5/7

(continued from the other side )

I continue walking
and come across some garden employees
i ask them about the lilacs
and apparently that area of the garden is under construction
and the lilacs have been dug up and moved
and therefore did not bloom this year
i am sad

but i continue walking
past the children's garden
which is an area restricted
and just for kids
but as i walk by
i notice there are 2 lilac bushes
inside
in full bloom

i see there are some kids,
high schoolers actually
at one end of the garden
so i walk in that direction
one of the kids was walking out through the gate and left it open
so i walk in

almost immediately
i am approached by a young woman
who very nicely says that i need to leave
that this area isn't open to visitors

i take a deep breathe and tell her
it is my mother's birthday
and that i always photograph lilacs for her
and that i understand that their collection
has been temporarily relocated
and not in bloom

she lets me go in
and take a few pictures
:)
when i walk out
i am in tears
and my mother is truly with me.