Petals [Shirokuma Literature Club]

The day I was showered in petals is a day of unforgettable memories.
In the spring of my eighteenth year, I passed the entrance exam for the women's university I had longed for and attended the entrance ceremony. After the ceremony, I walked along the row of cherry trees beside the gymnasium with my mother, who had come up to Tokyo from Shizuoka, and my older brother, who was a graduate student living in Tokyo.
The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and petals fluttered down onto the shoulders of the suit I had bought for the first time. Although I felt some anxiety about living alone for the first time, my heart was filled more with joy and pride. I suppose that is what they mean by being at the peak of one's life. Without even thinking about the difficult days that would follow...

How many times have I gazed at cherry blossoms in full bloom since then? As the years have passed, the more beautiful the full blossoms are, the more I am reminded that the day they fall so easily is near, and my sense of sadness has grown.

Several years ago, the day I accompanied my father to the hospital, the cherry blossoms were also in full bloom. When my father was young, he used to walk quickly without looking around, and I would always have to trot to keep up with him. Petals were fluttering down onto the shoulders of my father, who had grown old and was now shuffling along. I spoke to him, hoping to provide even a little stimulation to his brain, as he had been diagnosed with dementia.
“Father, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Look, the petals are...”
I thought he would ignore me, but he suddenly stopped, slowly looked up at the cherry blossoms, and said,
“Oh, they are beautiful.”
At that moment, I was suddenly struck by anxiety. I wondered if this might be the last cherry blossom viewing for my father. That prediction proved true, and at the end of that year, my father passed away quite suddenly. It was a cold night with a bright, full moon shining down.

The cherry blossoms have started to bloom again this year. Before long, they will be in full bloom and eventually scatter. It is just that... but perhaps the cherry blossoms are aware of the joy and sorrow in the hearts of the people who look up at them... that is what I think.

The End

Please let me participate in Komaki-san's project.
Thank you for another memorable prompt.