Happy IN2U Day ♡

As usual on a thursday evening I'm on my way to my weekly visit. The season is getting cold so I'm wearing my black jacket. It's comfy and keeping me warm in the breeze.

Only recently I found a new route. It's not shorter than my former route though but the area is more quiet.

And view is prettier, even now.

I bet in summer you can admire the cornfield and the poppies in rich colours but also the brown acre in the beginning twilight is kinda aesthetic. It's peaceful.

With my hands in my pocket I wander along the small dirt road that leads to the edge of the neighboring village. Here stands a small family home that seems so quiet that it seems almost uninhabited, but the well-kept garden with its lush flowerbeds is telling otherwise.

I found this garden the day I was running late when I didn't want to be seen racing and panting within the village. So I rushed through the bushes instead and nearly forgot time again while getting lost in the view of these beautiful blossoms.

Back then I would have loved to take a flower with me but I was reluctant to steal something. Yeah, was. Didn't take many thursdays to finally pick a flower secretly.

The colorful dahlias are just too tempting not to take one of them with me. What am I gonna do with neither time nor money and with the multitude of flowers it is hardly noticeable for the owner anyway, right?

Discreetly I'm peeking out from behind one of the oaks that line the dirt road. As always, the property is empty and the curtains in the windows are all drawn. I'm sneaking along the fence, my hand clasping the mini garden shears in my jacket pocket tighter.

At a point where the view of the house is blocked by an evergreen bush, I squat down and inspect the flowers reaching for one in purple.

That very moment a black figure jumps out from behind that bush, scaring me to death and making me fall on my bum with a loud squeak.

"Finally!" A young man my age steps right up to the fence and stares at me with an angrily piercing gaze.

"Uh, uh, hi, I-I just happened to be passing by here by chance--" I'm stuttering.

"Tell that to your grandpa, not me." His eyes find the shears that are lying next to me.

"Uh... Uh..." I put them away hastily.

"The last three times my dahlias also just happened to end up in your hand just by chance as well?", he hisses angrily.

"These are yours??" I'm surprised. I always imagined passionate gardeners as elderly grandparents.

"Whose else would it be, Santa's?", he shouts. I am still lying down below while he's towering over me. I'm glad there's a fence between us.

"Uh-"

"Who do you think you are?? Stealing my flowers, are you out of your mind??"

"Well, I... they... they're for someone special..."

"As they should! I hope she's pretty. For my dahlias is has to be someone VERY special, got it?"

"Uh?"

"Hand me the shears", he demands.

"Excuse me?"

Expectantly he holds out his hand and I slowly get up on my feet. Hesitantly I take the shears out of my pocket.

He grabs them and examines some of the bigger blossoms before he chooses a particularly large dahlia, cuts it off, and puts it into my hand.

I'm confused.

The garden owner also gives me back my garden shears before climbing over the fence and looking at me with expectant eyes. "What you waiting for? Let's go."

"What?"

"I'm coming with you. I want to be there when you tell her the flowers that you gave her were all stolen. From me."

This can't be happening but this man is dead serious.

"You came from there, so we're going in this direction, right?", he guesses and walks off to the center of the village. I have no other choice but to trot along.

A smug smile is spread across his face as we walk side by side in silence.

My nose is getting a bit cold from the wind. Also, I'm a bit uncomfortable in this strangers presence. But he seems happy and after all he deserves to be and I deserve to suffer a bit after stealing from him. I just don't know how to tell him this will not end as he expects it...

After a while he asks: "Hey, what's your name?"

I need to clear my throat, then I tell him my first name only: "Jiahn." He doesn't need to know my last name in case he knows anyone from my family in the village on the other side of the cornfield. Would be embarassing if he told them what I did.

"I see."

"And your name?"

"I won't tell you." He smiles widely. He wants to run me down when I look stupid and have to admit that I stole his flowers and don't even know his name. If he knew where we were going... but I really have no idea how to tell him!

