In every low-paying, under-appreciated job, there are certain customers that one must deal with from time to time. There's the customer that smells like the stentch of death. The customer that likes to explain in great detail their life story, starting at birth. And last, but not least, there's the customer, so extremely perfect in everyway, that it takes your breath away and makes you say, "Damn."
Her name was Christina, and she had come into the flower shop to buy her mother a flower arrangement for her birthday. According to Christina, nobody ever gave flowers to anyone anymore, so why not be original and break tradition? It was the most thoughtful and sweetest gift idea I had ever heard of, that I knew I had to make one amazing floral arrangement. The only problem was, since it was Friday, our floral stock was way low and so was my creativity.
Nothing I put together worked. The flowers were too open, too short, too ugly, and really too bad, since I had hoped to impress Christina with my artistic abilities. But no matter how hard I tried or how many flower stems I cut, it was just not happening. Fortunately, for me, Christina was kind and patient. That's when she asked if she could step behind the counter and help. Working for a local catering company, Christina had managed to pick up a few tricks of the floral trade and put together a really stunning rose and lily arrangement. When it came time to pay, I couldnt full-heartedly charge Christina the full price, since she had put together everything and saved my ass. So I gave her a discount. A huge discount. And in return, Christina invited me to her mother's birthday.
It was the most thoughtful and sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, that day. But it was also a little weird. So I decided to ask my friend Hadassah, a major party girl who worked across the lobby at Mike's Coffee Shop. When Hadassah wasn't at work, she could often be found sneaking into a club, flirting with older, drunken men, trying to score a cocktail or two.
ME: You know that girl, that just stopped by? The one with the ponytail?
HADASSAH: The one with the flowers? Yeah. What about her?
ME: Do you think she was cute?
HADASSAH: Yeah, I guess. Who is she?
ME: Well, she came in to buy flowers for her mom's birthday, but I couldnt put anything together at all.
HADASSAH: Is that why she was behind the counter?
ME: Yeah. So, she made her own arrangement for her mom and left and...well, she invited me to her mom's birthday dinner. Is that weird?
HADASSAH: Wait! You dont even know her and she invited you to her mom's birthday? Yeah, dude, that is kinda weird. I wouldnt go.
So I went. I knew, from personal experience, to always do the opposite of Hadassah's advice, since she herself was a backwards kinda girl.
An hour later, I was standing at the front door of Christina's mom's apartment, with Christina and the flowers on one side, and a shaky hand on the other. I didnt know what I was getting myself into, and sadly I couldnt find anyone to rescue me. But as it turns out, it wasnt I that needed the rescuing.
For someone who just crashed the party, Christina's mom and Christina's mom's boyfriend were oddly warm and welcoming. But it was Christina's own boyfriend, Gabe, who was even more odd. I, of course, use the term "boyfriend" loosely, as Gabe was clearly gay.Or was he? He wore a bright canary-yellow shirt that matched his flip-flops and glided across the carpeted floor in the tiny apartment with such grace, such poise, and such balance, that I almost thought he was dancing for us.
CHRISTINA: David, this is my boyfriend, Gabe.
ME: Hey.
GABE: I love your rosary! It's fabulous!
ME: Oh, thanks. I like...your...shirt?
GABE: Thanks! It's Paul Frank! And this, my sweet love, is for you!
CHRISTINA: A flower?
GABE: A red anthurium! Beauty for beauty!
One man's beauty, was another man's tasteless gift. Gabe's flower to Christina looked like a yellow penis sticking out of a crooked heart, but the very thought of recieiving a flower made Christina swoon and jump into his arms giving him a kiss that was usually only reserved for sailors on leave.
There we were, in Christina's mom's tiny apartment; me, Christina, her mom, the boyfriend, and the "boyfriend", all enjoying the cocktail and hors d'oeuvres part of the dinner, and ignoring the ginormous elephant in the room. The ginormous elephant being, of course, Gabe's sexuality. It got me thinking if Christina, or if the rest of Christina's family for that matter, knew her boyfriend was gay. Or was I just being a sexist? Was Christina so starved for romance she was willing to settle for a flamboyant boyfriend who gave her flowers? And though I only knew the girl for a total of only two hours, I wondered if it was my place to meddle with someone who had obviously settled for a guy who buys her flowers?
