Special Delivery

by Pat Geltner

The roses were so beautiful. She'd never seen so many roses. Of course that meant that Avery had won and he had sent them in his exuberance.

She reached up and let Blue Boy out of his cage so she could share her joy with her little friend. Life would be different now. She'd be sharing it with Avery, too. That was all she cared about. The money didn't matter.

She arranged some of the roses in a basket--smelling them, reveling in them as she worked. Then she noticed the gift card that must have fallen to the floor. She sat down to consciously savor Avery's words. "My dearest Inez," it read. "It was all awarded to me. Everything. I begged them to let me take the emerald necklace now, which they did. I can't wait to see how it matches your eyes. Green--like the grass, like your eyes, like the money. Love forever, Avery. P, S. I'm sending Jane a small bouquet and our thanks. I'm sure she'll understand."

Jane sat in the chair for a long, long time.

Copyright 2006, Pat Geltner. All rights reserved.