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She took the same path, same road, every single morning. She could take her car but she would always prefer walking as she could see the scenery better, and the lovely people around doing their own stuffs for a living. Especially in this near winter season, she really loved to inhale that fresh, morning air that sent coldness through her nose.
"Good morning, Mr. Clavette!" She greeted one of the men around who owned a flower shop that she had to walk passed by, stopping her legs right away.
"Madame Pearce!" He exclaimed as he was arranging flowers near the walkway. "Good morning to you, and your lad!"
Lisa gave him a smile as she turned her gaze to someone she held by the hand. "Jonathan, aren't you going to greet Mr. Clavette?"
The young boy pulled away, hiding his face behind Lisa's body as a sign of disapproval.
"Hey?"
Lisa was about to nag but she was stopped by the older man.
"That's okay madame, he's still a kid"
"Yeah," Lisa sighed as she put her other hand inside her pocket. "A kid who wakes up moody all the time"
The man gave a little laugh when he heard that. "Aren't they all?"
"Of course but this one is extra special!" She continued to tease until the younger boy started to whine. "Are these fresh?"
Lisa asked while she took one step closer to the flowers, eyes looking for something specific.
"As for this morning?"
"Yeah,"
"The lorry hasn't come yet, they will be late as I was informed" He answered her and Lisa nodded as she hummed. "These are yesterday's, sold at half price"
She breathed out, exhaling the warmed air from the inside of her body that created a visible soft smoke.
"Are you looking for a flower, Madame?"
"Yeah but it's not here," She responded as she started to shiver from the wind that just blew, giving winter coldness to her face as the only part of her skin that wasn't covered by clothes.
"What kind?"
"A red rose..." She answered with a low voice, and she could feel that her eyes began to water.
"Red roses are in the stocks for this morning delivery, madame. I can keep them for you if you want?"
"That would be lovely"
She gave him another smile when she heard that. Lisa would always buy fresh flowers from this shop when she remembered her wife, who wasn't there with her physically, but always deep in her heart. Roses were the special ones as they symbolised the person she loved the most, so close yet so far.
"Do you need a bouquet or just one?"
"Just one please," Lisa answered shortly.
"My man will send it to your shop when it arrives"
"Thank you," She said as she pulled the boy's hand forward, trying to get him out from hiding mode. "Ugh come on, Jonathan!" Lisa whined this time and finally the boy granted her.
"Bye, Mr. Clavette!"
"Bye lad, see you around, eh?"
Lisa continued to walk that wouldn't take long since the flower shop she stopped by earlier was just about two minutes walk from where she and her 5 year old son were heading.
"What's with you this morning?"
Lisa sounded like she just opened a door of hell for any child on this world; mother's nag.
"I'm sleepy..."
"So you are going on tantrum just because you are sleepy?"
"Yes" He answered as he brought his head up, looking at his mother.
"You know," Lisa formed a small smile. "You are really like your mommy" She looked down, searching for his eyes that were also identical to her wife's.
"Mama?"
"Yeah?"
"What is tantrum?"
Lisa rolled her eyes, taking them back to the front. "Are you serious, bud?" She started to complain. "Are you really cutting off my mood?"
The little boy chuckled as he jumped when he could sense his mother was being playful. He was actually scared previously that Lisa would get mad because he didn't greet Mr. Clavette.
Lisa in the other hand, she would talk to her son like he wasn't a 5 year old. She would just assume that he understood her, and she would keep talking about things that were nonsense for a kid to process, especially about her wife.
She got the keys out when they finally reached their destination, unlocking the door and the bell that she hung at the door's handle tinkled as she pushed it in to enter.
"Don't run!" She yelled as her son already started running inside, going straight to the back of the shop. "Ugh! This boy!"
She groaned while her hands starting up the heater, and turning on all the lights. Lisa took off the baby pink beanie she had on, as well as the winter jacket, and she placed them at the garment rack just by the door.
Her eyes wandered through the glass door, looking at the people passing by, either by foot or bicycle, and they calmed her out from a busy city life that she had left for 4 years now, never regretted it even for a second. And she lifted her hand, grasping the black and white sign against the glass and she flipped it from closed to open.
She made her way to a long, wooden counter, which had a cash register machine, and mini sized bottles of perfume. She took a sit on the stool just behind the furniture as her eyes started to look for her ordering files that she placed just on the table yesterday.
"Where the hell-" She muttered as her hands began to rummage the pile of other files that almost looked identical to each other, she got them mixed up all the time.
"Mama!" Jonathan yelled all of the sudden at the other door just behind the counter, startling her. "You cursed!"
"Hey!" Lisa was about to get up but he ran to the back again, laughing. "Don't you say that word, do you hear me?!"
The boy didn't respond to her as he continued to laugh, voice echoing from where he ran into.
"Don't make me go back there, Jonathan Pearce!" She called for his son, who was named after her most loyal bodyguard that she lost years ago. "I'm old, you know? Stop torturing me"
"Sorry, mama!"
"Yeah, you better!"
Lisa shook her head, still looking for the files until her eyes darted at the picture frame on the table on her right. She couldn't help to take it in her grip, only to look at the same picture for thousands of times already as if it didn't bore her at all.
It was a picture of the woman she loved, her wife, her everything; Roseanne. She took the picture when they were both in New York many years ago, on Brooklyn Bridge to be exact. She took lots of her wife's pictures, but that one was definitely her most favourite among all.
Lisa would always smile whenever she looked at the picture, but this time her feelings were stronger than before as her bottom lip began to tremble, remembering those memories they had together that caused pain in her eyes that had became blurry just within seconds.
