“It is! I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,” Mum says and I can hear the pride in her voice. It warms my heart. She more than anyone knows how I’ve struggled these past few months. Some days getting out of bed seemed like an impossible task.
“Thanks Mum, I love you,” I say.
“Love you too. Call me if you need me.”
“Will do, send my love to Dad. Night!”
“Night sweetheart,” Mum says, ending the call and I start to look in my duffel bag for my pyjamas. With the shower still running, I quickly change into them, opting to shower in the morning.
I hear the shower turn off as I switch the TV on, searching for something to watch. I find an English channel and leave that on, while grabbing my notebook to start scribbling again. I’m still determined to write a poem for Gramps, but I can’t find the right words.
Hearing the bathroom door open, I look up and my eyes widen. Tyler is stood in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. My eyes travel the length of his body and I can’t help but appreciate how ripped he is. He’s towel drying his hair and looking at me apologetically.
“This ok? I wasn’t expecting to share a room, and I don’t own pyjamas,” he admits, with a goofy smile.
“Yeah, of course,” I say, averting my eyes before I shamelessly ogle him again. He really is an attractive man. Toned in all the right places. You’re not ready to start dating again. You’re focusing on you, remember? Pulling myself together, I add, “This is the only channel I could find, hope you like cooking shows.”
Laughing, he says, “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll probably crash as soon as my head hits the pillow. I figured we’d get an early start tomorrow if that’s ok? It’s a six-hour drive, if we leave by eight am we should get there for two-ish.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan. We can grab breakfast here before we head out. We still have plenty of snacks left too.”
“Great, I’ve set my alarm for six. Gives us plenty of time to get sorted and have breakfast and coffee.” He pulls the duvet back on his twin bed and climbs in.
“Sounds like a plan,” I say, heading to the bathroom to sort myself out before bed. Once I’ve done what needed to be done, I head back into the room and notice Tyler is already asleep. Laughing softly to myself, I take his phone from his hand and set it on the bedside table.
Turning the lights off, I climb into my bed and shut my eyes. What a day! Even though I was just a passenger, I’m exhausted. So much more excitement than I’m used to, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow and what lies ahead.
Chapter Fourteen
As we drive through Provence, I’m in awe of the beauty around me. This place is incredible. Tyler and I got an early start after breakfast as planned and made it here in good time. With the sun still shining down on us, I’m feeling optimistic about the road ahead.
We pull into a small car park and decide to explore on foot. Grabbing my handbag, I put my sunglasses on and follow Tyler’s lead. Walking through the village, I’m charmed by the architecture and the beautiful flowers. It feels magical. As we turn a corner, I stop with a gasp. Ahead of me I see hundreds of sunflowers. A golden field sits basking in the sun. I’m in awe. It is truly breath-taking and I pull out my phone to take a picture.
“They’re amazing,” I whisper, enchanted by the sight in front of me. Grabbing my hand, Tyler pulls me forward and we approach the fields. I feel a spark from his touch and heat travels up my arm. I try to shake it off and focus on the beautiful surroundings. That’s what I’m here for.
So many flowers! All stood tall and proud, savouring the heat of the sun and dancing gently in the breeze. I reach out to touch one as we get closer, feeling the silky petals under my touch and once again surprised at how something can be so fragile yet so strong all at once. Maybe I’m like these flowers? Feeling fragile but really strong and able to weather the storms life throws at me.
The sun is out in full force, giving the field an almost ethereal glow. A part of me feels like it’s Gramps, shining down on us and showing me that he is here in spirit too. I open my bag and pull out the photo tucked into my notebook. Smiling down at his grinning face, I so wish he could have seen this. He would have loved it.
“Pass me your phone, I’ll take a photo of you both,” Tyler says, motioning for my phone. Passing it to him, I stand in front of some of the tallest flowers and hold Gramps in front of me, smiling. Tyler takes a couple of photos and hands the phone back to me.
“Thanks,” I say, slipping the photo safely back into my notebook and then my bag. I look around and smile. Pulling up the photos Tyler just took, I quickly send one off to my mum.
“This is truly something,” Tyler says, walking through the field and taking in the view. I snap a photo of him walking through the field in awe.
“Isn’t it?” The vibrant colours surrounding us are so inspiring. Snapping some more photos, I follow Tyler deeper into the field. Losing ourselves among the flowers, with the sun beaming down on the scene before me, I smile and feel freer than I have in a long time.
We spot a small sunflower shop on the other side of the road, so make a beeline for it. Selling more sunflower mementos than you can imagine, it makes me smile. Looking at the grow your own sunflower kits, sunflower mugs, sunflower scarfs, and sunflower alarm clocks, I smile at how there are people out there as obsessed with sunflowers as I am. Tyler excuses himself to find the restroom and I continue exploring the shop.
Turning the corner, I spot a wall of sunflowers. Each flower is made of card and has a note written on it. I walk closer and read a few of them. They range from just having names and dates on, to having people’s aspirations on them. The hopes and dreams of hundreds of people are laid out before me and it’s so inspiring.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” I hear a voice behind me ask, and I turn to see the shop owner standing there. Looking over the rim of her silver glasses, she smiles at me.
“It is. What is it?” I ask, in awe of the sight.
“It’s the Wall Of Hope. Sunflowers have long since been associated with hope and luck, so people who visit write their hopes on a flower and put it on the wall. Or even just their names. Hoping they will grow into something strong, like the flowers outside.”
“That’s beautiful,” I say, smiling up at the messages. So many hopes and dreams. The world truly is filled with an abundance of hope and it warms my heart. How can things be hopeless when so many people around the world have so much hope? So much belief in the goodness in the world.
“Here,” she says, passing me a sunflower shaped card of my own. “Write whatever you like and add it to the wall.”
With one last smile, she walks away. Leaving me and the Wall Of Hope. Taking my time, I read some of the many messages already on the wall.
“What are you going to write?” Tyler asks; I didn’t realise he’d returned. Must have been lost in thought.
“I’m not sure yet,” I say, smiling up at him. Grabbing a pen from the table next to the wall, I think for a few minutes and then let the words flow.
May our hopes grow,
And our dreams soar,
Like the field of flowers,
Where we found more.