Something Beautiful
(fiction)

On one day of the year, the first day of September, the wisteria-climbing vine exposes its blue-lilac, purple and white flowers to the world. Any other day the vine is covered with green leaves. On that one day it comes alive and emits a fragrance to show that spring is in the air.

The wisteria was named after Charlie Wistar, an American anatomist who was born in 1761 and died in 1818. He could never have imagined the journey his plant would take over two centuries to reach the shores of Australia or the popularity and effect his plant might have on modern-day gardeners.

Dot is a gardener. Her mind is an encyclopaedia of plants that grow in her care. She knows every tree by its name and without hesitation can explain its origin and the bird life it attracts. “That’s a mulberry bird and it loves mulberries. I suppose it’s all right for them to eat the fruit as long as they leave some for me.”

Dot has lived in the same town for most of her seventy-five years. Her late husband, Gordon, who died more than eight years ago, built their home. Dot is proud of the wisteria-climbing vine that threads its way along the front veranda of her home and curls around it like a huge carpet snake. She likes to sit on the front porch to inhale the distinct perfume of its flowers in spring.

Their four children now have families of their own. Dot loves every one of them. They fill her heart with love and affection. Her forty-nine year old son still says, “I love you Mum.” Dot thinks it’s beautiful that he tells his mother that. She is proud of him, her daughters and grand children.

At times she feels lonely but her garden is her constant companion. She walks around it with her mind focused on the flowers, plants and lawn.

When she sits in her chair among her trees she remembers the past and thinks about the future. Many beautiful memories spring to mind, like the day she married Gordon, her knight in shining armour. On her wedding day she was the happiest bride in the whole world. Marriage for her was for life and she did not know how lonely it would be without her Gordon. She nursed him to the end as she did her mother and father.

Everyone knows her as Dot. She walks from one end of town to the other and people who have known her since childhood stop her constantly. They rekindle old times and talk about growing old and the latest events in their world. She tends to worry over small things that are out of her control.

A rekindled memory takes her back to when she attended the local school. She wrote her lessons on a slate, using a piece of chalk. Gradually she learned how to write on paper and use a pencil. On a recent visit to the school she was asked to speak with the Grade 1 pupils and share with them her memories of the past and the time had she sat in that classroom at the same school so many years ago. It made her want to share her story with the present students and compare how they are taught today with when she was a pupil.

Her parents were poor but contented. They lived on the edge of town near the creek and her mother forbade her and her brothers from swimming there. In those times parents who ruled with an iron fist often said, “If you do the wrong thing, the devil will throw you into his burning hell with his fork.” This image remained in Dot’s mind from an early age that if she ever did the wrong thing her body would be cast to the devil instead of to God. She attends church and has worshiped God all of her life.

When times are tough she prays for help. When she was faced with the serious illness of her grandchild she didn’t know what to do. She prayed for help as she sat beneath the wisteria. From that time on it became her personal quiet place. Calm seeped through her mind and body and from that moment onward the ordeal was eased. Her grandchild recovered.

Another time Dot slipped on a step at the back of her home to land hard and injure her shoulder. Two days later she endured constant pain. She didn’t think any more about it but felt her arm was difficult to lift. It was uncomfortable and the pain worsened. After x-rays of her shoulder the doctor recommended she see a specialist. He wanted to examine the torn muscle and would need to operate. Dot was devastated and feared the worst.

On the morning of the planned surgery her heartbeat was found to be irregular and the operation was cancelled. Doctors confirmed her heart was weak and she might have died on the operating table. She was sent home to wait until a cardiologist could see her. Once again she sat beneath the coiled wisteria-climbing vine and prayed.

Regular visits to the cardiologist disclosed the need for heart surgery. A valve in her heart was weak and could fail at anytime. Once more she readied herself for the operation. When Dot’s chest was opened the surgeon saw that an aneurysm was about to burst. If it had ruptured Dot would have died immediately. He repaired it and replaced her existing failed heart valve with one from a pig.

Dot now needed care and convalescence. Support and love came from all corners of the small town. There was always someone with her to make sure she felt safe and wanted for nothing. Her daughter and son-in-law lived with her in her home and looked after her.

Several months later Dot’s condition had not improved. Often she felt depressed. She needed Gordon by her side. Every moment of every day she suffered chest pain. At the base of her neck an infection occurred. Daily treatment was needed to heal the wound. Then she experienced blackouts. Her blood pressure decreased at an alarming rate. She became light headed and unable to walk. Dot felt so low she wanted to die.

Once again the arching wisteria vines became her place of solace and retreat. In despair she prayed to be made better. Finally her doctor suggested she should visit a dietician who recommended a change of eating habits and to lose weight.

After a while Dot began to feel some improvement. She started to mix with her friends again and cook for them, which is something she loved to do.

On a cool afternoon in the middle of autumn Dot thanked God for his help. He had brought her through a tough time. Her eyes closed when she felt a surreal calmness overtake her body. A glow surrounded her and a feeling of complete peace of mind enveloped her soul. She opened her eyes and for the first time saw that the sky was blue. The dark hole she had been in had vanished. She was alive and well.

From that moment on she embraced every second of her life. Now Dot tends her lawn, chooks and garden and cooks with a brand new stove.

When she awakes in the mornings she looks out of her bedroom window to see her wisteria-climbing vines in full bloom. Its blue-lilac, purple and white flowers are displayed to the world.

What a beautiful, wonderful day!

- Pat Ritter 
Brooloo, Queensland, Australia.
www.patritter.com.au