The Perfect Sunflower | Teen Ink

The Perfect Sunflower

December 10, 2008
By TheCodeHero BRONZE, Elgin, Illinois
TheCodeHero BRONZE, Elgin, Illinois
4 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Write here, write now.


Our small red car winds along the twisty country road, golden light of the setting sun making everything melt into warm, pleasant colors. My mother is driving, crying, driving, crying—an endless cycle that seems so out of place in the bright surroundings. I want to cry, too, but I am transfixed by the fields and fields of sunflowers we pass by, forever keeping up with the car. The farmers out here have planted them all, so many it boggles the mind. I know who they’re honoring with this tribute—my grandfather. Memories instantly wash into my mind as he is mentioned, and I try to trick myself into thinking that we are going to visit him. And, actually, I guess we are. The problem is that we’re going dressed in black.

My mom is whimpering now, and I’m afraid she’ll start sobbing if I don’t comfort her. But how can I comfort her? Her father was a great man, and there is nothing I could do to make his death hurt any less. And besides, I’m not really comforted myself. I know I don’t have much of a choice now, but I don’t want to let my grandfather go, not yet. I just couldn’t do that. I lean back on the stained upholstery of the car, and let that tsunami of memories hit me.

I don’t know if you could’ve exactly called me a great kid. I was just a little overexcited, you know, but I guess my head was still ready to be filled with knowledge. My grandfather wasn’t overexcited at all. He could literally sit in a field watching the flowers and birds for two hours, while I just wanted to go, go, and go.

He’d tell me, “Life is for doing, but there’s got to be some room for enjoyment in there too.” I smile thinking about that now, knowing that at the time I didn’t understand his words. But now I know they are completely true.

The flowers my grandpa loved to watch the most were the golden, tall sunflowers, always reaching for the sun. He had fields and fields full of them around his big, lovable farmhouse. He said he planted them himself year after year because they brought contrast to all of the horrible things he heard about in the world. Mom said he did it to honor grandma, who had died of cancer when my mom was a kid. I think it was a little of both. Whenever I would come to his house, alone, away from mom and dad, he would talk to me and take me to the most beautiful of the quiet places. The talks were short and airy, but he always told me things that I found helpful later in life.

When I was feeling down, he’d ask, mischievously, “Would you like to see the most beautiful place in the world?” Often, these places had many sunflowers.

I remember, in great detail, how he’d walk slowly to the tallest sunflower, stroke its petals and leaves and stem, and say loudly to me, “Oh, JoJo, I just wish I could find the perfect sunflower.”

This would set me off on a mad dash through wherever we were, shouting, “Grandpa! Is this the one? Is this it?”

But every time the response would be, “No, keep looking! That isn’t quite it!” I have to admit that today, I’m still looking for his flower: the perfect one. Every time I pass by a particularly tall one, I wonder if I’ve found it. But I can always hear him saying no.

The car turns suddenly, throwing me against the side. I am instantly shaken to life again. The memories have left me with mist in my eyes. How could anyone ever be ready to give up such a man? How will I be ready when I come to his final resting place? I return to the present situation.

“Whoa! Mom, you want me to drive? Maybe you should take a break.”

She actually turns around and looks at me.

“I’m fine. I’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.” I sigh. She was taught this chant by a grief counselor after dad died in a car crash. I hated it, because I don’t think a chant ever makes anything okay, it just traps your true emotions behind false and meaningless words. I settled back in my spot, but now a new set of memories were coming, memories I didn’t want. I fought hard against them, thinking again of those lovely places I had been with my grandpa, and the times we had shared. The times before things got darker, before people died, before our conversations had little words. Just comforting. They came anyway.

Coldness, pain, and grief. In the days after my dad died, these were the things that followed me and hovered over me like unwanted demons. The death had been for a bad reason, a drunk driver, which just made it sadder. The rest of a life was wasted, and for nothing. I turned seventeen the summer it happened, when our house became a black hole. No light, no joy, and no happiness could ever escape the despair and worry that clouded everything. In these days, I would often drive to that big old farmhouse, that place where I could always be comforted by the soft blue eyes of that man, my grandfather. He didn’t seem to take the death as hard as I did, or at least that’s what I thought. At least, he always had a smile for me when I would walk into his arms.

