Thinking Back – Successful Rerouting

I remember several years ago when Carmen and I worked in the same office that I decided to send her roses on Valentine’s Day.  I didn’t tell her beforehand and I opted not to give her any warning.  I just did it.  From what I recall, she absolutely loved them too, as well as the gesture.  I remember even lying to her at first, maintaining a straight face the entire time I denied ever doing such a thing.  Eventually, I admitted to what I had done.  Amidst my repeated denials, she knew.  Clearly, she did.  She and I were really close.

The years have gone by and while we don’t work in the same building anymore, I know that if I were to do this again, she would appreciate it now, as she did many, many years ago.  I am also of the mindset that if she and I were to work together again, we could do it as we always did and not skip a single beat.  I really believe that we were that in sync then and that we would still be in sync today, several years later.

I think I’d have to do some research and figure out her current work address, because I’d hate to make the dumb mistake of sending flowers to her old office (meaning where I still work) and expect that she’d get them.  I’d hate to do something so dumb, but I also know that I could do something like that, out of sheer habit alone.  I have my moments, I will openly admit.

I know that rerouting a bouquet of flowers isn’t the easiest thing to set up.  I speak from experience too.  There was one time when I was in college where I did this very thing, where I wanted to send flowers to a “friend” of mine and I messed up her address.  I got the building’s address right, but I messed up her apartment number.  From what I recall, I wasn’t even close either.  After making some phone calls, I was able to get the bouquet delayed until I could get her correct apartment number.  I believe that in the end, I had to set it up to where my friend had to go to the florist and pick up the floral arrangement herself.  Obviously, I had to out myself and let her in on the secret, but she was appreciative of the gesture just the same.  But yeah, I made my friend pick up her floral arrangement on her own at the florist.  I was just grateful that the flowers weren’t delivered to the wrong address, which had that happened, would have clearly been my fault and who knows who would’ve gotten those flowers.

That was the only time where I had to reroute flowers.  It’s a weird thing to do, I’ll admit, but thankfully, it all worked out in the end, as embarrassing as it was.

It’s been years, but now, I don’t bother to send flowers anonymously anymore.  I just don’t find it appealing anymore and I’ve reached the mindset that it’s just not worth the effort.  It’s cute when you’re younger, but as I creep up there in age, it’s lost a lot of its appeal.  I just kind of look at Valentine’s Day as another day on the calendar, though maybe one that is heavily commercialized.  Flowers happen to be a big part of it, but I’ve since opted not to send them anymore.

But in retrospect, Carmen was definitely worth that effort.  My college crush, Marlisa, was too, but that wasn’t the smoothest experience for either one of us.

The roses might die, but rest assured that the memories do not.