Tale of (Temporary) Misery

Weddings are stressful times.

Duh, Kate...who didn't know that?

But there's a difference between stress and SOMETHING MAJOR WENT WRONG!

Lyn and I were out shopping for clothes to wear this weekend, and Marsha called to see where we were. We had an item with us that Marsha needed to return, so she was tracking us down to pick the item up.

When we saw her, she looked troubled.

"It's been a pretty horrible day," she said.

"Why?" "What happened?" we chorused.

The tears started to well up in Marsha's eyes, but she forced them back.

You see, Marsha is not one of those girls who needs orchids and other exotic flowers for the wedding. She loves the old fashioned flowers. Zinnias are her favorite; they are bright, come in lots of colors, and are pretty durable. For a year she's planned to have zinnias and only zinnias as her bouquet, corsages, and decorative flowers. She planted enough in her own garden for her bouquet. Another friend was in charge of getting the other flowers lined up and had done so successfully.

Yesterday afternoon, her friend called.

"I have bad news," she said.

We had "frost" in several parts of the state last weekend. The lady who was growing the flowers either didn't cover them, or covered them and the frost got 'em anyway.

No zinnias. But, instead of calling right away, she waited because she wanted to see if the remaining buds would bloom out.

To my knowledge, once frost hits, most of the time all growth stops. An exception would be a very fluid-filled stem, like bleeding heart, for example. They can recover from a frost many times. But, a zinnia doesn't have that kind of fluid carrying capacity.

So, the only zinnias left were the ones Marsha had for her bouquet.

For another minute or so, she was very brave.

"It's okay...we'll just have to get along without them. There just won't be vases on the table or decorating the bridge." (It's an outdoor wedding.)

And then the tears just couldn't be stopped. And, she cried. Lyn and I both reached out and pulled her in and she melted into my embrace and cried just a little bit more and then choked the rest of the tears back.

She apologized for making a big deal about it. Lyn and I were aghast.

"It IS a big deal, Marsha! These are your flowers!"

"At least I'll have my bouquet."

We then discussed possibilities. Marsha decided to take a chance on the area farmers market, which, luckily, was tonight.

I had a message on the machine which told me that somehow, the flower problem had been solved - how, I don't know, but she was so happy:)

I'll edit in what happened when I hear about it myself.