Hi, guys! I think I could use a little break from Silver Lining since it is so gloomy lately :D

This story should be like three shots maximum, not too long for me to be too engaged to it.

There will be some mention of some types of flowers and plants. If you are interested to see how those flowers look like, I have it posted in my other WP account. You can just click here : http://wp.me/p2bJPu-18

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She stood just outside the entrance of the tunnel. The eight-feet arch was adorned with white and purple wisteria flowers dangling from on top of its steel bars. The sun hung low on the west sky, turning the supposedly romantically dreamy scenery into dramatically mysterious orange landscape. She heaved a deep sigh as beautiful memories which would not let go for the past six years kept flooding in her mind. So as the guilt which kept tugging her heart. She shook her head, trying to shake off all the gloomy mood while repeatedly thinking that this is purely a professional visit, and nothing more.

"Ms. Lee?"

She turned her body to meet the source of the voice. There stood a woman of late fifties with bronzed skin and freckles cheeks due to the daily sun exposure. She still wore a wide gardening hat with thin layer of white clothes around its brim.

"Mrs. . . . Im?" She started unsure. Then as her memory came back, her voice grew louder and she started shaking both of the lady's hands in hers, "Mrs. Im! Oh my God, how I miss you. How are you? You're still working here?"

The lady was nodding her head frantically with a wide smile across her face and soft giggles slipped from . "Fine, fine, I'm fine. Yes, I'm still working here, and so are Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Park, and your beloved tomato man. How are you, dear? Look at you. You look lovelier with shoulder length haircut."

"Why, thank you," she giggled happily.

"Are you planning to stay here?"

She inhaled deeply before breathing out, "Yes."

"For how long?"

"For until I'm finished inspecting every little sprout I planted here," she smiled to the woman.

"Can it take 6 months?" the lady joked.

She laughed heartily, "I'm checking on their growth, and how the design looks now they all have bloomed beautifully, not carrying out the planting plan again from the scratch."

The lady laughed with her. "How I wish you could stay here longer. Forever perhaps?"

She just shrugged her shoulder. The corner of her cheeks never ceased arching, "Your dream never gets any lower, eh, Mrs. Im?"

"Well, a woman could hope," she grinned. Then her eyes caught on the medium size suitcase behind the young lady's legs. "Ah, you haven't checked in?"

"I've just arrived 10 minutes before you restrain me here with you," she joked.

"Well, well, let me you inside," Ms. Im took hold of the suitcase handle from the tiny lady.

"Ms. Im, there's no need to carry that for me. I can do it myself," she reasoned, feeling awkward that Ms. Im helped her.

"Shush, dear. Come," she silenced her and motioned the tiny lady to follow her. They walked back to the side entrance of the hotel and get to the lobby. The sweet fragrance from the blooming flowers along the path stuck to their clothes thus were carried inside with them.

***

"Hello ladies! And gentleman," she quickly added when she saw one old man with grey hair but still in a good stamina crammed with the ladies inside the not-so-big wooden shack. The wooden wall was painted pale green and white shelves were mounted to the wall quite disorderly but it helped create a homey feeling to the shack. On the shelves were big and small jars of arranged colorful flowers freshly picked that morning from the hotel garden itself, picture of flowers, and also pictures of the get together of the hotel gardeners, all in vintage touch.

"Ah, Ms. Lee," the middle age ladies and old man stood up from their seats to welcome her inside.

"I prefer to be called by my first name, or 'dear', though, as I used too," she corrected. "For you, I prefer the usual, tomato Grandpa. 'Sunny-kid'," she beamed to the old man whose skin was red instead of dark due to the sun.

"Alright, Sunny-kid," corrected the old man with a smile on his face.

"So, why are you here, dear?" asked Mrs. Park.

"I'm checking on the wisteria. They have bloomed beautifully, right?"

"Finally," answered Mrs. Im. "Six years are too long a time, dear."

Mrs. Kim emerged from the small kitchen with a cup of hot strawberry tea and chocolate cookies on a tray. Right on cue, Sunny smiled. She commented while inhaling the sour and sweet fragrance of the hot steam from the cup, "You still remember my favorite, Mrs. Kim."

"Who would forget if you forced us to drink strawberry tea every day when you stayed here before," replied Mrs. Kim, beaming tenderly. She put the cup on the table right in front of the unexpected yet not unwelcomed guest. "It becomes a habit for us to have it on every of our break. Can you believe that?"

"Why, thank you. That means you remember me every day. I am flattered, thank you," she talked in show off manner.

"Yes, we remember you every day as a little annoying miss perfect who nagged us every time about these buds, those buds, these plants, those plants and so on," Ms. Kim while flicking her nose lightly.

Sunny grinned, "The cookie's yummy." She unconsciously rubbed her nose, not because it hurt, but because it felt itchy from the flick.

"So, why are you here, kid?" asked the tomato man.

"Like I said to Mrs. Im, I'm here to check how the design turns out to be in real form. Besides, it takes six years until wisteria first blooms and I see it blooms amazingly beautiful now," she noted, feeling satisfied. "On the other note, I want to see if you guys are following my guidance for caring of the plants."

