Roses & Orchids

She hated cut flowers. When the roses arrived, she cringed. Dutifully, she placed them in crystal vases, waiting for him to come home and approve. Quietly, she watched as he carried the largest into the bedroom and placed it on the dresser. There, he said, now you can see it every morning while I'm away. 

Secretly, she pictured Morticia Addams cutting the heads off the roses and placing the the stems in the vase. The thorns were more appropriate. The roses would open and die away but, the thorns would remain and sharpen with age.

She hoped that next time, he would just bring her an orchid plant. That would live as long as she cared for it.