A Very Handsome Man with Enormous Wings

Greetings, reader. Last week, we looked at The Myth of The Condor. This week, I wrote a modern version of this fairy tale below.

The birds even sing on cloudy days.

Rosa looked out over the hills. There wasn't even a shepherd in sight, just a few birds. Perfect. She sat down on the side of the hill and pulled out her sketch pad. As a kid, Rosa had run all over these hills. Now as an adult, it was kind of fun to run over them again and sketch what she saw. It was better to be out here, where the cell reception was spotty, than at home, anyway. No matter that her drawings sold and made decent money, her father wanted her to get a real job. He didn't see how much time and effort it was to make these drawings and sell them online. All he saw was her drawing, using the internet, and biking into town to the post office.

Sighing, Rosa pushed those thoughts from her mind and began to draw what was in front of her. Soon, she'd have enough saved up to move away. Until then, she drew not only because she loved it but also for her own sanity.

"That's really good."

Rosa jumped. She had sworn no one had been around before, and she definitely would have noticed this handsome man.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. I just didn't know you were there."

"So when did you start drawing? You must have started very young." he asked.

"Yeah, I drew some as a kid, but I actually started studying it a few years ago. That's helped a lot."

"I guess so." He smiled at her sketch pad. "May I sit?"

"Sure."

Without really realizing it, Rosa started opening up to this man who liked her drawings. It was nice to talk about her art without judgement. After awhile, Rosa realized she needed to get home. "What's your name?" she asked, embarrassed that she didn't know.

"Conrad," he said with a smile.

"My name is Rosa."

"Will you be out here again tomorrow?"

"Probably," Rosa replied, trying not to blush.

"Then I'll try to come find you again."

Rosa smiled and turned to go back home. She realized that she could walk Conrad back toward town, but when she turned around to find him, he was gone.

Every day, Rosa went out to the hills. She got some drawing done, but she was more interested in seeing Conrad. Eventually, she realized she was in love with him. Rosa had been working on sketching him. When it was finished, she gave it to Conrad as a gift.

"This is wonderful," he said, looking at it in awe.

"So are you," Rosa said, blushing. "I love you."

Conrad looked up from the drawing at her. "And I you."

Their first kiss had to be passionate, born from these words. He pulled her to him and Rosa wrapped her arms around him. Rosa's heart was full. She felt like she was flying! Then, with a lurch, Rosa realized she was flying. She broke their kiss and looked at Conrad. There were two black wings coming out of his back, flapping.

"Don't worry. I won't drop you."

Terrified, Rosa looked at the ground below. Reflexively, she closed her eyes and tightened her hold on Conrad. This didn't make sense. None of this made sense. How could he have grown wings? And how could he be carrying them both? It was impossible, yet here she was. Rosa kept her eyes shut until they landed.

She slowly opened her eyes and loosened her death grip on Conrad. "Welcome to my home," Conrad said.

"Where are we?" Rosa asked.

"I call it my nest. I'm renting this house for awhile."

"Awhile?"

"Yes." Conrad stepped back a pace. "I suppose I should tell you who I really am."

Rosa stepped back, too. Her hand strayed to the phone in her back pocket. She wondered if she had signal out here.

"I am a man and a condor," Conrad began, his wings disappearing.

"The bird?" Rosa asked.

"Yes," Conrad replied.

"Have you been cursed?" Rosa asked, her find full of old tales.

Conrad said nothing and looked away for a moment. "I can't stay in one spot for too long, but I want to stay here as long as I can. With you."

Rosa smiled, then stopped. "But how will I get home?"

Conrad's smile fell. "Once you leave, I have to leave too and I can never come back here."

Rosa stared at him. "If you hadn't just flown me here, I would never believe this."

"I know," Conrad replied. "It's crazy. Magic often is."

"So it was a curse," Rosa said.

Conrad was silent for a moment. "Let me show you my house," he said.

Rosa knew it was foolish, but she still trusted Conrad. The more he explained, what he would explain, the more it made sense to Rosa. After all, she loved this man and he loved her back. She knew he would never lie to her.

So, Rosa sent a text to her dad saying she was going to be gone for awhile and not to worry. It took about twenty minutes to send and Rosa didn't bother waiting for a reply before she turned her phone off. "What about my things?" she asked.

"I can get them tomorrow when your father is at work," Conrad replied. "I'll fly there as a condor and get them for you."

