The last Marigold of the summer

Violet hadn’t been back in Silver Lake since she had graduated from university. She had moved to Montreal for work and hadn’t looked back, until now. Violet took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air that smelled of pine. It brought back so many memories at once, but also a sadness that always seemed to surround the memories of her childhood. Violet had lost her mother when she was only 7 years old and her father had passed when she was starting high school. Her sister, Marigold, who was five years older, then became her guardian until Vi turned 18. Even through all the trials of her young life, she still kept some treasured memories of her childhood. She was also still very close to her sister, talking to her on the phone every day.

That’s what brought her back here, her sister. Marigold, Mari for short, had been very aloof lately. Vi was starting to suspect something wasn’t on the up and up when Mari begged her to come home. Vi didn’t need anymore explanations. She packed her suitcase, took off work, and headed home. On their daily phone calls, Mari often said that she missed her sister and would love it if she could come visit soon, but never once did she beg for anything from Violet.

Looking up at the house that she had spent most of her life in, she felt a cold chill. The house looked relatively unchanged since she had last been here. But paying closer attention to the details, she noticed some telltale signs that confirmed her suspicions. Her sister was a perfectionist when it came to taking care of their childhood home. The gardens had always been perfectly manicured, not a single weed in sight. Now, as she looked on, she noticed the overgrown grass, weeds in the bed of marigolds, some of the roof shingles in disrepair and the fence needing a fresh coat of paint.

“How long has it been like this?”, she thought worriedly.

She walked up the steps, each one creaking louder than the next. She wasn’t all too sure that they would support her full weight if she lingered on them. She didn’t knock, this was her house after all. When their father had passed, the house was left to both sisters in equal parts.

When Violet entered the house, the air felt stale and stifling. The inside of the house was neat, but she did notice a layer of dust on some of the furniture.

A sound coming from the second floor startled her. She concentrated on the noise and realized that it was someone speaking, but it was a male voice. Violet hurried up the stairs and stopped dead in her tracks. The door to her sister’s room was open and she could see the town doctor standing by her sister’s bed.

Fear gripped her insides. The last time she had seen Doctor Akins was at her father’s funeral, and he was sporting the same somber expression as he had that rainy day many years ago. Violet couldn’t move, couldn’t make a sound. She was being assaulted by the living nightmares created by her greatest fears come true.

The doctor moved to get something from his bag. Violet saw her sister’s gaunt face for the first time. She was so pale and looked so fragile. Mari turned her head and her eyes connected with Vi’s. A single tear tumbled down her cheek.

Seeing the pain and fear reflected in her sister’s eyes forced Violet’s limbs to move, like they had a life of their own. All she could think was that she wanted to take the pain away, but from the expression on the old doc’s face, there was nothing to be done.

“Why”, Violet managed to whisper when she reached her sister. Her throat felt like it was constricting, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Vi didn’t have to ask any other questions. She knew exactly what was happening. She had seen it before with her mother’s cancer. Her mother had gone from being a healthy woman, mother of two, to nothing but a shell of a person. It had started with the fatigue and the weight loss and had kept getting worse from there. Her parents hadn’t said anything at first, not wanting to worry the girls, but after a while, it was impossible for them to hide it. She had left them so quickly, never recovering from the illness that plagued her. Violet had learned years later that it was an incurable form of leukemia that had taken her mother away from her.

Looking at Marigold, Violet knew her sister was losing the same battle their mother had fought so many years ago.

“I didn’t want to be a burden. I wanted you to live your life and be happy.” Mari said.

Those were the last words that Mari would ever say aloud to her sister. Shortly after Violet arrived, Marigold lost consciousness. She never came out of the coma she was in, finally passing peacefully in her sleep.

Violet was plagued with regret. The “what if’s” bombarding her mind. “What if she had come to visit?” “What if she had asked her sister outright when she had started to suspect something was wrong?”

Guilt gripped her heart and twisted her insides. All she could do was let the tears flow. With everything she had gone through in her life, she thought she knew how to deal with grief, but she still didn’t. The pain as searing hot and all consuming as it had always been.

Days later, the pain of loss still so fresh, Violet heard a knock at the door. She was so thankful for the community that came together once it was known that Marigold had passed away. Friends and neighbors came around to give their condolences, bring casseroles and give much needed hugs. The support was overwhelming.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see her childhood best friend Anthony looking so smart in a dark suit and tie. His lips quirked upwards when she reached for him. He held her for several minutes, saying nothing, but somehow communicating everything in his every movement. He held her head to his broad chest with one hand, massaging her back with the other. It was all too familiar and comforting at once that Vi couldn’t stop the tears from flowing again. Anthony just held her tighter, whispering sweet sentiments in her ear.

After a few minutes, Violet was able to collect herself enough to thank Anthony. His smile was warm and brought back memories of summers gone by.

“I’m really sorry Vi. I would have told you sooner if I could’ve.” His expression seemed so guilty, but Vi knew that her sister must have sworn him to secrecy. “We’ll have to discuss her affairs soon, but I wanted to make sure you were ok and give you the time you needed.”

Anthony, as well as being an old friend, was the only practicing lawyer for miles. It came as no surprise that he would be the one to handle her sister’s affairs.

“I also came to bring you these.” He handed her a box and an envelope. Violet opened the small blue jewelry box, recognizing instantly her mother’s locket. She opened the heart shaped pendant to see the photos of Mari and her as kids on the left side and the picture of her parents on their wedding day on the right. She held the locket up, tears stinging her eyes yet again. Anthony took the locket from her and helped her to put it on, planting a kiss on her cheek when he was done and giving her shoulders a squeeze.

Violet looked down at the letter addressed to her in Marigold’s handwriting, still clutched in her hand. She couldn’t bring herself to read it now. She needed more time…

To find out what the contents of the letter are, read part two of this Silver Lake saga: Violets in Bloom.