The woman bought lilies from the store. She had been feeling down. And her therapist suggested she treat herself to something. So, she bought lilies from the store. They were 3 for $12. She remembered how her mother used to say that lilies smelled best right when they bloomed. So, she bought a bouquet of buds with a single bloom. The woman put them in a vase in her bathroom. So, they would be the first thing she saw every morning. And, the last thing she smelled before bed.

She woke the next morning expecting her buds to have bloomed. Or, she at least expected progress. There were no more blooms. Disappointed, she continued her day. She woke the next morning expecting her buds to have bloomed. Or, she at least expected progress. There were no more blooms. Discouraged, she decided to work from home. The smell of the single bloom began to fade.

She woke the next morning expecting her buds to have bloomed. Or, she at least expected progress. There were no more blooms. Disheartened, she went back to bed. A bloom appeared the next morning. It was bright and beautiful. But, being open, the cold air would now affect it. It was vulnerable. The woman entered the bathroom. She saw the new bloom. Elated, she said, “Good Morning!” She did not see how the old bloom had died.

Why do you love me now? The new bloom thought. Now, that I am unprotected. Now, that I’ve exposed myself to you. Why didn’t you greet me when I was guarded? Why did you leave me during the day?

More blooms grew as the days passed. But, as each grew the others slowly faded. The woman finally noticed death. But, she refused to accept it. She plucked the heads of the dead lilies. She threw the petals away. She was left with stems in murky water. She was left with one fading Lily. But, she could not throw herself away.

Isabella Casado Pelz is a Latina writer, theatre educator and playwright, born and raised in Chicago. She attended Boston University where she studied playwriting under the guidance of Kirsten Greenidge and graduated with a BFA in Theatre Arts. Her plays have been workshopped and had staged readings at Boston University and Shakespeare & Company during New Work and Fringe Festivals. She creates stories that stir her blood and tug at her heartstrings. Her hope is that a part of these stories connect with some part of the audience’s mind, body or soul and hopefully all three.