Her name was Christina, and she had come into the flower shop to buy her mother a flower arrangement for her birthday. According to Christina, nobody ever gave flowers to anyone anymore, so why not be original and break tradition? It was the most thoughtful and sweetest gift idea I had ever heard of, that I knew I had to make one amazing floral arrangement. The only problem was, since it was Friday, our floral stock was way low and so was my creativity.
Nothing I put together worked. The flowers were too open, too short, too ugly, and really too bad, since I had hoped to impress Christina with my artistic abilities. But no matter how hard I tried or how many flower stems I cut, it was just not happening. Fortunately, for me, Christina was kind and patient. That's when she asked if she could step behind the counter and help. Working for a local catering company, Christina had managed to pick up a few tricks of the floral trade and put together a really stunning rose and lily arrangement. When it came time to pay, I couldnt full-heartedly charge Christina the full price, since she had put together everything and saved my ass. So I gave her a discount. A huge discount. And in return, Christina invited me to her mother's birthday.
It was the most thoughtful and sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, that day. But it was also a little weird. So I decided to ask my friend Hadassah, a major party girl who worked across the lobby at Mike's Coffee Shop. When Hadassah wasn't at work, she could often be found sneaking into a club, flirting with older, drunken men, trying to score a cocktail or two.
ME: You know that girl, that just stopped by? The one with the ponytail?
HADASSAH: The one with the flowers? Yeah. What about her?
ME: Do you think she was cute?
HADASSAH: Yeah, I guess. Who is she?
ME: Well, she came in to buy flowers for her mom's birthday, but I couldnt put anything together at all.
HADASSAH: Is that why she was behind the counter?
ME: Yeah. So, she made her own arrangement for her mom and left and...well, she invited me to her mom's birthday dinner. Is that weird?
HADASSAH: Wait! You dont even know her and she invited you to her mom's birthday? Yeah, dude, that is kinda weird. I wouldnt go.
So I went. I knew, from personal experience, to always do the opposite of Hadassah's advice, since she herself was a backwards kinda girl.
An hour later, I was standing at the front door of Christina's mom's apartment, with Christina and the flowers on one side, and a shaky hand on the other. I didnt know what I was getting myself into, and sadly I couldnt find anyone to rescue me. But as it turns out, it wasnt I that needed the rescuing.
For someone who just crashed the party, Christina's mom and Christina's mom's boyfriend were oddly warm and welcoming. But it was Christina's own boyfriend, Gabe, who was even more odd. I, of course, use the term "boyfriend" loosely, as Gabe was clearly gay.Or was he? He wore a bright canary-yellow shirt that matched his flip-flops and glided across the carpeted floor in the tiny apartment with such grace, such poise, and such balance, that I almost thought he was dancing for us.
CHRISTINA: David, this is my boyfriend, Gabe.
ME: Hey.
GABE: I love your rosary! It's fabulous!
ME: Oh, thanks. I like...your...shirt?
GABE: Thanks! It's Paul Frank! And this, my sweet love, is for you!
CHRISTINA: A flower?
GABE: A red anthurium! Beauty for beauty!
One man's beauty, was another man's tasteless gift. Gabe's flower to Christina looked like a yellow penis sticking out of a crooked heart, but the very thought of recieiving a flower made Christina swoon and jump into his arms giving him a kiss that was usually only reserved for sailors on leave.
There we were, in Christina's mom's tiny apartment; me, Christina, her mom, the boyfriend, and the "boyfriend", all enjoying the cocktail and hors d'oeuvres part of the dinner, and ignoring the ginormous elephant in the room. The ginormous elephant being, of course, Gabe's sexuality. It got me thinking if Christina, or if the rest of Christina's family for that matter, knew her boyfriend was gay. Or was I just being a sexist? Was Christina so starved for romance she was willing to settle for a flamboyant boyfriend who gave her flowers? And though I only knew the girl for a total of only two hours, I wondered if it was my place to meddle with someone who had obviously settled for a guy who buys her flowers?
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