Where the Roses grow

A woman meets a strange man in a bar that seems to know everything about her.

( A woman is sitting by herself, she is sitting in a local bar area. The year is around 1970 and the bar is draped in a yellow dim light. The sounds of hollering and yelling castes over the surrounding area of the bar. The lady however, seems to have an angelic presence to her. She clearly comes from wealth and it is surprising to see an elegant woman in such a nasty place. Instead of having a beer on the table as a beverage, she has a soothing cup of herbal tea.  A man in his mid 20s walks into the bar, he is covered in a blanket of dirt, grease and dressed in farming clothes. He has a brown leather satchel on him. His eyes set on the woman and he walks over to her.)

Raymond

    Excuse me Miss, pardon my rude interruption but is this seat taken?

Elisabeth

    Well no… but I don’t usually fancy myself sitting next to strangers or folks I am on unfamiliar grounds with...

Raymond

    I understand that miss, but you see my feet are so tired from working all day in crop fields and there doesn’t appear to be any other available seats. Tell you what, you give me the privilege to sit and your bill is on me, you won’t have to pay a dime.

Elisabeth

    Alright… I suppose it wouldn’t cause any har--

( before she can get the sentence out of her lips, he heavily plops himself next to her)

Raymond

    Oh ! that’s real nice! ( he lets out a deep sigh) pardon me for my ill manners but this is the first time I have sat all day! Good lord if I wasn’t in your lovely presence I could just as well pass out right here and right now.

Elisabeth

   Well if I were you, I guess it  would be justifiable to want to relax after a long day at work… I’m sorry but what’s your name?

Raymond:

   Of course! How could I forget? I’m Raymond George Winters, but call me Ray for short.

( He reaches to shake her hand)

   and yours?

Elisabeth

   Elisabeth Rose

Raymond:     ( still grasping her hand)

  Ain’t that a lovely name? ( he then let’s go of her hand and slowly descends back to his seat)  Pretty enough to be a song, don’t you think? I could make one for you, if you like.

Elisabeth

 Oh please, you flatter me now. A gentleman should know better then to flatter a lady he’s not well acquainted with. You are better off dancing with death herself then flirting with an unfamiliar lass.

Raymond

 Must be hard to make a girl like you smitten

Elisabeth

 I’m just not one to lose myself easily. But you though… you seem like the destiny searching type.

Raymond

 Destiny.. Now that is one thing I have, now I don’t have much but I do have that. And when I die, the last thing my mortican is going to say is “ That man sure had destiny, yes he sure did, he had it tightly wrapped around his long fingers and big sweaty dirty palms”

Elisabeth

 I suppose ( she lifts up her sleeve to check the time, she then turns her head to look at the bar exit)

 Well it was fancy talking to you but I better get going, it’s starting to get dark out; I prefer not to gamble with the last night hours.

Raymond

 I understand that Miss, mighty swell of you to keep watch of the time with so many scoundrels out and about these days.

Elisabeth

I simply keep my guard up, I won’t get myself into trouble if I can avoid it… goodnight. ( She gets up)

Raymond

Wait before you go..  Mrs.Rose, I have something for you. I made this about 2 years ago and I have been saving it in my satchel for just the perfect person.

( He reaches over to grab his satchel, it is covered in dust and dirt. He opens the satchel and then pulls out a long but thin black box, a red ribbon is wrapped tightly around it. Out of all the things on him, this small black package is the most neat and delicate. He softly places it on the table closer to her)

Elisabeth    

                          ( she hesitates)

What’s in the box?

Raymond

Well.. why don’t you take a gander at it yourself?

(she sits back in the seat and delicately reaches over for the box. She examines it, closely looking at the craftsmanship. She slowly unties the ribbon and then opens the box. Inside, is a rose entirely made out of glass, the bud -- is painted red and is similar to a stained glass window.)

Elisabeth

It’s beautiful… how did you make it?

Raymond

Well I’m a crafter you see, I can just about make anything out of glass, wood, steel, you name it and I can probably make it. I got … magic hands you see?

Elisabeth

                 ( She looks at the glass rose closely and carefully until she notices something. Her heart sinks as she notices that on one leaf it says “ for Emily Rose”. She gives him a stern and scared look)  

Where did you get this from?

Raymond

Well like I said I made---

Elisabeth

 No you didn’t, now tell me where you got this from?

Raymond

I don’t know what to tell you Mamm, I am not fibbing you.

Elisabeth

( she looms over him and goes silent for a moment. Much like a spirit at a funeral, her face is casted in darkness by the hat resting on the roof of her. Finally she looks at him, her eyes drowned in sadness. )

Why did you put Emily Rose on there?

Raymond

That’s who it was for, never had a chance to give it to her though. You see I could never find her.

Elisabeth

It’s just… I’m sorry I jumped down your throat… but you see… Emily Rose is the name of my daughter..

Raymond

Was she a doctor?

Elisabeth

Yes…. how did you know that? This is too great of a coincidence… you’re going to tell me how you know that otherwise I am going to get the police on you, I am not going to tolerate anymore of this. Do you know how rare a female doctor is ?  

…. You’re hiding something and you’re going to tell me what it is.

Raymond

 I understand Mamm, alright I will come clean with you. No more foggy talk… you see my daughter was born with a weak heart. In and out of hospitals we would go, every year! Sometimes they kept her, all strapped up in white sheets for months; and she couldn’t so much as let out a sound, or even say “ I love you daddy”. I tell you, those bills were 1000, 2000, sometimes even 3000 dollars; a bunch of green dirty papers, that money would be just to keep her breathing! … but I didn’t mind. I fought and bled because my daughters life was and still is worth more to me than anything else in the world.… And when you love someone, as I am sure you have the misfortune of already knowing… there’s about nothing you don’t do for them.

The point I am trying to get to is that your daughter saved my daughter's life. I have spent years trying to fathom some conceivable way I could tell you thank you.

Elisabeth

( she thinks deeply for a moment, then she gives him a piercing look)

  Let me clarify this… you tracked me down and followed me here when I arrived home?

Raymond

 Well yes, but I can promise you I meant no harm against you or your family.

Elisabeth

 How am I supposed to know that? I don't know you, I don’t know what you are capable of. Am I just to supposed to assume you aren’t going to hurt me or my family when you went through such lengths to locate us to begin with?

Raymond

I have always been called an impulsive man, the idea just came to me. I wanted to do something to show my gratitude… you can understand that right?

Elisabeth

Well why give it to me, instead of her? How did you even know I was her mother?

Raymond

Truth be told… I had some problems locating her. It seems she is invisible on the face of the earth. I tracked you down by last names, you see? Took me awhile but sooner or later I found out where the Roses grew.

Elisabeth

( she goes quiet again, and lets out a heavy sigh)

I guess I will come clean with you as well then… A little over two months ago… She went missing. Granted she is a grown adult, I just know she wouldn’t go anywhere without telling me. My intuition is screaming at me, it’s yelling against my ears and is saying …” something happened to her… something horrible.” I just want her back…. I would do anything… just to see her for one day.. Heck I would do anything just to see her for an hour.

Raymond

( He reaches for the pot of tea in front of them, pours her and him a cup)

Well Mrs. Rose.. ( He holds his cup up as a cheers) Here’s to drowning our sorrows.