A Bouquet for My Mother

When I was twelve, I used to take flowers from a small shop down the street and place them on my mother’s grave.

She had died the year before, and my father worked long hours, too tired to notice how often I slipped out. I had no money. But bringing flowers to her made me feel close to her—as if something beautiful could still connect us.

One afternoon, the shop owner caught me.

I stood there holding a few roses, my heart racing.

I expected anger. Maybe worse.

But instead, the woman—around her fifties, with gentle, tired eyes—said,

“If they’re for your mother, take them properly. She deserves better than stolen flowers.”

I stared at her, confused.

“You’re… not mad?”

She shook her head.

“No. Just come through the front door next time.”

From then on, everything changed.

Every week after school, I visited the shop. I would wipe my shoes before entering and quietly tell her which flowers I thought my mother would like—lilies, tulips, sometimes daisies.

She never asked for money.

Sometimes she’d smile and say,

“Your mother had good taste,”

and add an extra flower.

Those afternoons became my safe place.

The shop smelled like fresh earth and sunlight—a space where life kept growing, even when grief felt heavy.

She never asked for anything in return.

She simply gave.

Ten years later, I returned.

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