Grow Write Guild #1 My First Plant

* Read about the Grow Write Guild writing prompts here.

My first plant was a 35 year old cactus that was gifted to me by my father, a relic of my grandmother’s decades spanning collection. It was akin to adopting an adult in the place of a child - an imposing specimen, unmoving and deadly to the touch. In fact I once accidentally drove one of the spikes through my fingernail and had to patiently allow my nail to slowly grow to a sufficient length to allow me to cut the spike away. The reason for enduring this injury-afflicting plant on my kitchen windowsill, always threatening to harm me with a misplaced brush of my hand, was that once a year, around April, it would bloom an incredible large white and pale pink heavily scented flower, seemingly out of nothing. The flower would last a day, delighting my olfactory system while washing the dishes, and then turn flaccid and withered where upon I would carefully pluck it from the cactus and throw it in the compost. The cactus would also regularly sprout baby cacti from its motherboard and I could remove and pot them on. They made wonderful gifts, whether people wanted them or not and if you are reading this story, I would wager that you have been the lucky recipient of one in the past.