Mending Broken Flowers

"One hundred, honey, are you crazy?" John asked.

"Daddy, we might not get a penny out of them if we go to court, but you tell me, how many other people would ever use them again, it gets out what they did to a good, honest, hard working man? And to and innocent little three year old girl?" Annie asked. "Huh? They put us in a God damned storage closet!"

"And that's exactly what I'll tell them," Jesse agreed.

----

"Bye bye, cry baby!" Lily jeered as Gabriel slowly made his way to the front of the bus.

Gabriel paused, then shook his head and continued to trudge to the front of the bus.

"See you tomorrow," the bus driver cheerfully called out as she let the small blonde haired boy off the bus.

"Yes ma'am," Gabriel politely agreed.

He kept his head down as he trudged to the trailer he and Mommy and Paw-paw lived in.

Gabriel Florez was five years old. Five years old, and he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had his first report card in his back pack and it was not a perfect report card. And a mean little blonde haired girl was just adding to his misery.

He pulled the report card from his back pack and gave it to Mommy.

"A 'B' in Arithmetic?" Annie asked harshly. "You got a 'B' in arithmetic?"

She didn't say anything about the fie 'A's that he'd received, just kept yelling about the one 'B' on the report card.

"Okay, here's six quarters," John told the boy. "I told you, I'll give you a quarter for every A you got, right?"

"Yes sir," Gabriel agreed.

"So, here's six quarters, but you only got five 'A's, right?" John asked. "So, what do we do?"

"Um, we take one quarter away, right?" Gabriel asked.

"That's right," John encouraged. "Six minus one is five, right? See? Math isn't so hard, is it?"

Gabriel added the five quarters to his piggy bank and sat down at his desk to do his homework.

That was the last 'B' he would ever receive.

----

DeGarde Florist went out of business after Judge Melancon awarded Annette Florez a quarter of a million dollars.

The trucking line's lawyers were dressed down mightily for the attempted 'buyout' of four hundred dollars and were further ordered to pay Annie Florez two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, plus all court costs and Mrs. Annie Florez' legal fees.

The funeral home, seeing the outcome of the first two cases agreed to settle out of court for one hundred thousand dollars.

Jesse Johnson sneered at the beaten Kenneth Prejean.

"Hey Kenny," (he knew Kenneth Prejean hated being called Kenny.) "Better luck next time."

"Fuck you, Jesse," Kenneth muttered under his breath.

----

"Daddy?" Annie said after putting the bottle of beer down on the table. "I've been thinking."

"Oh, no, now we're in trouble," John smiled and put his own beer bottle down.

"Them flowers? I mean, if they'd been fresher, they'd been real nice," Annie said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I really would have liked to see some pretty flowers for Anita's coffin, instead of them old lilies they stuck up there. She was a real pretty little girl; she should have had some real pretty flowers," John said.

"Why I can't do that?" Annie asked.

"Do what?" John asked.

"Do flowers? I mean, why can't I do flowers? There's nothing out here in Bender and that old bitch? Katherine? Was yelling and carrying on that I was putting her out of business," Annie said.

"No ma'am," John said forcefully. "SHE put HERSELF out of business, dumping them old flowers on us, just because they was Mexican."

"But what you think? Think I could do that?" Annie asked.

Chapter 4

St. Thomas Aquinas' Homecoming Court of 2000 stood at mid-field, accepting the cheers and the good-matured jeers of their classmates.

The queen and the Maids in waiting held bouquets from Annie's Floral Designs. Each tuxedo lapel held a single rosebud from Annie's Floral Designs.

"Hey, Florez, you're flowers suck," Steve Hebert good-naturedly told Gabriel Florez, the Senior Escort.

"Fuck you, Hebert; they were fine until they got close to your ugly ass," Gabriel shot back.

"Shut up! They're beautiful!" Peggy Campion, the Homecoming queen shrilled.

At the end of the ceremony, Gabriel quickly got out the rack and placed each bouquet in their holders so that they'd be fresh and beautiful at the Homecoming Dance the following evening.

"Thanks, Gabe," Jeanette Simon, his date smiled.

"Anything for you," he smiled back.

"What a pussy!" Steve ribbed him. "Come on, Princess; let's go kick some Cabrini ass, huh?"

"When I get that back?" Cindy Jensen, the Junior Maid in Waiting demanded.

"Tomorrow night, then after that, it's yours to keep," he told the haughty girl.

"Good," she sneered and led Paul Robichaux away.

----

Gabriel wished that Paw-paw had been there to see the football game; Paw-paw had gone to all of Gabriel's games, even when his health had declined to the point that he had to sit in a wheelchair.

