Robert?” I called, nervously walking up to his side. The garden looked fine, in fact it was flourishing. Since his return, that tiny spit of land I had managed to single handily destroy was green and ripe once again.

“Rob?” I whispered, “What’s wrong?”

He turned to me with a soft look, a gentle one that made my heart beat faster, “I love you, Leena.”

I smiled, “I love you too, Rob, but why are you -”

I didn’t have time to voice my concern. In fact, every inch of me had frozen as Robert Iria, now Evans, had dropped to his knee.

“Oh Rob,” I whispered as my hands covered my mouth.

“I love you, Leena Harlton, and I want to marry you,” a pretty ring box was pulled from his back pocket, “I know this may seem rushed but I want to spend every living moment with you as my wife.”

“Of course!” I cried, nearly sobbing as he placed the simple ring upon my finger.

The minute Robert stood I had thrown myself to him, catching him in such a forceful kiss I knocked the man to the ground.

We had landed in a rather large crash but Robert took the moment happily and wrestled my joy filled body until we landed peacefully against the thick olive tree.

“I love you, Leena,” He breathed again, holding me tight against his chest. His arms were always warm, regardless of the weather or time of day. They were always so strong and so comforting that I melted into them.

In reply, I had tilted my head up, catching his lips in a softer kiss, a caste one that he returned without resistance.

Robert and I’s wedding was small and had been  –

Ding Dong!

My hands paused on the keyboard; the rather loud doorbell had shaken me from my thoughts and I froze as I tried hard to gain back the flow I had at one point drifting through my fingers.

“Leena!” Robert’s voice called, muffled by the many walls of the house, “Leena! Can you get the door?”

I sighed, “Can’t you?”

“Cooking!” His voice sang back and I released a little huff.

It wasn’t that I minded getting the door, I thought as I wandered out of our tiny study.

It was just that it seemed like decades since I had gotten to write and I had already been told by my publicist that my newest memoirs needed to be complete in the next two months.

I reached the front entrance in a matter of time, hoping deep down that this was just a silly salesmen or something when my jaw dropped.

Standing outside was a rather aged couple, a woman and a man with tired faces and emotionless eyes.

Standing outside was my mother and father.

“Mom,” I whispered as I pulled open the door, “What are you two doing here?”

My father stepped inside without a word. There was no emotion upon his face and I watched as his surveyed the front entrance.

“We haven’t heard from you in years, Leena,” said the woman with a stiff voice. Age hadn’t been kind to her, “We were concerned.”

“Concerned?” I scoffed, “Is that so? Well if you must know I am doing quite well. I have a husband and -”

“Mom!”

My mother gaped, “You have a child?”

In came a little boy, bright eyed and gorgeous just like his father. He stood behind me with a nervous feel; a timid one that Robert said reminded him of his little sister years ago.

“Two actually,” I breathed, placing a calming hand on my son’s head, “This is Andrew.”

“Andrew...” said my father’s voice. He was looking down at the child with gentle eyes, eyes I had once craved to get when I had been young. “He is a beautiful boy.”

“Thank you,” I muttered. I turned to the tiny boy, “Drew, sweetie, why don’t you go see your Daddy? Can you help him with lunch?”

“Who are they?” Andrew asked but I shooed him off quickly, promising I’d tell him later.

“How did you find me?” I asked, turning back to my parents with a worrisome look, “Why did you come find me?”

“We’ve always known where you’ve been, Leena,” said my father, “We’ve just never -”

His voice drifted his off as his light eyes lifted towards the footsteps behind me. Robert stood with a protective feel, one that allowed his arms to drift around my waist.

“Robert,” I said with a stiff tone, “These are my parents.”

“Parents?” breathed the man and with a sudden joy, he reached to grasp my father’s hand, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Harlton.”

Robert, always the gentleman.

Despite the confusion my mother held, she seemed impressed by the handsome black haired boy. In fact, a smile lit her face as Robert moved to grasp her frail old hand in his.