"Thanks," Rosa replied, still unsettled by his dual nature. Still, she forgot it quickly over dinner and had no objection to snuggling up next to him to sleep that night.

Over the next several weeks, Rosa found herself falling more in love with Conrad. After all, everything she knew about his soul was still true. It was just also true that sometimes he had feathers. She missed the outside world, but she got enough signal on her phone to keep up with most of her friends, and Conrad had a laptop with internet access. Although, this was also too slow to be worth using most days. Mostly, they spent time together and Rosa was able to draw as much as she liked. It was a peaceful life.

Then, one day, Rosa realized she was pregnant.

"You're pregnant? That's amazing!" Conrad said when she told him. "I'm going to be a father." He looked at her. "You're going to be a mother."

Rosa looked away. "How can we get him baptized?" She thought for a moment. "And how are we going to get married?"

"I didn't know that was important to you," Conrad said.

Rosa found herself nodding. It hadn't bothered her before, but now that they were going to have a child...

"I'll go talk to the priest," Conrad said. "There's no reason he can't come up here to marry us."

"You've got to ask me first," Rosa pointed out.

"Oh, right," Conrad replied. He took Rosa's hands in his. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Rosa yelled. She kissed him and cheered.

The priest Conrad brought up to marry them wasn't one Rosa knew, but as long as they were married, she was happy.

It seemed like forever and yet no time at all before she was giving birth to a son. They named him Eduardo and he lit up their lives. One day, while she was watching him sleep, Rosa realized that her father needed to meet Eduardo. She realized she missed her father very much. It had been about a year since she'd last seen him. Still, she knew what Conrad would say. If she left this house, she could never return.

"I'm sure one little trip couldn't hurt," Rosa thought. She knew where they were now and it was only half a day's journey to walk home. Rosa thought about this for the next several days. It distressed her to keep it from Conrad, but she knew what he would say and she didn't want to hear it.

So, one day, when Rosa knew Conrad would be gone all day, she  packed a bag for the baby, tied him around her, and set off. It was a long walk with Eduardo on her and his bag got heavier and heavier. Still, Rosa used to walk much farther than this carrying all of her art supplies and a lunch. She only had to stop to feed Eduardo a few times before she made it home.

"Rosa!" her father yelled.

"Papa!" Rosa cried. They hugged, being careful not to squish the baby.

"Was I not invited to the wedding?" her father asked carefully.

"No, but very few were," Rosa said. "My husband has a curse on him."

"A curse?"

"It's an expression." Although she believed in it now, she didn't want to explain to her father. Rosa unwrapped Eduardo a bit. "Meet your grandson, Eduardo."

As soon as he saw his grandson, Rosa knew all was forgiven. They spent the best afternoon together that they had in ages. "Can you drive us home?" Rosa asked as the sun was beginning to set. "I want you to meet my husband."

"Of course!"

Rosa could have asked him for anything right then and he would have agreed. They loaded up the car and Rosa gave her father directions. The road didn't go all the way up to the house, but it would be a much shorter walk. When they started the trip, Rosa was happy, but the further they drove, the more distressed she became. When they finally ran out of road, Rosa leapt from the car and ran to the house.

It was still there, but all of Conrad's things were gone. He had left that first drawing she had done of him on the bed with a red rose on top of it.

Rosa collapsed. How could she have been so stupid? He had told her not to leave!

It seemed like ages before she felt her father's comforting hand on her shoulder. "Oh, my dear," he said.

"He didn't want to go," Rosa choked out. "It's his curse. He told me so."

"Of course he did, my dear." They stayed like that for a moment or two before Rosa finally pulled herself up from the floor. She looked around at the wreckage of her life and then at her son, sleeping peacefully in her father's arms.

"I think," Rosa took a moment to pull herself together. "I think I need to come home."

"Of course, my dear. Of course."

The Myth of the Condor

Just flying away with another captive.

Hello, dear reader. This week's tale, The Myth of the Condor, comes to us from Peru. If you're not familiar with this story, click the link above to read it. If you are, continue reading and we'll analyze it together.

This story has something you very rarely see in fairy tales: an actual courtship. This guy and girl actually get to know each other and get to like each other before they go live together and start having children. Granted, he kidnapped her, but apparently she fell in love with him anyway. I have questions about the condor. Was he just being a jerk or did he have some sort of reason for kidnapping this girl? Could he only appear as a human outside of his nest for so many days before he couldn't be seen by humans again? We are given no explanation, so it looks like the condor is just a jerk.

