Page 37 of I Knew He Was Trouble
“Aren’t these prettier than a peach?” Darla walks over to the flowers and leans down to smell the blooms.
“At least there’s a variety.” Lorraine wrinkles her nose at the colorful array of flowers before running her fingers along the petals of the cream and tan ones with a satisfactory nod.
I walk around, handing out name tags to the residents so Shayna can easily identify them when answering questions or helping with their arrangements.
I move to the front of the room once everyone is seated. “All right, everyone. Today we have a special guest. My friend, Shayna, is here today from Shirley’s Florist. Let’s give her a warm welcome.”
Soft claps fill the room, and I motion for Shayna to take the floor. She flashes a bright smile. “Thank you all for having me. Today, I’ll be showing you how to create your own floral arrangements.”
“Did she sayfuneralarrangements?” Hank, one of the older residents who uses hearing aids, yells, eliciting laughs from other seniors in the room.
“Floralarrangements. Flowers.” Darla motions to the table they’re sitting at.
“Oh good.” He nods. “That’s less morbid than funerals. Although, there are flowers at funerals.”
I hold my hand over my mouth to hide my smile. This is the kind of commentary I’ve come to expect on the days when I host events here, and I love every entertaining second of it.
“There will be plenty of time for you to discuss funeral arrangements with your loved ones later.” Shayna shifts on her feet, obviously uncomfortable about the direction the conversation went.
“Unless we die tomorrow,” Darla adds. “I mean, I’m fit as a fiddle, but I can’t say the same for everyone else.”
Shayna shoots me a panicked look before lightly clearing her throat, trying to regain control of the senior citizens now talking about what kind of flowers they’d like at their funerals. “For now, what do you say we get back to these beautiful blooms?” Without waiting for an answer, she jumps right back into teacher mode. “You can select a vase of your choosing from the table in front of you and then make your way to the end table and select the flowers you’d like to include. I’d suggest a mix of flowers, greenery, and baby’s breath to add texture. Then, we can discuss how to arrange your bouquets. Kelsey and I will be around if you have questions.”
After everyone is back in their seats, Shayna walks around, instructing the residents on how to arrange the flowers and pointing out where some stems might need trimming. As the arrangements start to come together, compliments flow from my friend. Seeing the residents beam at the praise of the people coming in to teach them something new always does my heart good.
“That looks great, Darla,” Shayna praises. “Your arrangement is so vibrant.”
Her flowers are an explosion of rainbow that perfectly matches Darla’s bright, spunky personality. Lorraine’s arrangement is a dead ringer for her personality as well.
Shayna walks over to her. “Lorraine, I love what you did with the muted tones. Very sophisticated.”
Lorraine sits taller at the praise while Darla snickers. Lorraine glares at her, and Darla’s laughter grows louder. At first glance, someone might think they’re enemies who enjoy poking fun at each other. But being around them long enough, I’ve come to realize they’re more like frenemies. Yes, they mock each other constantly, but I always find them side by side at events, andit’s clear they enjoy one another’s company, even though they’re complete opposites. It’s sweet and makes me appreciate my friends who show up for me even more.
The residents finish their floral arrangements and slowly filter out of the room, offering thanks to me and Shayna for the event.
I help Shayna pack up everything she needs to take back to Shirley’s Florist when my boss, Kevin, pokes his head into the room.
“It’s time,” he exclaims. “They’re ready to fly the roost.”
“I’ll be right there,” I say.
Kevin scurries away as quickly as he arrived.
Shayna’s head pops out around the box she’s filling with the extra flowers. “What’s that about?”
“I have to escort some ducks through the building.”
Her eyes go wide. “Did you just say ducks?” I nod. “Is that some kind of code for something?”
“No, I’m talking about actual ducks.”
“You have to escortliteralducks—the animals—through the building.” She says the words slowly, eyeing me warily like something was lost in translation.
“Long story short, a bunch of ducks live around the pond in front of the facility. A few of them lay their eggs around it, but one specific mama duck flies into our courtyard every year at the start of fall to lay her eggs. I’m guessing it’s because she finds it safe from other natural predators since it’s an enclosed space.”
“Don’t most ducks typically breed in the spring?”
“Yeah, at least that’s what the internet told me.” I shrug. “I don’t know why she lays so late in the year. But the staff has to march the mama duck and her ducklings out of the enclosed courtyard into the building and through the sliding doors back to the pond annually.”
