Valentine's Day Memory

I'm so glad I sent Katie flowers for Valentine's Day in 2004. It wasn't a tradition for me to send her flowers, just a fun impulse to brighten her day. I called a little flower shop near her college called KaBloom, and ordered a mix of different colored tulips and roses to be sent to her dorm. I remember when she called me and told me that her room-mate Christina had excitedly come looking for her to tell her she had flowers at the counter downstairs. When she went down to check she was astonished that there were TWO vases of flowers for her. She called me all worried that I would be charged twice, and I told her don't worry, you're worth it, and laughed!

Besides, I said, I have a good job now and I can afford it! She said something about what if they keep coming? I cracked up and said you mean like the broomstick in the Sorcerer's Apprentice, but instead of buckets of water you'll get vases of flowers? I told her that maybe they made a mistake and sent the order twice, or perhaps because I had ordered roses and tulips, they wouldn't all fit in one one vase.

I reminded her that now that she had vases she could buy flowers for herself whenever she wanted to. The Saturday before Katie died, she and Christina stopped in KaBloom (which Katie just loved the name of!) and Katie bought a bunch of tulips, a deep red I think. Christina laughed at the way Katie kept changing her mind about which bunch of tulips to buy. Christina tried to get me to take the tulips with me after Katie died, but I was so overwhelmed. She tried to press them, but it didn't work out.

I wondered at myself later, what had possessed me, who had never had a florist send flowers to anyone, to send those multi-colored tulips and roses to Katie? Part of it was that I was in my second year of teaching, with a steady salary, and could afford a $50 extravagance like flowers. And certainly I had bought flowers for people before at the grocery store or the farmer's market. But I'm so glad I sent Katie flowers on Valentine's Day. I had no idea it would be her last one. I'm so glad I have this memory.

And when she died, it was like in the Sorcerer's Apprentice; the flowers just kept coming...but she wasn't there to enjoy them.