Simon's Point of View
Bedridden and useless. This was my second full day of rest and I was sick of it. I wanted to get back out there, to care for The Gardens, to be with Jeanette. I was trapped here and for no reason. Since passing out I've felt so much better.
"Dave!" I called, forced to stay in bed with the threat of never being allowed to go out, even if I so much as left the room for any reason other than needing to.
"Yeah, Simon?" Dave entered my room, ready for anything. In his right hand he carried a bottle of cough syrup and bottle of water in a bucket, in his left he held a phone. The bucket wasn't necessary, but like any other parent, adoptive or not, Dave worried; although it may also have something to do with the fact that I collapsed the other day. With long, work-less days I've had time to rest, something I haven't been able to do for the days before. Though it cost me the weekend of work and making The Gardens better, my head no longer pounded, my stomach no longer ached, and I could move on my own without a repeat of Friday. I was now ready for work and shouldn't be locked up, metaphorically chained to my bed!
"I've asked you three times and I'm going to ask again," I pestered, "please, may I go to The Gardens and work?"
"Simon, I don't think you're ready to start working again." He sounded sorry, but was he really? Why did safety always have to come first to a parent? Didn't Dave realize how much was at stake?
"But it's just picking weeds." I whined; the work itself was easy once you got used to it. Pick, place, pick, place. It was the sheer amount that made the work so grueling.
"Simon," Dave began, "I know you want to help save The Gardens, but like Jeanette said; with only just more than a week before demolition, there isn't much you can do."
"Jeanette said that?" I croaked. This was the first I've heard of our time being cut.
"She said that she told you," Dave informed, "don't you remember?" Truth is I didn't. Through my blurred vision the first time I woke up after my mishap I witnessed Jeanette talking to my brothers, who looked at me from behind her with what I assumed was a concerned look. After thanking my brothers I remember no other words being spoken. Jeanette's mouth remained shut, she just stood on the bed frame by my side and held my hand as if I were on my deathbed. I wasn't sure about how long she stayed with me after I fell back asleep, but when I woke up again it was late into the next morning and she was probably down finishing breakfast or doing chores. Bottom-line, Jeanette had kept something from me, something I deserved to know. "I'll tell you what," Dave bargained, "if you're really feeling better, later I'll bring you down to The Gardens and you can help pull weeds under my super-"
"Deal!" I agreed before letting him finish his sentence. I needed this chance to talk to Jeanette; she owed me an explanation.
"Get ready then," Dave sighed, "but take your time." No dizziness, no trouble. After a quick snack it wasn't long before I was sitting in the car on my way to what felt like a second home to me. The Gardens always had a homey feel to it, providing anyone who bothered to come by with relaxation. We pulled up mid-thought to the gracious land and, infuriated with what I saw, I jumped out of the vehicle, no longer feeling fatigue from sickness, and dashed towards one of the three signs that had been hammered into the now dead soil.
"What is this?" I asked myself. The signs all read the same thing and covered the edge of The Gardens. "Want something to visit? Be back the twenty-third for the fun and deliciousness of a new restaurant! Demolition begins next Monday!" Next Monday? That was a week form now! What else could have happened while I was away? "Jeanette?" I called. No answer. She must be out of earshot, no noise to block out my calling other than Dave's footsteps. "Jeanette! Alvin! Theodore!"
"Is that Simon?" I heard Alvin's voice rustle through the tall grass and I ran after it, jumping into my older brother and hugging him for the first time because I actually wanted to.
"What happened?" I asked frantically looking around at everything. The once green and leafy plants began to burn brown and at least half of the visible patches of flowers had been consumed by weeds. This was not looking good and to make it worse the weeds were still growing. Alvin pushed me off him looking uncomfortable. It wasn't often that I hugged him, guess it was a bit of a shock.
"It's kind of a massacre." Alvin said. A massacre? That's an understatement.
"Don't tell me you were incapable of pulling weeds." I crossed my arms knowing that if that was the case, my headache would return quickly.
