so there i was on the corner of jpa and fontaine, standing in the wet and barely balancing three large bundles of flowers in my arms, constantly catching at a bag that kept falling off my right shoulder, and muttering impolite things while fumbling for loose change to call bob from a phone booth. this is why it's so important not to drop your cellphone from a great height onto concrete. i needed bob to put the flowers into a pail of water until tomorrow evening when i can wrap them up and bring them to the nohrnbergs. last week the flower market was a riot of blooms in every conceivable colour and i was so sure i could get my orchids or tulips this week - but i pushed open the door to find only a few pails of sunflowers and half-wilted peonies today. (i looked for flowers at the farmers' market too, but the rain had left those there looking woebegone. so there i only picked out some white peonies and dutch irises half-heartedly) no orchids? any tulips? there were only 12 tulips left, and the very last ones, and i asked anxiously what colour they were. they're pale pink, to my relief, and quite lovely, and i have some very pretty green paper that would go well with them, so i can wrap them tomorrow at bob's. no one answered bob's home or cellphone, but i had got off the bus at fontaine because i was that close to his place and i thought i might as well drop the flowers off now than to make a second trip. and since i had got off the bus and was standing by the road foolishly i might as well try even if he turns out really not to be home. i marched determinedly on and gave his door a hearty buffet. no response, although the silver mazda was parked out front. i wobble off the front step and drop the peonies. when the explosion of petals had settled down i thought, alright, it will have to be the tulips. an hour later i rang again. bob answered this time. he'd been home and heard me prod the doorbell, but he'd just woken up and was a mess. vanity! i said accusingly, and went trotting back to his place. i reflected that they did really look charming, and bob concurs. i hope mrs n likes flowers! now i'll have to go look for something to wear for dinner - bob's wearing a tie, so i'm getting dressed up too!