This Is Not a Love Song by Sarahbeth Purcell

Author:Sarahbeth Purcell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Published: 2006-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

44

Burn This Bridge

November 16, 2003

Julia—

I’m in New Orleans. There’s this woman. This lady here in the Garden District. Locals claim that ever since her husband died, twenty-five years ago, she has not stopped planting flowers in her yard. Front and back. When one dies, she rips it up and plants something else. All different kinds of flowers, even in winter. A lot of times, she knows they’ll die where she’s put them, but she won’t read up on what plant is appropriate for what climate or exposure to sunlight or anything a serious gardener would. She just keeps planting. I guess it keeps her busy. Keeps her mind off her husband.

I saw her today, working in the yard. Her skin looks like cracked leather, and she digs in this housedress with purple daisies all over it. It has mud stains from times where she’s been working out in the rain, and holes from bleaching and washing the damn thing, but she never wears anything else. I asked her the other day why she didn’t just make sure to choose the right plants and then leave them be to grow. I thought it was a superstition or something, but she surprised me with her answer.

She said that a long time ago, before her husband died, she had a long-standing affair with the guy, Bernie, who owned the local greenhouse. And her husband found out. Beat the hell out of her. Actually, she said he beat the “tar” out of her. Anyway, her punishment was that she could never see the guy, Bernie, ever again. So she could never buy any flowers or plants at all, because it reminded her too much of the whole incident. Up until her husband died, she had a very sparse lawn with not even a trace of greenery, save the grass he cut every Sunday morning. The very day he died, the old lady went straight to the gardening center, Bernie’s greenhouse shop, and although old Bernie had croaked years before, his son had taken over, and she bought one of every type flower he had that day and began planting them. She goes there every day. Guess her husband left a sizable life insurance policy for her. And people feel sorry for the old lady, when she’s actually just getting revenge. Planting just to spite her dead husband. Sounds like something you would do…

Chase

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