Page 1 of Enchanted By a Pirate
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Anna lovingly stroked the yellow pansy petal. The delicate flower bloomed so beautifully. Her boss had told her to throw out all the pansies because they were no longer marketable. What nonsense. All it took was more patience and time than the boss allowed the garden department employees. And the right touch, of course.
"Anna? Are you here?"
Anna gently felt the thickness of the leaves and stem, unaware she was being called. "Your life is far from over. Just because your vigor can't be seen now doesn't mean it isn't hidden deep within you. I'll take care of you."
"Oh, there you are."
Anna jumped and placed her hand over her chest. Her co-worker and friend Nele was standing over her. "You startled me."
"Were you talking to the plants again?" Her friend chuckled and brushed a brown strand of hair out of her face. "I've never known anyone like you. You'd waste the entire day if I didn't snap you out of your flower trance every now and then."
Anna grinned. "I just like plants."
"That much is obvious."
"What are you doing in the warehouse? Do you need something or are you just here to give me grief because it's been a while since we've gone somewhere after hours?"
Nele pouted. "That's true, but that's not why I came. Marion and Heiko called in sick and now we're a teller short. The boss told me to fill in, but I haven't finished with the fruit trees yet. Can you take care of them?"
Anna's bright blue eyes lit up. "What a question. Of course I'll take care of them." As if she had ever refused to look after plants. She felt as responsible for them as if they were her children.
Nele raised her hand so that Anna could see her watch. "Even though you've been off the clock for half an hour?"
Anna furrowed her brow, which, like the rest of her face, was covered in freckles. "What…? It's already half past four? I had no idea."
"Oh well… Will you still do it?"
Of course she would. But she had to use this opportunity to ask for a favor in return. "Okay, because it's you. But in return, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't pester me about going out on blind dates for one month."
"One month? The clock is ticking and we're not getting any younger."
Always in a hurry. Anna had no interest in going hunting for a man. She was romantically inclined and firmly convinced that a man had to conquer a woman. She wanted to be wooed and courted, not checked out at the bar like a teenager. She was definitely past that age. Anna looked at her friend with feigned indifference. "Your choice."
Nele rolled her eyes. "Okay, lazybones. As soon as the sun goes down, you curl up and start snoring. Only people who are retired do that."
"I like to sleep. So?"
"All right then. But in exactly one month, I'll ask again."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Naturally. Now let's get you to the register before the boss gives you an earful."
Nele saluted jokingly. Over her shoulder, she called out "Thank you" before disappearing between the flowerpots and stacks of humus and soil bags.
Anna marveled at the pansies' radiance one last time, then placed them carefully to one side so that no fool would come knocking them over and deprive them of this second chance at life. Then she left the warehouse and headed to aisle seven, where the fruit trees were on sale.
The home improvement center was slowly filling up, as was to be expected for a Friday afternoon. Many people would finish work early and go to buy a few plants or deckchairs. The gardening season was well underway, which was why there were more customers roaming the aisles than there had been a few weeks ago.
While Anna was cutting the individual wilted blossoms off the branches of an orange tree, Helene came around the corner. "Anna, that was you with the pansies, right?"
Anna merely nodded as she continued working.
"How do you do it? People always say I have a green thumb, but since you've been here, I've started to doubt my skills."
"Oh, that's nonsense. I'm just lucky."
"It happens too often to be luck. Where did you gain all your knowledge about plants?"
