F - Flower #AtoZChallenge

My A to Z Challenge: Micro fiction, using 300 words or less, inspired by selected words along with a photo for inspiration. The words were chosen in reverse order from this lesson plan page.
(For example, for the letter A it was the 26th word on the list, for Z it was the 1st word on the list)

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She picked up the vase of dead roses. She picked off each petal, stacking them up on an faded, embroidered handkerchief. "He loved me, he loved me not," she mumbled with each pluck. "I miss him today, I'll miss him tomorrow." She continued until only stems were left, then inhaled in an attempt to resurrect the long gone scent.

Her attention was diverted by a ping on her phone. "What the-?" A text from him. Impossible! He was gone. Or was he?

"hey babe missing u"

"Who is this? You're cruel!"

"whatya mean? its me"

"No. You're gone."

"huh? im right here"

"Stop texting me." She paused. "How did you get his phone?"

"i don't understand what's wrong with u"

As she rescanned the messages, her other hand crushed the handkerchief.. The rustling sound caught her attention and she dropped it. Damn it. Not worth saving now. Another ping.

"u still there?"

"I'm not going to play. Go away. This is so cruel." The escaping tears ran down her cheeks and dropped into the pile of rose petals.

"k later luv u babe"

She stared at her phone. Whoever it was texted just like he did. But he was gone. He'd been gone for a month now. A drunk driver going the wrong way on the highway, that was all it took. Here one day, gone the next.

She looked at the crushed petals, now shredded into little pieces. Just like my heart. The story of my life. She jumped at the knock on her door just as her phone pinged again.

"babe im here open the door"

The doorknob rattled. "Let me in, babe. I've come to get you and take you with me." That was all it took, she flung the door open and jumped into his arms.


The headline in the morning paper read, "Young couple killed in drunk driver crash."