Paw-paw would have loved this game; St. Thomas Aquinas had come back from behind to win. It had been a real contest of skill and determination and a safety just before the two minute warning gave St. Thomas Aquinas a one point lead.

The last stroke had been the one that finally killed the large, powerful man. Paw-paw's death had pushed Mom even deeper into her anger and bitterness.

Gabriel could not remember a time when his Mom had been happy.

She would smile, she would laugh, and she would joke around with her clients. She would demand the best, and she would deliver the best. If a family could not afford flowers for a funeral, she would donate a simple but elegant wreath to the family. If a young bride could not afford flowers for her wedding, Annie would donate the bouquet. And it would not be a cheap, flimsy bouquet either.

But all of this was done with no real joy.

Even when she revealed to him that the gravesite he visited was not that of his real father, it had been done with no empathy, just flat, unemotional delivery.

"But, but, Florez!" Gabriel sputtered. "My last name is..."

"It was Young; Eddie adopted you," Annie said and shoved Gabriel's original birth certificate across the table to him.

"But my sister!" Gabriel cried.

"Well, yeah, she was your half-sister," Annie conceded.

"I don't care," Gabriel had said, setting his jaw firmly. "Eduardo Florez is my father and that's all there is to that."

"Good," Annie said, letting a rare true smile cross her face.

----

"God, Gabe, can't you drive anything else but this van?" Jeanette complained as he unlocked the door to the van.

Peggy and Cindy had both been absolute bitches all night. Peggy, because she was the Homecoming Queen, and Cindy because Cindy was just a bitch. And Lily Gauchet, formerly Jeanette's best friend, until Jeanette began dating Gabriel, had snidely told her that the only reason she'd even been voted as Senior Maid In Waiting was because she put out.

'Annie's Floral Designs' was stenciled on both sides and on the rear of the van, along with the address and telephone number. He'd bought it from his mother with the money he'd earned, working at her store after school and on weekends.

"Only car I got," Gabriel said as he set the bouquet rack into the rear of the van.

"So, the dance is at..." Jeanette asked, climbing into the van.

"Starts at seven but no one gets there until nine, nine thirty," Gabriel said. "So, I'll pick you up at seven, we'll go to Manny's, get something to eat, then..."

"Manny's?" Jeanette scoffed.

"What's wrong with Manny's," Gabriel said. "Where would you like to go eat?"

"La Scalia's," Jeanette said, naming the expensive Italian restaurant in Bender.

He did not answer her, just drove her home.

"So?" she asked before getting out of the van.

"So what?" he asked.

"You taking me to La Scalia's tomorrow?" she asked.

"I'm taking you to Manny's, or we're not going," he answered.

"Fine, ass hole," she huffed.

"So, pick you up at..." he said.

"Don't bother," she spat. "I'll find someone else to go with."

"Oh, okay," Gabriel said and waited until she got out before driving away.

"Fuck you, fucking ass hole," she screamed at his receding tail lights and stomped to her front door.

"Steve," his mother called out. "Telephone!"

"Hey Steve, Jeanette," Jeanette said into the telephone. "Hey, um, me and Gabe broke up, so um, I was wondering..."

----

"You look so stupid with that stupid sash on," Lily Gauchet sneered at Gabriel as he walked around the gymnasium.

Gabriel stared at her for a long moment. Finally, he simply turned and walked away from her.

Her brown eyes darkened and she scowled hatefully at him.

"You're such an ass hole, Gabriel, no wonder Jeanette dumped you," she spat and stomped off before he could respond.

"Man, that bitch has had it in for you all night, huh?" Kevin O'Brien asked as Gabriel stopped at the refreshment table.

"No, all my life, ever since kindergarten," Gabriel shrugged and sipped the nearly bitter punch. "Damn, think they could put some sugar in this or what?"

"It's unsweet; sugar's over there, lame brain," Kevin said.

Kevin looked over to where Lily was chattering and laughing with her friends.

"Yeah, pick her up, take her out to La Scalia's, and all I can hear is how Jeanette dumped you because you wouldn't take her to La Scalia's and I'm like, who the fuck cares?" Kevin said. "Think she heard me? Nah, just kept running her mouth on and on about what a loser you are."

"So, how long you two been..." Gabriel asked.

"Not," Kevin admitted. "She walked up to me and asked me if I would do this for her."

"Two bad," Gabriel said. "I was going to say, two of you make a cute couple."

"Yeah?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, we can all sit around and try to guess which one of you is hairier.

"Aw, fuck you, butt breath," Kevin laughed.

