Leaving the world-weary denizens of Cheers to their beer mug solace, Sam and Diane hurried into the light of day to make their way across the Public Garden to Diane's place. Longing to finally… express what she was feeling, Diane's pace was brisk, and her heels clicked a steady beat on the path that would take them most directly along the diagonal to Arlington and then Commonwealth Street. Sam was as anxious as she was, and thought he'd seal the deal with the kind of romantic gesture she'd be powerless to resist. No way was he gonna let her change her mind about this again.
"Hey Diane, slow down a second here. Take a look at these." He gestured to a bed of lovely wildflowers in shades of crimson. He picked a few for her and presented them with a mock low bow. "For you, Miss Chambers." They weren't a dozen roses, but close enough, he figured.
Diane smiled broadly at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling in unbridled delight. Who'd have thought when she walked into Cheers that afternoon that she'd be leaving in such a whirlwind of idyllic ardor? It was almost too much to believe, but there he was- Sam Malone, sweeping her off her feet yet again. Now she wanted to break into a run back to her apartment, dragging him behind her. She could hardly wait to get him alone in the privacy of her home.
"Thank you, Sam," she flirted sweetly, her voice low and soft.
Slowly the smile faded from her face as she spotted a park ranger walking pointedly in their direction. Eyes wide, she hid the flowers behind her back. Nonononononoooo. Not now!
"What? What's wrong?" Sam asked, fearing his long-awaited day of all days lost on another Diane Chambers whim.
"Um… why, hello there, ranger. Lovely day, isn't it?" she offered nervously, directing Sam's attention to the fellow in uniform and Smokey the Bear hat standing behind him.
Sam spun around and his shoulders immediately slumped in frustration. Damn damn damn!
"You could say that," the ranger replied brusquely. "Do you know that it's against the law to pick flowers here in the garden?"
Sam rallied a smile and tried to lighten the mood.
"Is it? Well, good thing I brought some of my own from home. I never go to the garden without a bouquet."
Diane stifled a chuckle at his impromptu nonsense.
The cranky ranger was not amused.
"Wise guy, eh? I saw you pick 'em, and now you're trying to pull a fast one on me. Whaddaya take me for?"
Diane stepped between them in an effort to diffuse the tension.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. You see I had no idea-"
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse!" he interrupted, pulling out his ticket book and pen.
Diane sighed in resignation. He wasn't going to let them off with a warning, and would probably keep them there far longer than her passion could stand. She made eye contact with Sam, wordlessly conveying her frustration.
"Uh… officer..? I'm sorry, but how long is this gonna take?" Sam asked, also chomping at the bit to get on his way.
"It'll take as long as it takes. I've gotta fill this ticket out all the way, so you're just gonna have to wait. Your name and address?"
Thoroughly aggravated, but trying his best to control it, Sam closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead hard.
"Sam Malone. 82 Chestnut."
The ranger's ruddy face lit up like a pinball machine. His entire demeanor changed in an instant.
"Hey, I knew I knew you from someplace! Mayday Malone of the '75 Sox! Wow, my kid's gonna flip when I tell him…"
Despite the less than ideal circumstances, Diane felt a surge of pride at Sam being recognized. She'd never admit it, but she rather liked the attention he got for his athletic achievements. Perhaps it was a bit of some latent, unfulfilled high school fantasy of hers, but deep down, she found herself enjoying being on the arm of a handsome jock.
"Yeah, sure sure, say hi to him for me… Listen," Sam continued, pulling the officer aside conspiratorially, "Is there anything we can do to hurry this along? You see the lady and me were headed back to her place-"
"Sam!" Diane cried out, stopping him before he went too far. Her cheeks were as red as the flowers she clutched to her chest.
The ranger smiled in spite of himself. She was some dish alright. Legs for miles too. Who was he to get in the way of Mayday Malone scoring?
"Well, I already radioed it in and started filling out the ticket… How about you just pay the $10 fine and we'll call it square? I can fill out the rest on my time."
"Sure, no problem," Sam exhaled, as he reached for his wallet. "Damn! I left my wallet in my desk. We were in such a hurry, I-"
"Hey, I don't blame you buddy!" the officer sympathized, looking Diane up and down.
Diane was mortified. She would have gladly paid any fine they levied if she could just dig a hole in the nearest flower bed and crawl into it.
"I'll pay!" she piped up, "Here."
She reached into her purse and handed him the ten dollars, and turned to walk away before she was embarrassed any further. Sam hurriedly signed the ticket, praying his momentum hadn't been blown.
"Say, thanks, buddy," Sam added, chucking the ranger on the shoulder as he backed away, "I really appreciate it. Stop into Cheers anytime and ask for me- I'll buy you a beer. Bring your kid too and I'll sign a ball for 'im."
"Will do, Mayday… And hey, looks like you've got a win in the bag today!"
"Yeah.. yeah…" Sam shuffled uneasily, knowing Diane was hating this. "Go Sox."
"You betcha," the ranger leered, looking Diane over one more time. "Yessir…a big win. Mighty pretty one at that."
Sam quickly moved toward Diane and grabbed her hand as they walked away. The ranger let out a low wolf whistle in parting, and they both cringed, though neither could hide the small smiles tugging at the corners of their mouth. He slung his arm around her shoulders and Diane's anxiety melted away.
"Whaddaya say we get the hell outta here?" Sam grinned.
He pulled her close, tilting his head so that his twinkling blue eyes met hers and her heart leapt. To hell with that gauche fascist Smokey the Bear. This was their time.
"I couldn't agree more, Mayday."
The bucolic beauty of the flowers and trees became a colorful blur as their pace rapidly escalated from a slow walk to a breathless dash across the rest of the garden to Diane's brownstone.