A guy in mourning over his wife approaches a store to purchase flowers for her burial. However, he discovers that the store refuses to service a poor girl. The guy pays for the girl’s flowers in a gesture inspired by his late wife. He had no idea how quickly that compassion would be returned to him. This narrative was inspired by a reader’s report on AmoMama, where the occurrence was first published. Nick and Lauren used to look forward to Sundays.
It was their day to sleep late, eat pancakes, laugh, and enjoy one another’s company. They were ecstatic to begin a family. So when Lauren received the positive pregnancy test, they rejoiced. They spent the day snuggling in bed, daydreaming about what it would be like to be parents. Only a few months later, Lauren jolted Nick awake by grasping his arm and sobbing in agony. He hurried her to the hospital and sat in the waiting room for hours…
Finally, a doctor came out to meet with Nick, but what he heard was not what he wanted to hear. Lauren had died, and with her, their unborn child. Sunday has arrived. Nick’s day was permanently ruined. Two years had gone by, yet it seemed like Lauren had died yesterday to Nick. The shroud of sadness enveloped him. He couldn’t get rid of the sensation that he was incomplete, no matter how hard he tried. That he would never be able to recover from.
He became so used to visiting Lauren’s cemetery every week that the florist knew to make his bouquet before he arrived. Lauren’s favorite, lily of the valley, was surrounded with baby’s breath. There was also a jasmine twig, which reminded Nick of the scent of her perfume. But one week, Nick walked in to discover a late-teenage girl fighting with the florist. She was pleading with him for a lily arrangement, weeping that she needed them for someone important.
The florist, however, declined since she did not have enough money. That bouquet, after all, was saved for one of his regulars. The girl, on the other hand, refused to let up, promising to sweep the floor or do any other task the business required. Nothing could shake the florist. Finally, Nick moved forward. The girl argued over the bouquet she had created for him, but Nick paid for them and handed them to her.
The girl felt tearful as she clutched the bundle, claiming that the fragrance reminded her of someone she had lost. Nick exited the store with another arrangement of lilies. He was OK with giving up the original bouquet. Lauren was a very nice person who even worked as a social worker for troubled adolescents. She was constantly looking for ways to assist others, and if she had been in Nick’s shoes, she would have purchased the flowers for the girl right away.
Nick’s searing anguish surfaced as he thought of Lauren and her good actions. He tried to think of only joyful memories on his trip to the cemetery, but even those were tinged with anguish. They brought up memories of how much he had lost. He was startled to see a girl kneeling beside Lauren’s grave, placing a bouquet of lilies and baby’s breath on the gravestone. It was the florist’s assistant. When Nick approached, the girl was startled that he too knew Lauren, and she was even more surprised when he told her she was his wife.
Georgina, the girl who introduced herself, stated she didn’t know Lauren had died until the day before. It was unexpected. It was difficult to imagine that someone so cheerful and full of life could have died. Lauren has worked with several teenagers, including Georgina. She assisted Georgina in leaving an abusive household and finding a secure place to live. Lauren always kept a vase of lilies in her office, Georgina had noted. “From my hubby,” she said. She eventually confronted him.
Nick asked Georgina to join him for a cup of coffee so they could continue their conversation. Hearing more about his wife from someone he had never met before was fantastic. Georgina agreed, and they spoke about Lauren for hours at a little café. Georgina’s 18th birthday was approaching, which meant she would be out of foster care. She sought Lauren’s guidance on what to do next. Lauren was unable to assist her any longer. Nick, on the other hand, opted to continue Lauren’s job.
If Lauren wished, he offered her a place at his home. They continued to meet and became great friends. When Georgina reached 18, she accepted his offer and moved into his and Lauren’s home, where she attended college nearby. Nick legally adopted her a year later. Georgina was the kid he and Lauren had longed for, he realized. Lauren had assisted her when she was younger, and he pledged to be Georgina’s family for the rest of their life, carrying on Lauren’s compassion tradition.