I am also curious about this girl. She grew to like and trust this handsome young man. Even after he kidnapped her, she fell in love with him, had his child, and still loved him. However, even though she loved the condor, there is nothing in the story about her asking to see her father or any kind of negotiation. It seems she can either live with the condor and miss her father or she can live with her father and miss the condor. It bothers me that we're not told why she can't have both. Again, it just makes the condor look like a villain for keeping her away from her father.

We also know very little about the girl's father. She certainly missed him, but did he miss her? We don't know if he went to look for her. Did the girl tell her father about the handsome stranger? Did he know she was befriending a man no one else had seen? Or did her father see them together one day and decide not to bother them? We know the girl's father cared enough to come rescue her from the condor's nest. When the plot needed him to act, he did, but that's the only thing he does in this story. I like this story; the set-up intrigues me. I just wish we had more detail about the characters in it.

The moral of this story is: don't let anyone pick you up. Alternatively, if you find yourself trapped in a condor's nest, make sure you have something to bribe a hummingbird with so you can be freed.

Think of something I missed? Have an alternate moral to this story? Know a story you want me to talk about? Comment below!

Song Bird

Greetings, reader. Last week, I wrote about The Juniper Tree. This week, I wrote a modern version of this fairy tale. Why should all of these stories end up with everyone in therapy?

He's secretly a brilliant singer.

As soon as they moved into their new house, Elsie started talking about where they were going to plant juniper tree. Paul smiled and suggested the backyard. "Perfect!" Elsie said. "Then, when it gets big, we can sit under it in the shade." She went out that weekend, got a tree, and planted it. It was the summer, so it wasn't the best time to plant a tree, but Elsie knew it would grow just fine. The few leaves on the other trees deepened with their oncoming decay and fell, but the juniper tree, an evergreen, kept its scant greenery even after every other tree was bare. Elise and Paul would sit inside their new house and look out at the snow and the little tree, cuddled together under a red blanket.

The seasons changed and as spring came, Elsie began to bloom with the plants. She grew rounder and full of new life just as the flowers began to blossom, and after her doctor's visits, she would go sit in their backyard, sniff the flowers, look up at their juniper tree and smile. As the months got warmer, she got larger, until finally the leaves began to decay and fall from the trees again. Then she released her new life into the world. Jonathan Ivan was born on September 1st and he was beautiful. However, the birth was harder on Elsie than anyone had anticipated. As the leaves crumbled into powder and the snow fell, Elsie's life slipped away and Paul was left alone with baby Jon. What they did not know was that Elsie was determined never to leave her family. She was going to stay and look after Jon until he could look after himself. So, although her body was no longer her home, she found a new home in the juniper tree, and there she stayed.

Jon grew and grew and was soon walking. He seemed to love the juniper tree just as Elsie had and Paul often spent afternoons in the backyard with him under the juniper tree. Elsie longed for a way to reach out and hug her baby, but she couldn't reach him. She had to pretend that when he was propped up against the tree, he was cuddling her. Soon, he was running and talking and growing and growing. It seemed like no time at all before he was a little boy and getting excellent grades in school. Paul had told Jon all about the juniper tree, so sometimes Jon would come to the backyard alone and talk to the tree. He confided his fears, talked about his problems, and trumpeted his joys. Elsie loved it all. She just wished she could do something for him, but trees move so slowly and Elsie couldn't get the energy to move the juniper tree faster.

Then, Paul and another woman began to sit in the backyard. Elsie knew she shouldn't be surprised that Paul found another woman to love, but Elsie didn't like her. There was something wrong about her and wrong about the way she looked at Jon. Like he was a bug in her house. Elsie learned the woman's name was Margaret and her daughter, just a few years younger than Jon, was named Trisha. At least Trisha was a normal, happy girl. Occasionally, she and Jon would play outside and Elsie smiled at their games. Eventually, Elsie saw the mother and daughter every day and realized Paul had married Margaret. Elsie cried inside the tree and drew into herself, shutting out the world around her.

She had no concept of how long she stayed like that. One day, however, she heard Trisha scream from inside the house. At once, Elsie was alert, but she couldn't see what had happened. She would give anything to be in that house right now, but all she could manage was to move some of her branches a little. Frustrated, Elsie waited. Jon hadn't stopped coming out to talk to the juniper tree, although now he just thought out loud while he sat underneath. Elsie would have to wait for Jon to tell her what had happened. Trisha had been scared out of her wits and Elsie would bet anything it was something serious. Elsie had to wait almost all day, but it wasn't Jon who came out of the house. It was Trisha. She was crying and from her red eyes, it looked like she had been crying for a long time. She had something wrapped up in one of her scarves. Trisha walked slowly to the juniper tree and carefully set her bundle down so the tree was between it and the house.

