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In "A Rose for Emily", where is the rose?

The rose is a symbol, which is when an object or person or action, etc., represents something beyond its literal meaning.  There has been much speculation about what the "rose" really is.  My own opinion is that the rose represents the narrator's own tribute to Miss Emily by telling her story.  The narrator of the story does not judge Miss Emily at all when he or she tells her story. He relays what happens with a smattering of the town gossip about her; however, he does not pass judgment on her and the reader can sense that perhaps the narrator feels sorry for Miss Emily because of her very difficult upbringing and environment.  

Miss Emily is the rose.  She is the "flower" of the south, but not without her thorns.  Telling the story is the final tipping of the hats of all the men to Miss Emily and all she stood for--the Old South, the rituals, the unspoken rules (many which still exist today), and perhaps her final victory over the pushy North as embodied by Homer Baron whom she prevented from ruining her reputation.

Maybe the "Negro" is Miss Emily's "rose".  He is the only constant in her life, and through him she was able to hold on to some companionship.  This man never turned his back on her, even when she was a "pauper".  He did not leave her until she left this world.