Chapter 9: A night to remember
That week after mother's day, Loid made at less one thousand plans for his date with Yor but some of his ideas weren't satisfying enough for him.
He was really considering asking other females at work to know what they could suggest to him but of course he wouldn't ask Nightfall. She had been showing an unhealthy interest in replacing Yor and he was happy with her as his partner as the mother of the Forger family.
Besides, he noticed the butterflies he felt in his stomach everytime she kissed his cheek or when they held hands or when he kissed her cheek, in other words, every time they touched.
He never felt something like this in his life. He had been with many women before but none of them made him feel like this.
He called Mrs. Norris, one of the elderly nurses.
"Doctor Forger, is everything okay?" she asked in a kind tone and warm smile.
"Well... Last Sunday, I gave my wife a beautiful dress and she made me promise to take her on a date so she can use it, but..." He said blushing.
"But you have no idea where to take her right?" He nodded and she laughed "one of the smartest doctors but when it comes to his wife you are a dummy" she said with a kind smile.
"I want to take her to a nice place, but I'm not sure where. Last time we watched a movie and had dinner but I don't want to repeat myself or over do things"
"I see..." She said then she checked in her pocket and handed it to him "there will be a special night at the botanic garden. They brought a collection of flowers that bloom at night" she sighed "If only my dear Argus was still alive I would take him too"
"This seems amazing and very interesting" he looked at her and dared to ask "What happened? If you don't mind"
"He was a stubborn man and hated doctors so it was too late when they discovered he had cancer. He died last year. He was a brave man and he fought in that terrible war... I was one of the lucky women and also our son and daughter who had her husband and their father back"
Loid looked down sad "Yeah you definitely were lucky. I lost my mother and father because the military dropped bombs where I lived..." he said in a cold tone.
"War is terrible. Young people don't understand how terrible and how much you can lose in war" she said looking down remembering what she heard that morning on the radio. There are still people wishing to fight in a war.
"Sad but true" he said looking at her, remembering also those college kids he faced who were trying to send bomb dogs to his first ministry.
"I'm sorry I killed the good mood. You were planning a date and I started to talk about sad things..."
"Don't worry Mrs. Norris, I don't mind. It's a touchy subject but if we forget about it, our young people will forget about it and won't let future generations actually smile and be happy... like my daughter"
She smiled and patted his shoulder "You are a good father and husband, a little distracted but a good one" he blushed softly "See you later Doctor" she left his office and Loid smiled watching her leaving then looked back to the paper she handed him.
This was perfect and it said it will have a buffet after the exhibition is over. He smiled and looked at the door and there was Nightfall.
"What can I do for you Ms. Frost?" he asked, looking at her.
"I have the file of a new patient Doctor Forger" he walked to her and grabbed the file, it said he had a new mission on... no way... "I can't take it... I'm sorry. I have something planned for Operation Strix"
"Like...?" she said it, even colder than usual.
"I have a date with Yor" he said matter of factly "Part of this mission is to keep my partner happy and so we look like an actual married couple"
Fiona Frost looked at him, not believing he was just doing this for the mission or to keep Yor Brier happy, in her heart she could notice how her dear Twilight was falling for that woman, and she knew it had been her if she was free when he found out he needed a wife.
"There are no other agents available for it" she lied, she was free but she wanted to focus him back on his role as a spy.
"I will have to talk to the Handler so she can look for another agent. They all know my operation is a top priority" he said.
She cursed under her breath "Fine... I will do it, but don't get attached to those two. You aren't like that..." she said, turning around with tears in her eyes but her voice remained calm then she left without another word.
"There's nothing else I can do or say" she thought "he has feelings for her..."
After that Loid made sure to rent a car for them to take them to the botanic garden and back home. At six he went back home.
"I'm home" he said as Anya and Bond ran to him.
"Daddy! Today I had a good answer to a math problem!"
"Oh really?" he picked her up and hugged her "I guess the classes with Grandpa Sig are working" she nodded smiling.
"Yes, they are. I think Anya is already understanding it" said Yor from the kitchen "just like I'm doing with the cooking classes" she said smiling.
"Yes, I agree" he smiled back, then he hung his coat and his hat, then went to help Yor with some of the seasoning or to peel a potato, a task she still seems to struggle with.
When dinner was done, the three of them sat down and ate while talking about their day.
When they finished dinner and their dessert, Loid sent Anya to brush her teeth while he washed the dishes then he would read her a story.
The little girl did it while he was in the kitchen. After finishing, Loid went to her bedroom and read to his daughter one of her favorite stories, doing voices as she liked until the little girl fell asleep.
And when she did Loid went to the living were Yor was reading. He sat next to her.
"Story with voices?" She asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
"Yes, she knows I'm good at that since I changed my voice for a dwarf in one of the stories, now she wants me to do it with each character" Yor laughed "hey! Don't laugh, it's hard to do voices" she laughed more and he followed her laugh.