Where Iris had inherited her mother's beauty and feminine grace, Lily had gotten her father's physique. Her eyebrow was a unibrow, extending over both eyes in a heavy and dark line. She often had to pluck her upper lip and chin, and although no one among the boys had seen it, it was rumored that she even had a few tufts of dark brown hair on her chest, between her small breasts.

She had also inherited her father's short, stocky build, and lack of upper body strength; her arms and legs were toothpicks.

Kevin O'Brien, with his carrot orange hair and freckles, was a gorilla when he took off his shirt.

"God bless, man, you're a fucking rusty brillo pad, huh?" Grant Johnson had said the first time they'd dressed out for Physical Education.

"Seriously, dude, I hope you can make her smile; don't think I've ever seen it happen," Gabriel said and wandered off to talk with Grant and Peggy.

"Oh, no, I don't blame you," Lily told Jeanette. "I mean seriously, right? You told him this was something special, right? And he just wants to take you to Manny's, huh? I mean, what's that all about, huh?"

"Yeah, fucked up thing, though, guess where Steve takes me, huh?" Jeanette said.

"God, I can't believe Gabriel got voted Senior Escort," Lily scowled as Gabriel could be heard laughing at a joke Grant had told.

"I can't believe he came here by himself," Jeanette said, looking at the handsome young man.

"Oh? Loser couldn't find anyone desperate enough to go out with him?" Lily sneered.

"Hey, um, Lily? I was desperate enough to go out with him," Jeanette reminded her friend.

"But that's different," Lily quickly said.

"How, Lily?" Jeanette challenged.

After a moment, Lily remembered that she was there with Kevin and ran to find him so that they could dance.

At ten o'clock, the Homecoming court was again assembled and smiled for the photographs.

"I'm sorry," Jeanette mumbled as Gabriel stood next to her, posing and smiling for the camera.

"For what?" Gabriel asked, blinking as the harsh strobe light of the camera flashed.

"Manny's," Jeanette said. "That should have been okay, I mean, guess where Steve took me, huh?

"

"That's fine," Gabriel said, preparing to walk away.

"Wait, um," Jeanette said, grabbing onto his arm. "You um, you want to take me home after this?"

Gabriel looked at her for a long moment.

"Jeanette, that ain't right," he finally said. "You came here with Steve, not me. He's the one picked you up, took you out to eat, and I'm sure he's kind of hoping he'll get to take you home, too, you know?"

Steve looked at Gabriel's retreating back and nudged Paul Robichaux, the junior escort.

"That is a real friend, you know?" Steve said. "I mean, he just passed up a sure thing 'because it wouldn't have been right, you know?"

Jeanette watched as Gabriel left the gymnasium, and then slowly walked to the table where Lily and Kevin sat.

"Hey, watch this for me," she asked as she put her bouquet of flowers onto the table and Kevin nodded his head yes.

Jeanette went and found Steve as the music started again.

"Hey," he said, a little surprised.

"Dance a couple more times, then takes me home, okay?" she asked, fighting back the tears.

----

Annie Florez smiled tightly; Kenneth Prejean's mother passed away, but there had been no order for flowers from Annie's Floral Designs from the Prejean family. With great satisfaction, though, she noticed that several of Kenneth's friends and business associates did order from Annie's Floral Designs.

Gabriel entered the shop, nodded in greeting to his mother, and then entered the back of the shop to change out of his school clothing into his delivery clothing.

"Only five of them today," Annie said.

"Good, good, got a ton of homework," Gabriel said as he set up the racks to transport the flowers.

"Yeah, expect next week will be the real tidal wave," Annie said.

"Valentine's Day will be a bear," Gabriel agreed and scanned the tickets.

"Oh, God, great," Gabriel groaned as a familiar name popped up.

"What?" Annie said.

"Not Mrs. Meynard again," Gabriel groaned.

"Yeah, Charlie's still trying to win her back," Annie agreed.

(^After the birth of their third daughter, Daisy Gauchet, Charlie came to the conclusion that another woman would be better able to give him the son he deserved. One day, he simply told Cheryl he was leaving her for another woman and took two suitcases with him and left.

Justine Thibodaux promptly delivered Rose Gauchet and Violet Gauchet. In the meantime, Cheryl found out very quickly that she was still considered quite attractive, and would have no trouble replacing Charlie Gauchet.

Travis Meynard wined her, dined her, brought her flowers, and as soon as the ink dried on the decree of divorce, begged Cheryl to marry him.

Cheryl bore Travis Forest Meynard and Hunter Meynard, two rambunctious boys, then delivered Angelique Meynard, the absolute light of Travis' life.