It was an oddly shaped bundle. Elsie tried to get a better look at it, but it was already evening, so the light wasn't good and Trisha had left the scarf around it. Sobbing, Trisha looked at the bundle. "I'm sorry, Jon," she said. "I didn't think your head would fall off, but Mom said..." She trailed off and looked at the bundle. "Mom lied," she whispered to herself. Trisha looked scared and glanced back toward the house. She shivered.

"Trisha! Come inside, dear!" Margaret's voice sounded different. Something had happened and Elsie knew Trisha's bundle was at the heart of it.

"I'm sorry," Trisha sobbed one more time at the bundle. Then she ran inside.

Now that Trisha was gone, Elsie could focus more on the bundle. Why was Trisha apologizing to Jon? Was something of his inside that scarf? Just then, a small wind blew up and opened the scarf. Inside of it were bones. Elsie could feel her sap freeze. This was Jon. Trisha had said his head fell off. Elsie had known there was something wrong with Margaret, but she hadn't been able to tell Paul and now this had happened! This was all wrong! Knowing it could take all night, Elsie set herself to bend forward to at least cradle the bones of her child to her. She didn't want him to be dead. Maybe there was something she could do about that, but she had to touch him first.

It took until dawn, but Elsie finally was able to put some of her branches on Jon's bones. As luck would have it, a red-winged blackbird landed in her branches not long after. "I'm sorry," Elsie thought at the cardinal. Then, with a twist she wasn't sure how she knew, Elsie put Jon's spirit into the bird. The bird hopped up in surprise and nearly fell out of the tree. "I'm alive?" it asked. It worked! Elsie tried to tell Jon everything, but he flew away before she could say anything. Still, she had brought him back to life and had managed to hide his bones inside her tree. She thought they might be useful later. Now empty, Trisha's scarf blew away in the morning breeze.
-
Jon had never been a bird before, but he caught on quickly how to fly. His heart was bursting with a sad song, so he landed somewhere to sing. He had liked playing with words before, but they had never arranged themselves in his mind so quickly before, even if the rhyme scheme could use some work.

"Margaret killed me and tricked my sister.
All that chopping gave her a blister.
My father ate me, all by himself.
Now here I sit, a bird on a shelf."

"Well, now, I've never seen a bird that sings words before," a man said, coming out of a shop

Jon stared at him. "You can understand me?" he asked.

"I sure can," the man replied, looking up at him. "And you've got the best voice I've ever heard."

"Really?" Jon asked.

"Sing again," the man said, pulling out his phone.

A plan began to form in Jon's mind. "I will, if you get me something to eat."

"Sure," the man said. "Not a problem."

So, Jon opened his beak and sang the same song. The man recorded the whole thing; then he went back inside the store he'd just been in. He came out with a bag of birdseed that he pulled open and spread on the ground. Cautiously, Jon flew down from the tree and began eating. It wasn't his idea of a meal, but he wasn't sure what else he could eat. Thankfully, the man stayed far away and didn't try to touch Jon. After he was done, Jon flew back into the tree.

As people came by that day, Jon sang for some of them and soon he had a crowd. Surprisingly, none of the people seemed to think what Jon sang about was real. The news vans pulled up not long after that and Jon sang for them.

"We have here what many are calling a miracle," the reporter said, looking up at the tree.

"Can't I just be magic?" Jon asked.

The reporter flinched and turned to face him. "Did...did you just speak?" she asked.

"I sure did," Jon said. "Why do I have to be a miracle? I think I'm magic."

"Oh," the reporter said weakly. Then she pulled herself together. "Why do you think you're magic?"

Jon thought. He didn't want to get Trisha in trouble. Besides, even if he tried to say Margaret killed him and take her to court, he didn't think the testimony of a bird would go that far. "Because I'm the only one like me," he settled on.

"What are your plans, Mr. Bird?"

"My name is Jon. Plans? Well, it would be great to be a famous singer." Jon said it with a bird-laugh, but that was exactly what he wanted.

"Well, if any recording studios are watching the news, you just might be," the reporter told him.

"Good," Jon said.

