Inspired by this photo, here’s a story I wrote. Thanks for taking the time to read it.
The plants were in small pots and sat in rows on a stand. There must have been about a dozen of them, blooming in the environment of the enclosed verandah. Some showed simple flowers, while others had frilly petals – these were the stars of the collection.
The smell was of damp earth. Breathing it in evoked visions of the moist, shaded gullies that are the natural habitat of African violets.
This collection was started by his wife and continued as a physical reminder of her after she died. He nurtured those plants as if all his care would bring her back. In his mind, it did.