But once, the house was dusty and dark, the magnificent sunflowers that surrounded his house were drying up and dying in the heat from lack of water. As I walked in, tears in my eyes and my mouth stuck open; there was no smile from him. He sat, wrapped in a blanket despite the summer weather outside.

And all he had said was, “Is it wrong to feel I’ve lost a son?” The croak in his voice suggested that he had been crying. I had never heard him cry before, and it scared me. What also scared me was the fact that I didn’t know how long he had been this way, because I was forced to go to a weeklong dealing-with-grief camp.

At this point, I walked over to him, touched him lightly, and asked, “Would you like to see the most beautiful place in the world?” Hugging him, I cried and he cried, tears mixing together to create a waterfall. I don’t know if our reasons were the same, but one thing’s for sure: we cried for hours that day.

It was nice to get everything out, but after that he was never truly the same. When his wife died, he had children to distract him, a whole life ahead of him. And maybe, just maybe, he still had some faith left in the world. But then, when my father died, what did he have? He was out of faith, out of distractions. All he had were me and the sunflowers.

Now, if I think about it, I’m not surprised that it was his heart that gave away. But I am surprised that he made it this long, and I love him for it.

We pull into a run-down funeral home, just over a mile from where grandpa used to live. Many relatives, friends, and neighbors are there, all dressed in black. Oh, how he would have hated this, I thought. He had always hated black.

My Great Aunt Edna, her face in heavy make-up, comes over and starts to talk softly to me, like she’s nervous about giving me even more pain. It’s not possible, I think bitterly to myself.

“Joanna, I’m so sorry. I know you and your grandfather were really close. We all were. He was such a joyous man! I wish that I had such a close relationship, like you had. I wish I could be his ‘perfect sunflower.’” I pause.

“Where did you get ‘perfect sunflower’ from?” I wonder aloud.

“That’s what he always used to call you, at least to the family. Isn’t that right?”

I smile to myself, a teary smile, as I realize that all that time, every moment I had spent looking, the sunflower had been me. I almost let out a cry at the thought of losing this man forever. Was I just being selfish? He was going to a better place, but I wanted him back on earth with me. I distract my mind with a question to nobody in particular.

“Are we going inside for the service?” Aunt Jane, my mom’s older sister, answers.

“Yes, in a minute.”

She says this part louder, to the rest of us. “But first, we have to change.”

And everyone, no matter how sad or tired, throws off their black garments to reveal yellow ones underneath. All of us, the parade of human sunflowers, shout to the heavens with glee, knowing that somewhere up there, a smile spreads across the face of a man we all loved.

A thought hits me, like my grandpa sent it to me. You can let me go, and still keep me.

So, slowly, I did let him go, all of the memories floating away across the horizon, out to him. But always and forever, there is a little piece of him tucked away in my heart, and I know that I will always be his ‘perfect sunflower.’


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This article has 34 comments.


Mango19 SILVER said...
on May. 9 2010 at 10:27 am
Mango19 SILVER, Secunderabad, Other
5 articles 2 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If Winter comes , can Spring be far behind ?&quot;<br /> &quot;There are no shortcuts to any place worth going&quot;

One of the most beautiful articles I'v ever read ! Really well written

on Apr. 4 2009 at 2:27 pm
TheCodeHero BRONZE, Elgin, Illinois
4 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Write here, write now.

thnx kelly...glad u liked it!

cya latr!

KellyMiller said...
on Apr. 4 2009 at 2:21 am
Dude Jess,

I swear to god u are the BESTEST authoer ever, mann. ur story made me cry. :'( s'okay tho. im all good. cuz like i can totally relate. my grampa's are both "in a better place" so i know how it feels. Well i'll see you in class.

