A Few Flowers

by Gail Sattler

  “I did all the cooking myself, honest. However, I must confess. I’m not good with dessert. Dessert is just ordinary Jell-O and whipped cream.”

  “I don’t suppose it’s the spray stuff. You whipped it yourself?”

  “I think you’ve got me there. Now let’s eat.”

  Monty said a heartfelt prayer of thanks for the food and the company, and they both dug in. He kept conversation light and hoped she was having as wonderful an evening as he was.

  “My compliments to the chef,” Cindy said as she dabbed her mouth with her napkin when the meal was done.

  Monty grinned. “Say that after the Jell-O.”

  “Never mind. I’m going to help you do the dishes. Do you want to wash or dry?”

  He frowned. “Cindy, I have a dishwasher. There’s very little to do.”

  “Indulge me. I insist.”

  The last thing he wanted was to put a damper on the evening. “I’ll wash,” he mumbled. That way he could lean against the counter and take some of his weight off his leg, and she wouldn’t notice how he was struggling not to use the cane.

  As they progressed, Cindy became increasingly quieter, and her face continued to whiten.

  “We’re almost done. I can finish up. You can wait for me in the living room.”

  Without speaking, Cindy nodded, tucked the dishtowel over the oven door handle, and left the kitchen, which confirmed his suspicions. He finished washing what little was there, left everything in the drain board, then hurried into the living room.

  He discovered Cindy curled up in the corner of the couch and clutching a pillow into her stomach. All color had completely drained from her face. As soon as she saw him, she fumbled with the cushion, pretending she was going to put it behind her head all along.

  Monty laid his palm on her forehead, but she wasn’t warm. He sat beside her, quickly slipping on his glasses to examine her face. “You’re really pale.”

  “It’s nothing. Maybe I’m just tired.”

  “You look like you’re coming down with something.”

  As he sat beside her, she cringed back into the couch and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m so embarrassed. I’ll be okay, really. It’s, well, it’s, uh, really nothing. It’s rather personal.” Cindy’s cheeks flushed red. “I’ll be fine tomorrow. Really.”

  He could feel the heat in his face as her problem dawned on him. The flu he could handle. Female things were something he’d never once had to deal with in his lifetime. The few women he’d dated in recent years were too busy trying to impress him to show any weakness or vulnerability, especially with that.

  Monty stroked her hair gently. “Don’t be embarrassed. Is there something I can get for you? Would you like a cup of tea, perhaps? I must admit, I don’t know what to do.”

  Cindy nodded. Soon Monty returned with a cup of hot tea, doing his best to walk very slowly and evenly so as not to spill it because of his uneven gait.

  He placed it on the coffee table, then sat beside her. Before he had a chance to say anything, she turned to him, her eyes glassy. He cringed, hoping she wasn’t going to have an attack of female hormones and start crying on him. He didn’t know if he could take that.

  “I’m so sorry to have spoiled your evening, Monty.”

  “Nonsense, it’s not spoiled. I’d planned for a quiet evening.” Monty flipped on the television and pulled her in beside him. It wasn’t exactly what he had in mind, but he would make the best of it. Last night, they had managed to clear one hurdle, and tonight he wanted to sit and talk to her in a quiet setting with no distractions, to explore where they were going with their blossoming relationship.

  He didn’t know much about women in general, but he’d overheard snippets of conversation from enough men and heard enough PMS jokes to know this was probably not a good time to talk about emotional issues. Not all women would be affected that way, he knew, but this was too important to take any chances. He would wait. Besides, relaxing on the couch with Cindy nestled in his arms was a pleasant way to spend an evening.

  Cindy pulled her knees up until she was curled into a ball and nestled her head into his chest. He felt sorry for her as she suffered, but part of him enjoyed the simple pleasure of holding her, sharing a casual togetherness in the quiet of the evening.

  He wondered if this was what it would be like if they got married and settled into a daily routine. A comfortable end to a hectic day.

  Monty blinked hard and stared blankly at the television, then tried to figure out how much of the program he had missed, daydreaming.

  He turned his head, about to ask if she wanted another cup of tea, but Cindy’s eyes were closed. Her whole body was limp, her breathing slow and even. Gently, he nestled a soft kiss through the hair on her forehead. This indeed was the future he wanted.

  Doing his best not to move Cindy too much, he reached for the remote control, flicked off the television, and flicked the CD on to whatever had been playing before supper. Monty closed his eyes to enjoy the quiet music and the warmth of the woman in his arms.

  ❧

  Monty slowly became aware of a soft movement. His eyes sprang open to discover Cindy snuggled in beside him on the couch, just waking up herself. A quick check of the time showed it was after midnight.

  She blinked repeatedly, but said nothing.

  He leaned back to let her disengage herself. “I think we both fell asleep. I guess that show wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.”

  “Excuse me for a minute.” She ran off to the washroom, which gave Monty the time he needed to wake up and to give himself a mental kick. How could he have fallen asleep?

  He managed to collect his wits by the time she returned, but barely.

  “It’s really late. I think I’d better be going.”

