PETALS OF LOVE

:THE VERY END

Sophie looked outside the fast moving train, she thought how that her life have mved as fast as the train she was on and became hysterical. As they passed lands and the beauty of nature flashed through them, she also saw how ephemeral good things could be. One day you hold your heart desires like a bunch of flowers, and the next day, they've all faded away, as fast as the moving train.Sophie's eyes burned with unshed tears, her lips shivered with unsaid words, her heart pounded with so much emotions. She trembled."See the importance of bringing along a jacket"? "Now you're cold."Sophie didn't bulge. She looked at the man beside her, whom she was just noticing for the first time, and turned away. I'm not in the right frame of mind to answer anybody now. If only he knows the reason I'm shivering. Her phone buzzed in her bag. Looking at the caller, tears welled up in her eyes. Her hands struggled to get a firm grip on the phone.It was her Mom, she had seen the text and was calling. What would she say to her? How would she explain that all that had happened in the last few months are now fairy tales. Sophie was devastated, yet grateful for one thing - that the moment when she had her gold, she shared with everyone, so now that she's lost it, she can share her grief.She let her phone ring two more times, then decided to take the call. Her mom was that one person that could see through her. Right now, she was sure that her mother knew she was intentionally not picking up the phone.Sophie tapped the green botton on her phone, but said nothing. All her life, her greatest fear were tears and how to handle it. She couldn't stand herself crying and only the thought of it brought her Shoulders plugged in her ear pods, which at this point felt like a plague because it was given to her by Gerald on a random night. She let her mothers soothing words fill her ears, her mind, her head and most importantly, her heart."Sophie darling, Love you baby, and I need you to take it easy on yourself"She fought her fears""It's gonna be alright princess, that's all I need you to know"She knew, she knew she needed to know that, but was that all she needed to know? Her mom knew it wasn't all she needed to know, but this isn't the time for realities, it's the time for comfort, and in comforting people, you don't let them see the real thing. You present them with fantasies just so they could be fine."You are all I have, Sophie Anderson and you mean more to me than you would to any other." She sniffed. "Just come home."Just when Sophie taught that she was winning the war against her fears, they overshadowed her. The tears came, but not unlike when she didn't fight, they came slowly and she had them in control. She wanted to scream at her Mom, to tell her that she's never loved a human that much and so can't relate. Tell her how she doesn't only want to mean alot to her, but also to Gerald and Toria. As if Leah knew, she said nothing else. She stayed on the call quiet until Sophie walked into the room where she sat with Samantha, Sophie's best and childhood friend.Sophie stared at Samantha, and like they've always done since they were four, communicated with their hearts through their eyes and not their words through their lips. Sophie sank to the floor between them. She looked at Sam, married, happy, working, pregnant, adored and loved by her spouse, fully supported by family...they were directly opposite.Sam held Sophie like it was their last day together. She recalled how they went job hunting and how Sophie started working in Bloom Nursery. She taught about all the happiness that had come her way since then. Sam had never seen Sophie more happy in her life.Gradually, like time didn't care about her wellbeing, seconds crawled into days. She sat at the dinning staring into space and holding a burger to her face with both hands. Sam stepped in, "You have to be careful, so you don't get yourself in a worst situation than you're already in" "It's not in any way easy to...""...fix the puzzle when several pieces are lost?" She pulled out a chair " I need you to try Sophie, try. You can't keep brooding over him!""That's the problem. You all think it's just about Gerald right? How about Torah and..." She choked and Sam handed her water.Samantha was confused. Neither she nor Leah was having their way Sophie was thinking about the times Gerald said the same work with Sophie. "Listen Soph, a lot of things make up a treasure box, that you've lost one doesn't mean you've lost all or that the others aren't there. Your attitude tries to say that we don't matter to you".What's Sam even saying?"I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, Justin needs me." She waited for Sophie's reaction "But I'll be back soon."dis to her, " I need you". Is that how needs become totally unwanted?"Sophie can you hear me?""Yes, Sam. Thank you so much for stopping by." She took the first bite of her burger since Sam came. " And you know you don't need to come back, I can deal with my issues, they are mine"."Oh please...when did I become a stranger?"" I didn't do any thing wrong, Sam"" I know, you don't have to blame your self for anything.""I never wanted you to go back, but it seemed like you really loved him and I wanted you to be happy" She wrapped her hands around Sophie's waist."I loved Gerald, I loved his child, I loved his household, I loved everything about Him. I still do and that's the problem", She said staring in Sam's eyes."What actually happened?" Sam was careful not to ask the previous days in other not to stir up her feelings, but now, it seemed like she was ready to talk about it and that is much progress." He found out about Havila""Elena told him?"" I don't think so "" Then how did all of these happen?""I don't know.... I really don't know". Her eyes were becoming misty and Sam had to cut the conversation short.Oh, no! She knew.When Sam left the next morning for home and her Mom, for work, she let her heart wander to how she met Gerald.