"I can pull weeds just fine for your information," He retorted, "It's just that our first day construction workers were here; they purposely stomped on any plant n their way. They set up the signs and didn't do anything with their mess. They acted like me on Christmas and that hurt us bad!"
"Why are the plants so dry?" I wanted to know everything. If he held back at all on his answer…
"Theodore kinda crashed the watering plane." This had better not be a joke; even Alvin wouldn't joke at a time like this, would he? "Since then it's been a heavier work-load." We were falling apart. We were all falling apart. We had a low water source, we were overrun by weeds and we had construction workers that wouldn't get off our backs. At least there was a we.
"I'm glad I'm not alone." I was glad to have great brothers, glad to have Jeanette.
"Simon?" Jeanette's soft voice broke my rage at everything else. I never got angry with her, she was pure joy, and it spread, no matter her mood. The look on her face though, the fear, the sadness. One thing came to mind when I saw her face.
"Is your flower okay?" I spoke softly; she was on the verge of crying and that is something I would have trouble handling. Her exhaustion was probably the only thing keeping her from bursting into tears.
She nodded, "We can't do this, Simon. The workers keep showing up and crush our work." She took short, gasp-like breaths between each word. "There's just no way." She was defeated and I had nothing to say, no way to reassure her or even comfort her. She no longer thought we could save our special place. What was I thinking? I set Jeanette's hopes up only to be crushed; I wasn't good for her. It was my fault she was so sad now. Brittany would not be impressed.
"Think!" I thought, "Think for Jeanette!" We needed help, working was useless with our current numbers being defeated by workers who were getting paid to do this.
"Come on," I suggested, "we can at least make it harder for the workers." We split up in hopes of covering more ground. Dave and Alvin went with me, Theodore followed Jeanette. It wasn't long for the sun to start it's journey to set. Work wouldn't last long. "That's it!" I snapped. "Alvin!" I squeezed his shoulders tightly.
"Hey, watch it! What is it, Si?" He complained and swatted my hands away.
"When were you thinking of hosting Brittany's concert?" I was almost screaming in his face.
"I planned it for Wednesday." Perfect!
"Do you think we could have it here?" I asked, afraid he would say no. He was cruel when it came to pranks, but he would do this for his brother, right? This was the perfect way to raise awareness of how great The Gardens really were. It seemed like forever before he actually gave an answer, like I aged twenty years.
"Hmm, I guess we could do that, but you'll have to do any and all paperwork." Always a catch, even when his own brother needed him. Whatever, I was desperate.
"Okay, okay deal!" A plan set in motion, my last chance to do something that could save the only green land for miles on end. For the concert we could pull out all the stocks, anything we could do, we will do. It meant everything to not only me and Jeanette, but to Brittany and even Alvin too. Everything depended on something lately, and I seemed to be in the middle of it all. I depended on Alvin, Jeanette depended on me, and The Gardens depended on everyone.
"I think it's time to take you home, Fellas." Dave gave us a worried glare and I knew there was no arguing with him. "Where's Theodore and Jeanette?" I knew exactly where they'd be.
"Come with me," I said, "I'll show you the flower that started this revolution." A short walk for a well-worthy prize. The violet was worthy, but I was talking about getting to see Jeanette. She and the violet were both worthy and although she didn't quite solve the riddle on her birthday, she was still all I needed.
"So this is the flower you and Simon keep talking about?" Theodore's voice could barely be heard and the violet's whereabouts were only a few feet away. No weeds surrounded the flower and she took extra special care of her flower, I had a warm feeling in my gut.
"Mhm," I heard Jeanette say, "Simon gave it to me." Was it rude of me to be eavesdropping? I didn't have time to hear any more anyway, Dave would be seen once he caught up. "He's amazing." I blushed after hearing Jeanette compliment me. Did she really think about me that way or was this my imagination playing tricks on me? Dave and Alvin rustled through the glass, catching up to me and alerting Jeanette and Theodore.
