Lindsey and Ray : wishes flying away...

Lindsey took all the flowers that he handed her. Colourful flowers, varied species. She smelled the big hand bouquet. Fresh, as if he just picked them up in a garden somewhere.

“Do you like them all?”

“Yes, Ray, they’re beautiful.”

“I saw Mrs. Palder had just picked them up from her garden. I came to her and bought them all.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

“Who turned them into such a beautiful hand bouquet?”

“I did.”

“You did? You gotta be kidding me.”

“You don’t believe me.”

Ray seemed upset. He didn’t answer when Lindsey asked him what he would like to have for a drink. So, Lindsey went to her kitchen.

Ray went closer to his hand bouquet put in a small table in the corner of the guess room. He smelled them. He smiled. When Lindsey came in to the room, he was not upset anymore. He took her by the hand.

“Ray, just sit down and enjoy the lemonade. I made it my self.”

“Hm…can I have milk added in my lemonade?”

“You’re still weird.”

Before going to the kitchen, Lindsey kissed his right cheek. He seemed so happy. He was even happier seeing her back with a box of milk.

“There you go. Please your self, honey.”

“Honey…you know what, Lindsey, lemonade would taste great with honey…”

“I don’t have honey, honey…I am not Winnie the Pooh who always has honey in his fridge.”

“You’re right.”

“So, what brought you here, today, Ray?”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, you know. Come here.”

Ray kissed her deeply, on her cheek. Lindsey gave him a big big hug. A hug that he would never let go.

“I don’t wanna go back there, Lindsey. I wanna be with you.”

“Oh, dear, I can’t.”

“Mrs. Palder said so but I didn’t believe her. She just wanted to hurt me.”

“Look at me, Ray. You gotta go back there. I can’t keep you here.”

“But you know I can’t come back there. I brought you flowers, I thought you’d understand.”

“Look, Ray, I am not your mother. I don’t have the right to keep you here.”

“You are my mother. You’re the only one who treated me well. The woman who gave birth to me left me with him. You have to save me from him. You should’ve taken me with you when you left him! You don’t love me!”

Then he ran away, went out of the house, out of the neighbourhood, out of sight. She couldn’t do anything but let him go. As she couldn’t do anything when she decided to leave his father—a crazy abuser—and saw him cry out loud in his room, begging her to stay. She loved him. Two years they were together. She tried to stay only because of him. But then she knew she had to move on. No more abuse. It killed her that she had to leave him behind. But she would do differently, should she have a choice.