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 Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:09 am
t was a slow day. The crawl between Sunday Window Shoppers and Friday Spenders. Maintenance had been done, the order forms prepared early, and simple little cleanup was…….well, left to the other guy who would come in tomorrow. There had been one order for tulips that had been done HOURS ago, and Darien had been staring at his finished crossword. Midweek puzzles were never the most challenging, and he was idly reading an article about the possibility of radio waves messing with bird flight paths.
Yawning, he wondered if he should call up the café a few shops down and order something so all he would have to do is walk over, drop the cash, take his drink, and come back before anyone noticed.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:03 am
Anthony Darrow was not exactly used to this. He had not dated in... 'a good long while', to be sufficient. He wanted to surprise Suri somehow, give her a little gift that made her face light up in that smile he was growing to adore so much. Knowing he was able to bring it to her pretty face was more than enough motivation to try and be spontaneous. Sweet.
Not awkward or goofy in anyway, and certainly not someone to laugh at.
Though, he supposed if anyone could laugh at him and he wouldn't feel too terrible about it...
He was browsing a shop in the mall he had always walked passed before, and never thought to enter until now. He wanted something simple, like him. Nice, pretty, or maybe funny. Nothing too imposing or overly drawn out.
He just didn't know what that could possibly be. He didn't realize he was ruining the drink run plans of the man working at the shop, moving into view as he scratched the back of his neck in thought.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:24 am
A confused man in his store wasn't even a rarity, and Darien already knew the deal of how to handling them. First, he gave them a moment to figure out that they had no idea what they were doing. Most looked around, questioned their others likes, and then, just before they gave up and bought that someone special something at a gas station, he had to jump in. It was the point of not being over eager or acting like you knew better than they did. Then again, he was never eager to serve, and he DID know better than they did.
Flipping his newspaper down, he noticed the guy was close to just leaving to of frustration to go to any other store that was more in his element. Auto Masters or Buckies down the way on the other side of the mall. Easing out from around the counter, he took a roundabout way to slink up next to the guy as if he was just stocking shelves and smiled. "Who's the special someone?" He never said lady or girlfriend because there was always the passing gay man or someone buying something for their mother.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 6:14 pm
Tony nearly jumped out of his skin when the store clerk appeared beside him. He let out a girlish yelp and fumbled with the little teddy bear in his hands, catching it then losing track of it then nearly dropping it and catching it again.
"Ah, oh, uhm," he managed. Three efforts to start a sentence three failures.
He looked at the clerk helplessly, moving to put the doll back on the shelf. He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck again.
"My, ah," he wasn't sure if he was allowed to use which word, so he smiled, looking very fond of just the thought, "my friend. Ah. We've been on a couple dates... I mean, you know. If you can... call them that. I'm looking for something nice.Simple, but.... sweet? I'm not very good at this."
He sighed softly.
"I guess you get hopeless guys like me in all the time, huh? I'm sure I can probably... find something. I mean. It shouldn't be that hard to pick something... nice out." He looked at the shelves again. The thing was, he wanted something fitting for Suri. Not too fluffy or romantic, but enough to make her smile. He was nervous that he'd try too hard, or not hard enough.
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:39 am
He waited as Tony went through his hesitant story of probably romance, and picked the words out one by one. He was trying to be nice, which meant he wasn’t one of those types that wants to be bold and just shove their feelings out at a woman. He hoped it was a woman. Again, he hated that he used the word ‘friend’ because it either meant he didn’t feel confident enough to call her a girlfriend or that this was one of those ‘life partner’ situations. It was a good thing Darien could be tactful, and he waited with an expression that simply said he completely understood, was listening, but wasn’t abused or thought he was being silly.
When he finished, he shook his head. “Well, you could pick out something..nice..” He made sure to make nice sound rather ho-hum. Nothing like instilling a bit of personal doubt in a customer first. "..but it seems this friend of yours is rather special. I can tell. Just nice isn't going to cut it. It’s also not good to just pick out anything at random. The worst thing to do is pick out a gift out of desperation. It’s why I’m here after all, and I’ve seen too many people who come here and grab something because they would rather go to their loved one with something rather than nothing at all. Sometimes it’s not for the best.”