"Dave, come see the flower!" Theodore exclaimed. I walked up next to Jeanette who looked at me ad granted a hug. She was the only warmth on this hot day. She still seemed upset, but her eyes were hard and in the reflection I saw the violet. I had the feeling she didn't want to give up, maybe she wasn't defeated. Maybe she was just down, but not out. She made me who I am. She was the reason I fought.
Jeanette's Point of View
The Gardens were a lost cause, nothing would convince the workers to leave the flowers alone. I wanted to tell Simon to stop trying, to give up. I had. Tonight I would cry myself to sleep. All of this was my fault. It was because of me that Simon was in bad health, that he was constantly exhausted. All for a flower. A simple flower that was given to me. Was that why I didn't stop him? To hold on to what he gave me?
"I think it's time you go to bed, Jeanette." Dave said and help me up to hug his chest. "I know you're upset, but not sleeping won't make it better."
"Won't necessarily make it worse." I thought coldly and headed upstairs to be in the company of my sisters and the Chipmunks, already in their beds welcoming sleep into their lives by drifting off. Simon sat in his bed staring at the clock and noticed me walking in. He gave me a smile, but not the kind of smile I would have gotten before, not his cute and shy smile that made each day better and better with each second I got to see it. The smile he gave me now was weak and still. He looked straight into my eyes and I felt fire burning in my heart. After everything I couldn't just tell him to give up, breaking his heart like that would be terrible. I wanted to call him mine, to treasure and cherish him and the time we've spent alone at The Gardens, and being mean would just push him away. Neither of us ever made a move, asked the question, I had no clue if he even liked me that way; just because I kissed him didn't mean he wanted me to or liked it, no matter the smile on his face. What would he say if I kissed him again? Last time I used the excuse of being excited, but what if I put my all into another, passionate and real kiss, like in the kind I always read in novels? My, relationships are complicated, how did Brittany find out so much?
"Lights out." Dave insisted and rushed me to the triple bunk bed that held my sleeping sisters.
"Up to the top I go." I thought; no energy to climb, I moved solely on adrenaline. I rolled over on the top bunk and a rustle. "Hm? What's this?" I pulled out a sheet of paper from underneath my blanket. I was capable of telling that it was Simon's handwriting, especially after seeing it before. Neat, proper spelling and grammar, but only one sentence written on the full sheet: "We need to talk, meet me on the roof at eleven." I looked at the clock; ten-thirty.
I jumped at the sound of Dave and the flicker of the light as he turned it off. "Sorry for the late night, fellas." He yawned, "Goodnight." As soon as Dave left the doorway, Simon climbed down from his bed.
"Hey, where are you going?" Alvin asked accusingly.
"I'm thirsty." Simon shot him a look and backed out the doorway. I think I saw him wink at me, but it may have just been my imagination. Fifteen minutes before I got the opportunity to leave. Thankfully it didn't take the others long to fall into their slumber, but I was still cautious, pausing every time the floor creaked when I passed over it.
The window to the roof was left open; Simon awaited me outside. A shiver crawled up my spine as I stepped out the window, no wind, just the nervous feeling that something was going to happen; how would this go? No sight of him, he wouldn't ditch me like this. I suddenly got worried that something could have happened.
"Simon?" I called quietly just to make sure he was out here and safe.
"Over here." He answered. His voice lead me to the other side of the house and I found him, his eyes dark in the low light and he held a piece of paper.
"Umm," I pondered, looking for the right words, "What do you want to talk about?" His answer was simple.
"The Gardens." I expected as much; I had no idea if I could talk about it. Already I felt uncomfortable.
"Oh." I turned my back to him, flinching as I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and pull me in. Relaxing, I looked up to my holder to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I suddenly liked this talk a little. Simon kept me close, his heartbeat was slow.
"It's not the end." He said, "I figured out what we'll do, if you want." Confusing, although I was only half paying attention to what he was saying.
"Hm?" I blinked. I needed to stay focused, not easy at the moment. I was nearing sleep with his arms warming me more than any blanket ever has. His heart was now steady, following the beat of my own.
