PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Syrupy Sweet

By Michael Feuerstein





“William, come off that goddamn roof and fix the sink, I think one of the pipes has is leaking all over the kitchen floor” Said Anne, Williams wife.



“Ill be down in a minute”



William smoothed the soil out around the plant, press his finger down into the dirt surrounding the last tulip. He then pulled himself off his knees, took a couple of steps back to look at the work he had completed. It was finally finished.



“I’m done” he said in calm raspy voice.



He smiled from ear to ear, and it was warm and inviting. He lifted his dirt covered hand and wiped the sweat from his brow, as he starred at his accomplishment. He had just finished making a garden on the roof of the apartment building he lived in, in the city of Harlem. The owner said he could as long as he tended to the maintenances work that needed to be done around his building. It had taken him 7 months to make construct plant and tend to, and the garden was finally in full bloom, it Full of grape vines, and tomatoes, tulips, and roses, daffodils and herbs. A sense of pride filled him, that he had not felt in a longtime.



“William David Floyster, please come down stairs NOW!” yelled a voice from the bottom of the stairs of the roof.



“I’m coming, I’m coming” said William as he turned to the roof door and made his way across the small pieces of gravel that covered it.



“She sounds more like my mother everyday” he muttered under his breathe.



He turned his head towards garden as he walked for the door and said “ill be coming back soon” with smile.



William walked through the dark brown door of apartment number 41, and closed it. The apartment was lite up by a mid summer afternoon sun. He then proceeded down a ocean green hallway that was till he arrived in the kitchen. Anna was screaming about the mess in the bedroom next to the kitchen as he grabbed the tools from a lower cabinet and set it on the floor in front of the faucet. He then opened the cabinet doors underneath the sink and laid down on his back underneath the sink and began the operation.

Later on Anne was in the kitchen doorway looking down at him. She then said

“All the towels in the apartment are soaking wet because I had to use them on the floor, so now I have to go to the basement and wash them”



“If you had been here sooner, then I wouldn’t be having this problem”



“I’m sorry doll, I was busy”



Busy doing what?! Stirring up more aggravation for me, I already have enough of that.”



“No hunny, it’s something wonderful, something I know you will appreciate.”

William stopped working and just laid there underneath the sink listening to her speak her mind.



“What I would appreciate is a little help now and then, your always to busy, anyways how do you know I would appreciate it, you don’t appreciate me as much as you should”



“It will probably be something you will pass as a present for me, but really it’s for you! It’s always some that will satisfy your needs, never something that will satisfy my needs.”



“ Hunny don’t say that, that’s not tru…”



“You never take me out to a restaurant, or the park, or anywhere for that matter, I cant remember the last time you made me laugh, and that’s was one of reasons why I fell in love with you, your always up there being busy”



William was about to speak when Anne began to speak with a mimic “one day you will see in awe of I have created.”



“STOP IT, STOP IT RIGHT NOW.”



William lifted his head and hit one of the pipes of the sink out of place, water starting bursting out all over him and onto his shirt. Anne looked at him frozen in expression and covered her mouth with her hand. Williams hand danced outside in the tool box for a good 20 second while the water kept spraying all over his face. He eventually grabbed the tool he needed and tighten it back into place. Once that was done he pulled himself out from underneath the sink and sat on the floor look at her. He began to smile, so did she, and they both burst out laughing at what had just happened to him. Tears were rolling down her face but happy ones.

Ones the laughter died down he got and starred down at her. With loving eyes.



“As least Im not a mess anymore, well somewhat of a mess.”



“I love you hunny, and you are right, we don’t spend enough time together, tomorrow or later tonight after dinner if you want maybe we could go to the park and watch the sunset”



she stared up smiling” that would be wonderful, now let me fetch you a towel your soaked.”



She wheeled herself over to the bathroom and peered in. There were no towels, in the bathroom. They were all over the kitchen floor soaking wet from all the water. She felt foolish that she forgot they were all dirty. William came up behind her and peered into the bathroom also, then his met her face. She was blushing.



“ I guess I can do without this wet shirt” and he took it off and threw it into the bathroom hamper.



A huge grin was across his face.



” William!!” said Anne in a Playful voice as she starred up at him.



She repeated it again when he bent down and picked her out of her chair, and carried her to the bedroom. She giggled the whole way there. The towels still lay on the kitchen floor.



******



They both lay in bed in each others arms gazing up at the ceiling admiring the plaster swirls that covered it. A sense of peace and serenity surrounded them.



“Do you wish I was younger?” said Anne softly.



“Sometimes” he said.



“Excuse me!” she said in a defensive voice. She began to try to pull herself out of Williams arms.



