The Tulip Terror

by C L Bauer

  Soon, the florists were decorating the aisle with long ivory satin bows and touches of greenery. Abby remarked that a few of the Easter lilies belonged in the trash and not around the altar. She looked up to see the pastor at the back of the church.

  “I’m going to check with Father about these lilies, Lily,” Abby snorted with laughter. “Get it, lilies, Lily?”

  Lily shook her head. Sarcastically, she answered. “I’ve never heard that one, Abs. After you do that, could you begin checking the bouquets?”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Abby was still amused at her modest joke as she headed to the back.

  Finally, and officially, spring was here. The church was still decorated from the Easter celebrations. Lily fluffed the last bow on the aisle and met Abby. She was lifting out the first bouquet, examining every bloom and pulling off the outer guard rose petals. The guard petals protected the beauty of the rose and they usually pulled them off after transport.

  “Father said we could move things around. His wedding coordinator won’t be here today. She’s on a cruise.”

  Lily sat down next to the flower boxes and watched Abby work. “I’ll check with the bride when she arrives about how she wants it to look.” Lily paused to watch her helper. She was mesmerized by the soft look on Abby’s face and her dedication to perfection. “You really love doing that, don’t you?”

  “I guess I do. I never thought I’d still be doing this. When I walked in your shop that day, almost four years now, I just thought it would be a summer job.”

  “And yet, here you are,” Lily remarked softly. “Abby, I’ve already made you a manager and now--”

  Abby looked up suddenly from her work. “You’ve reconsidered?” Lily could hear the panic in her voice.

  “Oh no. You are still the manager. I’m just wondering if maybe, maybe you might want to take over some day.”

  Abby smiled and began on another bouquet. “I haven’t thought about it. Really, I think it should always be Lily’s and you should own it. I like the title of manager. Did you get my business cards yet?”

  Lily smiled. There were times when she did forget to do one or two items on her list, and those business cards had been neglected for two weeks. “I’m sorry. They should be here next week and then you can start passing them out all over town.”

  “I thought I’d start at my old highschool. There’s a few teachers who thought I’d never do anything except ask if you wanted your salad to come first or with your meal. I could’ve made great tip money as a server, but this is way better. I want to wave a business card right under their noses.”

  Lily’s eyes widened. Memo to self, do not underestimate Abs, ever. Actually, there wasn’t a week that went by when Abby didn’t surpass expectations. She was a force; maybe not a hurricane, but she was definitely a water spout.

  The bridal party began to enter the church and Lily went to work pinning on boutonnieres and corsages. Everyone was congregating for a few photos before the ceremony. Father McKenzie had returned to joke with the men about the Royals’ baseball game last night. The bridal party had attended the game as had many of their guests including their officiant. He was a close friend of the groom’s father. Apparently, the Royals’ mascot had abducted the bride for a tour of the stadium. She left in the third inning and returned in the fifth. The groom hadn’t even noticed she was missing.

  Between the conversation and laughing, the sound in the foyer was deafening. Lily and Abby stepped outside to wait for the bride. It was a beautiful spring day and the only sound came from the warbling birds. And then the sirens down the street. Originally, they’d heard them when they were delivering the last boxes into the sanctuary.

  “That must mean a big crash or something that it took them that long to clean up,” Abby said. She was sitting on one of the large concrete pillars on the edge of the steps. “Maybe they had to cut somebody out.”

  “Well, that’s a grim thought,” Lily reprimanded. Abby just shrugged her shoulders.

  “It might have been a fire?”

  “Let’s hope that whatever doesn’t goof up the traffic to get here. We are still missing a bride and a couple of family members.”

  Abby agreed. “You know, both moms and dads are missing, the bride and a couple of the bridesmaids.”

  “As soon as the bride gets here, we need to check with her if she wants us to move some of those Easter lilies. Then, we will be done for the day. Getting up early and decorating the club at eight in the morning gives us almost an entire day off.” Lily was beginning to want Saturdays off. She wasn’t in the best business to continue that behavior.

