Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

nostalgia. Mama's favorite flower. She used jasmine scented products and
perfumes. A part of me relaxed at the familiar scent and I knew Valentina
must’ve felt at ease too, which made this whole situation slightly better.
Small footsteps were heard coming from the living room before a mass of
black hair ran towards us and hurled itself at me.
“Dada!”
I crouched and caught Valentina with ease, her small arms encircling my
neck as my own squeezed her tight. I needed to make sure it was really her,
that she was really here and that I wasn’t just dreaming. My nose got its fill
of her sweet scent, a mix of roses and honey, and I could feel her silent tears
run along my neck. Small tendrils rocked her slight frame as she soundlessly
cried on my shoulder. I rubbed her back, trying to get my own tears in check.
“You came. You really came.” She sniffled, playing with my hair.
“Of course I did, my little rose. It's you and me against the world,
remember? You and me against the monsters.” I held her tight, afraid
somebody would come in and take her away from me again.
“I love you so much.” she sobbed, pulling away and holding my cheeks.
She looked at me like I was the most important thing in the world to her.
She was just that to me.
“I love you too, mami.” I whispered as I wiped her tears.
Another set of footsteps echoed from the living room before a woman that
looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties, with brown skin and dark
green eyes came into view. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a white
sweater and a purple headscarf that hid the entirety of her hair. The woman,
who I supposed was Aisha— the foster mother Maddox spoke about
yesterday, greeted us with a dazzling smile.