"So how did you come by these magic powers?" the reporter asked.

Jon pondered. He didn't remember much after he got murdered. Just an impression of his mother, and then he was a bird in a tree. That wasn't a good story. "I'm a ghost possession gone wrong," Jon told her in a confidential tone.

In later interviews, Jon would make up different stories to explain his existence. When asked why his story changed every time, Jon said it was more fun that way, but really he didn't want to tell anyone the truth. Soon after his first interview, Jon did sign with a record company. He made sure all of his royalties went into a bank account the record company couldn't touch. It was under his legal name, although his stage name was Jon Bird, and only he knew the pin for the account. Jon had the record company direct deposit all of his checks and, from time to time, he would check his balance online to make sure he was actually getting paid. He was a singer and a songwriter, but Jon knew the novelty of a singing and talking bird was going to wear away quickly. So, one night after they finished recording his latest track for his latest album, he flew out an open window.

He had gone shopping online and had a few things delivered to his old house. They were supposed to get there the next day, but Jon intended to beat them. He got there in the morning and flew into the juniper tree to wait. It seemed to welcome him back and, after his family had left for work or school, Jon told the tree what he had been up to. It seemed like the right thing to do. Once the packages arrived, Jon flew down and brought them up into the tree, one by one. He struggled with the third package, but that one was the most important to get in the tree. Jon made sure it was across a few branches so the branches didn't break.

Not too much later, Jon saw his family come trickling home. As soon as his father pulled up, Jon began singing:

"Margaret killed me and tricked my sister.
All that chopping gave her a blister.
My father ate me, all by himself.
Now here I sit, a bird on a shelf."

Cautiously, Paul poked his head out of the house. "Hello?" he asked.

Jon settled his feathers and sang his song again. Then he flew down from the tree and dropped a new Rolex into his father's startled hands.

"Trisha! Margaret! Come outside. It's just like that famous bird!" Paul yelled. He looked down at the watch. "And he gave me a watch," Paul muttered, confused.

Trisha came out of the house and Jon was surprised at how much she had grown, although he hadn't been away that long. Jon opened his beak and sang:

"Margaret killed me and tricked my sister.
All that chopping gave her a blister.
My father ate me, all by himself.
Now here I sit, a bird on a shelf."

Then he flew down and gave Trisha a pair of red shoes. Jon hoped they would fit.

"Margaret!" Paul yelled into the house. "You have to come out here and see this bird."

"I feel terrible," Margaret whined back. "My head is splitting."

"Come on out here," Paul said. "It's not every day you see this."

"Well, I suppose not," Margaret said. "Maybe the bird's song will make me feel better." She stumbled out of the house. They all looked expectantly up at Jon, but he was picking up the final package with his beak. He had ordered a heavy set of weights and Jon wasn't sure how he was able to pick them up, but he managed it. Then he flew over and dropped them square on Margaret's head.

She died instantly, which was the most that Jon owed her. Paul and Trisha stared at Margaret's body in shock. Then Jon felt himself being pulled back to the juniper tree. He was covered with its branches and then he began to change. It felt very strange, like he was having an out of body experience. Or perhaps having the experience of two bodies. When it was over, Jon was sitting on the ground in front of the juniper tree and he was in his own body again.

"Hi, Dad. Hi, Trisha," Jon said.

"Jon?!" Paul yelled. He ran over to his son. "What happened? How are you here?!" He swept his son up in a hug. Trisha was right behind him. For a moment, Jon just let them hug him.

"What happened?" Paul asked again as they separated. Then he looked over at Margaret's body. "Let's go inside," he said. "You can tell us all about it then."

As they headed in, Jon decided what he told his dad was going to be different from what he told his sister. He didn't want his dad to think he was crazy, but he was going to tell Trisha the truth. Maybe he'd say he got kidnapped somehow. That made as much sense as anything else. Still, Jon reflected, at least no one in the house wanted to kill him anymore. Life was going to be a lot easier now.

The Juniper Tree

It's haunted, but in a good way.

Salutations, reader. This week, we'll be looking at The Juniper Tree. Although it's pretty gruesome, this fairy tale is one of my favorites, so we have looked at this story before on this blog. Still, it warrants another look.

When I read this story, I'm always struck by how similar it is to one of the versions of Cinderella: the main character's mom dies in childbirth and is buried under a tree, the stepmother is abusive and when the protagonist can't take it any more, the mother/tree performs magic to make it all work out. Of course, in Cinderella's story, her magic is to get someone else to save her, while in the Juniper Tree the protagonist can save himself. Then again, in The Juniper Tree, he had to die first.

