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“Piers, what the hell is that?” Chris questioned as he saw Piers struggled to bring a big box through the door threshold.
“Ah, I went to town to buy some stuffs. I saw this very cute plant nursery and decided that we could use some green in our apartment.” He set the box down in the room corner and quickly brought the rest of the grocery inside.
“So you got a plant? Did you get what I asked for?” Chris questioned the younger male.
“Don’t worry Captain I didn’t forget your donuts.” Piers passed the donut box to Chris, “Here, your favorite.”
They always go to town on Saturday, and Chris got himself a box of 6. Honey and vanilla glazed donut with raspberry jam filling. It has always been his guilty pleasure.
“So Ace, what plant is this?” Chris asked while demolishing the sweet treat. “It doesn’t look like a normal plant to me.”
“This is epiphyllum, a native plant to South America. Some people call it Queen of the Night because they can’t memorize the actual name. It’s cactus cousin.” Piers slowly explained to Chris while pampering the pot in the corner.
“Why does it called Queen of the Night?” Chris teasingly smirked before devouring the second donut.
“Around June or July, the flower will only blooms once a year, at night, and the fragrance is immaculate. I have always wanted to have one, and the lovely lady at the nursery told me this bud will bloom soon.”
“You know, you are a peculiar person, Ace. Always know the hippy thingy, must be a Californian thing.”
“Maybe it’s this Californian hipster that got you head over heels, Captain.”
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“Piers!” Chris called Piers in excitement, eyes searching for the hazel.
“Yes Chris?” Lazy hazel eyes peeked out from the bedroom.
“The flower is blooming, I can smell it!”
“Oh really!” Lazy eyes now fully awaken, Piers slowly made his way to the pot. “Chris, how long have you been watching it?” He sleepily asked.
“Since 1700. It’s so pretty. Look!” Mahogany eyes sparkled with excitement.
“You look like a child. I’ve never seen you get so excited over a flower before. Maybe you are becoming a Californian hipster after all hahahaha!”
“Shut it Ace.”
“You know, they say epiphyllum represents patience. You have to sit and wait for the flower to bloom to see its beauty due to its short-lived nature.”
“And that’s why you always be patient to put up with this hot head captain?”
“Probably, but my mom told me good thing takes time, and patience is a virtue. A beautiful attribute, she said. I grow up with it, so it’s my nature.”
“Ah cute, but in my dictionary you are stubborn.”
“Only patient and stubborn can tolerate you. You’re hot -headed, stubborn, impulsive. You always make hasty decisions, kind of an act first, think later person. You need someone to look after you so you don’t do crazy things.”
“Is this why HQ made you my lieutenant to keep me in check? As a sort of damage control?”
“That, and the paperwork too. No one, even Colonel Valentine is patient enough to make you do the filing beside me.”
“Do you find me annoying for delaying the paperwork?”
“No, that’s what my patience and stubbornness for.”
“Oh look Piers, I can see the petals!”
“It’s delicate and pristine. The white epiphyllum symbolizes purity, innocence and spirituality. Captain, do you know that I see those qualities in you? Under that rough and battered exterior is a delicate and innocent soul.” Hazels parted from the flower, staring deep into mahoganies.
“You read me like a book.”
“I know you put that hard shell on to protect yourself from this cruel world. Claire told me everything, Captain. It’s ok to feel vulnerable at times. You are not a robot, you are a human. It’s perfectly normal to have emotions, to be weak at times. You don’t need to bottle up your emotions and put that lifeless husk on yourself.”
“Oh Piers, no one ever said that to me. You know, since my parents left me, I had to be strong to protect Claire. If I’m not being a strong figure to protect her, who will be?”
“Captain, Claire is grown up now. She can take care of herself. You don’t ever have to be stronger than you really are, especially you are in my arms right now.” Piers wrapped his arms over Chris, and pulled him into his embrace.
“You see the plant? Its hardy exterior, covered it sap to protect itself from the harsh conditions. Heat, drought, sunlight. But when the heat dies down, the moon replaces the sun, you see that pristine, fragrant white flower we are watching blooming? I see you in that. You show yourself to everyone, put up with the world by wearing that strong, weathered, resilient exterior. And when you have no one to be strong for, you let the soft, gentle side of you showing. That fragile, delicate, ephemeral beauty, only show when it’s the most vulnerable. It’s pretty. It’s perfect to me.”
They sat in silence, before Piers continued.
“Epiphyllum also signify balance. It lives on other plants, but it’s never a parasite. It attaches to other plants for support, and it doesn’t hurt them. It strikes a balance between its survival and that of its supportive entity. You can learn a thing or two from it, Captain. Strike a balance. Don’t ever bottle up your emotions and explode again, it’s not healthy for you. I don’t want to see you sobbing at 3AM, it hurts me a lot. You can always find consolidation with me. Be strong, and vulnerable equally. And please, don’t be afraid of reaching out for help. You don’t have to pretend you are fine, when you’re in fact, not fine.”
Piers reached his hand to collect the tears formed on Chris’s eyes. He gently wiped them away, still holding Chris in his arms. Moonlight illuminated the two bodies. Caring, loving hazels bored into the depth of mahogany ocean, watching waves of emotions engulfing his iris. They stayed like that until midnight, first of July.
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As they walked through the rubble of Lanshiang, Chris suddenly stopped. It was an epiphyllum. He reached his hand out to pick the flower. The pristine white, the fragrance brought back the memories of that night a year before. He remembered.
“Piers!”
“Yes Captain!” Piers rushed towards Chris.
“Gimme your hand.” Commanded Chris. Piers gave his right hand out.
“Here!” Chris placed the delicate flower onto Piers battered glove. “Epiphyllum.”
“You remember!”
“I might not remember everything. But for the last six months, I’ve been longing for that scent of comfort and peace. After we return home, do you wanna watch the flower with me again, Ace?”
“I will, Captain.” Piers smiled. “I will.”
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Chris sat in the living room again, moonlight shined on his mahogany, waited for the flower to bloom.
“Piers, why did you lie to me?”
It was a lie. Piers didn’t return like what he promised. This time, he no longer bottled up his feelings. Chris mourned his protégé name in vain, tears pouring from his eye sockets. Oblivious to Chris’s grief, the epiphyllum blossomed under the summer moonlight.
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On the balcony, there was an old man sitting next to a pot of epiphyllum. Forty epiphyllum seasons later, he still patiently waiting for the miracle to happen. He never cried again, even in his lieutenant’s funeral. But on that day of July, when the epiphyllum was deemed to bloom, he silently slipped to the balcony, and let the tears filled his eyes. Reaching 79, he’s still holding to the promise his partner made decades ago.
Under the summer moonlight, the pristine white blossomed again.