My little rose

I was 4 years old. One day my mother told me that we were going out to get a nice plant of flowers. I was really happy because I always like plants, flowers, and everything that is close to nature. My mother and I went to a nearby nursery. My mother asked me to pick up the plant that I liked the most. I walked around to see which plants were available for sale. Finally I saw a plant of rose. It was bearing a small orange flower and a small bud. I immediately fell in love with that plant. I told my mother that this was the plant that we were taking home.

After leaving the nursery my mom gave me the pot and told me, "this is your plant now. You need to take care of it. I will help you whenever you do not know what to do but you will be responsible to take care of the plant". I was really happy to accept that responsibility. I felt like I have grown enough that my mother could give me the responsibility to take care of a plant. I held the pot in my tiny hands and carried it carefully to my home. I placed it in our balcony where it would get the much needed sunlight.

As per my mother's instructions I would water the plant everyday. It had become my morning ritual. I would get up, brush my teeth, and water the plant before drinking milk. There was no single day when I had missed my ritual. Even when I was unwell I was committed to my duty of taking care of my rose plant.

I saw that my plant was really getting comfortable in my home. It was growing. It was bearing more flowers and buds. Each flower would be more beautiful than its predecessor. Sometime the plant would bear three or four flowers at a time. Every person who would come to our home would look at our beautiful rose plant. I would proudly tell them that I take care of the plant. Every guest would praise me for being responsible and taking care of the plant at a very young age. It would make me prouder.

Every happy moment has to come to an end. For me it was a dreaded July. That year it had been raining really heavily. One day I remember my dad returning home early from his office. He told that a storm was approaching. Within next few hours the winds started blowing vigorously. It started pouring. We had to close all the doors and windows to protect the furniture and the TV. The gushing winds were creating loud noises. The thunderstorm had a really scared me that time. I was sitting next to my mom holding her tightly in my arms. The thunderstorm had terrified me. In this shear terror I suddenly rememberd that the rose plant was still outside in the balcony. I asked my mother if I should go out and get the plant inside. My parents told me that it is risky to go outside. They did not allow me to go out and bring the plant. After that the entire night I kept thinking about how the plant will be. My mother tried to reassure me that the plant will be alright.

Next morning when the storm had passed I opened the door and I ran outside to the balcony. What I saw made me cry. The storm had completely destroyed the plant. The pot had fallen to the ground, the soil was scattered everywhere, and all the branches of the plant where broken. At that moment I felt that I have failed to fulfill my duties as the caretaker of the plant. Seeing me in a sad state my mother tried to console me. She said that I should say sorry to the plant and the plant will understand. I said sorry to the plant and said my final goodbyes.

Just like that day today is also a rainy and windy day. While looking outside at the cloudy sky I silently remember my beautiful rose plant which would somewhere be in the heaven.