Alex Gaskarth
i.
He ran his free hand through his newly-dyed silky hair. A few pale pages were held lightly between his index and middle fingers. Eyes scanning the page, there was only one word he could pin to the words on the sheets: average. Tossing the pages back on the table a frustrated sigh passed his chapped lips. A shrill ringing broke the silence that engulfed him turning, his attention to the wooden door in the empty hallway. Alex took to his feet. Leaving the papers a mess on his table he moved almost silently across the laminate floor. He already knew what lay on the other side of the gateway before him. As he applied pressure to the small metal handle he was instantly hit with a fresh breeze. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he breathed in the warm summer air.
The flowers that lay before him were different today. The brightest lilies he’d ever seen were placed neatly across his welcome mat. Carefully picking up the bouquet he kicked the door shut behind him. He hummed a familiar tune to himself as his feet lead him into his lounge. The tulips he’d received just the day before stared at him from the mantle directly above his fireplace. The vibrant pink petals complemented the room perfectly against the almost pearlescent walls. Alex always thought it a great shame that he had to throw away the expensive looking arrangements he received daily, but it had become a routine.
At first he found it strange, at exactly 10:30 AM every morning he would receive such beautiful flowers lay in the same place across his porch, and every day there would be a small card containing exactly the same message in almost exactly the same hand tied to the tallest of the flowers. But Alex didn’t question it. This had, after all, been going on for almost exactly four months.
As if not to damage the vegetation he was cradling in his arms, he placed them on a soft brown throw cushion he kept on his sofa. Using both hands he untied the knot clinging to the stem of the tallest flower. Tugging at the pale green envelope the card landed lightly in his hands. His calloused fingertips brushed across the smooth cover before opening it. He knew the words written in dark blue ink off by heart now; some of them were after all, his own lyrics.
Don’t make this easy, I want you to mean it.
And until we meet these flowers shall be the only material object to remind you of my existence.
Alexander William Gaskarth – Hero.
-C.
Alex smiled at the words on the card, as he would every day. He always knew what the card would say but he never grew tired of reading the same lines over and over again. Slipping the card back into place he removed the older group of flowers from the glass vase and discarded them into a green bin liner, quickly replacing them with the new batch.
He often wondered who the sender was. He didn’t know a single thing about them other than ‘C’ was probably their initial and they were most likely a female. He’d worked this out himself. At first he thought the flowers were a joke, sent by his friend Jack who often played games on him. But Jack’s handwriting wasn’t as neat at that on the cards. Nor would Jack keep up a joke like this for almost four months. The cards were sprayed with some kind of perfume, a scent Alex would find intoxicating at the slightest whiff. A sweet scent; stronger than that of the flowers. Alex had once spent long hours of his time trying to find the fragrance in perfume stores around Maryland, but never had he found one so overwhelming. The smell was a mixture of cinnamon, a personal favourite of his, and expensive liquors and had him hooked like a drug.
Alexander often wondered if he knew this woman in real life. How old was she? Was she younger than him or older? Was she a relative? Plenty of questions roamed his mind whenever he thought about the mysterious ‘C’. Alex let out a sigh, shaking his head of the woman who plagued his mind.
From the corner of his chocolate brown eyes Alex caught sight of the sheets of paper scattered across the kitchen table. Besides curiosity the thing that Alex suffered from most was writer’s block. Some days ideas would burst into his head and songs would flow from the pen he gripped in his hand for hours, but not on days like today. There was only one cure for a day like this and that was feeling smooth caffeine slip down his throat.
Starbucks and coffee shops with big names weren’t places Alex would dream about stepping foot in for fear of being recognised. He preferred to keep a low profile, so local shops were places he would visit regularly. A particular little coffee shop around the corner of the home he inhabited in Lutherville was one he visited almost daily. The quality of the beverages they served was far superior to those served by the ‘home of the coffee bean’ and the workers were always so polite.
Slipping a dark waistcoat over the white fabric of his t shirt the boy was ready to go. He snatched his keys from off the table and looked around the room he called home. Alex’s house was not typical of a bachelor pad at all. No worn clothes were flung over the furniture, the laminate flooring was always kept immaculate and of course flowers kept the house smelling fresh.
Turning on his heel Alex made his way out of the front door. The soft breeze blew strands of hair into his face as he walked across the porch and made his way down the steps onto the stone sidewalk. He was the only person out on the street and the few cars on the road were at a standstill. The soles of his shoes lightly slapped against the terrain beneath his feet as his mind, once again drifted to that girl by the name of ‘C’.
