Rosal

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She rubbed her eyes and smiled, feeling the kiss of the gentle morning rays. It was going to be a great day.

She grinned and jumped out of bed. As she did, her eyes fell on the reflection that met her in the full-length mirror. It showed a budding beauty ready to come out of her shell, and she happily twirled in place, knowing what this day meant for her.

As she picked up her phone on the bedside table, she noticed the old framed photo tucked behind the lamp. Dust caked the glass, almost blurring the image, the memory of a man she knew well, a man she used to know.

But that was a long time ago, and she need not even remember him anymore. She gently placed the frame face down on the table and smiled.

She tied her long hair up and made her way to the kitchen. The rich smell of coffee greeted her, and she soon saw that it was accompanied by a generous breakfast spread of all her favorite treats. Jay beamed at her from the table.

Without a word, she kissed him on the cheek and took the mug he offered her. She happily looked out the window, which faced the garden she tended to with love and nourished with a green thumb. In the very center, there was a bush of rosal – a kind of gardenia, to foreigners unfamiliar with the Philippine variety – that she was very fond of, and one she took great pains to care for.

Her eyes widened when she saw that her rosal finally bloomed, and on this auspicious day of all days. Its crimson shades shone proudly among the green, unafraid to stand out. Upon seeing this, gentle tears fell from her eyes, and she felt enveloped by Jay’s loving embrace.

“Are you ready for this?” He asked this gently, as she sobbed harder into his chest. “There’s no turning back from the operation…”

She looked up at him a little indignantly and he sheepishly smoothed his hair. “Yes, yes, I know,” he whispered into her ear as he hugged her tighter. “And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

She laced her fingers in his and grinned. “Thank you,” she said, in a voice that was still his voice, the voice of the man in the photo. It was a falsetto tone, but one that she hoped would change along with her transition, and shape her so that she too could stand out as a red rosal among the green.

–

Image source: deviantart.com/slimplified/art/Welcoming-Bloom-120954644
First written November 25, 2017.
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