  Despite the fact that his romantic evening didn’t go as planned, Monty thought they still had a pleasant time together. “Wait. Before you go, I want to give you something.” He led her into the dining room and picked up the vase of flowers. “These are for you.”

  “Thank you, they’re beautiful. Roses are my favorite flower.” She bent her head, closed her eyes, and touched the roses gently to her nose, inhaling their natural perfume. Without raising her head, she opened her eyes wide and looked up at him. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, why are they always these same colors?”

  He smiled, remembering word for word what he’d said in his original note the first time he’d sent her flowers at the office. “A few flowers will never come close to what I wanted to say,” he quoted himself, “so here’s what I wanted to tell you.”

  He plucked the yellow rose from the vase and handed it to her. “Yellow is for the car, the place God chose to put us together.” He pulled out the white one and gave it to her as well. “White is for you, the very human angel I thought I’d never find, but God put in my path once again.”

  He set the vase back on the table, then ran his fingers along her cheek while he handed her the last one. “And red is for the blood of Jesus, the third and strongest bond.

  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.

  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

  But how can one keep warm alone?

  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.

  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes. “Oh, Monty, that’s beautiful.”

  “That’s Ecclesiastes 4:10–12. This bond, designed by God, will never be broken. I love you, Cindy.”

  She burst into tears. “Oh, Monty, I love you, too,” she sobbed. Without warning and still holding all three flowers, she threw her arms around him and pressed her face into the side of his neck. Her whole body shook as she cried.

  Monty trailed his fingers up her back, then pulled her close. The flower stems stabbed him in the back and drops of water soaked through his shirt, making a cold wet spot. He
didn’t care. He loved Cindy, and she loved him back. He was happy.

  When her crying subsided, Cindy backed up, then dabbed her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I think I’d better leave before I make a worse fool of myself.”

  Monty kissed her cheek, then reached for his cane. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  ❧

  Just as Cindy hung up the phone, Robert buzzed through the intercom. “Can you see me in my office?”

  Cindy groaned and grabbed her half-empty coffee cup on the way.

  Fortunately she felt better today than she had a few days ago. After she got home from Monty’s Saturday night, she’d gone straight to bed and stayed there. Instead of showing up at her door Sunday morning, Monty had phoned to check up on her first, which was a good thing. She’d been so sick she hadn’t gone to church, nor had she made it out of bed all day except to go to the washroom. She’d also slept like a log all night.

  Today, she felt like a new person.

  She paused just long enough to run her fingers over the petals of the latest vase of flowers. Yellow, white, and red.

  Cindy tried not to get misty-eyed over the thought. She had feared that it would be her worst nightmare if Monty declared any feelings of love for her. Instead, the moment had been the happiest in her life, despite the fact that she’d cried her eyes out at the time. She loved him, too, and now that her worries about his motivations and interpretation of the circumstances had been laid to rest, they could date like normal people, carry on a normal relationship, and see if there was a future for them, which she had a feeling there would be.

  Next time she saw Monty, this time for sure she would tell him to stop sending the flowers, only this time for a different reason. Now that she knew what they meant, she couldn’t afford to break into tears in the middle of the office or sit and stare at them all day while her work piled up.

  Robert dumped another massive volume of work on her, in addition to another huge pile of urgent correspondence that had to be done before she went home for the night. Cindy sighed, buried her face in her hands for a few seconds, and shook her head in resignation. It was going to be a long day.

  The clock showed seven o’clock by the time she finally finished the last letter. She had just closed her drawer when Robert sauntered up to her desk.

  He smiled, then crossed his arms over his belly. “We’re finally finished. I appreciate your staying so late, and to make it up to you, if you don’t have plans, and since it’s my wife’s bowling night, let me buy dinner.”

  She’d been hoping to spend the evening with Monty, but after playing telephone tag with him all day yet never getting the chance to actually speak to him, she knew he was as busy as she was, and he was probably still working, too. “Sure, a quick dinner sounds good. I’m starving.”

  As she picked up her purse, Robert’s cell phone rang. Cindy took advantage of the slight delay to run to the ladies’ room. When she returned, Robert was tucking the phone into his pocket.

  “That was Glen. I have to talk to him about something, so he’s going to meet us there.”

  She tried not to groan out loud. Glen Evans was the last person she wanted to see today, but she couldn’t bow out now without looking ungracious.

  Once inside the restaurant, Cindy expected to sit back and listen to Robert and Glen dominate most of the conversation, but instead, Glen focused his attention on her, despite her efforts to move the conversation back to business. Finally, she came right out and told Glen that she was seeing someone and was not interested. Instead of leaving her alone, he laughed and insisted that he was next in line when her present relationship ended. Cindy remained silent and left as soon as they were finished eating.

  Unfortunately, Robert paid the bill and rushed off, probably thinking she was in good hands.

  “I’ll see you safely to your car.” Glen grinned.

  Cindy gritted her teeth. At five-foot-nine, plus heels, she doubted that she would be a likely candidate for any trouble. “I have to be on my way. My boyfriend is probably waiting for me at home.”

  “Why do some men have all the luck?” His sappy grin worsened.

