Valentine’s day was Tangled movie date day with my sister. It was a fun movie (Rapunzel’s bipolar tendencies were precious), but the Sprite stock and the constant un-ladylike guffawing lead you straight to the ladies’ room after the screening.We were lining up to the cubicles when my sister’s dulcet tones floated above the din:
“GAH!! I LEFT MY ROSES!”
And by roses she meant the two now wilted stems she got that day, given by her harmless-as-a-fly boss to all of them single lady employees as a Valentine’s Day token. Sweet guy.
“Idiot,” said I, cue eyeroll, and proceeded to line up to ease my full bladder. Moments and a nudge of guilt later, I came out of the cubicle and stared at my sister, catching her saucer-wide puppy-dog eyes.
Heave out a sigh: “Fiiiiine, let’s go try to get them back.”
And so I crossed the crowd lining up for the next screening, my sister closely shadowing me. I explained to the nice lady arranging the 3D glasses, “Erm, we left flowers inside..” and she was kind enough to let us through without another word.
We trotted inside in the glow light darkness. At the foot of the stairs, I held a hand out to stop my sister. “Stay there.” I thrust my bag to her chest. “Hold this.” Sight trained on our seat (way up in Row R in the theater’s steep staircase style seating), and off I climbed.
The janitors, the only other two people in the hallowed halls, curiously watched my quick tedious climb. As I landed on Row P they asked ever so politely, “Yes ma’am?”
Clutching my chest, I choked out,“Flowers…”
The two scrambled about at the word, whipping out flashlights and training the beams of blinding white lights on the empty seats.
“It’s only two pieces…” I clarified in a small voice.
They started ducking under seats, crawling on the soda-strained floor, and then, “Here ma’am!”
HAH! was my internal cry of triumph. One janitor thrust the two dying stems at me, the red petals slowly and surely wilting to a dark purple. “HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY MA’AM!!” he yelled.
“THANK YOU!” I hollered back. And I started trotting down, hurriedly but carefully should I miss the small steps, a cheesy love song playing full blast from the HD speakers as I went. And I thought as I hurried to my waiting sister, what a fun Valentine’s day, though these flowers aren’t even mine.