He looked at the teddy bear as an indication of where the man was going. Something sweet, innocent, and probably a little timid. Something he could have an escape route if she felt awkward, but also play off as just being friends if she thought he was presuming too much. “How about you tell me more about this friend of yours so we can find out what she might like…um…” He offered his hand, purposely leading him to hopefully give his name. Names were great. It made a personal connection. Made you feel like you had a buddy in the store helping you out.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:21 pm
Tony was only thinking about his diction on the surface level. He didn't want to say something like she was his girlfriend, only to have her walk up behind him to say she wasn't, or something silly like that. Knowing his luck, it would certainly happen. Something in that vein, at the very least, even if it was more simple and private, like her telling him they were just friends should he present her with a gift that was too over the top.
So much worry. He wondered if more confident men had such issues, or if it were actually possible to handle a relationship with some kind of tact and grace. So far, he had been flondering through, enjoying himself profoundly but always stumbling over his nerves.
Maybe there was a Dating for Dummies book.
When Darien spoke, Tony's confidence fell further. Was nice bad? All this time he had thought nice was good, and would certainly be the perfect level of gift he needed, but now he had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for, if not something nice. He stared at Darien helplessly, his expression easily readible. Help me. Help me, please.
"Th-that makes sense," he said, blushing. He certainly didn't want his gift to be insulting, when it was supposed to be thoughtful.
"Oh! Anthony Darrow," he offered his hand in greeting before he continued, "Ah... well. She's very sweet, even if she won't admit it. Sometimes she can be... blunt, but it's a very endearing thing and when she smiles and laughs easily it feels like I've earned it." He smiled dumbly, thinking about it, his expression gone mushy now. He snapped out of it, shaking his head as if to shake off the hopeless romance. "She... has a cat. It doesn't like me."
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 10:16 am
Darien too his hand. “Darien Masters.” He said with a smile as if this was one of the nicest meetings he had ever had and they were sure to be the very bestest of friends. All Darien could think was commission and the fact that this guy was almost nauseatingly bashful and out of his element. For Darien, being sure he had a girlfriend commanded confidence and planted that idea in place that could then lead a woman to belief the same thing. There were several easy pointers he could give this guy, but he wasn’t the type to follow some movie-esque situation of a smooth ladies’ man helping out a clueless nobody to get her girl. He hated those movies and he wasn’t about to waste energy in becoming a sitcom.
“The fact you feel you have to earn a smile from her shows she has high standards. That’s probably why you can’t even say if she’s your girlfriend or not. You’re earning it. I have to say, she must be some lady for you to work so hard for her, and giving her a sign of your affection will certainly help her see it. Maybe even earn another one of those smiles.” Of course he was talking her up and making him not only feel that the girl he was after (great! Finally some confirmation on that.) was worth everything regardless of cost, but that he couldn’t just give her any tacky bear in the store. Personally, she was probably some stuck-up b***h happy to have a guy bending over backwards for her. A cat was a big sign of that. A companion because she was having trouble finding a guy or convinced herself she didn’t need one. You saw plenty of them, but cats bothered him greatly. You either got those nuts ladies who substituted it as their boyfriend or even a fatherless child, or the ones who were so stern in their belief of being independent that they denied the fact the cat was hiding the fact they wanted a companion in the house.
He looked up at the bear. “I would stay clear of stuffed animals. They are cute and adorable, but usually give the message of a friend or even a childish, teenage romance. You’re a man, not some high-school boy trying to romance her. Stick to classic gifts. They not only make her feel like a woman, but all the connections to a gift flood with it. I used to suggest chocolates, but with so many women going on diets nowadays, it’s hard to offer even if most women love chocolate. They could feel guilty not eating them to avoid gaining a few pounds and then feel bad looking at you for nto eating them. It puts a bad taste on such a sweet gift.”