She took the frame closer, kissing the glass softly at her wife's face with her eyes closed at the same time, pushing warm tears out to her cheeks as her chest was heavy with the longing, missing someone she loved so dearly.
"Mama?"
A soft voice entered her ears, withdrawing her hand away just to place the frame back on the table.
"Hey bud," She said nervously as she wiped her tears off. "How long have you been there?"
"Why are you crying mama?"
Lisa took a glance at him before she patted her own lap, making the boy walk towards her automatically. She held him by the underarms and she lifted the boy up to sit on her thighs.
"Did you see me crying?"
"Yes, always"
"Well," She shifted a little. "That's because I miss your mommy"
"Why?"
"Because we do miss people who are not with us, and in my case is mommy"
"Why?"
"Because I love her, Jonathan" Lisa tightened her arms around the boy.
"Like you love mommy's books too?" He let out a question that made Lisa frowned. "You cry too when you read the books"
Lisa giggled. "Mommy's books are really good, bud" She said. "The second one is a New York Times bestseller!" Lisa sounded so excited as she told her son about Roseanne's books, like she would usually get ever since the first one. "Do you know what is that?"
"No I don't"
"That means people bought her book, 15 millions copies sold!"
"How much is 15 millions, mama?"
Lisa groaned as she rested her chin on Jonathan's head. "You are boring, you know?"
"Can I read the books?"
"No, you know the rules" Lisa said in a strict tone. "It's not suitable for you, yet" She continued. "Mommy wrote some inappropriate things"
"What is that?"
Lisa lifted him again, only to put him back on the floor.
"Okay, that's enough. I'm done with you" She giggled with annoyance at the same time. She definitely didn't have patience in educating her son, answering him all the time as he was at the age of questioning everything that he didn't understand.
And this situation got Lisa thinking, if only her wife was here, Roseanne would definitely know how to handle him now, as they were both almost identical anyway.
Jonathan ran to the back again, probably playing with Lisa's bottles and boxes that she already warned him not to play with. But that boy was just as stubborn as her wife, and sometimes she just didn't have a heart to get mad at him as he resembled Roseanne so much.
Lisa continued with her paperwork without any disturbance from Jonathan and she heard the bell tinkled later, signalling somebody just went in.
"Madame Melissa Pearce?"
"Yes?" She took away her stare at the paper she was writing on, seeing a guy wearing a uniform she recognised with a file in his grip.
"Your delivery"
"Ohh, yes. I'll open the back door"
Thousands of flower petals that she ordered last week already arrived; jasmines and of course roses, as the main ingredients in essential oil for her perfumes.
The red rose she ordered from Mr. Clavette in the morning also already on her counter, looking fresh and beautiful, just like her Roseanne. And she placed the rose in a small vase with water at the bottom just to keep it hydrated.
"The papers, madame?"
She put her signature on all pages, indicating that she had received all her orders. She was lucky that her stocks arrived on time since the small town she was living in was just an hour away from Paris. Everything was just accessible and convenient without the need to live in the crowded city centre.
Lisa gave her attention back to the counter when she was done with the delivery, only to see her phone screen lightened up when she received a new message.
It was from Leon as her brother would always look for her whenever he needed guidance in managing Maas Corps. Lisa also didn't mind to spend her time just to help him since Leon was willing to take over the company after Jonathan was born. It was Lisa herself who decided to step down just to focus on building her own family, and she was thankful to have an understanding brother to support her decision.
Melissa got up from the seat, turning around to face the shelf behind her just to find another file, and she heard the bell again.
"Good morning, Madame Pearce"
Lisa turned her neck and her face brightened up when she saw who just entered her shop.
"Good morning," She greeted back as her attention was now at the woman who was approaching the counter. "Wow" She exclaimed. "You are early" Lisa said as she checked the clock at the same time.
"Yeah, can't help to stop by at my favourite perfume shop" She placed both of her elbows on the counter with wide smile plastered on her face.
Lisa blushed a little. "What can I help you with?"
"Do you have any new perfume that you make?" She responded, eyeing on Lisa with her charming eyes.
"Yeah, actually I do" Lisa opened the drawer just below the table, taking out new perfume she just made, proudly.
She placed the perfume on the counter and she pulled her hand away as fast as she could, refusing to brush it against the other woman's.
"What's the base?" She asked Lisa while she opened the cap and took a sniff.
"Rose"
"No wonder it smells good" She commented. "Okay, I'll buy this one"
Lisa just hummed in response, taking back the perfume as she started to look for the plastic bag.
"Have you been out of town?"
"Excuse me?"
"I mean-" Lisa blinked her eyes for few times before she explained about her question. "I didn't see you around for almost a month?"
"Ohh!" The other woman responded. "I was back to my hometown, visiting my family"
Lisa just hummed and her heart started to beat even faster when she could hear footsteps, coming from behind as she still didn't find the plastic bag yet.
"Nice red rose you have here"
"Y-yes" She stuttered, getting up when she finally found the bag she was looking for.
"Do you love roses so much?"
"I do," Lisa responded nervously as she could feel the woman was now standing just behind her, so close. "They remind me of-" She started to chuckle. "...my wife"
She couldn't hold it any longer as her body started to shake, and she just burst into laughter.
And she earned a slap on her back from that woman.
"You can't even stay in character for more than 5 minutes?!"
"I'm sorry-" Lisa was still laughing as the other woman sneaked her hands around Lisa's body, resting her cheek on the shoulder. "That was just funny"
They both giggled in the hug for few more seconds until Lisa stopped, and the atmosphere between them changed.
"Lisa..." The woman greeted her genuinely this time, with teary eyes.
"Roseanne..."
The end
EYES MEET original written by
KIMBERLEY EDWOOD
(9 May 2019-29 June 2019)