One Rose for Me, the Whole Bouquet for Her
377 Views · Ongoing · Piper Hayes
The second the graduation ceremony ended, my parents took us all to the nicest restaurant in town.
They said they wanted to properly celebrate having "two graduates" in the family.
Pierce, my boyfriend of four years, showed up last with a huge bouquet of champagne roses in his arms.
I'd just gotten up from my chair when he walked right past me and handed the whole bouquet to my friend Brooke. "Happy graduation. No crying, okay?"
My mom was all smiles, going on about how thoughtful Pierce always was.
Then he caught my eye and hesitated. He tugged one rose free from the bunch and held it out to me. "You're not really into this kind of thing anyway, right?"
So that was my graduation gift from my boyfriend. One stem he'd pulled out of another girl's bouquet without a second thought.
Once we sat down, the conversation quickly turned to jobs.
Brooke looked miserable as she told us she hadn't heard back from a single place she'd applied to.
Pierce put down his fork and knife right away. "Come work at my family's hotel. Pick any job you want. I've got you."
My brother leaned in too. "My company's hiring right now. I can refer you. It's literally one phone call."
My dad gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't stress. You're so talented, good companies are going to be fighting over you."
The three of them crowded around her with ideas, each one trying harder than the last.
I'd just graduated too, but when it came to me, my dad barely gave it a thought. "Clara can just grab whatever job she can get. It's not like she can afford to be picky."
My mom nodded. "If anybody's willing to take you, just be grateful."
I stuck the rose in the water glass in front of me. The stem was too long and the glass was too shallow, so it slumped against the rim. No matter how I set it, it wouldn't stay up.
Just like me in this family. However hard I tried, I could never find my footing. Whether I was there or not, it made no difference to anyone.
Fine. Then I'd leave.
I'd go somewhere as far away from them as I could get, and this time I wasn't coming back.
They said they wanted to properly celebrate having "two graduates" in the family.
Pierce, my boyfriend of four years, showed up last with a huge bouquet of champagne roses in his arms.
I'd just gotten up from my chair when he walked right past me and handed the whole bouquet to my friend Brooke. "Happy graduation. No crying, okay?"
My mom was all smiles, going on about how thoughtful Pierce always was.
Then he caught my eye and hesitated. He tugged one rose free from the bunch and held it out to me. "You're not really into this kind of thing anyway, right?"
So that was my graduation gift from my boyfriend. One stem he'd pulled out of another girl's bouquet without a second thought.
Once we sat down, the conversation quickly turned to jobs.
Brooke looked miserable as she told us she hadn't heard back from a single place she'd applied to.
Pierce put down his fork and knife right away. "Come work at my family's hotel. Pick any job you want. I've got you."
My brother leaned in too. "My company's hiring right now. I can refer you. It's literally one phone call."
My dad gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't stress. You're so talented, good companies are going to be fighting over you."
The three of them crowded around her with ideas, each one trying harder than the last.
I'd just graduated too, but when it came to me, my dad barely gave it a thought. "Clara can just grab whatever job she can get. It's not like she can afford to be picky."
My mom nodded. "If anybody's willing to take you, just be grateful."
I stuck the rose in the water glass in front of me. The stem was too long and the glass was too shallow, so it slumped against the rim. No matter how I set it, it wouldn't stay up.
Just like me in this family. However hard I tried, I could never find my footing. Whether I was there or not, it made no difference to anyone.
Fine. Then I'd leave.
I'd go somewhere as far away from them as I could get, and this time I wasn't coming back.


















