"Uh-huh, the shorty female Hitler is back," Mrs. Park rolled her eyes and chuckled immediately. The other three elders were laughing along, making the small figured lady pouted cutely despite her age now, 32 years old.

"By all means, dear, I don't mean to be nosy, but I really need to know. Had you tied a knot with someone handsome?" asked Mrs. Kim. Her eyes were gleaming, curious with what answer she would get.

"And by all means, Mrs. Kim, you are being one," Sunny peered her eyes, pretending to be annoyed. Yet she winked afterwards, "However, I'll go easy on you right now and I'll answer to your question. Nope, no guy claimed my heart yet, handsome nor ugly nor so so."

"Aaw, such a waste. Worry not my dear, I'll tell my son to stay available for you. I want to have you as a daughter in law anyway," Mrs. Kim soothed.

Sunny laughed out loud. "Hey, I know your sons are married already. Don't offer me sold cherries."

"A mother can hope, dear," she smiled warmly.

"What about our young boss?" Mrs. Park blurted out the question or rather the name which everybody intended to avoid. The two other pairs of eyes shot glares to her fellow co-worker, while the one caring pair of eyes stole a glance to see if the question gauged any reaction from the petite lady.

Sunny tilted her head a little. She was weighing if she should answer this one question or not, when the corner of her eyes caught something moving outside the window. Not so close yet not so far. She turned her head to see better the young guy who was bending his back forwards towards the flower bushes in front of him. Watching the scene, Sunny impulsively stood up from her seat, "Is that brat plucking off my flowers?"

All heads in that shack turned to the direction Sunny was looking at. Mrs. Im quickly replied, "No, no. He's our new gardener, Minho."

Sunny's expression turned relax again as the fact seeped in.  She sat back down on the stool. "I thought he's some delinquent who's trying to ruin the flowers. Say, so you finally get new hands to help with the garden?"

"Yes. He's been here for a year, helping us a lot since he still has so much energy to move around," the tomato man answered.

"Not to mention he's an eye candy too," added Mrs. Kim.

"Eurgh... He's as old as your son, Mrs. Kim," Sunny commented. Her face was cringing.

"So what? Am I not allowed to enjoy seeing handsome somebody that I am old?" she rebutted. Sunny's cringe deepened as she heard the answer.

"He's a fun boy to be around. He said he wants to be a landscape designer. You should see his garden drawings. They're quite good," said the tomato man.

Sunny nodded her head. She murmured to herself, "I'll try to approach him later. See if he has the potential."

"Oof... Let's get back to work. Its time," the tomato man grunted while rising from his seat. "You want to come down to the fields?"

"Which part do you want to work on?" she asked while handing her empty cup and small plate to Mrs. Im to wash.

"Your favorite. It's time to prune the sides of the tunnel."

"Oh yeah, it could use a bit pruning. Have you apply compost like I suggest you to before?"

"I did just yesterday, yet it's not finished. Gonna finish that too today."

"Alright, I'll go after you, tomato man. But I need to take my gardening tools first in my room. You know how I prefer my own. They're like my hand extensions," She turned to the ladies and hugged them one by one, "Thanks for the tea and cookies. They're delicious. As always."

"You will still be around at least for this week, right? Then I assume you'll drop by here every brunch and tea time. Perhaps lunch too? If you don't have any other appointment?" Mrs. Im asked for confirmation.

Sunny smiled. She was happy that she felt so welcomed, "Of course. Just be prepared. I can eat more than I could six years before."

"I want to see you do it," Mrs. Im challenged her while ushering her to the door. "Go, have fun with your precious wisteria. Just don't get too hard with our one and only tomato man."

"Hey, I did my part okay. Besides, this kid will not have a heart to scold me."

"Ah, we'll see that later. It's my precious wisteria we're talking about, right?" teased Sunny while making her way out of the shack. The other ladies were laughing.

"Yeah, keep laughing ladies. Today's my turn. Yours' tomorrow. Just you wait, and it will be my turn to laugh then," the old man mock snapped.

"Don't get so worked up. You're already old. Do you really want to look even older than you are now?" Mrs. Park joked.

"Whatever," he said while walking away.

***

"Say, kid," the tomato man started a conversation after nearly one hour of silence. Not because of them being awkward, but rather being too comfortable with each other and too engrossed in their own work. The old man was standing on an iron ladder, cutting off branches that were superfluous. "Did he know that you are here?"

"I don't know," she answered. She scooped a shovelful of compost and spread it evenly on top of the soil "Perhaps if he is idle enough to read guests list then he'll know. Or if one of his employees is being busybody and decides to tell him about my staying, he will. But I doubt that he's in the island. Isn't his restaurant and bar business growing and expanding rapidly?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. The last I know he was away on business trip, so yes, he won't be in the island. But the last I heard he'll return these days."

Sunny didn't give any responds to the piece of information he gave her. Once again, the old man was lost in the flowery world, while the other was in to the past.

***