Chapter Five – Flowers speak louder than words

It was several hours after the sun had set when Jude finally pulled her car into the driveway of the Harrison home. Climbing out she saw Sadie's figure outlined in the moonlight. She was sitting on the front step in darkness, staring at the sky. Jude sat down next to her, matching her posture, leaned back, head tilted toward the sky. They sat like that for quite some time, engaged in some silent sisterly moment.

They never once spoke a word. They didn't have to. Sadie didn't tell Jude about driving through Toronto with Kwest and Tommy, watching for any sign of her. Jude didn't speak of the dirt road she had driven down, not stopping until she couldn't hear the buzz of the city any longer. They didn't talk about the fact that Sadie had watched Tommy cry, the worry on his face so desperate that it hurt Sadie to even look at him. There was no mention of the abandoned rose that Jude walked around the little lake frantically searching for, finally finding it on the far bank, looking almost as rough as Jude felt. Jude had delicately cleaned the mud off of it, amazed that it was still beautiful. She held it now as she contemplated the last fourteen hours.

"Did Darius like the song?" Jude finally said, ending their unspoken conversation. She turned toward Sadie with her head down.

"Liked would be an understatement; more like worshipped. I think the word he used was dynamite. He's glad to see you writing again. We all are." Jude sat on the darkened doorstep, lost for words. There was so much going on in her head, and yet, there was nothing to say. She hadn't figured anything out far enough to formulate words, so they just sat. After a few moments, Sadie's phone interrupted the sound of silence in the air. Flipping it open she listened for a moment before quietly speaking.

"Yeah, she's here." Jude listened as she twirled the damaged rose in her hands. It was her legacy, her identity; beautiful and damaged. She silently wished she could rewind time, to have the chance to reclaim the beautiful roses, to love them. They were everything she wanted to be; wild and untamed, yet sophisticated and lovely. They were everything she wanted, and everything she threw away.

Sadie watched Jude stare at the fiery rose in the darkness. She stared at it so intently, as if wishing it would take her back to the moment she found them. After a few moments Sadie put her hand on Jude's shoulder. Startled, Jude glanced up at her.

"Come on, I have something to show you." Jude gave her a confused look but Sadie just smiled softly and stood up. Trailing behind her, Jude followed her into the house. Walking quietly up the stairs, Sadie led Jude to her bedroom, opening the door. Jude gasped at what she saw, leaning against the doorframe to keep from falling over.

"The roses! Sadie, how did you?" She asked, stepping gingerly toward them as if they might disappear into thin air if she got too close. Running her fingers across the edges of the petals, she turned back around and gave her sister a dumbfounded look.

"I found them after you left. I saw the card and decided you might want them back. The other vase is the ones from the studio. I'm not sure where you got the other rose from, all of them were there." She looked at Jude, wondering if she had missed something.

"There was a third vase." She said quietly.

"What happened to them?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"I threw them out the window." Jude said, wincing at the memory. "On the highway." She covered her face with her hands as her eyes threatened to spill over. She remembered the way the roses looked right before she let them go, struggling against the wind as if they were desperately crying out to her. She cried for them. Sadie wrapped her sister in a hug, wishing silently that she could take her pain away. After a moment Jude wiped her eyes and looked up at her sister.

"Thanks, Sadie." Jude said earnestly. Sadie just nodded and smiled sadly before quietly leaving the room. When Jude was alone she once again ran her fingers over the rose petals and thought about the events of the day. Noticing a small white envelope between the two vases, Jude picked it up, turning it over slowly in her hands. It was identical to the two she had opened. Knowing it must be from the third vase she stared intently at it. She was afraid to open it. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and broke the seal. She pulled the card out, opening her eyes ever so slightly to read it.

I love you
-Tommy