Second Chances

There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays.

A week later, Maddy stood in her familiar post behind the wooden counter of Taylor's Flower Shop. The family business fit Maddy like a well-worn wool sweater. It was an essential part of her life for as long as she could remember.

Amidst the countertop strewn with flower cuttings, holly, bows, and vases, she artfully tied a ribbon around a stunning holiday arrangement. She laid out an assortment of dried perennials and eucalyptus to weave into a fresh boxwood wreath when she heard the back door close.

Jonathan, a slight young man dressed in a black cardigan made a dramatic entrance from the supply room. He tossed a handful of white flower petals into the air, which drifted down like snowflakes. Using a long-stem rose as a microphone, he sang, "Snowflakes are falling, fa-la-la, fa-la-la..."

"Well, somebody is full of the Christmas spirit," she said.

"Actually, THC gummies." He reached into his pocket. "Want some?"

"Maybe later."

He tossed another handful of petals into the air, watching them drift to the floor through glazed eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't be driving," she said.

"Probably not."

"Did you deliver the wreath to Mrs. Schoebert?" 

"Well, yeah, I did." He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Uh oh."

"She said that there seems to be a communication issue."

"I don't know what that means and I'm not sure I want to know."

"She said the wreath doesn't go with her classic antique look." He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut in anguish.

"Classic antique? This from the woman with the flashing purple LED lights all over her house and the eight-foot inflatable reindeer in her front yard?"

He nodded. "Right at the intersection of Tacky Drive and Tasteless Boulevard."

"When she called in her order, she wanted me to spray paint the flowers metallic gold and silver," Maddy whined. "I will not mutilate fresh flowers with spray paint. That's a crime against nature."

"You, my dear, have the soul of an artist."

"Since when are metallic flowers considered antique?"

"The only thing that looks remotely antique at the Schoebert residence is her husband. When I first met him, I thought he was her father."

Maddy cracked up. Her laugh was cut short when her dad entered. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Mister Taylor!" Jonathan brushed flower petals from his shoulders. "Welcome back."

Maddy huffed. "Dad! You wanna end up back in the hospital? I'm taking you home." She turned to Jonathan. "Can you watch the shop while—"

Reggie waved two fingers. "You need at least two people on the floor, Madison. You know that. Just look at this place!" He squatted to clean the floral debris. She seized his arm and straightened him.

She steamed. "Before you came in, only one of us had high blood pressure." 

"I'm tired of sitting around the house all day. Enough already."

"Learn to play the ukulele. Paint your toenails. Go for a walk."

"It's freezing out there!"

Maddy breathed a sigh of relief when her mother entered. Wide-eyed, Carol exclaimed, "Reggie! What are you doing here?!"

"I made a break for it. You gonna call the cops?"

-------------------------------------

In her parents' kitchen that evening, Maddy cleared the dinner dishes from the table. "I got this," she said, prying the plate and silverware from her father's hands.

"Would you stop treating me like an invalid?" Reggie kissed her cheek, then popped a cookie into his mouth.

"Go easy on those cookies, Dad."

He gave her a dismissive wave before heading into the adjoining room to sit in front of the brightly decorated Christmas tree.

As her mom loaded the dishwasher she said, "You know what he wants for Christmas? A ukulele! Where does he get these crazy ideas?"

"That's weird," Maddy stammered. "Um... Mom. I got a call-back from that marketing firm."

"You did?"

"Yeah, they want to interview me in person. And I feel like the job is mine if I want it."

"Madison! That's wonderful!"

"It's the job in New York."

Carol's smile crumbled.

Maddy sighed. "This seems like a bad time to leave." 

"You didn't go to college so you could work at your parents' flower shop." Carol shifted into upbeat mom mode. "New York City? How exciting! There's no better place to start your career."

Maddy eyed her dad in the adjoining room watching TV.

"Don't worry about him." Her mom placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He'll complain about giving up desserts, but when doesn't he complain?"

Maddy's phone rang.

Her mom smiled. "Nathan again? You have to give him points for persistence."

Maddy exited through the front door and, beneath the glow of the Christmas lights, she held the phone to her ear.

"I miss you," said Nathan.

She didn't respond.

"So, when you coming back?"

"I'm not."

It sounded like Nathan rolled off of his dorm room bed and hit the floor hard. "Wait What?!"

"I got an internship. In Manhattan."

"You can't do that!" He gulped. "You have another semester."

"They have schools in New York."

"What about all your stuff? Your mini-fridge and your toaster? I can borrow a truck."

"Listen, Nathan. I think it's time we grow up and move on with our lives."

"I don't want to grow up and move on with our lives."

"I'm talking about me. I need to do this. For me."

"So that's it? You're saying goodbye?"

Maddy couldn't bring herself to say it but finally managed. "Yeah... I guess I am."

"Just because I was late a couple of times?"

She struggled to hold back the tears. "Let's be honest. We both know that there's a lot more to it than that."

"Give me one more chance, Maddy. Please."

"Goodbye, Nathan." 

The last thing she heard before she ended the call was the sound of Nathan's heart breaking. Maddy wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, hoping she'd made the right decision.