I trudged into the building, my tired body struggling, my eyes still burning and bloodshot from hours of crying.
My boss wanted to know what was wrong so I told him. As was his way, he shrugged it off and told me there were other fish in the sea or some crap like that.
But he was supposed to be MY fish. Forever. I had known it from the start. Or so I thought. He apparently didn’t want Forever so I told him goodbye. I set him free…
I put my purse in the file cabinet and walked out on the floor acting ready to sell furniture. Maybe if I told my customers my sob story they would have pity on me and be inclined to buy more from me.
What I really wanted to do was go back to my one-bedroom apartment and crawl back under the covers and bawl some more for the life I thought was going to be. For the relationship I longed to have back.
The last thing I wanted to do was put on a fake smile and act like I was happy to see strangers with good credit scores to use toward sofas and pillow-top mattresses.
I leaned over the counter waiting for my “up” when a man walked in with a large bouquet of flowers covering his face. The assistant manager, my friend Mac, signed for them, looked at the card and then at me.
“They’re for you.”
“No way,” I said.
“Yup.”
And there sat a dozen garnet-colored roses from the man I’d just broken up with.
I called him with anger in my voice, tears welling again. I asked him why he would do such a thing. Why would he send me a beautiful bouquet of roses that were the color of LOVE?
His reply, “They were supposed to be yellow – for friendship.”
“Well, they are not,“ I said. “They are as red as the blood that courses through my veins.”
Then I hung up. And cried. Again.
This week we had to give a memory of the color RED.
This story is about me and my husband. In retrospect I’m glad the roses were red and not yellow because I take that as a sign to this day, that Tim and I would end up together, as we have. He was trying to cheer me up while we were broken up for a bit, before he decided there was no way he could live without me…. 
awww, i’m glad they were red, too.
although his, “they were supposed to be yellow,” actually made me giggle a little bit, because that is totally something ken would have said.
i’m loving these peeks back into your life, e.
Hey! You weren’t supposed to use the word “red.”
Love this story, though…I love reading about how we all found love.
I love when people share their stories, when they give us the visual of the heartache, the sadness, the pure emotion.
this was a great story…:)
I loved this story. Especially since y’all got together.
ps, Maybe you could change the first red to bloodshot and the second one to crimson.
Heartbreaking. I’m so sorry. I can imagine how hard this was.
And who sends a dozen roses, regadless of color, to a friend? Jerk
Ouch! Although honestly, even the yellow ones probably would have rubbed me wrong at that time.
Aww. I’m glad things worked out for the two of you!
Ahhhh. The story is so much better knowing that you got back together!
I love it! I totally felt your anger and frustration. Good job Elaine!
I’m laughing at Tim (sorry Tim) – “They were supposed to be yellow?”
Ranks right up there with “I carried a watermelon.”
Glad you came to your senses man! (Love you E. Great story!)
I won’t give you trouble for using the word red since others already did.
I loved this and loved that it is your husband you were talking about
I agree with some of the comments – I probably would’ve been angry yellow, red or even purple.
Oh! the “they were supposed to be yellow” comment made me laugh…such a man thing. Glad you two ended up together! Ya’ll make some cuuuuuute babies!
How could he think he could live even one day without wonderful, fabulous you?
I could feel every word of this story.
I oh I was ticked off for you until I read your blurb down below. I could feel your emotion in this. Lovely writing, my friend.
xo
I love your story with a happy ending. My husband and I broke up too before we got back together. We broke up after him trying to teach me to ski. Bad idea!
Elaine, you are a great writer, and I love that his accident of red roses was a sign of things to come… aww!
oh sweetie, my heart aches for this moment in your life. whichever color they were, that would not have helped me at all. Id have been angry and hurt, and understand why you cried again. Well written and very heartbreaking. *HUG*
I’m so glad you added the footnote. Gah, men can be so dumb, huh?
Funny thing about roses: I hated them for years…until my husband bought them for me. Happy sighs.
I love how you told this, I felt your sadness and frustration.
I could hear him sheepishly mutter the line about the colour of the roses. Well-written.
And yes, thanks for the postscript!
FOR THE RECORD:
They WERE supposed to be Yellow. Yes, it was kinda of a bone-headed idea, I’ll own that. NO, I’m not sorry they are RED. AND… it’s all a moot point anyway because I came to my senses!!!
Love you, babes…MWAH!!