Sonia closed at work as usual and left the office to catch up with the bus taking her home. She was extremely tired and could feel her body slowly reacting to the stress she went through every day. The body ache couldn't be compared to how tired she was emotionally and every day, Sonia wished she was doing something that made her really happy. As she was approaching the bus station, a lady carrying a bouquet walked past her and for some seconds, the flower and fragrance that filled the air reminded her of a lot of things.
She looked around and saw a florist down the road which the lady with the bouquet must have come from. Sonia checked the time and it was just 7:30 pm so she decided to explore the florist shop since the train wouldn't arrive until 8:15 pm.
Sonia had nostalgia as she pushed the shop door open, she was welcomed by an elderly man who looked excited to have another customer walk in at that time of the day.
"How can I help you, miss?" Mr Edwin asked Sonia who has revisited lots of her childhood memories in flash.
"Good evening, I actually don't have anything in mind. From a distance, I could hear the flowers echoing my name so I decided to check your beautiful flowers," Sonia replied.
"Oh, you are welcome. Feel free to go around and enjoy the view," Mr Edwin replied and returned to tending to a flowering plant.
Sonia went around and was reminded of her childhood again. Her parents, Mr and Mrs Jones were florists and they lived on the outskirts of the city where they had enough space to grow flowers.
They were known to be passionate about being a florist but they were peasants and that was the only thing that made Sonia dislike her parent's profession. Every morning, Sonia would wake up early to wet the flower beds and it helped her start her day pretty well before preparing for school.
Despite Sonia's love for flowers, she got really offended whenever her parents or friends teased her about becoming a florist in the future.
"Never, will I become a florist. I will study hard to become an accountant so that I can take care of my parents properly," Sonia's friends never got tired of hearing her speak about what she wanted and her parent supported her with the little they had.
Sonia made it through school and unfortunately, her parents died within a short interval after her graduation. It was a terrible time for Sonia and she had to abandon everything her parents lived for to become an accountant.
"I can see that you are having a great time," Mr Edwin said to Sonia as he walked past her.
"Yes, sir. You have got great collections here," She replied.
Sonia noticed a flower struggling to survive and it was kept separately from other flowers.
"Isn't that ghost orchid?" Sonia sounded excited and it caught Mr Edwin's attention.
"Yes, it is. It's a rare flower and I have been struggling to make it survive," Mr Edwin replied.
"It's quite simple to care for it but a lot of people don't know how," Sonia replied and Mr Edwin joined her in staring at the dying flower.
"Wow, it's almost time. I have to go now," Sonia said to Mr. Edwin. She squeezed some cash into his palm and rushed out to catch up with the train.
She felt a rare kind of happiness and Sonia didn't stop smiling as different childhood memories played in her head while on the train. Sonia visited the florist shop the next day to help Mr. Edwin revive the ghost orchid, she went there every day for two weeks and they were able to revive the ghost orchid.
"What's a florist expert like you doing in a bank?" Mr Edwin asked Sonia one afternoon when she chose to spend her lunch break with the old man.
"I have always been an accountant and my parents were the florist. I chose this profession just to take care of them but they are no more," Sonia replied.
"May their soul rest in peace," Mr Edwin replied and they chorused, "Amen"
"Why is an old man like you alone here?" Sonia asked.
"My family live far away and I am only here for a short time," Mr Edwin replied.
"It seems your accountant job makes you happier than tending to flowers," Mr Edwin asked.
"The best part of my life was those days when I attended to the flowers, I find so much joy in caring for flowers but I didn't want to end up poor like my parents," Sonia replied.
"Kids of nowadays can be very funny and are you successful now? Do you have everything you want in the world?" Mr Edwin asked.
"No, but I will someday. I will attain great height as an accountant and find happiness again," She replied.
"That's where you are wrong. If you don't find happiness in what you are doing now, how do you expect growth or happiness to come later?" Mr Edwin asked and his question left Sonia speechless.
"My father always said that we live only once and it's pointless living the opposite way we truly wanted. We won't be here forever and it's best to do what makes us happy," Mr Edwin added and everything he said threw Sonia into a deep state of confusion. Aside from the point he was trying to prove, he spoke to Sonia with great love just like her father.
She left the shop without saying a word and in her head, there was a battle between choosing happiness and everything her job had to offer. Sonia thought about it for a while and eventually submitted her resignation letter. It was a tough choice but deep down, she knew what she wanted.
Sonia returned to the abandoned house where her parents lived and while clearing the place, she found a box. She gently opened the box and it was filled with different flower seeds. She removed the seeds one after the other and found a note at the bottom of the box.
Sonia went to sit on the rock in the garden after retrieving her glasses to read.
My beautiful daughter, if you find this box it would mean I and your mother have become angels watching over you. Sadly, we can't leave lots of money behind for you but accept these seeds with happiness because it's all we have worked for.
Sonia broke into tears after reading and she wished that she did what made her happy other than trying to become a great accountant.
She embraced the florist job wholeheartedly and even though it took over a decade, Sonia became a big flower brand in the country with the help of education and the connection she had gotten as an accountant.
One faithful evening, she thought of showing her appreciation to Mr Edwin for guiding her back to happiness but unfortunately, the shop wasn't there anymore. She asked around and was surprised when people said a florist shop was never there.
Sonia became confused and checked around thinking she missed the location but all efforts to locate a florist in that environment failed.
While standing at the entrance of the subway trying to recollect how she found the shop, a lady with a bouquet walked passed Sonia again and immediately she turned to see, she saw her mother's face.
She turned around immediately to see the florist shop and she saw her father waving as he slowly vanished into the air. Sonia didn't believe her eyes and wept silently as she tried connecting the pieces.
She looked up at the sky and muttered," Thank you, Mom and Dad, you made me who I am today."