Chapter 1
At the botanical garden, Johanna takes a picture of a
purple orchid growing out of water. From the green stem rising
out of the stream, spiked, purple petals emerge, some reaching
for the sun and others towards the banks. In the centre the
flower is yellow. She knows that if she could see further into
the swamp, the roots would touch the ground. The flower blooms
from soil and water into the sunlight. Johanna wants
desperately to take the rare flower back to her lover but she
believes in the balance of nature and does not want to up-root
either one.
She hates computers but loves what they can do. She sits,
as if in her father’s arms, in the large leather chair in his
study. She uses his computer to magically send two of the
pictures she has taken today to Leslie. The second one was
taken when she arrived home from the garden: a plaid skirt lying
on her bed.
The saleswoman watched her suspiciously as she took the
skirt out of the store, knowing it was much too small for
Johanna. But apparently that was the point.