After a full minute laughing they were taking deep breaths trying to calm themselves "it's really sweet of you to make those voices for her and some are kind of cute"
"I never imagined myself doing it but I guess that's a great way to make a little kid happy, right?" the black haired woman nodded "and I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me this Saturday?" He asked, blushing a little.
"I would love to," she answered blushing.
When Saturday arrived Loid was lucky because Anya was invited to go to Becky's house again so he and Yor won't be worried about the time or dealing with Franky's annoyed face.
They took Anya to the Blackwell's car then both parents went to their apartment and had calm morning doing some cleaning then a little bit later each took a shower and went to get dressed and as promised Yor wore her new dress with her heels and she applied a little makeup then she walked out to find Loid wearing a black jacket and pants with a white shirt black tie.
He looked as handsome as ever, she realized he matched her dress with his own black suit.
On the other hand, Loid was in awe watching her, she looked really beautiful in that dress. The women at the tailor's shop knew exactly how to make a dress that fixed her body like a glove.
She noticed his blue eyes were watching her from head to toe and she blushed harder.
"Are we done?" She asked.
"Yes, we are" he offered his arm to him "I think you will enjoy what I prepared for you"
He led her to the door and opened it for her then they walked downstairs and by the time they reached the street a car appeared in front of them.
Then a man opened the door for them "Sir, madam" he bowed softly then watched as Yor got in, then Loid got in the seat in front of her.
The driver got in and drove to the botanical garden putting some soft music on the radio as he drove.
Loid and Yor chatted as he explained his plans. They will have lunch at the plaza and at four they will go to the garden to each ten flowers they brought that only bloom at night.
Yor was excited because she loved the flowers and having a whole exhibition of them will be amazing.
Loid also told her how he got the idea. She felt sad when he mentioned the story about Mrs. Norris' husband but at least she moved on and lives at peace now with the absence of her husband.
When they arrived the driver once again opened the door for them and promised he would be there at eleven. Anya will have a sleepover so they were relaxed about their daughter's sleep time.
He led her to a nice restaurant close by and had a seat outside. They ordered and continued to talk.
Yor truly loved when they were all together but for some reason today she was more happy about having Loid all by herself because she wanted to understand this feeling she has when he touches her hand or when she catches him looking at her when he thinks she doesn't notice it and what is this feeling she has when she looked at him, something she never felt for other men.
They ate and enjoyed each other's company. It was fun and relaxing. Loid was looking at her from time to time trying to read her expressions but as it happens to Anya, he was unable to do it. They were the only people he had never been able to read. And in a way he liked it. He liked the challenges and this one was one.
After eating and paying they left for the botanical garden "have you ever heard of the flowers that bloom at night?" She asked.
"Yes I did but never watched one, so this will be my first time" he smiles at her "and you?"
"I heard of them but never watched them" he smiled after what she said.
"Then this will be our first time watching flowers at night" he said and she smiled nodding at him.
Loid paid for his ticket, this gave them full access to the exhibition and the buffet at the end of the tour.
"Welcome everyone to the first day of our exhibition of night flowers. This collection of flowers are from all over the world and they are all beautiful and we are sure you will love them. Most of them bloom at night but some will bloom early like at twilight or at four or five" all the people nodded.
They gave them a brochure and at four, they stood in front of it and the guide said "Here we have the Four O'Clock Alba, true to its name, this flower starts unfolding its petals in the late afternoon and remains on display through the night. This airy, bushy perennial—which features large white blossoms against deep green foliage—also unleashes a light citrusy scent that fills the evening air"
"Wow... They are beautiful" said Yor watching how the flowers bloom before her eyes and their smell hit her nose "and the smell is just like the guide said''
"Most definitely, they are amazing," added Loid, smiling.
The guide was next to an expert checking their watches and the flowers to call the people to check them out. And at six they called the people and the guide said "Next in our tour we have the Evening Primrose, which begins its show just as the sun starts to set and continues through the late evening. It's a perennial that blooms from spring through late summer and has an interesting appearance with rosette-like flowers that bloom atop a tall stem covered in soft hairs"
"They begin to open up before the twilight hours in the most delicate pink-and-white colors," added Hedwig Winston, their botanical expert "I love primrose for their ease of care. They are a very hardy plant and look wonderful in most gardens."
They all stayed there watching in awe the beautiful flowers. Some new people were arriving watching each flower group and taking photos. Loid decided to bring his camera and take beautiful photos.
At night the rest of the flowers started to bloom so the guide led them to each one.