~kellyy <33 haha

on Mar. 1 2009 at 4:59 am
That was truly amazing Jessica!! You have an AMAZING talent! You shouldn't ever stop writing stories and I hope I have the pleasure of reading more of your masterpeices. :) (from one of your fantastic SWAZIE friends)

jonnyJC said...
on Feb. 26 2009 at 1:39 am
This story touched the bottom of my heart it almost made me cry:'[ i gotta say it was one of the best stories ive ever read and tht sunflower thing... tht was touching:'[

on Feb. 25 2009 at 11:33 pm
Jess,



OUTSTANDING!!!! When you are get that first publisher's deal, for whatever you choose, I will be cheering you on!!!! Not only that, I was my Granddad's Sunflower as well....Thank you for reviving some wonderful memories.

jessica said...
on Feb. 24 2009 at 9:05 pm
wow i am very shocked this story is so talented i loved it i feel like reading it over and over again. keep writing i would like to read your storie more often

AlondraValle said...
on Feb. 21 2009 at 4:03 pm
I'm so proud of you Jess!This story was really sweet and deep.I will never see sunflowers the same. I hope you continue to write great stories. :)

Utah Hiker said...
on Jan. 31 2009 at 4:09 pm
What a mature perception of life's emotions and her writing is skilful. Pursue your dreams!

on Jan. 30 2009 at 11:30 pm
What a beautiful story and so well written. I was transported to the place and people you described! Keep writing and sharing - we are so proud of you! Mrs. Huisinga

author said...
on Jan. 30 2009 at 11:05 pm
Um...I'm assuming you meant to leave this in another place...s'okay. :)

the tax man said...
on Jan. 30 2009 at 3:00 am
This paper was heart-breaking to read. A lot is true, but the author can't say all zoos are like that. There are good zoos and bad zoos, it depends. And also sometimes the animals can't live in the wild for some reason. But I its true that we imprison animals for our entertainment; it makes you-or at least me-feel ashamed. The zoo business is an endless bad cycle. Animals are caught, bred and then what? How do we send them off?

I think that the author should go to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, California. Its a huge park with biiig cages/enclosures for the animals. One such enclosure is several acres for all the African herbivores! And it has programs for breeding wild animals and releasing them. All zoos should be like it.

An Old Crow said...
on Jan. 27 2009 at 7:26 pm
Your story is outstanding and beautifully written. The imagery is excellent and your discussion of feelings and emotions is very real. It is hard to write about genuine emotions and you have done so very well. I am sorry for all the difficulties you have endured but glad to see you have taken so much from your experiences. The next time I see a sunflower, I will try to remember what you wrote. and i will look for mmy own "perfect sunflower."

GMas Friend said...
on Jan. 26 2009 at 10:16 pm
Jessica, what insight you have for one so young. Beautifully written. And what a wonderful surprise ending. LOved it.

Keep the stories coming.

goldengreek said...
on Jan. 26 2009 at 7:27 pm
Jessica,

Keep doing what your doing.You have got what it takes to become an excellent writer.

Your story brought tears to my eyes as I remembered the loss of my mother two years ago this January.

Mrs.B.ST said...
on Jan. 26 2009 at 3:10 pm
A great piece of writing always touches the reader in some way; prompts some reaction. You have certainly done that for me with this piece, Jessica. Don't stop.

Mrs. Shelton said...
on Jan. 26 2009 at 2:02 am
Hi Jessica! My husband brought your story home and I dont know how many times I have read it. It is a beautiful masterpiece. Please keep writing, you have a wonderful gift. I hope I can meet you one day!!!!

Mrs. Shelton : )

on Jan. 25 2009 at 5:23 am
All the elements of a truly great read.

Superb Jessica. You make us proud.

debbie381 said...
on Jan. 24 2009 at 10:18 pm
Wow, Jessica your story is so well done. Good luck with your writing. Keep up the good work !!

Councilwoman said...
on Jan. 23 2009 at 3:25 pm
Good job. You have the gift. Keep pursuing the development of it.