Five years later, Charlie decided he wanted Cheryl again and began a campaign to win her heart.)

"As long as he pays for them, we'll deliver them," Annie said.

Gabriel didn't say anything, knowing it would be pointless to point out the problem to his mother. Cheryl was always very gracious in accepting the flowers, always very cordial in asking about his mother, and reminding him that she and Annie had gone to school together.

But, whenever he knocked on the door to the Meynard house, it was either Iris, or Lily that would yank the large door open. Iris would sneer at him and remind him that she used to beat him up when they were attending St. Richard's. Lily would just heap insult after insult at him.

Every now and then, Daisy would answer the door and would flirt outrageously with him. But, then Lily would push Daisy out of the way and begin her torrent of scathing remarks until Cheryl would finally order her daughter away.

Annie would just tell Gabriel what she always told him, "Suck it up and deal; they're clients of ours."

And Cheryl was a good tipper. Not overly generous, but she was consistent. Five dollars wasn't bad for ten minutes of work.

He decided to get that one out of the way first and located the vase and arrangement

"Wow, that is a nice one," Gabriel said, admiring the arrangement.

"Yeah, iris, lilies and daisies; the names of their three kids," Annie agreed.

"The vase is pretty nice too; leaded crystal?" Gabriel asked as he hefted it.

"Charlie's pulling out the big guns; said he even plans to buy her a diamond ring for Valentine's Day," Annie agreed.

"Mrs. Meynard already has a huge diamond ring," Gabriel said as he prepared to carry the first rack to his van.

He drove the van to the Meynard home and groaned as he saw an upstairs curtain move. He knew that had to be Lily's room and knew that she was probably hurtling down the stairs to be the first one to open the door.

Gabriel pasted a fate smiled on him; Cheryl opened the door before he even had a chance to knock.

"Let me guess," she smiled her dazzling smile. "Flowers. From Charlie?"

"Uh, yes ma'am," Gabriel agreed and almost smiled as he saw Lily's darkly scowling face behind her mother.

Lily denied her opportunity to verbally abuse her nemesis, contented herself with giving Gabriel the finger. She knew he wouldn't dare return the gesture with her mother looking right at him.

"Tell your momma hi for me," Cheryl said, handing Gabriel the usual five dollar bill gratuity.

"Yes ma'am, thank you, Mrs. Meynard," Gabriel said and quickly flipped Lily off as Cheryl turned her back to him.

Lily gasped and then scowled darkly at Gabriel's smirk.

"What?" Cheryl asked, noticing her daughter's dark scowl.

"Nothing," Lily spat and stomped away.

"Oh my God; he is sooo cute!" Daisy sighed as she watched Gabriel walk away.

"Yes, he is a fine looking young man," Cheryl agreed and dumped the flowers into the garbage can.

The vase was put in the closet; Cheryl did recognize it to be a very expensive vase and saw no reason to smash it like she had all the previous vases.

"Want me to talk with him: Travis asked softly as Cheryl sighed again over the flowers in the garbage can.

"Won't do any good," Cheryl sighed and read the card again and sighed as she dropped it into the can on top of the flowers.

----

Gabriel smiled easily at the classmates that came in to pick up their corsages for the Sweethearts dance.

"Why you not going?" Annie asked when the last corsage had been picked up.

"No one to go with," Gabriel shrugged.

"What ever happened to that Jeanette girl? She was cute," Annie suggested.

"Uh huh; she's going out with Steve, remember?" Gabriel said.

Gabriel could have gone to the Sweethearts Dance with Jeanette; she'd called him two weeks earlier and begged him to take her.

She had given Steve sex; she was no virgin anyway, so saw no reason to deny him. Steve Hebert very quickly came to expect it. Excuses that it was 'her time of the month' just meant that she would be giving Steve a blow job; a very one-sided activity.

Gabriel, she reflected, did not demand sex, did not expect sex, and did his very best to make sure that she enjoyed it as well whenever she did give him sex.

He could have gone with Heather Langlinais; the cute freckle faced cheerleader had all but promised him her virginity if he would take her.

She had heard the other girls talking; Gabriel was a good guy, and a good lover. She already knew he was a phenomenal kisser; she'd kissed him at the Halloween party that Peggy Campion had thrown.

Besides that, he kept his mouth shut. She knew he was a good lover, not because he bragged, but because his girlfriends bragged. Whenever a guy approached Gabriel to ask about this girl or that, Gabriel's stock response was "She's a beautiful girl; I was real happy to take her out." Period. If she did have sex with him, no one else would know. Unless she said anything about it.