Page 1 of Sweet Love From Saturn

ONE

Saturn Baker

Looking up from the floral arrangement I was working on, my brows kissed when I saw Steven coming from the back with his jacket in hand. There were no deliveries going out until this afternoon and I needed his help with the ass load of orders I was currently flooded with.

“Are you going somewhere, Steven? Is everything okay?” I questioned with a tulip still in hand.

“I’m sorry, Saturn. I didn’t wanna handle things this way but I’m leaving. I was only planning to stay here for the summer, but I stayed longer because I liked it here. Now that football season has started, it’s hard for me to balance a job and practice. I’ve been late to practice the last two days and Coach is threatening to bench me if it happens again. I’m sorry for leaving you hanging, but I gotta go.”

“You couldn’t give me some type of notice, Steven? This happens to be the busiest day I’ve had in years and now I have no help. Had you let me know, I would’ve made other arrangements,” I stated in frustration.

My usual calm demeanor was out the window and replaced with irritation. I had to remind myself that Steven was onlya seventeen-year-old high school student. He didn’t know any better and I understood that. School came first and I wasn’t upset that he was choosing football over working in the shop. Letting out a frustrated breath, I checked my attitude and told myself that having no extra help around the shop was ameproblem. After all, Steven was an employee and these things came with the territory.

“I’m really sorry, Saturn. I can have my mom come up here with me to talk to you when I pick up my last check,” he insisted.

“It’s fine, Steven. Thank you for all your help and I hope you have a successful football season.”

He stared at me, his brown eyes brimming with innocence and genuine sincerity. With a hesitant smile, he walked past me and out of the front door with one final look. When the door shut, I glanced down at my smart watch to see what time it was. I had a total of six deliveries for this afternoon and I anticipated the customer flow to be at a higher volume due to an event only a block over. Steven usually took care of the deliveries while I stayed back and ran the store, but now I didn’t know what to do. My mother was always the first person I called when I needed help. However, since she was a school principal, I knew she wouldn’t be available any time soon. Trying my luck, I called my older sister to see if she was free. Tiffany was a hairstylist and the shop she worked at was closed on Mondays.

“Hello?” Tiffany answered groggily.

“Good morning. I don’t mean to be inconsiderate on your day off, but I was wondering if you could help me out at the shop for a few? It doesn’t have to be right now. I could use the help around one o’clock if you aren’t busy,” I requested.

“Good morning, Saturn. What happened to the kid you had helping you out down there? Did he get sick or something?”

“No, he quit not even five minutes ago. He’s playing football and can’t commit to a job.”

“Oh wow. Well, I’ll be there at twelve forty-five. Do you need me to deliver or be at the store?”

“You can stay at the store. I’ll make the deliveries as quickly as I can, so I can come back and relieve you. You don’t have to stay until five,” I explained.

“Okay, that’s cool. I’ll see you in a bit, sis.”

“Thank you, Tiff, and I love you,” I stated before ending the call.

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I retrieved the list of orders and got to work. I was hoping I wouldn’t get any customers until I finished at least two of the arrangements. I decided to start with the larger orders to get them out of the way. After printing the receipts, I set a royal blue vase on the receipt to the left and a red vase on the receipt to the right. I cut music on and turned it to the R&B station I preferred. My day had started out rough, but I was shifting my thoughts to turn it around. I’d been in this situation before and came out on top. Only this time, I wasn’t so sure the odds would be in my favor.

May’s Flowers had been passed down to me from my grandmother. As a child, I was in the shop just as much as her. By the time I was five, I knew how to identify every plant she sold. Instead of being involved in after school sports and activities, I stayed at the shop helping my grandmother. When the two of us weren’t held up in the shop, we were in her backyard gardening. My grandmother used to tell me that being a part of nature made her feel closer to God and I had to agree. Unfortunately, Grandma May passed away from natural causes during my sophomore year of college.

It took me months to step back in the shop after she passed. Even driving by would bring me to tears. I was so heartbroken and depressed that I ended up withdrawing from school and moving back home. Grief had me down bad and I was glad tobe out of that space. As much as I wanted life to stop, I had to realize that life went on and I had to as well.

The sound of wind chimes singing pulled me from my zone. When I looked toward the front door, two ladies who looked to still be in their twenties looked around in amazement.

“Hello. Welcome to May’s Flowers. Can I help you ladies with anything?”

“Hello. And no, we’re just looking around right now,” the thicker woman responded.

“Okay, just let me know if you need any help.”

Just as I turned to continue the orders, the chimes went off again. Only this time, several people walked inside, prompting me to walk behind the register. The next thing I knew, I was helping and ringing up customers left and right. I was so swamped I hadn’t noticed my sister arrived. Tiffany’s shoulder length hair was pulled back in a ponytail, while her square-framed glasses rested against her round face. At thirty-three years old, Tiffany didn’t look a day over twenty-five.

“Hey, sis. Is it twelve forty-five already?” I questioned as I pulled out my phone.

“It is. I called you to tell you I was stuck in traffic, but when you didn’t answer I figured you were busy. There are so many people over at the chocolate fest that it’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, it seems like there’s double the amount of people from last year. I knew I’d be busy today, but Steven walking out mid-shift was unexpected.”

“Well, I’m here now. All I can say is make sure you hire someone more reliable next time. Preferably an adult. But go ahead and finish your orders. I got the floor.”

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