Flowers
Gale Farris was not a born romantic. He didn't understand the concept of buying chocolate and flowers for a girl, nor did he find anything sweet about the hilarious chick flicks. In fact, if anything, he was a rather volatile individual; his mere presence enough to instigate some of the worst gang fights in local history. Jail? Nah, but he had been suspended and later expelled out of his high school.
He was, however, in love. Or at least, he thought so – if he was capable of it, he thought that this must be what it felt like. It was an accident that they met, really, but he was glad for fate. He always felt a little guilty over it, too. She no longer had full mobility of her right arm; having been caught in a particularly nasty fight that caused her to have nerve damage.
He'd shot her, too. Though to be fair, he hadn't been expecting a girl out of the blue to run up to him and scream at him to stop shooting; the shock of such pulling the trigger anyway. She had been like an angel on that battlefield, her presence calming people in the vicinity. It was the first time, in a while, that he had felt so at peace.
He'd taken her to the hospital, needlessly worried over this strange girl's wellbeing. Gale may've acted heartless, but in reality he did have a conscience. Despite the doctor's diagnosis, she remained so cheerful and happy towards him, and at first he hated. But then, he grew to love it.
He visited Bambi Ricci at her flower shop every day after she was released from the hospital. She was so easy to talk to. Eventually, he told her everything. She didn't judge him. She seemed a little scared, but she didn't judge him. She listened to him. That, above all, was the most jarring thing. He hadn't ever met a person like her before. Gale told her that she special, one of a kind. The look on her flushed face was so precious that he kissed her right there.
He stopped getting into fights. At Bambi's hesitant suggestion, he instead picked up a plethora of new hobbies. He was a master at Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, and his strategies at Monopoly were unbeatable. He went back to college to get a Bachelor's degree in English. For some reason, words intrigued him. She was always so hard on herself that he needed a dictionary to think of a new compliment that would catch her off guard. He loved that surprised look most.
After a year, they moved in together. They still went ice skating around Christmas time, much to Gale's displeasure. They decorated their own tree and baked cookies for Santa. They set out carrots for the reindeer and kissed under the mistletoe. Much to his chagrin, he was always picked to be an elf at friends' Christmas parties. He got her a Golden Retriever that she adored. She got him a box set of classic literature and a thermos for hot chocolate.
It wasn't too long after Bambi's college graduation that he began looking for an engagement ring. It was unfortunate that it had to be the day that armed burglars also came into the shop. Gale dealt with violence before. He could handle this type of situation. He'd grown soft, however, and was caught off guard by their guns.
He'd protected the shop and was going to die a hero. Really, he could not think of a better way for him to go out. He placed one last phone call as the paramedics arrived on the scene. It was not to Bambi. He couldn't worry her. She'd be devastated. It was, instead, to another florist shop. Before he died, he ordered a lifetime supply of red rose bouquets to be delivered to her randomly throughout her life. She needed reminders that she was damn special. Besides, she would never know when the next bouquet was coming. She'd be surprised every single time. He just wished he'd be able to see her face.
Gale Farris was not a born romantic. But he sure as hell died as one.