Chapter Text
Elinor died in January, during the cold months. It made Serena feel numb physically and emotionally.
When Spring finally rolled around, Bernie came up with the idea to plant symbolic flowers in Serena’s garden. She did a lot of research to figure out which ones would be the best and help Serena the most. Serena didn’t care for much of anything, which was a normal thing to experience during grief, but she loved flowers and she tried her best to feel happy about Bernie’s idea and was willing to help plant them.
Bernie kept the flowers a secret because she wanted the planting to be like a special ceremony for it one. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep much from Serena because the woman knew more about flowers than Bernie, but it was still going to be special.
Bernie & Serena found the perfect spot in the garden for flowers, right outside the kitchen window where Serena would see whenever she was at the sink. In the mornings, the sun would hit them just right, making them shine.
The first set of flowers Bernie chose were daffodils, they were a symbol of new beginnings, a start to Serena’s new normal.
The second set were lilies, which symbolized loss. Serena had been through a lot of loss in the last 3 years; losing her mum and losing colleagues--not just to death but to other life opportunities--had been brutal on her.
The third and last set were gladiolus, they symbolized strength. For Serena to begin the healing process, she would need a lot of strength. Bernie knew she couldn’t give Serena all of the strength she needed, she would have to find her own deep down.
After the flowers were planted and watered, Serena stayed sitting there. She stared at them as if she was lost in a trance. Being in the garden and digging in the dirt brought back memories from when Elinor was little. The little girl would try to help Serena pull weeds and plant flowers, but would just fling dirt everywhere, covering herself and Serena with dirt. They would both laugh for several seconds before Elinor screamed because a worm had crawled on her.
Bernie hoped that these flowers would help Serena heal from the trauma and accept what life had thrown at her. They weren’t going to bring Elinor back, but maybe they would bring Serena some peace.