Thrust Into His Arms

What more would I experience in his hands? I cannot help but shudder when I think about it. "Watch where you are going!"

I hear someone say, snapping me out of my haze of thoughts. The girl looks at me with a somewhat sharp and angry gaze before she walks off. I quickly realize that I must have bumped into her. I could not apologize as she is already leaving. I was so caught up in my thoughts about Calix and last night that I did not look where I was going. And wait—was I not still on the road a while ago? How am I now in the locker hallway? How did I get here so soon?

My heart almost explodes when Maverick jumps in front of me all of sudden, blowing a loud, rubber trumpet in my face and yelling, "Happy Birthday!" He throws a bunch of confetti in the air. "It’s your birthday! Hurray!!!"

"Was that funny? You almost gave me a heart attack!" I yell at him, holding my hand to my chest to calm my poor heart that is thumping from the fright.

He wears an apologetic look. "Sorry. I just wanted to surprise you."

"Yeah well, I am surprised to death right now!" Who the hell does that as a surprise and expect someone to like it?

"It is a birthday. You gotta go loud and big." He says. "Are you going to throw a party?"

"No. I already told you."

"It doesn’t have to be at your house. Mine is free. My parents had an argument. My Dad has been living in a motel, and my mom left yesterday to go see her sister who gave birth. It’s going to be great. We’ll get punch, we’ll get beer, we’ll get KFC chicken. Or we make it a barbecue night if you like."

"Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions. But no thanks. My plan is to go straight home after school and binge movies or novels." I am taking the rest of the day off martial arts lessons to have for myself.

"Hey birthday girl!"

"Rex!" I call, hugging him. "Wanna hear a special birthday song? I rewrote it and sparked it up with a few shindigs." Getting the feeling that it is going to be awkward, I shake my head, no.

"Don’t be shy. I have a great singing voice." He clears his throat, "Ahem, now listen to this. . ."

"No wait—stop it—don’t!" Too late. He already started singing it loudly. As if only he wasn’t enough, Maverick also joins in. Singing right in the crowded locker hallway. Now people are watching! Oh gawd! I facepalm, blushing and laughing.

CALIX

"I remember this face of yours." The old lady at the florist shop says when she sees me. "You came here to get tulips sometime ago right?"

For some reason, I smile, acting nice. I am recalling how she had tried to talk me out of getting the black tulips. She said that it was like rubbing it in the deceased’s face the fact they are now dead. She told me to get another flower but I had calmly but firmly refused. She thought it was for a funeral. If only she knew that it was for someone well and alive, not deceased.

"Yes that is correct." I respond.

"I knew it!" She laughs softly. "I may be old, but I have still got my great recalling memory. It is also because you are very handsome though. No one can easily forget a face like yours.

Your parents must be so proud to have you as a son." My smile falters, but I still manage to hold it. "What brings you here this time, black tulips again?"

"No. I want to get flowers as a birthday present for someone. I don’t know which to pick." I say honestly. After much thought, I felt like I should come get Gweneth a present for her birthday. She is my pet after all.

"Is that person a young lady who is not your family member?"

"Yes." She laughs again. "Ha! I knew it again! You would always know what to get a family member. It is when it is someone else that it gets harder. I have never seen or heard of a brother who would come get flowers for his sister. It is always for someone differently special to them. Pardon me for asking, but you like this young lady very much right?"

"No! Not at all! I really don’t like her one bit!" I blatantly deny. Shaken up by even the mere assumption. That’s a nosy wild assumption.

"Okay then. I will take you through the less memorable and meaningful flowers." She gestures for me to follow her into a flower section. She shows me a bunch of flowers. A bouquet mix, she calls it. As they each are all made up of several different flowers. "These are the best choice that I recommend. Which one would you like to get?"

I am currently looking at a uniquely strange flower. It is not left out like the others, but is in an enclosed case. I could not look away since my eyes caught it.

It is way larger than any other flower bouquet here. It looks so special. Red roses.

Are those black roses in it too or am I seeing wrong? Before I could ask her about it, she knowingly starts to explain, "That one is called, "The Lovers Eternal"

It is a one of a kind classic, romantic choice that I recommend for people to use to confess their feelings to who they love."

"Are those black roses in it?" I ask.

"Yes. They’re black Roses. Most people are not aware of their existence. They were sent from Athens and put together here. It is a very special one. There are Nine hundred and Ninety-nine rose flower stems in there. Nine hundred Red Roses, and Ninety-nine Black Roses."

"Why is it like that?" I inquire, curious as to why the incomplete number.

"There is a deep meaning behind that number. " She goes on to enlighten. "The Red Roses have always been known to symbolize passion, and romance. It is a first choice for anything that has to do with love.

The black roses too are in fact, a dark red rose with such a deep hue that it appears black. It symbolizes deep and mysterious love. The Red Roses say; I love you.

The Black Roses add depth to that by saying; I am deeply drawn to you.

Together it says; I love you. And I am deeply drawn to you in a way so profound that I myself do not understand it.

As for the number, there is also a meaning behind it incompleteness. It means that the person you love would represent the one thousandth Rose flower stem that would complete your life. Isn’t it beautiful?" She concludes with that question.

Such a cliche. I say inwardly.

"Some people think of it as cliche or helpless fantasy, but it does actually work. I know of two persons who bought it to confess to their special one. They are living happily together now.

So which one of these are you going to get?" She asks, suddenly drawing back my attention to the bouquet mixes.

I contemplatively stare at each one.

". . ."

**************************

I feel so stupid carrying these. I get into my car and throw the large Rose flower bouquet on the passenger seat. I ended up buying the Roses because the others were too plain.

It is not that I believe the old woman’s story or anything. Not that I also want anything romantic to do with Gweneth or anyone for that matter. Love is a weakness that will not be part of my life and future. Whether it actually exists in this world or not does not matter.

I just won’t allow it to get to me.

I stopped by a cakes and confectionary shop situated a little up ahead and got a small desert cake with chocolate toppings. The two still did not feel enough. So I also went and got a giant red teddy bear. Not forgetting to trash the annoying red love-shaped bowtie wrapped around its neck on my way out of the shop.

Getting all of that, I felt satisfied and confident that she would like it. She had better, because I had gone out of my usual uncaring way and obeyed my emotional thought to get it for her.

Emotional? No scratch that!

It is an act of humanity. A very natural feeling. There is nothing to misunderstand. Birthdays are sort of important. Which is why I am doing this.

I am trying, but I cannot just imagine how her expression would be. Whatever it will be, she had better not think I have feelings for her or anything like that.

I would personally clarify that as I hand it to her. I’d very much hate to be misunderstood.

************************

"What are you looking at grandma?" An adolescent boy asks after he enters the shop to see his grandmother silently staring through the glass wall outside.

"That young man. . . " The old woman starts,

"His love is going to be one hell of a hard one.

But he is fortunate, as the fates are in favor of him and his love."

"What are you saying?" The boy asks in confusion. The old woman looks at him and smiles, "Something you cannot understand, my dear."