We had a creative writing competition of sorts. We were given a prompt and we had to build on it. Here's what I wrote. And this was sometime in the first semester. I don't like it.

I was walking down the street and suddenly I saw him. The old man with the flowers. He was smiling and humming a tune to himself. His hair was all white and his face was as wrinkled as a sun dried tomato. But his eyes, that’s what I remembered. His twinkling blue eyes. Eyes as blue as the sky in summer.

He offered me a daisy. “It’s completely free. Just for you,” he said and gave me that smile again. “Free? Why?” I asked. “You look like you need it. Daisies are the happiest flowers,” he answered. “Why would you say that?” I asked. “You look troubled my child. Those brown eyes shouldn’t be so sad,” he replied, “tell Grandpa Joe what’s wrong.”

I had never met him before. He was a complete stranger, but I couldn’t explain why I trusted him instantly. I knew he would understand and I did something that I hadn’t done in a long, long time. I cried.

He enveloped me in a tight hug and just let me cry. He never said a word. I let myself go and then I told him. I told him why I hated my home and hated my drunk father. I told this complete stranger things I didn’t tell my friends.

And he listened. He didn’t know me either, but he listened. He didn’t have to be nice to me, this girl who cried. He could have told me to leave, but he didn’t.
After it all, he told me, “Baby girl, Grandpa Joe says things are bad now, but they always get better. Just hold on.” I didn’t believe what he said but he filled me with an odd sense of calm. I took that daisy from him and I couldn’t thank him. “Don’t thank me. Just believe baby girl,” he said and smiled again.

I walked and even though I didn’t want to, I believed him. I couldn’t explain what had just happened. I didn’t know why I did why I did what I did. But I would never forget him. My guardian angel, Grandpa Joe, the old man with the flowers......