Tell me how what your heart says, feels about the anxieties of love.

Ray walks with a giddy spirit towards an half open glass door with a metallic encasing. Upon the door, a sign reads, “Karin Flower shop”. Entering the shop, a wave of fragrance rushes into the nostrils. A few bees hover around the flower pots, intending to land and suckle on the sweet nectar, instead buzz cluelessly around plastic flowers.

 The florist smiles with a wide grin stretching her muscles half-covering her droopy eyes, as Ray approaches her in a straight line.

 “How can I help you Sir?”

“I am looking for some flowers that would confess my love, my deep dying attachment to someone.”

 “Ah, you are looking for roses.”

Ray lets out a snort in disgust. He twitches and shakes his head vigorously.

“What plebian-like tastes? How many give roses and lose their love? I want something better.” 

“Tulips?”

Another snort.

“Too Dutch. They have no taste.”

“Lilies.”

“No, It looks way too soft.”

“Sir, we don’t have anything better.”

“No. You must have something. Something that just says it, like my love is higher than this earth.” 

The florist releases the clutch of her facial muscles in a battle of attrition. She had missed her morning coffee and this,

“Sir, we don’t….”

“What about those couple – Romeo and Juliet? What flowers are associated with them?” 

“Hmm. Their story does not end well.”

“Does not matter. What matters is the feeling.”

“Roses and Lilies.”‘

Ray guffaws at those two words,

“Really?”

A long pause lingers amidst the two. The florist turns away and scratches her forehead, looking at the mirror slanted beside her desk.

“Are there any minor love stories?”‘

 Florist heaves a deep sigh, 

“I don’t know any other.”

“You don’t understand the gravity of the situation. I and this girl met in a gala dinner. We meet our eyes, and fall instantly in love. We talk and go on long trips, express great affection. But now after the trip, she ghosts me completely. And now she calls me again for a talk. I have to get this one right….”

Her eyes narrows in sharp focus, and arms twitch to release hell from the bottom drawer of the desk.  A secret beehive, that she had spent a year to build as an amusement project, stayed there inside a glass box. Now it could serve a different purpose.

Out comes a short and a blunt reply,

 “Sir, we don’t have what you want.”

He senses an unimaginable darkness in those words.

 “Yeah….. Okay I will have the roses.”

“Are you sure?”

The lady sounds a bit relieved.  

“Yes.” 

She walks to the back in her short but firm steps, picks a bouquet of red roses a day old and returns to him.

“That would be 12 euros.”

Ray takes out his wallet and hands a 20 euro bill. When she is about to hand him the change, Ray grabs something, the nearest cactus, and places it on the table.

“Add this too.”

The florist’s face turned stolid,

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. This is what I am. I am this plant.”

Her eyes look for signs of sarcasm, but find full sincerity. And then she gleams with excitement,

“Really?”

“Yeah.” 

“Do you think she will like it?”

 Ray’s face moves like a jelly, switching his facial expressions, from confusion to anger, and to determination.

“Yes, she has to. There is no other way.” 

“Uh-huh.”

She hands him 8 euros in change.

“What about the cactus?”

“No keep it. It is free from the shop.” 

Ray lets out a tear drop from his eyes.

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Ray holds out the bouquet of flowers and cactus using either of his hands, and measures his steps on the cobblestoned streets. The sun shines so bright to throw the darkest shadows. As he glides across several coffee shops, and boutiques, his eyes catch something. It is golden piece of string, braided with the most intricate structure, threaded with hundreds of tiny golden snakes. 

“Yea… This would surely make her completely fall in love.” 

And his gaze lowers to the price tag.

“Ooh la la. So fucking pricey.”

 He turns and presses on the cobblestones with his foot, until he catches himself with hesitation.

“Maybe…” he whispers to himself. Carrying both, he kicks on the door.

“Shopkeeper, show me that necklace. This woman would ghost me, and calls me out. I need to change her mind.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ray trudges on the side pavement, crosses the road and enters a restaurant, “le gourmet”. The proprietor takes his name and shows him to his table, to the west-wing of the restaurant. The place was empty, other than for someone else. There she was with her black hair and pale brown complexion. Her eyelashes were thick and curled as usual. The proprietor leaves back to his post.

Ray approaches her through a highly viscous space. His heart beats even faster with every step.

“Hey Julie.”

She turns, gets up and smiles at him.

“Hey Raymond.”

Ray hides both his arms behind his back.

“What’s wrong? Why are your arms like that?”

“No, nothing. I like doing that.” 

 “Hmm…”, Julie opens her mouth slightly.

“Really? let’s first take a seat.”

As she turns to take a set, he places the items beneath his chair furtively. Both of them faced each other. She smiled even more.

 “Oh, how long has it been since we saw each other.”

“You are the one who stopped…”

“Wait before you say it. I have something to say.”

He stops on his tracks… 

“I am sorry if it is too soon. I love you Raymond, You are funny. You catch me off guard with your stories, and your antics. Sometimes, I think I can’t live without them. This is what shocked me and all.”

“no…. No…”

“no what?”

“No I don’t accept it.”

“Ah…”

Julie drops her eyes and her face turn sullen. As she gets up, she opens her mouth, “I have to leave.”

“Wait, I haven’t said mine.”

“Yea..”

 “Julie, I love you.”

“Huh?”

Ray unearths the bouquet and pot from underneath his seat. “This is for you. So that you can never look away from me.”

“You didn’t have to. But I said the same thing.”

“No…. I was about to say it. You said it first.”

Julie loosens and lets out a laugh,

“You dork. This is why I love you.” 

 He gets up and hugs her tight. As both of their hearts are thrown into a frenzy, he goes in for a lock with his lips. After a long smooch, both of their faces stay closer, only a two fingers width away.

“I am very happy, you know.”

“Yeah I am too. I just realised I can’t live without you. I have to …..” 

“Yes?”

After a long sharing of soft stares, she replies ever so calmly,

“I have to say this to my husband.”

In the east wing of the restaurant, a baby starts crying. Parents cajole the baby, and the other customers stare through the baby to stop. A lizard on the wall drops its faeces pellets into the baby’s open mouth. It immediately stops crying and investigates the mysterious baby food. A child trips on a banana peel and gets his face covered in dog poo on the streets, outside the restaurant. At the end of the street, a homeless man is begging in the streets. A passer-by drops a mystery box on the one armed beggar’s lap. Ecstatic, the beggar opens and finds a piece of rope. Suddenly it comes to life and leaps at him. He quickly takes out his other arms buried underneath his shirt and whisks it away into the open street. The snake flies off with the basket, hisses with excitement, and seamlessly passes into a wide open butt crack of a 250 kg man, bending to pick a 50 cent from the ground. 

The whole world outside the window is quivering with action. A saint who passes by, takes a large whiff of the different scents in the air, and proclaims, “This world is so perfect. Let it be this way, no other way.” 

But such affairs matter not to Ray. His only words were,

“Huh?” 

 RIP..