Chapter 2
A few days pass like that. I listen to him sing in the morning. He brings another rose to the vase and then we sit and talk for about an hour. One day I get curious and ask him, what happened to the girl named Susie. His smile quickly faded. "You sure, you want to know" I nod quickly. "Alright, I guess it won't hurt."
Us meeting was the closest one could get to fate. We met inside the flower shop down the street. I was getting flowers for my mother, and so was she. Though for a different occasion. So I found the flowers I was looking for and got in line to buy them. Susie was the one right in front of me and it seemed like her purchase had stopped the line. I didn't say anything, but I couldn't help overhearing the conversation. "Oh no… I forgot my card! It must be at home. I'm so sorry for this. Could I possibly get the flowers and come back and pay later? I really need these flowers. My mother has just passed away and I can't come without flowers." The woman behind the desk didn't seem to really care about any of her customers problems.
She just looked at her and blatantly said "No money, no flowers." I couldn't stand for something like that. So I went up next to her and said "I can pay if you need it. You can just repay me another time." I looked down and noticed that she was buying the same kind of flowers as me. Roses. She thanked me and we parted ways outside.
Fast forward to the sunday afterwards. I was going to the karaoke bar, which I usually did whenever I had a stressful week. When I arrived everything seemed normal. Drunkies over in the corner with their tower of glasses, a line of people going up behind the stage curtain and loud music filling the whole place. I wasn't really there for the alcohol, but mostly to sing and let loose. So I walk up behind the curtain and guess who's there? I walk up behind her and tap her on the shoulder and say "Hey aren't you that girl from the flower shop?" She turns around mildly shocked, but quickly regains her composure as she sees that it's me.
"Oh hi, it's you! Um… What was your name?" I smile and shake her hand lightly "Butch! I didn't expect to meet you again in this big city. You doing alright after… ya know" She nods "Yeah… I'm fine…" Her smile wavers slightly "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go on stage!" I grabbed her arm and began heading up. She stopped and looked at me mildly confused "To..together?" I looked and smiled at her "Well, you have to repay me somehow. So let's have fun! You wouldn't be up here if you didn't believe in your voice!"
We started off with just one song. One turned to two. Two turned to an hour. We sang and we partied and had the greatest fun. But that didn't last. Susie had, had quite a lot to drink and our way back to my house for a movie she challenged me to a race. We ran for a bit and slowly she was getting ahead. In hour alcohol filled daze, she ran a red light and… well you can probably guess the rest.
She was put in a coma and placed here. For about a week I sat and hoped she was alright. But she didn't open her eyes… not once did I get to see them again. After a while her body just gave up…
You know… Sometimes when I look in here I still remember her laying here.
Butch had begun staring. Not intensely and not really at me either. More like through me, as if looking at someone else, who was laying in the same spot as me. "Well I better go. I'll bring my guitar next time, so I can fulfill that promise." Oh how I wish I was that girl.