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★Gerald sat in his nothing short of magnificent office. It seemed like the days went too slowly since Sophie left. He'd sit in His office, dreading his home because it was empty. Initially, He had toiled with the thought of not going home, but there was Toria, his little girl. Yet when he'd go home, only the sight of her brought him reminders of Sophie. The previous day, Toria had asked, "Daaaad?""Yes baby?"" Sophie doesn't love me anymore?"Gerald had to remind himself that she was just a child. He didn't know whether to say yes or no. But saying no would hurt her feelings.He carried her and swung her in the air, then brought her to his chest. She put her tiny palms around his cheeks. And steadied her faze on his eyes because she was seeing her reflection in his iris.He wanted to answer her question, but she had obviously forgotten that she had ever asked a question. Now exploring his heard, she touched his ear, tried to force her hand into his mouth, but he folded his lips. She sat down, lay her face up on his thighs and began to tickle her as her laughter filled the entire room.His door bell rang, jolting him from his thoughts. He looked at the screen of his CCTV to see that it was Karen, his personal assistant."Come in Karen"."Sir, there's an emergency!" She looked worried.Gerald stared at her. Sophie would never worry if she was in the same situation. She was always calm and ready to take things one step at a time. She'd always say, "what ever would be would be, what does that song mean to you?""Sir, it's the Crescent Company, they're holding back their partnership request.""What's the problem?"Did he just aske me that? "Sir, we haven't been serious about the deal they presented to us and we do not have a response yet because we've not heard from you.""You know what? Let them go!""But, Sir we can't afford to lose them. During our refining contract, they helped us".He grinned his teeth and looked up slowly as he would in his angry state. Karen took two steps back."Leave Karen!" She left.ouse.He looked at himself in the glass and stepped out of his office."Sir", it was Karen again. He didn't stop moving. "I wanted to tell you that your Mom us at home, she called....""Wait, what?" He made an abrupt stop in front of the elevator."I wanted to say this earlier,but you asked me to leave. I'm so sorry, Sir"."Call the boys, so they know I wouldn't be stopping by anymore." He Bagels picked up a file, which he knew he wouldn't open. He called his guard, Peter to pick up the rest of his things. He also asked to tell his driver Shaun that he should drive to Springs' hardly heard her reply as he moved into the elevator. He had wanted to meet up with his friends at Springs' house, but here was his Mom, disrupting his plan as she always would.The mansion was unnecessarily quiet, that evening. His Mom, Ma Victoria was a no-nonsense woman. She must have shaken up all the domestic staff.Gerald walked into the house as the house guards held open the front door. Walking down the hallway, he remembered how she would meet him halfway down, giving him refreshing caresses and easing kisses. Sophie always made his evening after a long day and he always looked forward to coming home to her. Gerald tried to take her off mind because he had made the decision to let her go. He was not a man to go back on His word, yet two times, he had done it for her. Letting her go and accepting her back. He stopped in front of the glass frame at the foot of the staircase and ran his fingers on it. She was wearing a pink short and a Flora singlet with her hair flying in the air. He stood behind her on sunglasses with no shirt, she leaning on his hairy chest, carrying Toria who had her lips to Sophie's cheek at his side. The picture was taken in the beach to celebrate Thanksgiving. The sight of it was beautiful, but although he was trying to get rid of everything that reminded him of Sophie, he couldn't take this particular one out.Gerald was startled by his mother's hand in his shoulder."Mom", he said realizing himself."Mom, you never show up suddenly, so what's up."" Oh, don't play games with me, Gerald!"He tried to walk up the stairs"Don't walk out on me, Gerald!"" I'm a grown man, mother", He said quietly."Then act like I'm Gerald! Act like one!" She was now getting livid."You get married to a heiress and complain of a thousand and one things, then you get her divorced. You fall in love with a paupers child..."Sophie's not a paupers child, he thought to himself. Wait! Why am I even defending her?"...and now you chase her out? What the hell is wrong with you, Gerald?""Listen Mom, it not my fault, none of these are my fault."" You always say that." She raised her hands in he air, "Its my fault then, it's my fault that you can't be responsible and keep a woman, my fault it is that you never seem to know what you want in a woman or what's best for you. It's all my fault that you don't listen to me, it all of my fault!" Now, she was mad, really mad. Gerald was a smart guy and siue say it. "You know hay mother, I'm done."He half to his room and shut the door. He lay flat with his face to the ceiling, fully dressed. He remembered how he'd sir in the same bed and get undressed by her. He mind began walking down the memory lane of how he met Sophie.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★