He wondered what she looked like. He liked to picture her with dark brown hair flowing down her back with the most dazzling eyes, but he could never be sure. Alex sometimes wished that one day she’d leave her address or phone number inside the card for him to contact her, but she never did. Even her first name would be enough for him, to be able to put a name to the unknown face he spent hours thinking about, but she never did. It was obvious she was a fan of his music, which made him happy. The fact that this girl would appreciate his music so much that she would go to such extreme lengths didn’t worry Alex, but nor did it flatter him. It was more than flattery he felt. He longed to meet this girl just to see if what he’d thought about her had been correct.
Pushing against the flat metal surface of the door it swung open causing the small brass bell above the door to chime signalling his arrival. Many of the faces in the shop, both old and young turned around to send him a welcoming smile before turning back to their conversations. Making his way across the linoleum floor he took a quick glance at the menu over the counter and plunged his hand into his pocket retrieving his wallet.
“Hello sir, do you know what you’d like to order?” The tall blond girl from behind the counter asked. She was quite older than him, her eyes a dull green with a few wrinkles appearing round the corners of her eyes. Pulling some change from the wallet in hand he replaced it in his jeans before looking up and smiling at the woman.
“Yeah could I get just a latte to go please?” He asked politely. The woman’s eyes dropped to the till in front of her pressing a few buttons before glancing up briefly at the man before her.
“Is there anything else I could get you?” Her voice chimed as she pressed more buttons.
“No that’s all thank you,” he replied placing the money on the ledge in front of him as he did most days. The woman gave him a warm smile before placing the money in the draw and tapping it shut. As she shouted the order into the back Alex was vaguely aware of bodies moving around him. His fingers drummed against the counter top as he glanced around a corner of the room.
“Here you go sir,” the woman from behind the counter said snapping him out of his trance. Alex leant forwards, taking the styrofoam cup from her hands. He turned to make his way to the exit before coming into contact with another body. The tray in her hands shook violently as she tried helplessly to rescue the drinks on it. Alex’s hands quickly went to either end of the tray steadying it before handing it back to the waitress.
The red head before him had some of the brightest pair of blue eyes he’d ever seen and her features were pale with freckles speckled around her nose. Alex’s eyes glanced up at the girl before him. Her eyes were wide with what looked like shock and her mouth agape.
“Oh gosh, I am so sorry, I didn’t see you,” Alex apologised earning no reaction from the statue girl. Alex let out a sigh before laughing light heartedly at himself.
“I’ll let you get back to your job, take care,” he added before manoeuvring himself around the girl and out the door he had come through. The red headed girl stood watching him walk away from the small local coffee shop until he was out of sight.
As he turned the corner the girl continued to stare. Shaking her head lighting she glanced up at the analogue clock hanging on the lime green wall opposite her. As the slender second hand ticked steadily closer to the twelve she noticed it was time for her lunch break. Slipping her stained apron over her head and hanging it on a brass hook the red haired girl made her way out the front door. She did, after all, have some flowers to buy.
The flowers that lay before him were different today. The brightest lilies he’d ever seen were placed neatly across his welcome mat. Carefully picking up the bouquet he kicked the door shut behind him. He hummed a familiar tune to himself as his feet lead him into his lounge. The tulips he’d received just the day before stared at him from the mantle directly above his fireplace. The vibrant pink petals complemented the room perfectly against the almost pearlescent walls. Alex always thought it a great shame that he had to throw away the expensive looking arrangements he received daily, but it had become a routine.
At first he found it strange, at exactly 10:30 AM every morning he would receive such beautiful flowers lay in the same place across his porch, and every day there would be a small card containing exactly the same message in almost exactly the same hand tied to the tallest of the flowers. But Alex didn’t question it. This had, after all, been going on for almost exactly four months.
As if not to damage the vegetation he was cradling in his arms, he placed them on a soft brown throw cushion he kept on his sofa. Using both hands he untied the knot clinging to the stem of the tallest flower. Tugging at the pale green envelope the card landed lightly in his hands. His calloused fingertips brushed across the smooth cover before opening it. He knew the words written in dark blue ink off by heart now; some of them were after all, his own lyrics.
Don’t make this easy, I want you to mean it.
And until we meet these flowers shall be the only material object to remind you of my existence.
Alexander William Gaskarth – Hero.
-C.
Alex smiled at the words on the card, as he would every day. He always knew what the card would say but he never grew tired of reading the same lines over and over again. Slipping the card back into place he removed the older group of flowers from the glass vase and discarded them into a green bin liner, quickly replacing them with the new batch.
He often wondered who the sender was. He didn’t know a single thing about them other than ‘C’ was probably their initial and they were most likely a female. He’d worked this out himself. At first he thought the flowers were a joke, sent by his friend Jack who often played games on him. But Jack’s handwriting wasn’t as neat at that on the cards. Nor would Jack keep up a joke like this for almost four months. The cards were sprayed with some kind of perfume, a scent Alex would find intoxicating at the slightest whiff. A sweet scent; stronger than that of the flowers. Alex had once spent long hours of his time trying to find the fragrance in perfume stores around Maryland, but never had he found one so overwhelming. The smell was a mixture of cinnamon, a personal favourite of his, and expensive liquors and had him hooked like a drug.