He turned, hoping Anthony would follow. “As for the cat, I would say start hiding treats in your pocket. Nothing too pungent for her to smell but a cat can smell a little treat and come to you. When she’s not looking, slip it one of those treats. Something soft since the crunching of a hard treat would catch her attention. Women tend to feel that cats have some supernatural sense of detecting a good person. If she sees the cat warm up to you, it will be a good sign she’s with someone special.” It all came down to tricks in the end.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 10:13 am
Tony had no idea his supposed helper was waging an inner war against being a cliche, staring at him in wonder and hoping he might simply get some help with a situation that had him in over his head. If that was too much, he would go somewhere else, or simply dare to rely on his own instincts, despite the high chance of embarrassing himself that way.
The librarian blushed at the assessment of his situation, rubbing the back of his neck and nodding slowly. It sounded right to him, though he didn't want to think of it in those terms. It instilled in him a sense that if he was earning her attention, he was almost certainly not good enough for it. True, he had that feeling before it was put into words, but at least stumbling through so far left him with a little hope.
Tony was getting a strange feeling in the air. Like this guy was a jerk just trying to make a sale, but really good at hiding it. Something about him felt off, the way he was generalizing all women by the gifts and pets they had, and Tony wasn't sure he liked it. Still, he smiled politely and listened to the advice he was being given, nodding his head. There was nothing wrong with trying to make money, of course. That was the point of working any place, and it made sense that he had drawn lines between the gifts he sold and types of women, and the stories he's heard from dunderheads like Tony.
Still, it wasn't what Tony was looking for.
"I think I'll go to the pet store and get some treats, then," he said thoughtfully, nodding his head. That, at least, seemed like a good idea. He did not want that cat to attack him, or something, though now he was slightly worried that the cat would just think he was food.
"I don't think I'm going to find anything today," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not even sure what I'm looking for. I'm sorry for, uh, wasting your time. I really should have just looked first before trying to wrangle you in to solve the problem for me." He offered a thin, dopey smile, apologetic in his way.
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Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 10:34 am
He was wasting his time, and he wasn't any less glad that Tony had admitted it. Still, at least the guy knew that if he was so unsure, he shouldn't have bothered showing up. People like this really bothered him. Their complete lack of confidence was revolting but what could have been something Darien could use in swaying the man to this decision or another was also ruined by his apprehension. What a fine catch this lady had found. At least Darien could feel better with the idea that they probably wouldn't go far and he'd be dumped. That or whatever flawed girl thought this was attractive was nothing he'd ever want to touch. Hopefully Tony was sterile.
"Well, I am here to give advice. Just don't chicken out of giving a fine lady a gift. Do that much at least. If anything, I suggest picking up some flowers." It was worth at least one last effort at a sale, and he always did love flowers over all other gifts. They were classic.
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 1:32 pm
Tony smiled awkwardly, still baffled. He would have to think of something, he was sure he could. They weren't too serious, he had just been so long out of the dating scene at all it was a bit of a head rush to get back into it now, and feel so fondly for someone again. Or maybe for the first time.
When he was younger, before work became his focus, romance had never really occurred to him. In those days, his mind had only been on himself.
He wanted to do right by her.
"Flowers?" He sounded surprised he hadn't thought of that himself. He smiled, nodding his head. "That might be best. I'll get her... something. With it. But flowers are simple and... I'm pretty sure I can't mess that up, anyway."
Unless she knew a lot about flowers, and he got ones that meant something strange. He didn't think that would be the case, however. He nodded his head again, settled on the idea now.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 6:09 pm
Once again, flora saved him. It was hard to deny the simple gift of flowers. There was a wide variety that seemed to say everything you wanted to hear and nothing you didn't. It all came down to what the man preferred and how many. Though he was at least glad his time hadn't been wasted, he wasn't exactly skipping over it. Instead, he resumed his calm, helpful appearance of a goodnatured shop keeper who only wanted to help.
