Plastic Flowers

As he lay dead on the floor blood oozed from Henry’s mouth. Muriel, still in shock, stared at what she had done. Muriel Morgan worked as a waitress at the Cheap Eats, which was next door to her house. Her mother died when she was a teen and her father looked after her until he remarried. Henry Lukas, the dishwasher at the Cheap Eats, was cruel to Muriel, telling her on more than one occasion that she was stupid. Much of the time Henry was under the influence of alcohol and when he drank he became abusive. When Muriel was sad she indulged herself by buying plastic flowers. No one yelled at her in the garden and it was there she found peace. Time alone in the open air renewed Muriel. The dust of her life was blown away as the outside breezes renewed her stale existence. The air brought with it hope and promise. Moments in her garden nourished and revitalized her spirit. The night Henry and Muriel remained to do inventory Muriel hoped Henry would not pick on her. She thought of her cats, Rachel and Leah, and removed herself to the place of her flower garden where Henry could not reach her. “You’re stupid,” he slurred. “Count again and get it right.” “Sorry,” countered Muriel “Don’t be so damned sorry, just get it right.” . “Sorry,” she muttered under her breath. Her face broke out in red blotches. “Damn fool,” cursed Henry Lukas, and he continued with his tally. Muriel could tell he was drunk. It was dark outside and she wished she were home. Even though she had missed Wheel of Fortune she’d left it on for the cats who liked the sound and motion of the television. She loved her home and they reflected its soul. When Muriel stroked their soft bodies the insistent purring was a tonic and all was in balance. The nearness of her cats was a comfort to Muriel during the lonely hours. “You’re worthless,” cried Henry, and the refrain continued. “You’ll never amount to anything,” and she hadn’t but didn’t appreciate being reminded of it. And then he came at her, looming before her larger than life, his eyes filled with crapulous fury. “I hate you, Henry Lukas,” thought Muriel, eyeing the heavy metal frying pan on the stove. “They ought to fire you, Muriel Morgan,” Henry said as he struck her in the face with his hand. “You’re not worth what they pay you,”….you’re this and you’re that, but she no longer listened or cared. The next day Henry didn’t show up for work at the Cheap Eats, nor did he show up the day after or the day after that. No one saw or heard from him again and it was assumed he’d just picked up and moved, as many dishwashers before him had done. Later in the year Muriel could be seen pottering in her garden. She was now, however, planting live flowers having torn up and discarded the plastic ones. The cats liked the new garden and curled themselves in and around its perfumed aroma. Muriel had recently discovered a special organic fertilizer that was guaranteed to make flowers grow like crazy….and so they did.