Work seemed to drag by. Just after lunch, he wondered in horror if Violet would hate him for his job. What were the plants saying as he removed their leaves, thorns, and quite literally cut them off at the knees only to be bound and taken from the only dirt they knew? He could be a murderer to her. He then had to remind himself that she had probably dealt with all of those issues and didn’t particularly seem to be of the mindset to save and protect all plants. But still he had to wonder if they said anything after they were cut and sent away.
As slow as the morning hours passed, all the sudden it was the end of Kent’s shift and he was a mere hour from when he was going to meet up with Violet. By the time clock, there was a dusty vase of silk flowers, he always guessed it was some sort of joke being in a greenhouse. As he passed it, he plucked out a red daisy and left before he could change his mind. He walked home, distracted with the thoughts of how to dress, was it a date, was it a meeting? A coffee shop is a pretty neutral location, but they could have talked after the last meeting. The flower was clenched in his hand, he was still unsure if he was going to give it to her or not.
He didn’t have time to stop at his apartment to change before he had to be at the coffee shop, which was probably a good thing, because otherwise he would have spent all evening trying to find the perfect shirt. He tried to straighten his hair in the reflections of windows he passed and all too sudden, found himself in front of the coffee shop.
He took a breath, sort of hid the silk flower behind his back and walked in. A bell jingled overhead and his eyes adjusted to the dim light. It was one of those anti-corporate chain coffee shops, the kind that writers and musicians hang out in under mismatched lamps and ugly couches. He glanced at the few small tables, but didn’t see Violet. He looked at his watch, he was right on time.
“Steve, I’m taking a break.” Violet’s voice came from behind the counter.
She was wearing a black apron over a gray shirt and jeans. As soon as Kent saw her, he didn’t know how he could have missed her. She met his eyes and tilted her head towards a back door. Kent made his way through the maze of tables and chairs. The door opened to a back parking lot.
Violet sat down in an Adirondack chair and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “You want to sit down?”
He pulled a chair closer and sat down. The flower stuck him in the side, but he ignored it. For now.
“Relax, it’s a candy cigarette.” She bit off a piece. “I figure all the other coworkers get cigarette breaks, so I might as well join. Except I didn’t want to fill my lungs with tar and cancer.” She shook the box towards him. “Want one?”
“Sure, thanks.” He smiled and set it between his lips. “So…”
She watched him for a minute, sizing him up. “So. I can practically see the questions in your eyes, might as well get this over with.”
He was caught completely off guard. “What?”
“Ask me anything, I don’t care.” She sighed. “I’ve heard it all before.”
He took a breath. “Okay. Why did you ask me to come here?”
She sat back in the chair and looked at him. “Because you couldn’t keep your eyes off me at the last meeting. I figured you had a novel of questions to ask. Most people do. I figured this would be the easiest place for you to talk.”
“Oh.” He paused. “What questions do you want me to ask?” It never occurred to Kent to ask her about her plant conversations.
Sure, he was curious, but he figured she didn’t really want to talk about it like some scientific specimen, that’s how he felt anyway. He hated people’s endless questions and would rather just let the whole topic go. Unconsciously he shifted the flower to his lap.
She took another bite of her cigarette. “Well, most people ask about the whole plant thing.” She turned to him and saw the silk daisy across his knees. “Do you always carry flowers around?”
He looked down like he was surprised to see it, made a move like he was going to hide it, and glanced up at Violet. “I thought you might like it.”
She smiled. “I would.”
“Okay.” Kent handed her the flower.
“It’s fake.” Her smile grew.
“Well, I didn’t know, with your talents, if real flowers…said things.” He almost smiled. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to give you a flower in it’s Shakespearian death soliloquy , or screaming…”
“Talents?”
This wasn’t turning out how Kent expected at all, though he didn’t really know what he had expected. It wasn’t a date, it was a meeting. She didn’t like him, she just wanted to get the interrogation out of the way so he would stop staring at her during the meetings.
“I should go.” He stood. “Thanks.”
She looked up at him and something in her eyes softened a little. “You called it talents.” There wasn’t the usual edge of sarcasm in her voice.
“Aren’t they?” He thought it was wonderful, thinking of what flowers and trees would say, though he was picturing happy cartoons with rainbows.
“Do you think yours is?”
He didn’t need to answer, she already knew.
“Listen.” She stood up and finished her ‘cigarette’, her breath smelled faintly sweet and minty when she stood close to him. “I get off work in an hour. If you want to hang out at one of the tables, maybe we could go for a walk and get ice cream or something.”
“Why?”
She glanced away, Kent’s usual trait. “Maybe you’re the first person in a long time who’s been more interested in me than having me talk to their house plant because it looks a little wilted and they don’t know why.” She held onto the flower Kent had given her with both hands.
He found himself smiling. “Okay.” He followed her back inside.
She tucked the daisy into the top of her apron without so much as a backwards glance to Kent, but he did notice her shoulders straighten and the hint of a smirk.
Kent went up to the counter and ordered an iced tea just to give himself a reason to be there without drawing attention. Sometimes he’d look up at Violet and see her smiling at him. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he did know that he didn’t mind it too much.
When Violet’s shift ended she hung up her apron on a hook by the back door and grabbed a black backpack from under the counter. She kept the flower that Kent gave her in her hands. They both headed towards the door and out of the coffee shop.
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