  “Does Father Mac really need us to stay?” Abby really didn’t want to; she was ready to get out of her work clothes and into a pair of shorts for the first time in months. It had been a long, dreary, cold, nasty winter. Although Lily liked the cold, she preferred to sweat and didn’t mind it one bit.

  Father McKenzie popped his head out. “Any sign of the rest of them? The groom is a little worried, and rightly so. She was angry at that boy last night.” The priest couldn’t contain his laughter. He pointed at the two women. “Young love, don’t either one of you do it.”

  “Too late, Father,” Lily admitted. Abby and she flashed their engagement rings in front of his face.

  “Dog gone. You both had a busy winter, didn’t you? Do I get to meet these men?” He took both of their left hands in his and studied the tokens of love.

  “Probably not,” Abby admitted. “He’s at Georgetown getting his masters and then he is on his way to the FBI.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed.”

  “Oh, don’t be,” Abby. “Ask her what hers does.”

  “I’ll bite. My little florist, what does yours do and do I get to meet him?” He freed both of their hands and hugged Lily.

  “He’s a DEA agent. Some day, I want you to meet him.” Preferably on our wedding day.

  The priest looked over toward Abby and winked. “I think he does win.”

  “And he is an undercover one,” Abby added. “He seems like a very dangerous dude, but he’s actually a big dork.”

  He kissed the top of Lily’s head. “I’m so happy you found your dork. Hopefully, you’ll be married here?”

  “Not sure, Father. His schedule, my schedule makes it very difficult to pin down a date. Sometimes it’s hard just talking to each other. He says it will be better this summer.”

  Father Mac held her a little tighter. “Just let me know. I can be ready on a moment’s notice just to get you married, finally.” He emphasized the last word. Lily playfully hit him in the rib cage. “So where is our bride? Ah, there’s the limo and a couple of cars.”

  You know when you just know that something is very wrong? Lily had that feeling as soon as she saw the bride depart the limousine. Her flowing satin and tulle emerged before she did, helped by the two missing bridesmaids. Her face was sullen, all color drained. One of the maids was crying freely. She wiped the tears with the backside of her hand. No makeup remained. The other maid was propping her up and attempting to assist the bride.

  The other cars had parked and sets of parents were headed toward the church.

  “Something is very wrong,” the priest murmured. He headed over to the bride and hugged her in his arms.

  “What do you think it is?” Abby questioned. She stood closer to Lily. She was terrified, but her boss was calm.

  Lily saw both sets of parents and a few other family members. They all gathered around the bride and the one crying bridesmaid. Father was explaining something to them and then their heads bowed in prayer.

  “Christ,” Lily whispered. It was more of a prayer, but it came out of her mouth as profanity. “This is bad.”

  After the prayer, they came toward the door and the two florists stepped aside. Now was not the time to ask anything. They dropped to the back and entered the church last. Father Mac had everyone come into the sanctuary, sitting in the first two pews. He talked briefly with the couple an
d their parents. There were slight nods to whatever was agreed upon. The photographer was nervously pacing back and forth. He wanted to get his photos started. The pastor motioned him to sit down and everyone else took their seats. Even Lily and Abby held hands as they sat by silently.

  Father Mac began to speak softly. He held the teary-eyed bridesmaid in his embrace, his arm bolstering her from behind. “Natalie wants me to tell you about what has happened. I know we’ve all heard the sirens. There’s a one-way street a couple of blocks east of the church. Her husband Danny, the groom’s brother-in-law, was headed north taking a shortcut to get to the bride’s townhouse. Another driver was headed south, but he was in Danny’s lane and hit him head on. It seems like the driver was intoxicated.”

  The priest stopped and Lily’s heart sunk. She knew what was coming. She knew the tone, the words. She gulped to steel herself from emotion. It wasn’t going to work. “Everyone, Danny has passed away.”

  The gasp from those who didn’t know was louder than some congregants’ responses at an early morning service when you’re half asleep and soon to be asleep from a lengthy sermon. The groom, sitting next to his bride and his parents, slumped into her arms. Tissues were passed out. The front pews always had them for the mothers during a wedding, but today they were used for a totally different reason. And now what to do?