Moving right along, let's talk about Marlene, the stepsister. She is clearly a nice person, but she's either not very bright, or she got overwhelmed when her stepbrother's head slid off. I would be shocked by that too, but I would know there was no way smacking him on the ear would make his head fall off. She obviously regrets it because she spends the rest of the story crying, eventually crying blood. Despite her lack of sense in thinking she killed her brother, Marlene's actions let him come back. It was only after she put his bones under the juniper tree that he turned into a bird and eventually became a little boy again. So her actions ended up working out.

What makes less sense is the father's reaction to his second wife's death. He could have put it together that the pretty bird killed her, but he doesn't say anything about that. He doesn't ask where the bird went, or why his son is home so soon from his trip. No questions. He just goes back inside and they all eat. Magic seems to be a pretty common thing since no one finds the bird strange. Maybe the dad was afraid to question it. The bird gave him a gold necklace, but maybe he thinks it would drop a millstone on him too if he asked questions. Of course, the story does say all three of them were very happy at the end. I guess he didn't like the stepmother either.

The moral of this story is: if you murder someone and cook them into a stew, don't let your daughter take the bones anywhere or your victim will come back for revenge. Either that or, don't be a jerk and kill someone.

Like that story? Have one you want me to talk about? Comment below!

You Are my Springtime

Greetings, reader. Last week, I analyzed The Story of Persephone. This week, I'm rewriting the story and putting a modern twist on it. Enjoy!

Sometimes, Spring and Winter mix together.

Flower was starting to get frustrated with her mother. After Flower had graduated college, she'd had to come home. Despite her shiny, new degree she couldn't find a job. Her mother was more than willing to let her stay at home, but it seemed Denise never wanted her daughter to leave.

"You are my springtime," Denise would tell her before hugging her. "You take your time finding a job. You'll still live here, right?"

"I love you too, Mom," Flower replied. And she did, but she couldn't help but be jealous as most of her friends posted pictures of their first apartment and started their first real jobs. It just didn't seem fair. Still, Flower stayed home and diligently applied to jobs, wondering how many different ways she could say the same thing in her cover letters. Slowly, the interviews began coming in, and then Flower got a job offer. She was going to be an administrative assistant for a hospital.

She went out with her friends that night to celebrate and came into the office in her business casual best that Monday.

"Your name is Flower?" the HR manager, Linda, asked dubiously.

Flower had long ago gotten used to this. She decided to go with the humorous reply this time. "Yup. When your Mom's a hippie at heart, that's the kind of name you end up with." She laughed and shrugged.

Linda smiled. "I see. Well, welcome to the hospital. Let me know if you have any questions."

Flower smiled and nodded. This was going to be a great job. Several people came by her desk to introduce themselves, but the guy who caught her eye never came over.

On her second day, Flower asked her new friend, Melody, who that guy with the brooding good looks was.

"Oh," Melody replied. "That's Harvey. He's all right."

"All right?" Flower asked.

"Yeah. Just don't get him started talking about his dog. He will not stop." Melody laughed. Flower had never had a dog, but she liked her friends' dogs.

Later that day, Flower managed to make her way over to his desk.

"Hi," she said. Harvey looked up. "I'm new here and-"

"Oh yeah. Flower, right?" Harvey asked.

"That's me," Flower replied with a smile. "It's kind of a dumb name."

"I think it's nice," Harvey replied with a smile. It was really at odds with his black hair and...was he wearing eyeliner?

"You're the first person who's said that to me in years," Flower said, remembering a childhood of far too understanding adults.

Harvey laughed. "So, do you have a favorite flower?"

"Not really," Flower replied.

Harvey laughed. "Perfect. Hey, you're going to the happy hour on Friday, right?"

"Yeah," Flower replied with a smile. "I am now," she thought.

''Great. I'll see you there."

"See you there," Flower said. As she walked away, she hoped her face wasn't turning too red.

Flower didn't tell her mother about the happy hour until Friday morning. "I'll be home late tonight," Flower said around a mouthful of cereal.

"How come? Are they making you work overtime on your first week?" Flower could tell her mom was beginning to get riled up.

"No. There's a happy hour after work." Flower smiled.

"Oh. I suppose it would be good to bond with your new coworkers."

