Story 3: Sunflower

Flowers are like children.

My mother always used to say this. At first, I didn’t know what she meant by that, but now I own a field of sunflowers. I usually just harvest food for my partner and me. Until they suggested we decorate it with a bit of sunshine. Their favorite flowers were sunflowers, so I happily agreed on the idea.

Now looking at this field, I feel like it’s my own children. But I love how they look and when they look at the sun during the day it just gives me a feeling of overwhelming warmth. My partner and I can’t have kids, which we accepted. Adoption was always an option. They have reassured me many times.

It was sweet, but we couldn’t adopt either as we didn’t have the money for a kid, so we waited a bit longer. Adoption isn’t a thing I just want to do, just for the sake of saying I have a kid.

I always thought of owning an orphanage. “Why?” My mother’s words when I told her before her death “Would you rather inherit the fields? Your siblings would die for it, and you are here denying me?” she scolded me. I couldn’t say the real reason why. It could be because I was a orphan once or because I always had to take care of kids my whole life.

My partner also liked the idea. Helping kids to get an education and a family that will love them. Of course, I knew I was delusional. But as I look at the sunflowers I imagine it. The flowers are my kids and I took care of them until I had to give them to their new parents, in this case, selling the flowers to the city folk. That is a weird comparison. But it makes me feel better for not doing what I wanted, and for being stuck doing my mother’s work.

I sat outside with my partner looking at the flowers. The bright yellow and green their beautiful and their looking at the sun added to the peacefulness. “The sky is as bright as your eyes today.” They tell me and I smile feeling warm. I sighed with contentment “So, random as usual, dear.” They immediately giggled and looked at the sunflowers again.

“What do you think the kids are doing right now?” they ask.

“I hope they will enjoy the beautiful sun last time they got a bit dried up.” I answered and looking at the field.

“That’s okay, we can put those dried up ones in the closest, no one will find them.”