"Here we have the Moonflower, which is the nighttime sister to the beautiful morning glory, only it comes alive under the evening stars"
"These creamy white blooms open in the evening and only stay in bloom at night," said Gabe Sanders, an expert of the botanical garden, he continues saying "I'm partial to any morning glory because of their delicate shape and how they drape around a garden. They are just so stunning, and I think the uniqueness of this one only adds to their allure."
All the people took photos of the flowers. Loid was making sure Yor was in each photo he was taking of the flowers, he asked another couple to take a photo of them. He did it by the twilight flower, since they shared that moment of the day.
After some more photos, the guide took them to the next flower "now this is the Night Phlox is a captivating flowering plant that's native to South Africa"
"Its blooms resemble small daisies and release a sweet and honey-like fragrance after the sun goes down," said Eric Garden, another expert, and owner of some of the flowers, then he added "The leaves form a dense, low-growing clump that looks lush and green."
"If you want to have them in your own garden, this is an ideal choice for borders, rock gardens, and containers"
They continued the tour around the botanical garden watching flowers like the Gardenia or the Night Blooming Jasmine, they also watched the Mock Orange.
"This the Casa Blanca Lily, for a magnificent flower that blooms at night, look no further than the Casa Blanca lily. As its name suggests, this perennial produces large white blooms with red-brown anthers, dazzling passersby all summer long. These blossoms sit atop a tall, rigid, and leafy stem. Like other lilies, its flowers are toxic to pets, so make sure, if you want to have them at home, to keep them out of reach of your furry friends"
"It's so sad Bond couldn't have a nice look of them, I know he's smart but he wouldn't know this before flower could be lethal for him"
"Yes but I don't plan on having a garden in our small apartment," he said, half joking and half serious. Yor laughed and nodded.
"I'm agree, as much as I love flowers, they belong to a beautiful place like this one or a big garden"
"Now there is the Queen of the Night Cactus, a flowering variety native to North America's Sonoran Desert. Their white or yellow blossoms are large and trumpet-shaped and sit in stark contrast to the tough, prickly cactus exterior"
"Chances are, you've seen this cactus and had no idea its real beauty was best seen at night," said Garden, the expert. "For anyone in the Southwest, this is a great, low-maintenance choice to give variety to a garden or landscape."
And he was right, one of Twilight's missions took him to North America and he ended up in a desertic zone and he witnessed those cacti at night but it looked so boring and not as pretty as it looks right now.
"I will take some pictures and show them to Dawn, the agent who was with me, back then" he thought, smiling softly.
"The last flower in our tour is the Nocturnum Orchid. Those living in a wet, tropical climate can enjoy the beauty of the aptly named Nocturnum orchid. It produces long, dark green foliage and otherworldly white blossoms that take on a peculiar shape. What's also remarkable about this night-blooming flower is its intoxicating fragrance. It's been described as a fruity flower akin to strawberry or raspberry"
The nice smell of that flower hit Yor and Loid and they were fascinated by it. They took some more photos and smiled as a nice man accepted to take a picture of them "You should kiss" suggested the man "Because I believed you are married" they blushed softly but Yor, who was always to one with the less courage did something unexpected and kissed his cheek but way too close to his lips that tricked the angel to look like a real kiss on the lips. They blushed deeply and the guy, happy with his photo, left them.
"This has been a beautiful evening. Surrounded by beautiful and breathtaking flowers" said Yor blushing a little and smiling big at her husband "thank you for this beautiful night"
He blushed softly "I'm so happy that you liked this. I was looking for the perfect evening for us" he smiled at her "and the last part of the date will a buffet at the end of the exhibition"
"Oh! Sounds great" she laughed and he led her to the restaurant in the garden. It had a couple of people in there so they took a tail and they got what they wanted and went to a table.
They ate and talked about the tour and how interesting it was. Loid could tell she was into the theme of flowers, but somehow he doubted she could keep them alive, you could call it a gut feeling.
He picked dessert for them and the place started to get crowded so they were happy to be there earlier and be able to eat first.
"This place is beautiful and I would love to bring Anya, maybe not to see this particular exhibition because it's too late for her but other exhibitions could be nice for her, and maybe ask the Blackbell's to let Becky comes too"
"That's a great idea" he smiled "I will ask them, I wrote their number down" Yor clapped excited and smiled big at him.
At eleven they left the building after buying something at the gift shop for Anya and Bond and some decoration for their house. They headed to the plaza and she held his hand as they walked, this action felt so right to both of them and they were comfortable by that action.
They arrived just in time and opened the door for his passengers and this time Yor talked to him really animated about everything they watched there. She sounded so happy that Loid thought about Mrs. Norris and how he would give her one of the gifts they brought at the store to thank her.
They got home and after getting out Loid and Yor walked in and went to their rooms with a big smile on their face and Loid was expecting the next day to reveal the photos they took that day.
OOooOOooOO
I hope you like this. I would like to add that I got the information about the flowers using the Martha Stewart website.