31: Flowers
Leo's little fingers skimmed along the bright green stalks, his eyes roaming the different coloured petals dotting the sidewalk outside of his house. Leo liked flowers. They were, he felt, the only type of living things that were easily looked after.
And his mamá liked them too.
During the time she cooked supper, Esperanza Valdez had a little habit of travelling around their small kitchen, humming and organising small vases of flowers on the window sills. Though she didn't talk a lot about Leo's papá, she had once told him that he'd always leave a flower somewhere for her to find (usually in a contraption of some sort).
Leo dropped down onto his bare knees, squishing some long grass in the process, and gently gripped the stalk of a bright, yellow daffodil. He pulled it away from its friends and studied it carefully, before picking the rest of his mini bouquet.
Leo's free hand dropped to brush of his baggy shorts as he smiled proudly at his little collection. He reached for the small pink ribbon in his pocket and tied it around the stalks, before running back into the house, passing his surprised mother, and up the stairs to hide the flowers under his bed.
"Mijo, why are you all dirty?" Esperanza asked, poking her head around the door. Leo's hands quickly flew behind his back in an attempt to hide the daffodils his mother hadn't yet noticed. She walked in and dropped in front of him, grabbing a clean cloth from her back pocket. Before she could start swiping at Leo's cheek in an attempt to clean of the dirt, he wound his small, skinny arms around her shoulders in a large hug, taking her by surprise.
Over her shoulder, he took a quick peak at the flowers and a deep breath. Leo pulled away, making sure his hands were still hanging over her shoulders, and looked her in the eyes.
"TA-DA!" he shouted, bringing the small bouquet up in-between them. Esperanza's eyes widened as a large smile spread across her face.
"Did you pick these?"
"Yup, happy mother's day mamá!"
Leo used one hand to tug his jacket around him tighter, in a failed attempt to block out the harsh wind, his relatively quiet footsteps padding across the graveyard in Houston, Texas. He had denied all of his friends' offers to join him on his trip.
All he could do was pray the Gods would take pity on him this once, meaning he wouldn't have to deal with any monsters.
Dropping down next to an elegantly carved stone, Leo hung his head and placed a small assortment of hand-picked daffodils in front of him.
"Happy mother's day mamá."