  If Cindy gritted her teeth any harder, she would probably crack a filling. She slipped into her car as quickly as she could, waved good-bye to Glen, and then she turned the key. Instead of the roar of the engine, only a click sounded. With a sinking heart, she realized she’d left the lights on, and the old battery didn’t have enough juice left in it to start the car.

  She rolled the window down. “Do you have jumper cables? I loaned mine to my roommate, and she forgot to give them back.” The first thing she was going to do when she got home was have a little talk with Erin about returning what she borrowed promptly.

  “No, but I’ll drive you home and come back and give you a boost.”

  She smiled politely, even though it hurt. She didn’t want to be indebted to Glen Evans when she was trying to get rid of him. “Thanks for offering, but I’m sure my boyfriend,” she emphasized the word, “will be more than happy to come back with me. But I do appreciate the ride home.” She knew Monty wouldn’t really be there, but likely Troy would, so her problem would be solved. Glen wouldn’t know any better, and Troy would happily play along.

  As they walked to Glen’s car, he lightly rested his fingers on the small of her back, a gesture she did not care for. She walked faster, grateful for her new low-heeled shoes.

  Glen made pleasant conversation on the drive, but she wanted nothing more than to get home and phone Monty.

  When they pulled up in front of her house, Cindy’s heart skipped a beat. Instead of Troy’s car, Monty’s car was parked in front. She bolted from Glen’s car. “Thanks for the ride, Glen.”

  Unfortunately, Glen walked with her to the door. When she opened it, his fingers rested on her shoulder. Monty and Erin sat on the couch, laughing. At the same second that Monty turned his head, Cindy pushed Glen’s hand away. Judging from the sudden loss of his smile, Monty had seen Glen touch her.

  She turned to Glen. “Thanks for the lift home. I’ll see you sometime at the office.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Darling,” he replied far too gallantly.

  Cindy nearly made a scathing remark, but before she could open her mouth, Glen lifted one hand to her chin and started to bend his head, like he was going to kiss her cheek. Cindy stiffened and began to raise her hand to slap him if his slimy lips actually touched her, but he backed up first.

  Cindy gritted her teeth. Even though Glen was a business client, as well as her boss’s friend, he didn’t have the right to make such advances. She glared at him, fully intending to have a long talk with Robert in the morning.

  Instead of acting chagrined, Glen smiled, winked, and blew her a kiss before he closed the door.

  Cindy seethed. She turned to Monty to say something, but his expression stopped her dead in her tracks. It briefly registered that he didn’t have his cane.

  “Erin said you were working late,” he said, his tone low and accusing. “But you weren’t working, were you?”

  “No!” Cindy retorted, too angry with Glen to care that she was shouting. “I mean yes, I was working. But I went out for dinner after. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  “I think that’s rather obvious.”

  Two beeps of Glen’s horn sounded as he drove away, another reminder of his unwanted and unwarranted familiarity.

  “If I’d known you were going to be here, I wouldn’t have gone with Glen.” If she had known, she would have called Monty from the restaurant and waited for him there instead of accepting Glen’s ride home.

  Monty glared at her in silence.

  Cindy stared back. Too late, she realized that what she said hadn’t come out like she meant.

  Without another word, Monty stormed out, slammed his car door shut, and drove off in a screech of burning rubber as Cindy stood in the doorway, her mouth hanging open, trying to piece t
ogether what had just happened.

  Erin appeared beside her.

  Cindy’s throat tightened. “I can’t believe I said that,” she squeaked out. “I’ve got to go after him, but my car won’t start. That’s why Glen gave me a ride home. I think I’d better phone him.”

  He didn’t answer his cell phone, but Cindy left a message trying to explain what happened. Although after the display Glen made, she doubted Monty would believe she had no feelings for Glen.

  Erin jingled her keys in the air. “Let’s go get your car. And don’t worry about Monty. After he calms down, he’ll see you’re telling the truth. He’ll get over it.”

  “I don’t know, Erin.”

  “Everything will be okay.”

  Cindy’s lower lip quivered. She hoped Erin was right.

  Fifteen

  Monty shoved the door closed with more force than necessary, then stood in the center of his living room, unable to shake the sense of shock that gripped his heart like a vise. He’d listened to Cindy’s voice message and couldn’t believe she would try something like that. Maybe she thought he hadn’t noticed the obvious familiarity that passed between Cindy and the other guy. His advances toward her had seemed so natural, like he knew they would be welcomed.

  He faced the couch, where the vision of holding Cindy as she fell asleep in his arms flashed through his mind. Saturday night she said she loved him. He didn’t know what had changed, but something had, although he couldn’t think why. All he’d done was leave her alone on Sunday because he knew she wasn’t feeling well.

  He turned and took one step to the closet, looked into the dining room, and thought once again of his pathetic attempt at a romantic evening. Even inside his own home, all he could think of was Cindy. He couldn’t even look at his own door without remembering how she arrived uninvited, banging on the door until she let him in.

  Monty closed his eyes, his fists clenched. She was seeing someone else. Although not a violent man, he wanted to hit something to vent his anger and frustration.

  Instead, he threw his suit on the bed, changed into his bathing suit, and headed for the pool, hoping that a hundred or so laps might dull his thoughts.