“Your daughter,” began my husband, “means the world to me. You’ve raised a beautiful woman.”

I wanted to oppose, to interject a comment that they were NOT the ones to raise me when my father spoke with a grim smile.

“Her life would be her grandmother’s doing,” said the blond hair man, “She is the only reason Leena is the way she is.”

“Then we have her to thank, don’t we?” Robert said with a smile. My mother only vaguely nodded.

I released a little sigh. I didn’t know how to feel, didn’t know how to react. I hadn’t seen my parents in what seemed like a million years. I was suddenly angry and frustrated and sad and happy. I couldn’t pin my emotions and Robert, Robert knew that.

“I’m sure you’ll want time to catch up with your daughter,” Robert breathed, “Why don’t you go around to the back and sit by the pool? I’ll bring your grandchildren out once they’re done lunch.”

My father agreed, in fact, he adored the idea so I sluggishly showed them around to the back.

“I know you’re surprised -”

I cut my father off, “Surprised isn’t really the right word.”

He frowned, “Leena, we’re... sorry.”

I swore my heart stopped.

“Sorry?” I had to repeat the word, “You’re sorry?”

“Yes,” my mother replied, “We were wrong to ignore you those so many years. We never saw the joy you could’ve brought us. We were always so busy with our work that -”

My arms wrapped around her tightly. My mother stiffened until slowly she returned the hold and I was given the first real form of affection from her in so many, many years.

When I pulled away and I drew my father into a hold, I waited with a nervous feel. I waited to see if they would ask for money, for housing or for anything but I was given nothing.

All my mother did was sit herself in one of the comfy lounge chairs and ask about how I had met Mr. Robert Evans. I told her a brief lie about how he had been helping me with the home and continued it with the twisted story I had explained to Mr. Pine long ago.

She said it was romantic and my father seemed pleased that Robert had gone through so much just to make me happy.

My father than asked what my husband did for a living and when I told him he was a self employed gardener he kept his mouth shut and replied that at least the man was doing what he loved.

I, in turn, only smiled and offered to get them a drink while my mother started those typical compulsory questions about my children, her grandchildren.

After about a half an hour of a surprisingly comfortable conversation, Robert came from the house with our two tiny children.

Little Andrew, named after his deceased grandfather, raced with excited arms to see the people my husband had explained were his grandparents.

Drew had always wanted those.

While in Robert’s arms was our tiniest Hannah, the little girl named after the miracle worker who had allowed us to be together. Robert explained she had his mother’s hair.

My mother had wanted to hold her, to use that maternal instinct she had suppressed with me, while Drew peered up at my father with large eyes.

“You wanna play catch?” He asked, “Daddy just bought me a new baseball.”

“Catch?” My dad replied, “You know I haven’t played catch in a while.”

“Really?” Drew asked, a big grin on his lips, “Well we can play now!”

It seemed, as I watched my father move to the middle of the yard, that he had no objections.

My mother had settled with the tiny Hannah amongst the freshly cut grass to try and teach her little words to say. Hannah seemed to enjoy the attention, flourished under it as she clapped and giggled.

Robert pulled me aside, dropping us both carefully to the ground. His large build seemed to dwarf mine as he kept me close to him.

“I hope you aren’t too displeased with me for inviting your parents in.”

“I was a little miffed,” I muttered as my head dropped back upon his shoulder, “but I’m alright now. I’m an adult. I don’t need their approval besides even if I still did I think I know what I’d receive.”

“And what’s that, love?”

My eyes slipped closed as the warm sunlight spilled over our builds, “We did good.”

Robert kissed my cheek, “Yes, Leena, I think we did.”

The End.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments on the forum as well as here. They have all encouraged me to continue this story until the end and I have enjoyed it greatly. I have a new story coming out, one that should be ready in the next little while. I hope you will enjoy that one as much as you've enjoyed Leena and Robert's tale.