It was another busy day at the shop. Flowers had been delivered, the back freezer needed to be repaired, and Sarah had a wedding to prepare for. Sarah had her list of things to do and had made a good dent in it by the time lunch was delivered. Stretching and rubbing her neck, Sarah stood to take her just finished arrangement of calla lilies and lemon leaf to the front display freezer. She was stopped in the doorway by a bubbly, curly blonde girl holding an order ticket.
"Sarah, I just got another order for a dozen roses! Love is in the air today! Red roses and baby's breath – how romantic! Can we get it done by two so we can get it on the truck for the afternoon delivery?"
"Of course we can, Poly. Put it on my clipboard and I will work on it next," Sarah said to her assistant and long time friend; she paused to take a breath and continued, "Oh, and please remember, baby's breath is boring. Offer other options, like monte cristo, wax flowers, or other greens instead. There are also more choices besides roses, like lilies and gerbera daisies. It helps to let our customers know we care about their bouquet choices and we are happy to offer them customized options they can't get anywhere else."
"Sorry, Sarah. I always forget. It just reminds me so much of when I was a little girl and would play princess. It is just so romantic and that is what was always given to the princess in the story, so I always think of that," the blonde girl said while spinning.
Sighing, Sarah handed Poly the arrangement and shook her head.
"I know, I know. Just keep in mind options are always nice, and most will always choose baby's breath anyways."
"I'll remember, Sarah," Poly said, giggling as she left the work room with the arrangement in hand and waited in the front and for the next customer to come in.
"Some people just have no imagination and will always choose the same thing over and over again, no matter how boring the choice," she said softly.
Looking at the two, a stranger would see the girls as opposites. Sarah's long dark hair was offset by Poly's short, curly, blonde hair. Their eyes were a stark difference with Sarah's being chocolate brown with a hint of emerald green and Poly's ice blue. Jeans and flats were Sarah's preferred casual style, but Poly expressed her romantic personality with feminine dresses and whimsical shoes.
From Sarah's view, Poly was the friend who was always supportive when she had time to be. Poly was very involved with her own life leaving no room anyone but herself. Poly rarely took the chance to become deeply involved with others, Sarah included. But being the ever noble person Sarah was, she always made time for her friend when occasion called.
The two friends had known each other since high school and after a few weeks of awkward encounters and several sleepovers later, the two had a bond built. It may not be your typical friendship, but it was there.
Sarah mused at how opposite they were on the outside, but underneath, they were more alike than either girl originally thought.
Both girls had their family torn apart from their mothers having an affair and who turned their backs on their daughters. This is the first thing they found in common the day Poly moved in next door. Of course, neither girl wished the other to know, but, their fathers were talking and each shared their story with their girls nearby
"Yes, it was hard for Poly – when her mother left that is. Poor girl cried herself to sleep every night, wouldn't sleep without her doll for years," Poly's father, Dave, shared.
"Poor, Sarah. I thought for sure she would show her feelings, but she never cried. This had me feeling more helpless than if she would have cried."
Sarah and Poly just looked at each other and each said their own mumbled apologies for their fathers. The girls were on the porch while their fathers were in the drive way, neither girl not sure what to say to the other.
"Part of me believes she was trying to be strong for me and to not let me see she was hurting. She really has the most amazing heart, she does. Never once have I heard her say a bad thing about another."
"You mean, she handled you telling her about Karen well?" Dave said with a bit of hope in his voice.
Sarah's father, Robert, chuckled and continued, "You know, now that you mention it, Sarah and Karen at first did not get along. They would fight all the time, and it was hard on us all. I honestly felt torn between my little girl and the woman I had fallen in love with. But shortly after Toby was born, everything seemed to fix itself."
"Very interesting. Do you know why things changed between them?"
"I wish I could say. But I think Sarah loved her brother enough she didn't want anything to come between them, and so she decided to give Karen a fair shot and work it out for his sake."
"That's really great, Robert. I have thought about dating over the years, but I just can't seem to. I have put Poly first and can't think of shifting my balance or priorities to anyone else but her. She is really all I have and I would give everything to her."
"Maybe one day when the time is right you will be able to find a way to give your love to more than just her. If it happened to me, it can happen for you."
As the two girls heard their fathers saying their goodbyes they looked at each other and blushed. Poly was the first to speak.
"Just so you know, I never asked him to sacrifice for me. He just did it, and I don't really know why he would. It's not like I'm really special or anything."
Sarah looked at the girl. Tears were beginning to form and she became uncomfortable and blurted out the first thing which came to mind.
"You know, you are lucky though. Even though I love my brother, I still sometimes think about how it would be if it was just my dad and me. You know, I would always be able to pick the vacation for the year, get all the books I wanted, and wouldn't have had to suffer through the diapers he had."
Poly then looked up with a puzzled look on her face. Later she would admit to Sarah that her father, Dave, really did spoil her and she doubted she'd have been happy if he remarried.
"Umm, okay."
"Well, good to meet you, Poly. If you need anything –"
"I'll call," and with that Poly left Sarah standing stuck in the same spot with a look of déjà vu on her face.
"Either we both have read the book, or this will be an interesting friendship indeed."
