Roses Are Not Red

BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Natalie stared at her reflection in the mirror absentmindedly. Her mind of whirlpool of thoughts, thoughts she could not shake off. Her meeting with Bradley had truly shed light on her current situation and it left her feeling an extreme anxiety and a heightened fear.

Sighing, Natalie picked up her beige coloured wool sweater from the bed and threw it on. She took a quick glance at the wall clock and saw that it was almost 8am. Natalie did not want to overthink and miss her graduation.

She picked up her duffle bag and started towards the door, when she heard a knock. Natalie stopped and waited a few moments before reaching for the door knob and swinging the door open.

Natalie gazed at sister lily, the last person she wanted to see right now. The sister had a wide smile on her lips. Natalie’s eyes trailed further down to her arms and it was then she noticed a small box in her hands. The box was pink, and had a red ribbon tied around it. Natalie could already guess what it was.

“Happy birthday Natalie,” sister lily beamed and handed the box over to her.

Natalie shot her a small, forceful smile and took the box that was offered to her. She stared at the box for seconds, unsure of what to do with it.

“Go on, open it. It’s a gift for you after all,” sister lily encouraged her.

Natalie glanced at sister lily and nodded. She let go of her duffle bag and began to tear through the packaging. Once she was done, she pried the box open and pull out the contents. Natalie gazed at what she had In her hand. It was a large pink scarf with flower patterns on it.

“I, wanted to give you a gift that had meaning. The city is always cold during this time of the year and that scarf will keep you warm,” sister lily said and took the scarf off her hands.

She wrapped it perfectly around Natalie’s neck and smiled.

“Happy 19th birthday Natalie,”

Natalie forced another smile and thanked her. Her outward expression contrasted how she really felt. Natalie felt utterly disgusted by sister lily. How could she act so kind and so sweet, when her real motive was sickening? Natalie grimaced inwardly.

“Okay, I’ll leave you be now before I get all teary eyed,” sister lily chuckled.

She gave Natalie a warm look and embraced her. Natalie was forced to return the hug.

“I will miss you Natalie.”

“Me too,” Natalie lied.

Sister lily withdrew from her and gave her a pat on the shoulder before exiting her room. Natalie could feel tears burn her eyes. She tore the scarf away from her neck and threw it down to the ground. Natalie was filled with a new determination.

She was going to escape this orphanage and take all the younger girls along with her.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Natalie was seated on a bench, which was located under a few trees. She could hear low chattering and hollering in the distance. Natalie had needed some alone and quiet time, so immediately after collecting her certificate, she slipped out of the auditorium and found her way to the calmest spot in the whole school.

Her eyes trailed to the misty sky and she exhaled. Through out the entire graduation ceremony, Natalie’s mind had tormented her with thoughts, thoughts on how exactly she was going to escape with the girls. Garry had told her he had a plan, but they never really discussed it, and it worried her greatly.

She was running out of time. In a few hours, she would be taken away from the orphanage. Natalie swallowed hard, at the thought getting taken to an establishment and serving men for the rest of her life. She physically shivered at the thought.

“I can’t let that happen,” she muttered to herself.

“I knew you’d be here,” familiar voice said in the distance.

Natalie moved her eyes to the direction the voice came from and her eyes fell on Garry. Relief rushed through her and an involuntary smile graced get lips.

“Garry,” she breathed.

Garry approached the bench with a small smile on his lips. Natalie could not help but notice his attire. He wore a suit pant and a white shirt, which was not worn neatly. His white shirt had a few buttons open and there was not a tie in sight. He held his graduation gown in his arms, and the hat was no where to be found.

Natalie chuckled at his clumsy look. She knew how much Garry hated wearing a suit, so she was looking forward to seeing him in one, but this took the cake. Garry noticed that Natalie was giggling at his attire. He smirked and sat down beside her.

“You’re not going to ask why I am dressed like this?”

Natalie shrugged.

“I think I know exactly why,” she cooed.

They both chuckled and Natalie’s smile slowly dissipated. Her eyes trailed away from Garry and towards the naked trees, void of leaves.

“You’re still bothered about that?” Garry asked.

Natalie nodded and exhaled.

“So,” she turned to Garry. “What exactly is the plan? You said you had one.”

Garry ran a hand through his hair, which was not tied up in a man bun today. He let it flow freely and rest on his shoulders.

“Yeah, I do have a plan. I spoke to my uncle yesterday and I was able to borrow his truck, which I drove back to my house.”

She blinked at him with wide eyes.

“You know how to drive?” Natalie inquired, dumbfounded at his words.

“Yeah, I took a few classes last month,” he replied with a smirk.

She nodded and he continued.

“My uncle also has an empty house up in the states. He uses it for storage, but I was able to convince him to lend it to me. I’ll take you and the girls all the way there. It’s secure and I don’t think sister lily would be able to find you all there.”

Natalie bit her nails as she pondered on Garry’s plan. It had no flaws and it was their safest bet. Natalie looked at him and nodded.

“It’s not a bad plan. Well, it’s the only plan we have,” she chuckled.

Garry sighed and brushed a strand of hair away from her cheeks.

“I know the situation is bad, but I hate to see you worry about things like this,” Garry breathed.

For a moment, their eyes locked, and for some reason, Natalie could not tear her eyes away from his. Garry brought his hands to her cheeks and cupped it. He gravitated towards Natalie until their lips were an inch apart.

And under the cold afternoon, they shared a kiss.