”I’m just kidding sweetie, calm down, I don’t wish you were younger, cause I’m not in love with the younger you, I’m in love with the present you.” She stopped resisting and let herself be pulled back into his arms.



“I love you” he said.



“I love you to, even though you may be rude sometimes, and be as wrinkly as a prune” she said a jokingly



He laughed at what she said, but was slightly hurt by it.



He then said in a proud sarcastic “Each line defines my wisdom”



“Or your stupidity”



He looked at her with a big grin “you take that back”



“No” she said returning the grin.



He began to tickle her side, and she flopped all over the bed. Sheets were now wrinkled and pushed down to the end of the bed; pillows were now on the floor.



“I take it back, I take it back” she said laughing.



He stopped tickling her, and they just laid in each others arms amongst a comfortable silence, wrapped together like grape vines. The silence was broken though by a question of a memory.



“Do you remember when we were dating, just before I asked you to marry me, I took to the pasture near my fathered farm for a picnic?” he said to her with grin.



There was a pause for a moment then began to say slowly “yes, I do, I was wearing a dress my mother just bought me for my Sundays best, that was 43 yrs ago though”



“Remember I asked you what the top 5 things you desired most?”



“Yes, I do” she said with a hint of excitement in her voice.



“You said that the top 5 things were me, a family, good health, a garden, and a hole in the wall you can call home” he said with a chuckle.



“Well we have the hole in the wall, we have a family full of cherubs that have fled the nest, we have good health because we have each other, and your mite have me, im not sure though. He said playfully.



She gave him a women’s glare, and most men what know what a women’s glare can do.



“And now you have a garden full of fruits and flowers, that’s why I have been so busy lately.”



Her eyes were glowing, and her emotions were high, she pulled her arms around him tighter and started to cry happy tears.



“I love you” she said choking on her emotions.



“Do you want to see it?” William said with glow of excitement in his eyes.



Anne’s eyes reflected the same excitement and she nodded. She had always wanted a garden but was unable to because they lived in the city. It was one thing that really disappointed her. Her father was farmer; and it was in her blood to grow things.



“We will get dressed now and go up stairs ok?” Anne said



“Ok hunny”



He got up and grabbed his clothes fro the wooden floor around the bed and put them on.



“I just need to do one thing before you come up stairs”.



“That’s fine sweetie, just bring the chair over to the bed please, I will get dressed and take the towels from the kitchen and put them in hamper.”



William grabbed her wheel chair and brought it over to the bed.



“Do you need help getting dressed or anything else?”



“No I’m fine, you just up stairs to the roof and get things ready ok?”



“I will see you in ten minutes ok?” William said as he walked down the hallway to the door.



“Crap I forgot a bowl” he said and turned around for the kitchen.



“What do you need a bowl for?”



“The fruit of course”



He went into the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards and grabbed a wooden bowl, he saw the towels on the floor and picked them up so she wouldn’t have to and put them in the hamper.



“10 minutes” William said and went out the door.



He finished setting up the lawn chairs and small table in front of the garden. The table was in-between the chairs, and the bowl was on top of it filled with grapes because that was Anne favorite fruit. Her father used to have a grape farm and a small town winery so he assumes it has something to do with it. Her father eventually sold with winery to a large business, for him and his wife retirement. Two glasses with apple juice, everything was ready.

It was the longest walk in his life he said. When he went down stair and back through apartment 41, down the ocean green hallway, the sun was beginning to set and lite was fading in the rooms. He went into the bedroom with smile, asking her if she was ready. But what he found was not what he expected. She lay there on the floor just starring off at something that wasn’t there. He didn’t understand she had to be alive; they had lived together for so many years. He was supposed to go first not her. He tried to grab onto something to keep him supported, but there was nothing to. He knew what happened the doctor said it mite, the polio mite cause her to get bed soars, the bedsores mite cause her to lose her limbs, and this mite lead to possible failure to the heart. But not the heart that he loved, because that heart would never fail him. He fell to his knees with crying; he grabbed her and pulled her to him, and began to stroke her hair.



“Anne you need to wake up, Anne wake up”



“She’s ok, everything is fine, everything is fine, wake up Anne, WAKE UP ANNE” tears ran down his eyes, as he tried to smile, Held her close. He then lifted her up and began to walk with her down the ocean green hallway of there apartment, through the door of dark colored door of apartment 41 and up the stairs to the rooftop.



He placed her gently down one of the lawn chairs and he sat in the other, it was a good chair that stretched out so she could lye down. He sat in the other, and just stared at the garden, the grape vines. The sun was setting over Harlem. He wondered if he should have regretted building his garden for her, because maybe he could have spent more time with her. But maybe he shouldn’t regret it because he fulfilled someone he loves dream, being with her was his dream, and that had just set.