I'm clearing my throat again. "Ahem. I didn't take the big ones," I say then. I didn't want to steal his best flowers. Also, it would have been too obvious. But that he even noticed... he seems to be very attentive when it comes to his garden. Too bad for me.

"Do you think it makes a difference which of my gems you steal?"

"Um... no?" Too bad. I should just shut up. My jaws are clenched tightly in tension as we approach the cemetery. I open the gate and let him go first. "Don't tell me you're meeting her here? Or is this a shortcut?", he asks slightly surprised.

"It's not a her actually", I mumble.

"Oh? You're gay?", he asks with a blank expression. My sexualtity is none of his business and it's got nothing to do with the matter here.

"Uhm. We've arrived."

We stop next to a large red oak. My companion looks surprised but I'm ignoring his stare and kneel down to say a short silent prayer. I put the dahlia in the vase standing at the edge of the holly-decorated grave bed.

His gaze falls on the inscription on the gravestone. "That's not that long ago," he says quietly. His tone is soft and sad.

"No", I confirm with a cracking voice. Not even a full year ago. "Thursday was our day. I've always visited Grandpa on Thursdays, since primary school."

"Mmm," he goes on. I don't know why I'm telling him that. Isn't it also none of his business?

"He had Alzheimer's. Eventually he didn't even recognise me anymore but he still knew that Thursday was a special day. On that day he put on a nice shirt and waited, not knowing what for, but he was always happy to see me!" My voice becomes quieter and quieter and my throat gets hoarse. The stranger takes a step closer.

Obviously he's lost for words for my grief but he gently places his hand on the middle of my back and patiently waits until I'm done shedding a few silent tears and secretly wiping them off my cheeks.

"I'm very sorry for stealing your dahlias. Besides, it's pathetic to give someone stolen flowers, isn't it?", I murmur.

"Nevermind, Jiahn", he says softly, "Feel free to take some for your Grandpa anytime." Strangely enough, it makes the corners of my mouth twitch slighty upwards.

"You're much too nice!"

He smiles back at me and strokes my back a few times before he lets his hand sink. The church bell rings. The pensioners from the prayer group which starts at 6:15 p.m. in the vicarage next door are about to arrive and today I don't really feel like having a chat with Mrs. Kim about her collection of plush slippers.

Therefore I say: "Let's go", and head to the gate. My flower friend follows right behind me. Again I hold the gate open for him which he acknowledges with a smile and a thanks.

"Oh noo, I just realised I haven't introduced myself properly to your grandpa", it occurs to him on the way back.

I'd say he could just come with me again next week but that would be kind of cheeky and to bold for me right now. "Don't worry about that. But you didn't really introduce yourself to me neither", I say instead.

"Yeontae", he answers, "my name is Yeontae."

"Okay Yeontae."

Again we walk in silence but this time we're smiling at each other.

"You know what's weird?", I ponder just before arriving at his house.

"What is it?"

"I always have cold hands when I go to the cemetery. Even in summer, but my hands are almost never cold expect at this place."

"Hmm...", he thinks. "Someone once told me that when you have cold hands, a ghost holds your hand."

I think about it for only a moment then my heart flutters and a tiny smile spreads over my face.

"This is actually helping me a lot, thank you, Yeontae!"

I'm very glad I met him.

Two months later

"Jiahnie!" Yeontae shouts cheerfully and looks up from his dahlias. He holds a big one in his hand and waves it to me. I hurry to the garden fence and am welcomed with a tender smile and a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Hi Tae!"

"Here." He hands me the beautiful pink dahlia that matches my blushing cheeks. "Say hello to Grandpa for me."

"Oh, aren't you coming today?", I wonder.

"No, I've still got some cake in the oven. Wasn't able to get it done in time," he says and invites me to have a piece with him on my way back.

"Sure thing!"

"Great! See you later then." He waves me off with a bright smile. He's so sweet.

A broad smile graces my lips as I think back to how we met some weeks ago. Yeah, I'm really happy I got to know this man!

♡