"Then let's see which ones you or she may like. We keep most of our flowers in the back and a few already pre-made." It was one of those simple pastimes that Darien liked. Taking, cleaning, cutting, preparing, and arranging flowers. Most had no idea what each one meant, where they came from, or bothered to pick up a gardening magazine to know how they were now created and engineered, but at least he took pleasure in knowing. "That is unless you wanted something more exotic that we had to order. Do you know any flowers or colors she may like?" He said, moving to the glass displays where the flowers were kept.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 9:12 pm
Tony looked very thoughtful. The topic of flowers had not come up. At least not as plain as 'which ones do you like', though now he wished he had done a bit more by way of interviewing as well as goofy, awkward conversation.
He studied the flowers in the display, finding them all pretty in their own way, and wondering which would suit her the best.
"I suppose roses would be a bit too simple," he said thoughtfully, sounding like he was legitimately thinking things through like that. He saw nothing wrong with cliche, most of the time. It wouldn't be so common if it weren't so effective, right? At least as far as roses were concerned.
But maybe a different color. Or in a bouquet with other flowers and colors.
"What are your favorites?" he tried, knowing Darien was much more familiar with them than he was. "I'm thinking maybe one of these nice arrangements..."
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 6:45 pm
When Tony looked over to see what flower he liked, the man had a rather flat expression. Inside, he was seething a bit, but he didn't say anything as to why. "I prefer roses." Seemed Tony had dissed his preference. "They come in enough variations and shapes and are universal in what they need to say. Be it romance, appreciation, best wishes, or any special occasion or just thoughtful gesture without saying too little or too much. They cover all bases without seeming commonplace and taking away from the thought. If you were looking for color or possibly flower meaning, I could offer you a few suggestions. It's say with spring just arriving, something with tulips and lilies does well, and you can always add sphinx roses for warmer colors." He did prefer arrangements, but these were mainly all his assortments and, for that reason, had variations of different roses in almost every type. Most people didn't notice that they were roses from the standard red, but there were far more than just the typical Grand Prix.
He opened the door to the case so he could actually go over and look at them up close. Most people liked breathing in the aromas, touching the petals, or turning the vases from all sides to see if it was what they were looking for. As he did, a mingling perfume of various blossoms drifted into the air-controlled, bland air of the gift shop.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:46 am
Tony almost looked relieved when Darien said roses, nodding his head. He had been thinking that the most obvious and, yes, used flower might be the cliche route, but it was certainly tried and true. He smiled and nodded his head.
"That's good. Maybe an arrangement of roses... but not just red? I fear the deep red might be a bit... uhm... too specific. I mean. They're very pointedly romantic and..." he didn't want to imply too much with a simple bouquet of roses.
He was over thinking, he knew he was, his nerves getting the best of him.
This was supposed to be the easy part of a relationship. Casual dating, having fun. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
"Lilies and Tulips... sphinx roses?" He had never heard of the lattermost, but he nodded his head. It certainly sounded pretty. He took a breath of the scent, smiling as he looked over the beautiful plants. Nature had it right. Simple, beautiful, near perfect. "I think I like the sound of that."
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 12:54 pm
Once again, roses were the seller, not that he didn't help with that. He tended to prefer selling flowers over the overdone, mass produced creatures made out of glass or poleyster cotton. It all came off as tacky, but the flowers never said mass produced to him. Moving over, he selected a yellow rose from another arrangement and handed it to Tony. If this was at any other place, the gesture would have been highly uncomfortable. "It's a variation of yellow rose. We have several color choices. White, yellow, a light pink to deep raspberry. Then there is the classes red and some two-tone variations. I think a nice summer choice that is nice to have somewhere in her home would be most inviting. It's been a rather cold winter." He gestured and pointed to two arrangements. "These two have some of the lilies and roses I'm mentioning. I can add more of anything to them, and you can always pick another vase if you don't mind the ones they are in." He stepped aside to let Tony pick. Darien knew the process of picking the right arrangement was best left tot eh customer after giving them some guidance. It made it more personal so that when the time came to hand off the bouquet, he wouldn't feel as if had someone else decide for him. That he was the one that selected it just for her.
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