"Yup," Flower said finishing her cereal. "Well, I've got to get to the bus stop. Bye, Mom!"

"Bye," Denise replied, sounding slightly dazed.

"She'll get used to this," Flower thought, walking toward the bus stop. Once she had some money in the bank, her first big purchase was going to be a car.

Flower made her way through the day trying not to stare at the clock. She just wanted that happy hour to come sooner so she could hang out with Harvey. She had walked past his desk earlier, when he was away, and glanced at the pictures he had up. He did have some pictures of a dog up, among all of the people. To be fair, his dog was super cute.

Impatiently, Flower waited until 5, and then a bit longer as Melody, her ride to the bar, finished something up. "Don't worry," Melody said. "We'll arrive fashionably late." Flower just hoped there was still a seat next to Harvey.

As it turned out, Flower was able to pull a chair up to the end of the table with sit with Harvey on one side and Melody on the other.

"So," Flower said to Harvey, going for broke, "I hear you have a dog?"

"Yeah," Harvey replied with a smile. "He's very loyal. I call him my guard dog." In a matter of moments, Harvey had his phone out and was showing Flower pictures of the cutest pit bull she'd ever seen.

"He's so cute!" Flower said.

Harvey smiled. "Yes he is, but he likes to pretend he keeps the house safe."

Flower laughed. "What a good dog."

"Do you have a dog?" Harvey asked.

"No," Flower replied. "My mom never wanted us to get one growing up."

"That's too bad," Harvey replied. "I don't know what I'd do without Sid."

"Probably have your house broken into," Flower joked.

Harvey laughed. "Absolutely."

For most of the night, Flower managed to be in the same conversation as Harvey and the two of them stayed at the bar after everyone else left. Flower was having too good of a time to think about leaving, and it seemed Harvey was too. Once they were ready to go, Flower was planing on taking the bus home, but Harvey offered her a ride.

Flower had a moment of hesitation telling him where she lived. She did barely know him, after all. Still, they worked at the same place. He wasn't a criminal or anything. She quickly decided to accept his offer and followed him out of the bar. He had a standard black sedan and the inside was clean, although there was black dog hair everywhere. "Sorry about that," Harvey said with a laugh.

"It's all right," Flower said, settling into the passenger seat. "I don't mind."

As she directed him to her house, Flower began to think about whether or not she wanted a good night kiss. It hadn't exactly been a date, but it hadn't been definitely not a date either. After a bit, Harvey parked his car across from Flower's house and looked at her. "This was great. I'm really glad you came," he said.

"Me too," Flower replied, leaning a bit closer.

Harvey leaned toward her a bit. He hesitated. "Is it all right if I kiss you?"

Flower beamed. "Yes," she said. Flower had kissed boys before, but there was something different about Harvey. She liked his kisses much better.

After they were done, Flower smiled at him and got out of the car. "See you Monday," Harvey said.

"See you Monday," Flower replied with a smile. She noticed that Harvey waited until after she got inside her house to drive away. "He's so thoughtful," Flower thought, closing and locking the front door behind her. She walked into the living room smiling.

"Where have you been?" her mom asked.

The smile slid off of Flower's face. "At the happy hour, like I told you."

"You said you would be back late. This is past that."

"I stayed out later than this in college all the time," Flower replied, confused.

Denise took a deep breath. "You're right. I guess I just need to get used to my baby girl growing up."

Flower decided not to tell her mom about Harvey just yet. Besides, they weren't really anything yet. "I'm going to head to my room. Good night, Mom," Flower said.

Over the next few weeks, Harvey and Flower became closer and closer. Flower got to know his dog, Sid, but she still felt a special thrill when he decided to cuddle with her. The first time Sid jumped up on her lap, Harvey apologized and tried to explain that Sid thought he was smaller than he was.

"Don't move him!" Flower said. "He looks so comfortable." She looked down at Sid and smiled. She pet him a little and Sid settled in, sighing in contentment.

Harvey laughed. "He's in doggy heaven."

After awhile, Flower was able to buy a car. She didn't have enough credit to sign for the car loan on her own and it took more convincing than Flower had expected to get her mom to cosign for her.

"You're growing up and leaving me," Denise said, with a tear in her eye.

"You'll always be my mom," Flower reassured her.

Denise took a breath and smiled. Then she signed the papers, and Flower drove herself home from the dealership.

Eventually, Flower decided it was probably time to tell her mom about Harvey. She started by telling Harvey about her mother. "She's a little...possessive, so I'm worried telling her about you will freak her out."