Alexander often wondered if he knew this woman in real life. How old was she? Was she younger than him or older? Was she a relative? Plenty of questions roamed his mind whenever he thought about the mysterious ‘C’. Alex let out a sigh, shaking his head of the woman who plagued his mind.
From the corner of his chocolate brown eyes Alex caught sight of the sheets of paper scattered across the kitchen table. Besides curiosity the thing that Alex suffered from most was writer’s block. Some days ideas would burst into his head and songs would flow from the pen he gripped in his hand for hours, but not on days like today. There was only one cure for a day like this and that was feeling smooth caffeine slip down his throat.
Starbucks and coffee shops with big names weren’t places Alex would dream about stepping foot in for fear of being recognised. He preferred to keep a low profile, so local shops were places he would visit regularly. A particular little coffee shop around the corner of the home he inhabited in Lutherville was one he visited almost daily. The quality of the beverages they served was far superior to those served by the ‘home of the coffee bean’ and the workers were always so polite.
Slipping a dark waistcoat over the white fabric of his t shirt the boy was ready to go. He snatched his keys from off the table and looked around the room he called home. Alex’s house was not typical of a bachelor pad at all. No worn clothes were flung over the furniture, the laminate flooring was always kept immaculate and of course flowers kept the house smelling fresh.
Turning on his heel Alex made his way out of the front door. The soft breeze blew strands of hair into his face as he walked across the porch and made his way down the steps onto the stone sidewalk. He was the only person out on the street and the few cars on the road were at a standstill. The soles of his shoes lightly slapped against the terrain beneath his feet as his mind, once again drifted to that girl by the name of ‘C’.
He wondered what she looked like. He liked to picture her with dark brown hair flowing down her back with the most dazzling eyes, but he could never be sure. Alex sometimes wished that one day she’d leave her address or phone number inside the card for him to contact her, but she never did. Even her first name would be enough for him, to be able to put a name to the unknown face he spent hours thinking about, but she never did. It was obvious she was a fan of his music, which made him happy. The fact that this girl would appreciate his music so much that she would go to such extreme lengths didn’t worry Alex, but nor did it flatter him. It was more than flattery he felt. He longed to meet this girl just to see if what he’d thought about her had been correct.
Pushing against the flat metal surface of the door it swung open causing the small brass bell above the door to chime signalling his arrival. Many of the faces in the shop, both old and young turned around to send him a welcoming smile before turning back to their conversations. Making his way across the linoleum floor he took a quick glance at the menu over the counter and plunged his hand into his pocket retrieving his wallet.
“Hello sir, do you know what you’d like to order?” The tall blond girl from behind the counter asked. She was quite older than him, her eyes a dull green with a few wrinkles appearing round the corners of her eyes. Pulling some change from the wallet in hand he replaced it in his jeans before looking up and smiling at the woman.
“Yeah could I get just a latte to go please?” He asked politely. The woman’s eyes dropped to the till in front of her pressing a few buttons before glancing up briefly at the man before her.
“Is there anything else I could get you?” Her voice chimed as she pressed more buttons.
“No that’s all thank you,” he replied placing the money on the ledge in front of him as he did most days. The woman gave him a warm smile before placing the money in the draw and tapping it shut. As she shouted the order into the back Alex was vaguely aware of bodies moving around him. His fingers drummed against the counter top as he glanced around a corner of the room.
“Here you go sir,” the woman from behind the counter said snapping him out of his trance. Alex leant forwards, taking the styrofoam cup from her hands. He turned to make his way to the exit before coming into contact with another body. The tray in her hands shook violently as she tried helplessly to rescue the drinks on it. Alex’s hands quickly went to either end of the tray steadying it before handing it back to the waitress.
The red head before him had some of the brightest pair of blue eyes he’d ever seen and her features were pale with freckles speckled around her nose. Alex’s eyes glanced up at the girl before him. Her eyes were wide with what looked like shock and her mouth agape.
“Oh gosh, I am so sorry, I didn’t see you,” Alex apologised earning no reaction from the statue girl. Alex let out a sigh before laughing light heartedly at himself.
“I’ll let you get back to your job, take care,” he added before manoeuvring himself around the girl and out the door he had come through. The red headed girl stood watching him walk away from the small local coffee shop until he was out of sight.
As he turned the corner the girl continued to stare. Shaking her head lighting she glanced up at the analogue clock hanging on the lime green wall opposite her. As the slender second hand ticked steadily closer to the twelve she noticed it was time for her lunch break. Slipping her stained apron over her head and hanging it on a brass hook the red haired girl made her way out the front door. She did, after all, have some flowers to buy.