On the fourth day after Jing had deserted her, Diana had given up hope that Jing WASN'T just playing. In her thoughts, she started referring to their one heavenly night as the breakup they'd never had when Jing first dumped her. She felt stupid and used, but wondered if Jing had meant her bold-faced I-love-you and then changed her mind, or...Diana just didn't know anymore.

As had become a habit, after awakening that morning, Diana checked her phone messages and emails still hoping Jing would contact her. But no such luck. As with all her customary Tuesday afternoon band rehearsals, she got showered and readied to meet her girls at 2 PM like she'd been doing for nearly a year now. But today she seriously debated calling in sick like she would at an office job. But she was the group's leader and it wouldn't make sense for them to practice without her. Her heart wasn't in it today but she pushed herself to go.

She stalled at the front door, to wrestle with her angst, but forced herself to pull open that handle. She took a deep breath like she was about to dive into a pool of ice water, and went on her way. But as she turned away from her door after locking it, she nearly tripped on something. After regaining her footing, she was shocked to see a terracotta planter sitting on a drainage plate. It was empty but still quite heavy. She pushed it to the side of her entrance cursing her neighbor for dropping his crap on her doorstep. "I could've fallen down the stairs, you . Today is NOT the day to mess with me", she muttered to herself hoping the neighbor was somehow in earshot.

She took the stairs two by two to make up for the lost time tripping over the planter. If she was making the effort to attend the rehearsal, it would be silly to be late.

At the plateau where the stairs took a sharp turn, there was a closed-off half-full bag of planting soil.

"Okay buddy, you are just asking for it now," she grumbled aloud as she attempted to boot the bag aside with her foot. Too heavy. She opted to step over the bag; she didn't have time to be a good neighbor and move it out of the way so the other tenants wouldn't trip on one dumb- neighbor's junk.

Making her way to the building's exit, she saw another blockade.

"Okay this is too ing weird," she said out loud as her eyes now followed a trail of what looked to be strategically placed flowers on every second step. All of them were roses, but in offbeat colors. The first was red and that was normal, but she'd never seen an orange rose. Following that was a yellow rose, and then a green one. This was curious enough that she was compelled to pick it up to check if it was real. She smelled it, felt its petals. It was real indeed, but likely dyed to be this bizarre shade. Before she could replace the flower on its designated step, she looked ahead to see a blue rose, and finally, a purple one right on the entrance door mat.

She wrinkled her nose in thought and turned back to view the stairs she'd just descended.

It's a ing rainbow, she thought. Okay someone is just messing with me, here. Am I still in bed and this is some kooky 'you're late for rehearsal' anxiety dream?

Still holding the green rose, she nudged the door open and stepped out into the sunny day, expecting some sort of goblin or dream-conjured Leprechaun at the end of this bizarre rainbow.

For a moment, she was distracted by a young man. He was sitting with his back to her a few feet ahead on the outdoor cement staircase leading to street level. Already removed from the flower headspace, she noticed the time and dropped the green rose. Nevermind, this day is so weird, but I have to get to the studio, she thought.

She put a little spirit into her footsteps so as to hurry up. As she passed the stranger on the steps, she noticed he was younger than she could tell from behind. A teenager maybe, but she wasn't concerned with him.

Off to meet the girls, she decided to turn back just out of paranoia and curiosity, to eyeball her home. She was half expecting it to Poltergeist-implode in front of her very eyes. As she glanced up to her unit's windows, she felt something move in her peripheral vision.

The boy had stood up. She looked directly at him. She took two steps closer and noticed he wasn't a boy at all.

"Diana," the individual called, holding a paper-wrapped bouquet, or some sort of rose bush. All the colours of the rainbow stood in front of her. She lifted her gaze from the floral arrangement to the androgynous face peeking beyond it.

Jing? Diana froze. It's Jing! she thought. She tried to speak but her vocal chords didn't seem to function.

Jing stepped forward until all that separated them was the bouquet.

"Here. That's to plant in the pot on your doorstep," she said.

Diana was flabbergasted. This was such a weird day! She was shocked, happy, pissed, perplexed and on the verge of laughter all at once.

Once the strange rosebush was safely secured in Diana's grip, Jing pushed her arm down so that the flowers weren't in the way.. Then with both hands, she lunged for Diana's cheeks and pulled their faces together. She laid the biggest kiss on and didn't allow for reaction time from Diana. She french-kissed her with every ounce of passion she had, which Diana accepted by adding soft tongue play.

A neighbor walking his dog stopped to watch the two women consume each other. In disbelief, he stood and continued watching them like he'd never seen two grown adults make out. Diana felt like they were being watched, and drew back slightly to see what was up.

