Flower Thief

One Monday evening as the sun was setting, Jeremy pulled into the driveway of his light gray, box-shaped house. He looked out his passenger seat window and noticed the gloomy, colored exterior of his house. 

He rested his head on the steering wheel with a deep sigh. He reached over to grab his briefcase and shuffled his way to the front door with his shoulders slumped. As he entered his house he tossed his keys onto the table beside the door and went straight to his office to catch up on work. 

Tuesday morning, Jeremy payed close attention to his town on his way to work, something he’s never done. As he watched people walk in and out of buildings and cars, he noticed a small, secluded, flower shop. The tiny shop interested him, and he observed further. 

The walls were an off-white cream color, the paint slightly chipped. The awning at the entrance was a deep green with Flower Shop written across the top in light pink. Jeremy came to a stop in front of the shop and rounded his car to go in. As he stepped in a bell from above the door rang, signaling his entrance. He walked closer to the front desk and noticed a sign placed right above the cash register. “This worker is currently on break and cannot help you right now. Feel free to come back later”. 

After reading the sign he huffed with disappointment, making his floppy brown hair float away from his face. He then glanced up at the clock on the wall. His eyes widened is realization as he read the clock, 6:58. On his way out of the store he snatched a business card and continued on his way to work. 

On his way home, he noticed the bright flowers in the yards of his neighbors throughout his entire neighborhood. Jeremy sat in his living room on the couch contemplating whether he should call the flower shop. 

He concluded that a touch of color would not only make his house look nicer but also brighten his mood when he comes home. He called the flower shop and ordered two dozen white and pink thornless roses to place in his flower bed. 

Wednesday he left work early to re-plant his flowers. Arriving at his house he noticed four boxes outside his door. The excitement in him reached its peak and a smile broke out on his face. He rushed out of his car and changed his outfit. He transferred the roses from their travel containers to the soil in his flower bed. Once he was done he stood back and admired his work. With a nod of his head and a smile on his face. He left the garden to finish his office work. 

Days passed and Jeremy took notice of the missing flowers and scattered petals on the grass. He ordered ten black calla lilies to replace the missing roses and add to his garden. He planted them once they arrived. 

Three days later a few lilies were missing. He ordered eight orange tulips and waited for their arrival. He continued ordering and replacing missing flowers, ranging from daisies to orchids to sunflowers. 

Planting flowers soon became a chore, one he didn’t enjoy. By the end of the month, he was fed up. Whatever was taking his flowers will suffer the consequences. He stomped up to his office, threw open his computer and searched for flowers that were harmful to animals. The first flower that popped up, he ordered and slammed his computer shut. Daffodils. 

He waited and waited for his flower thief, not realizing his other flowers slowly disappearing or dying.  He finally came to the conclusion: a human was taking his flowers. 

His next step in stopping his flower thief was to buy a flower dangerous to humans: Delphinium Belladonnas. Belladonnas, also known as deadly nightshades, are essentially known as herbs. The fumes from a belladonna can cause hallucinations, delirium, rashes, headaches, and more. Their vibrant bluish-purple petals are simply enough to draw any one in. 

The next day he made sure to wear gloves and a protective mask as he planted them. Standing, he brushed his hands together to rid them of dirt and brushed off his pants to rid them of grass remnants and returned to his office. 

He glanced out to the garden to witness a beautiful woman with brown hair. She wore clean white shorts with a light blue blouse, her hair in a sleek ponytail, with white sandals. She slowly walked into his yard and crouched down toward the flowers. She’s picking the flowers, he thought. He raced down the stairs pulling the door open with an incredible speed. 

The door slammed against the wall. The loud sound startled the woman and she jumped back a bit. Her eyes shot up and she noticed his fear filled eyes as he franticly waved his hands in alarm and shook his head. She backed away from the flowers, confusion taking over her features. As she took a second look at the flowers, she recognized the type of flower. 

He was trying to hurt me, she thought as anger bubbled up inside her. She snapped her head to him and asked why he attempted to harm her. He explained his actions and disliking to his flower thief. 

She kept her eyes focused on the grass of his front lawn, as he expressed his anger toward this anonymous flower thief. She slowly glanced up to meet his eyes that were now full of annoyance. She confessed her identity as his flower thief and apologized for taking his flowers without permission. 

As she began to walk away in shame a large, warm hand grabbed her arm. She spun around to see his apologetic face as he told her to wait there. He ran into the house to the dining room to grab the array of flowers in the vase on the dining table. He raced out the door, flowers in hand, and pushed his hand out to her. She stared in awe at the variety of flowers. The bouquet consists of all the flowers he recently had in his garden. White and pink roses, orange tulips, black calla lilies, daisies, orchids, and sunflowers. 

Her face flushed a light pink shade as she blushed a soft smile lay on her lips. She accepted the bouquet of flowers and inhaled deeply. She smiled in relaxation before thrusting her hand out toward him. He grasped her soft, much smaller hand in his and gave it a soft jolt. They exchanged names and numbers and agreed to meet up at the flower shop in town for lunch. 

Five years later... 

Jeremy and the woman with brown hair, who he soon came to learn was named ill Lilian, Lily for short, hung out lots after their first encounter. They were friends for 2 years, dated for 2 years, engaged for 1 year, and today was their wedding day. The 5th anniversary of the day they first met. 

Lilian’s dress was paper-white with scattered flower petals from different flowers sewn in. Her veil dragged behind her as she walked down the aisle to Jeremy. They exchanged rings, and heartfelt vows. They were then pronounced husband and wife and shared a brief kiss. They skipped down the aisle, hand in hand, through crowds of cheering people the made it to their car. 

“Who would’ve thought I would marry my flower thief” Jeremy said with a bright smile. Lily laughed softly while shaking her head. “I love you Jeremy”, Lily said looking at Jeremy with nothing but love in her eyes. “And I love you” Jeremy said back and leaned over to share another kiss with his wife. 

“Forever?” Lily asked as they parted. “And always” Jeremy replied. 

My little Flower thief. Jeremy thought, as they both lived happily ever after. 

The End.