Two Sunflowers

Grandpa and I planted the sunflower seeds in the garden, one hot, dry summer when I was four. I love my grandpa, he is so kind, he always speaks lovingly. He never yells as grandma does, she’s scary with her witch voice.

Grandpa and I water the seeds daily and watched them grow. They grew and grew and grew they grew taller than Grandpa, oh my I didn’t know. Grandpa said soon the sunflower’s seeds in the middle would be good enough to eat. I couldn’t wait, it seemed like FOREVER.

It’s been days, Grandpa hasn’t been here to water the sunflowers, they are withering and dying. Grandma says grandpa is in the hospital, he’s very sick and probably won’t come back home.

My head starts spinning with questions what does that mean won’t come back home where is he going? Why doesn’t he want to come back home? I ask grandma my questions she says he’s dying from lung cancer from smoking cigarettes. I didn’t understand, I asked who was going to water the sunflowers? She shrugged her shoulders like she always did, saying she didn’t know, not her.

I watered the sunflowers the best I could I took a bucket and tried to do what grandpa did when he got the water, I placed the bucket under the spout then grabbed the handle that was too high to reach, so I had to go find a chair, and I did. I pushed down on the handle and it wouldn’t move.

So I walked down to the creek and scooped up some water from there. I carried it back splashing most of it out of the bucket as it was too heavy for me to carry. But I did it. I watered one of the flowers. I had enough energy to do walk to the creek once more.

No help from wicked grandma. All she does is sits in her rocking chair and reads her romance novels all day long. She won’t even look at me when I try and talk to her. She is so mean. ” Please come back, grandpa”

Grandma saw me coming back with the bucket of water and asked where I got it. I told her the creek. She took a stick off the tree and hit me over and over with it telling me not to go there again. It hurt so bad and I didn’t understand. I asked how do I get water? She said “YOU DON’T”

One by one the flowers started dying until only 2 were left. The two I was able to water, but they were withering and slowly dying too. 2 days later grandma said to me “your grandpa is dead we are going to throw the dead flowers away too” and that’s what she did.

She threw away my grandpa, the sunflowers, and my heart.

Athena