Brother’s Roses of Gratitude
Lim Wei Jian stood outside his sister’s HDB flat in Tampines, holding the biggest bouquet he had ever bought in his life. Nearly a hundred red roses, wrapped in sleek black paper. Bold, dramatic, and impossible to ignore. A bouquet like this wasn’t for small gestures. It was for something big. Something that carried weight.
Something like gratitude.
His younger sister, En Qi, had just completed her nursing diploma. Three years of exhausting clinicals, overnight shifts, endless assignments, and emotional burnout that few people outside the profession truly understood. She pushed through everything quietly. She cried alone many nights, thinking she wasn’t good enough. She questioned whether she chose the right path.
But every time she doubted herself, Wei Jian was there.
He packed supper for her after late-night study sessions. He waited for her outside hospitals after long postings. He proofread her assignments even though he didn’t understand medical terminology. He wasn’t the best with words… but he tried.
And yesterday, when her graduation photo was posted on the SG Nursing Students page, something clicked for him, she did it with her heart intact.
He wanted to celebrate her properly, not with a simple “congrats” text, but with something that matched how proud he felt. So he went to White On White Singapore, known as one of the best florists in Singapore for premium rose bouquets. The florist recommended this arrangement: red roses representing strength, passion, resilience, and deep appreciation.
It was perfect.
Wei Jian took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
En Qi opened it, wearing her oversized T-shirt and messy bun and clearly not expecting company.
Her eyes widened instantly.
“What is THAT?”
He lifted the bouquet slightly. “For you.”
She stared as if she couldn’t believe it. “But… why so many roses? Wah, this looks like proposal bouquet!”
Wei Jian laughed. “It’s a bouquet for someone who fought hard. You deserve something big.”
En Qi’s expression softened as she gently touched the roses. “Tthis is crazy expensive.”
“You’re worth it,” he replied honestly. “I saw everything you went through. I just want to say I’m proud of you.”
Her eyes glistened with tears she tried to blink away. She hugged him, something she rarely did by burying her face against his shoulder.
“Thank you… for always being there.”
As he hugged her back, Wei Jian realised that sometimes gratitude didn’t need fancy speeches. Sometimes it was a brother showing up with a huge bouquet that spoke louder than words ever could.
The roses filled the room with warmth bold, beautiful, and powerful. Exactly like her journey.