"I got Alvin to host Brittany's concert at The Gardens." Wow, what a wake-up call. Finally, a way to get everyone else in town to see what The Gardens really meant. The entire town would come see it, the concert would be the ultimate savior! "I want to perform that song with you there." Simon whispered and handed me the paper, "I think it would be perfect." I stared at the paper, the song, and read the words through my head, committing it to memory. "What do you think?" A great idea, my first duet with Simon at a special concert for Brittany and The Gardens. This was the perfect time.
"Do it!" I thought, "Kiss him and find out for sure. We're happy, we're alone, he's even holding me! Just do it!" I looked him in the eyes and leaned in closer. My heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest and I could feel sweat coming down my face and roll down my burning cheeks. "I can't!" I backed away. "That sounds great." I breathed.
"Perfect!" He said and started back towards the window and stopped. "Oh, and please don't keep anything from me like what happened to The Gardens. You can trust me and tell me anything." with that he left me alone with my thoughts.
"Idiot!" I told myself. I sat and burried my head in my arms, waiting for Simon's to return around me. It wouldn't happen, not tonight. A noise echoed from the other side of the house, making me jump up and run for the window. The window was pushed, and recently too. "Eleanor?!" I gasped as she fell off the window ledge and onto the rug covering the hardwood floor.
"Ouch!" She expressed, "Heh hey, Jeanette! What are you doing up?"
"What are you doing spying on me?" What was she thinking? You can't just spy on someone when they're talking to the one they like while they're on the roof in the middle of the night!
"Oh, that?" She was trying to sound stupid, like she had no idea what I was talking about. She was just looking for a way out. No way was I going to let that happen. "I was wondering what you and Simon were doing…" Mental note: Learn to sneak out of our room better and unnoticed. "Did you kiss again?" She asked suddenly.
"No." I said hoping I didn't sound too disappointed. "Maybe that was for the best."
"Don't think like that. I think you two should be together." Eleanor was a little naïve when it came to romance, she knew she wanted it, but she probably wasn't so sure what exactly romance was. I got everything I knew from novels and the violet. And Brittany got her view and knowledge on romance from movies and, although I had no proof, probably experience.
"You really think so?" She nodded her reply. "But what if he doesn't like me back?"
"Trust me, he likes you." Brittany steeped out of our room from down the hall and smiled at us. "Take the chance, Jean." She was really good at reading my mind. I guess the worst that could happen is that he doesn't want a relationship, but I did. I've been fooling myself for a long time, but I knew, and my sisters knew, that I wanted nothing more than to be with him, to enjoy being with him, a time when things wouldn't be awkward and also be close. A time where if my sisters couldn't be there by my side, Simon would. I could only hope that he felt the same way and turn my fantasy into reality. No words left to say, my sisters and I linked arms and sneaked into our bedroom together. I fell asleep the minute my head touched the pillow.
I was cold and empty, no pleasant scenery to look at and no happiness to fill me up. There was only one thing I knew right now; The Gardens were gone and it was because of me. I sat alone in the rubble and soaked it all in.
"Is this a dream?" I whispered. It felt like a dream, a vivid dream. Dust and dirt blew up from every turn. No signs of life.
"Hmph, not for long!" A rough voice growled form behind me. At least, I think it was from behind me; it rang everywhere. I turned around, but saw no one, nothing but endless dirt and ruins of what used to be The Gardens, now a graveyard. Lost, consumed by the sight of seeing dead plants no matter where I looked. I took a step and felt something crumble beneath my foot. I looked down and gasped in horror when I saw the violet, dead and going gray. I tried to pick it up, but it crumbled to pieces. A voice screamed in my ear.
"Your fault!" It was Simon's voice, but not his usual try-hard, happy and calm attitude. My head was now consumed with the loud rumble of a bulldozer.
"Jeanette!" I jumped up and started crying instantly. Simon's warmth wrapped around me and I cried quietly in his chest.
"Everything is okay." He whispered softly with his calming attitude.