The Flower Girl

The Flower Girl

By R. e. Taylor

After a week of work, family, money problems and just life in general Joshua would get up early on Saturday morning, hop in his car and just start driving. It didn't matter what direction he drove in, he just wanted to get away for a few hours. But, on one Saturday morning in June something changed and after that he took the same route week after week until the leaves had all fallen from the trees.

That day he left as usual after rolling a set of dice to see what direction to travel in. He thought it maybe was silly to do this, but hell he did it every week. Highway two through four would mean travel east, five through eight meant south and nine through twelve meant west. Anyway, he rolled the dice as usual, and a one and a three came up so east it was.

He had his usual places to stop once he got started. When he was going east, it was a little mom and pop diner that specialized in three egg western omelets with a heaping pile of fried potatoes on the side. Joshua knew the waitress, so she always made sure that everything was covered by a thick layer of homemade Greek sauce. The thing was, he knew that if he survived breakfast he would have a great day. That morning was going to be a little extra great because the waitress walked over and told him of an estate sale going on about a mile away.

Joshua finished his breakfast, left a couple dollar tip and started off for the estate sale. He found it about a mile away just as the waitress had said. It was in a very old building that the city had condemned after the owner died, but the furnishings and everything inside was beautiful and a lot of it was museum quality.

There were people sitting on the porch behind a sign that read, “Anything you want $20.” The woman behind the table said that you had to pay $20 to get in, and you can take anything you can carry at no extra cost. Of course, Joshua thought that was the best deal he had heard in years so, he gladly paid the money and walked in. He saw so much that he wanted and so much that he couldn't have but when he hit the second floor he accidentally found his prize for the day.

He walked into the last bedroom on the right. There was a door that led up to the attic and a bed that was easily seen to be a boy's bed. The dust was so deep on the floor that Joshua caused a cloud to form just by walking around. He stepped gingerly across the floor until he heard the creak of a loose floorboard. He stopped and looked down. There were no nails holding the board down, so he reached down, grabbed the end and lifted it up. Under the floor was his treasure. There was a jar, sealed with wax that held hundreds of coins. He could see pennies, two and three cent coins, silver dollars and even a few gold five and ten dollar coins. From the dates that he could see all of the coins were of the civil war era, up until the mid 1880's.

He grabbed the jar and walked back downstairs. Thanking the women, he got into his car and drove off continuing his eastward journey.

Twenty miles down the road he was going through another little town when a farmer's market caught his eye. Of course, he stopped and started walking up and down the rows of vendors. There was everything there anyone could ever want. The Amish were there, with handcrafted baskets, jellies and organic vegetables. Farmers were there selling everything from their own produce to all-natural honey and candles made of pure bee's wax.

Joshua had spent nearly $100 on different things that caught his attention. His favorite was some honeysuckle honey from an old woman who probably spent her life at and this or any other farmer's markets somewhere in the area. Joshua usually paid $9.95 for an eight ounce jar, but that old woman was just so darn cute that he didn't mind paying the $9.95 price she asked. Then he saw a little girl carrying a bundle of flowers.

She was about ten years old, had fiery ginger hair which she had tied into pig tails that reached down past her shoulders. Her face was covered with freckles from the summer sun and she was wearing a cotton dress in pastel pink and violet. “Would you like to buy some flowers,” she asked with the most adorable smile.

Joshua was hooked. “How much are they darling,” he asked. She replied that they were 25 cents a piece or five for a dollar. He started looking through his money when his thought went back to a day when he was just 7 years old. He, along with his little brother and their friend, set up a Kool-aid stand in front of their house. They charged ten (s) cents for a small glass. Anyway, this car pulled up in front of them and asked for a glass and when Joshua asked for the ten cents the man gave him a dollar bill and told them to keep the change.

“My mother said that if I earn enough money this summer I can buy a bike,” said the little girl…

Joshua had the money in his hand. “I'll tell you what,” he said. “I take one flower.” He reached over and took beautiful rose, held it for a minute and broke the stem off and slid it gently into one of her pigtails. She laughed so hard, but the laughter ended and instead turned into the most beautiful smile when he handed her a ten dollar bill and told her to keep the change.

Week after week Joshua stopped at the same farmer's market just to buy one flower. He always paid with a ten dollar bill and refused any attempt of her's to give him any change.

The last week of the summer, the little girl, was at the market just as always except this time she didn't have any flowers, but the second she saw Joshua her face brightened and her freckles seems to dance on her face and her smile was back bigger than ever.

“Hello Little One,” Joshua said as he pat her on the head “How are you today?”

“I am doing great,” she replied. “I am so happy!”

“Did you get your bike,” he asked. Just then he could see a young boy, maybe five years old, riding a silver and red bike out of the corner.

“It was never for a bike for me,” she said. “My baby brother was born with a problem in his brain and the doctors said that he would never walk much less ride a bike. I promised him at the start of the summer that I would buy him a bike if he learned how to walk. We played and practiced all summer and then suddenly he stood up against a table and took two steps, so I got him the bike I promised him.

Joshua was so taken with the story that you could see tears running down his face, at her generosity and love for her little brother, and it got even worse when he found out that the little girl, due to her unselfish sacrifice, still didn't have a bike of her own.

“Do me a favor, please” he asked. “See that little purple flower next to those stairs.” She looked and saw the exact flower that he was looking at. “Now, Little One please pick it and bring it to me.” She did as he asked. It was a tiny little flower, no bigger than the eraser on a number 2 pencil.

He took the flower in his hand and broke the stem off. The little girl was watching and smiling the whole time. He took the stem and placed it gently in her ponytail just as he had done so many times.

“How much do I owe you,” he asked.

“Well Sir, it was always one flower for 25 cents,” she said with a smile.

“I don't have any change right now,” he said with a sad look on his face. “Will you wait right here while I get some change from the store across the street?” She said that she would wait. He was gone almost a half hour. Joshua made it a point to come into the park from behind her. “Now, close your eyes.” Once again she did as she was told and when she opened them Joshua was standing in front of her with a brand new mountain bike. “Little One I want you to have this so you can go riding with your brother.”

She had no idea what to say. She just stood there and looked at the bike while her brother rolled up beside her on his. Finally, Joshua broke the silence and told the little girl to keep the change. She said a quick thank you, but the joy on her face was one he would never forget, before she and her young brother rode off into the sunset.

Now, Joshua still drives by that farmer's market every once in a while. Occasionally during what was left of the nice weather he would still drive by. Once, he did see that little girl riding through the park. He stopped to say hi but, by the time he got out of the car she was already long gone. Still, he keeps on looking to see her with that ginger hair, freckles and her contagious smile just one more time. But, he never did sadly, in all the years, after that one very special summer.