“Girls, come on, who heres Lily?” The girl eyed me and my mate with a playful smirk.
“Uh, thats me. Why?” I said, confused.
“Got a letter for you, Lily. From Vince,” she said, pulling a crumpled envelope from her cardigan pocket and handing it over.
“From Vince? Where is he?”
“Got moved to a care home for adults. Waited for you like you were rain after a drought, he did. Nearly wore his eyes out staring out the window. Gave me this to check for spelling mistakesdidnt wanna embarrass himself in front of you. Anyway, gotta dashlunchtime soon. I work here as a carer,” she said, giving me a look, sighing, and hurrying off.
…One day, me and my mate Sophie were wandering about and ended up on the grounds of this place wed never seen before. We were sixteen, summer holidays were in full swing, and we were up for a bit of adventure.
We plopped ourselves down on a bench, chatting and laughing, when two lads walked over.
“Alright, girls! Bored much? Fancy a chat?” One of them stuck his hand out. “Vince.”
“Lily,” I said. “This is Sophie. And the quiet one?”
“Leon,” mumbled the other lad.
They seemed a bit old-fashioned, proper types. Vince frowned and said, dead serious, “Whyre you wearing skirts that short? And Sophie, that tops a bit much, innit?”
Sophie snorted. “Lads, maybe dont stare where you shouldnt. Wouldnt want your eyes popping out, would we?”
“Hard not to stare. Were blokes, arent we? You two smoke as well, then?” Vince pressed, all disapproving.
“Course we do. Just not *properly*,” Sophie shot back, grinning.
Thats when we noticed something off about their legs. Vince moved stiffly, and Leon had a bad limp.
“You here for treatment?” I asked.
“Yeah. Motorbike crash,” Vince rattled off like hed said it a hundred times. “Leon messed up a cliff dive. Getting discharged soon.”
We bought it, of course. Had no idea then that Vince and Leon had been disabled since they were kids. Stuck in that care home for life. To them, me and Sophie were a breath of fresh airsomething normal.
They lived there, studied there, hidden away from the world. Every one of them had a made-up storysome accident, some fight gone wrong.
Turns out, Vince and Leon were sharp, well-read, wise beyond their years.
We started visiting every week. Partly cause we felt bad for them, wanted to cheer them up. Partly cause they had things to teach us.
It became a habit. Vince would bring me flowers nicked from the garden beds. Leon would hand Sophie these intricate origami things hed folded himself, all shy about it.
Wed sit together on that benchVince next to me, Leon angled toward Sophie, whod blush but clearly didnt mind the attention. Wed talk about everything and nothing.
Summer slipped by, warm and easy. Then came autumn, school started, and we got swept up in exams, prom, leaving cert. Totally forgot about Vince and Leon.
…After graduation, summer rolled around again, and we wound up back at the care home. Sat on that same bench, half-expecting them to shuffle over any second, Vince with his flowers, Leon with his paper creations.
Two hours later, no sign of them.
Then this girl bolted out the doors and straight to us. Handed me Vinces letter. I tore it open:
*”My dearest Lily, youre like a flower in bloom, a star out of reach. Maybe you never realised, but I fell for you that first day. Those afternoons with you kept me alive. Six months Ive stared out that window waiting. You forgot me. Pity. Our paths were never meant to cross, but thank youyou showed me real love. I remember your voice, your laugh, your hands. Hurts without you, Lily. Just one more glimpse of youId give anything.
Me and Leon turned eighteen. Theyre moving us to another home soon. Doubt well meet again. Feels like my hearts been ripped out. Maybe one day Ill get over you.
Goodbye, my love.”*
Signed, *”Always yours, Vincent.”*
Inside was a dried-up flower.
Guilt hit me like a train. That saying*were responsible for those weve tamed*flashed through my mind. I never knew he felt like that. Couldnt have loved him back, though. Liked him fine, enjoyed his company, but that was it. Maybe flirted a bit, stoked the fire without realising itd burn him alive.
…Years passed. The letter yellowed, the flower turned to dust. But I remember those afternoonshis jokes, the easy chatter, how we laughed.
…Theres a coda to this. Sophie ended up falling for Leon. His own parents had ditched him as a kidhis leg was shorter from birth. She got her teaching degree, works at a care home now. Married Leon. Theyve got two grown sons.
Vince, according to Leon, never settled down. When he hit forty, his mum turned up out of the blue, took one look at him, broke down, and brought him home to her village. After that? No one knows.