"Hasn't she been wondering where you've been going when you come to see me?" Harvey asked.

"I tell her I'm seeing some friends," Flower said shrugging. "It's just easier."

Harvey nodded slowly. "Well, whenever you think she's ready, I'll be glad to meet her."

Flower smiled and leaned against him. "What would I do without you?" she asked.

"Well, I guess you'd have to find someone else with a dog who liked to cuddle," Harvey teased.

"True and I don't know how I would find someone like that," Flower teased back.

As it turned out, Flower saw a chance to bring up Harvey to her mom the next day. Denise had just been watching a rom com and bemoaning that she was single. She looked at Flower and said, "Don't be like me. I hope you find a good man."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Flower said.

"Oh?" Denise asked.

"I've got a boyfriend."

"Really?" Denise's face froze.

Flower nodded carefully. "He's very sweet. And so is his dog."

"Oh, he has a dog," Denise said. Her voice was very quiet.

Flower nodded and waited.

"What's his name?" Denise asked at last.

"Harvey." Flower couldn't help but smile when she said it.

Denise nodded distantly. "So, that's where you've actually been going all this time."

"Well...yeah," Flower admitted.

"So you lied to me about it," Denise said.

"Well, he did start out as a friend," Flower justified.

Denise's face changed and became angry. "So now you're seeing some man named Harvey and you didn't want to tell me about it," she spat.

"Because I knew you'd freak out," Flower replied.

"Freak out? My baby is seeing some man I've never even met." Terrified, Denise turned to face Flower. "You two haven't...done anything, have you?"

"Oh my God, Mom," Flower replied. "Seriously?"

"I know I didn't raise a whore," Denise replied.

Without another word, Flower stood up and went to her room. She closed and locked the door behind her. A few minutes later, Denise knocked on her door. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Packing," Flower spat. She closed her last suitcase and zipped it shut. She left her room and breezed past her mom.

"Where are you going?" Denise yelled. "You are my daughter and you live here!"

"I'm sick of being smothered by you!" Flower yelled. "I understand why Dad left. I'm surprised he stayed with you as long as he did!" Then she pushed past her mom and went outside while her mom was still in shock.

A few minutes later, Flower knocked at Harvey's door.

"Hey!" he said, smiling. Then he took in Flower's bags. "It didn't go well?" he asked.

"She's overwhelming," Flower replied, sighing. "Can I stay with you for a few days?"

"Of course. Come inside." Harvey closed the door behind her. "Do you want to set up in the guest room?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping to stay with you," Flower replied with a little smile.

Harvey smiled back. "I think we can manage that."

It took longer than Flower thought for her mom to start calling her to try to get her to come home. However, once Denise started calling her, she didn't really want to stop. Denise left her voicemails which were hard to understand, but Denise definitely said it was like winter in her house. Flower began turning her phone off for hours at a time. After some careful hints, one day Harvey finally asked her, "When are you going to talk to your mom?"

"Why would I do that?" Flower asked, glancing at her phone to make sure it was off.

"Because you miss her."

Flower shot him a look.

"You do," Harvey replied.

Flower sighed. "I know you're right, but I'm still mad at her."

Harvey laughed. "Well, you can always split your time between us."

"No," Flower shook her head. "The two of you need to meet. Once she sees how great of a guy you are, she'll calm down. I think."

"Has your mom always been like this?" Harvey asked.

"More or less," Flower replied, shrugging. "I keep trying to get her to go to therapy. Maybe this time I'll be able to talk her into it."

Flower set the date for a few days later on a Saturday. They were going to meet for lunch. All Flower had to eat that morning were a few pomegranate seeds. After moving in with Harvey, she had discovered how delicious they could be.

At the lunch, Denise seemed to be in a normal mood when she sat down, although she looked terrible. Flower took this as a good sign anyway. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Harvey."

"Hello," Harvey said with a smile.

"Hello," Denise said. "I'm sorry I've made such a fuss about all of this."

Flower said nothing.

"But, Flower, I'm ready to be okay with this. I miss you."

Flower looked at her mom for a moment. "I miss you too."

Denise smiled tentatively and Flower smiled back. The winter, it seemed, was over and springtime was back for Denise. "So, Harvey," Denise said, "tell me about yourself."

Harvey smiled a little. "Well, let me tell you about my dog, Sid."

Flower laughed and sat back. Maybe this would work out after all.