The man's mouth hung open. Diana yelled, "Buddy, you might want to pick your jaw up off the ground."

The man was stunned. Indignantly, he collected his dog's poop and marched away from the girls.

Jing laughed. Wow, Diana thought, I haven't seen that infectious laugh in ages. Jing was beaming. Diana was a bit surprised considering her ex claimed to be internalizing her own homophobia. She expected her to run for cover, not laugh at the man watching two lesbians go at it in broad daylight on a cloudless, sunny day.

She cocked her head at Jing. Like she knew Diana was demanding an explanation, Jing offered,

"I love you. Diana...baby, I'm sorry I was such an . I should have returned your calls, but...maybe I just needed a few days to stew in my own homophobia to realize what a ty place that is to have to live in."

Diana was still unable to communicate rational thought. How long had she been out here waiting for her? Jing kissed her forehead and whispered,

"I plead temporary insanity."

Diana eyed her.

"You...! Temporary, really?"

"Hmm...good question. Well, it won't be easy, but I'm padlocking my closet shut...No wait, I could always break the lock...um, better! I'm setting FIRE to my damn closet so I don't sneak back in there again!" Jing smiled, "If my mom can't accept me unless I'm dating a man, too bad. She raised me, but she can't run my adult life. And if she treats you coolly, I'll just stop going to her family functions!"

Diana was impressed but skeptical.

"And I have some news!" Jing continued, "It took some string-pulling, but I've gotten myself out of my contracts with management. I'm done letting them put me in girly clothes while encouraging me to up-play my homouality just to sell records."

"But...your new CD?" Diana was concerned.

"The record company dropped me. And it will be a blessing in disguise. I can release my stuff independently if I have to," Jing had her old confidence back.

"But...Ah-Jing, that'll be so hard!"

"Too bad! I'm ready," Jing smiled. She really did mean her words when she wrote Pian Ai.

I'm not afraid that someone will mock me for being extreme
Believing in my instincts,
Stubbornly, I refuse to admit my tiredness

Diana's thoughts wavered back to the flower ambush,

"Not to detract from the subject but...I'm just so curious - how long were you waiting out here for me to leave the apartment?"

"Oh, a half hour or so," Jing replied.

"How did you know I'd show up?" Diana wanted to know.

"It's Tuesday. You're always leaving home around this time," Jing stated. Even after months apart, she had remembered a small detail like that. Diana was touched.

"And why is this ... rosebush? tinted all these colors?" she asked, looking at what was in her hand.

"Thank Howie for the dye job! Don't you get it? It makes a rainbow!" Jing grinned to show her winning smile.

"Yes, I can see that. But...?"

"Each color has its own significance, and together they form a rainbow. A RAINBOW, get it? Like the colors on a Gay Pride flag? This is my gift to you, to stop denying who I am. I need to accept ALL my colors, not just two or three of them," Jing was still smiling. Diana could only observe this fountain of positivity with a mix of relief and amazement.

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She remembered her rehearsal and figured it was one of the girls calling to see why she was running late. She chose to not check who was calling. This was way more important.

Holding the roses to the side, she hugged Jing with one arm and spoke quietly near her ear,

"Is this all true?"

"Yes!" Jing exclaimed.

"If you promise me this is true, then..." Diana pulled back to look at Jing, "then...I'm so...PROUD of you."

Jing nodded emphatically. Diana's knees were unstable as she thought that finally, maybe, her nightmare was over. With tears in her eyes, she looked up to the sunny sky. She squinted and returned her gaze to Jing's face. She wasn't sure which glowed more. She's so beautiful, she thought.

Jing suddenly seemed exasperated. Annoyed, she announced, "Well if you haven't guessed by now, I'm waiting for an answer!"

"What?" Diana asked, bewildered.

Jing heaved a heavier-than-necessary sigh, "Hello, this is ME asking YOU to take me back."

Diana squinted and glanced at the flowers. When she looked back at Jing, her cheeks were lightly coated in tears. Jing planted a soft kiss on each of her eyelids, and waited patiently.

Diana asked, "Really? Are you my girlfriend again?"

"That's up to you," Jing revealed.

Diana s her arms around Jing's neck and nuzzled her face into her hair, keeping watch of the rainbow-bouquet. "Please," she whispered in her ear. Jing whispered back,

"Please what?"

"Please don't ever motheringingdothistomeagain," Diana joked, then clarified, "I mean, YES, please be my girlfriend again. I would really love that."

Jing's soft laughter danced next to Diana's cheek. She drew back her shoulders and pulled Diana's face up by her chin,

"Deal," she smiled, holding her girlfriend's wet gaze.