  “We’ve all discussed what to do. Obviously, the bride and groom and their parents are very distressed, but folks we are going to go ahead with the wedding.” Father McKenzie led Natalie to the front pew where her mother cradled her distraught daughter.

  “First, a prayer. Everyone, please bow your heads. Heavenly Father, we need your help. On such a happy occasion we are filled with sorrow on the loss of Danny. An accident like this on a day like today cannot be soothed. Our hearts are breaking; our eyes are crying; our soul is screaming for your healing touch. We are going ahead with this sacrament of love and unification. Today we will celebrate as we can. Tomorrow we will grieve as we most certainly will. We are leaving Danny in your arms today and forever. We beseech you to look over all of us as we go forward with love, compassion and the dedication to the life you offer us, your faithful servants. Amen.”

  “This is so hard,” Abby whispered. “How can they go on with this?”

  Lily had shut her eyes. The tears were rolling down her cheeks. All she saw was a man in a hospital room, her future husband. She couldn’t take it that day when she saw him, bruised and battered with his arm immobilized from a gunshot. She’d almost given up and walked away. She learned that love brought pain at times. If you didn’t love so much, it didn’t hurt so much. This hurt so much and so many were hurting.

  “They’ll lose everything if they cancel now. The reception is ready. People are on their way. Most of them won’t know. I’m not sure if there is a right answer.” Lily heard the church doors opening and shutting. She looked back to see the singers and musicians. “I’m going back to tell them what is going on. Stay here in case someone needs help.”

  Lily nodded toward the priest as she left the pew. He seemed to understand where she was headed. Plainly speaking, Lily detailed the dilemma taking place at the front of the sanctuary. She knew the singer; he was also a parishioner at Lily’s church.

  “Lily, we need to practice just a little,” Peter Court admitted. “If we wait about fifteen minutes, do you think that would be good?”

  “I think that would work. I know the photographer is antsy, but I’m not sure he is going to get anything you’d want to use in a book to remember your wedding day. The man’s wife is in the bridal party.”

  “This is awful. We will try to be as respectful as possible.”

  “Thanks, Peter.” Lily hugged the man. His beautiful voice would sound like salve for the wounded soul on a day like today. The group was dispersing at the front of the church. She had never heard a more quiet group of people on a wedding day. Somehow, the photographer was gently choraling them, setting up a photo of the bride. Abby and Lily rushed the bouquets to the girls and asked about the lilies surrounding the altar. The bride gave them carte blanche to work their magic.

  Father Mac assured Abby and Lily he would handle the processional. The helpful florists could go on and enjoy the day. “You know, ladies, there is never a right answer when it comes to cancelling or going on with a wedding.”

  “You hate to think it comes down to money, but Father, it is a small fortune to have a wedding these days. Abby and I have the reception ready to go. The club has all the food and the servers are arriving for work. What do you do?” Lily honestly wanted an answer.

  “You pray, Lily. That’s all you can do. We will take care of Danny tomorrow, but we can’t do anything for him today. It’s days like these where you have to have faith. We can do this.” The priest turned and began to walk away.

  Abby swayed nervously back and forth as she watched the priest. She needed out of this church. Please, Lily, don’t offer to stay.

  “You’re sure you don’t need us?” Abby heard her boss ask. Crud.

  Thankfully, Father Mac shook his head no. His gaze was fixed on the front of the church where the photographer had the entire bridal party posing for a group shot. Even Danny’s wife was standing unassisted, attempting as much happiness for her brother as possible. Someone had cleaned her face up and added some fresh makeup. She offered a lame attempt at a smile.

  The musicians and Peter began to practice.

  “Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling…

  From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.

  The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling…

  It’s you, it’s you must go and I must bide.”

  Abby burst into tears and sprinted for the door. “I can’t stay, Lily, I just can’t.”

  Lily stood in shock and watched the disintegration of any semblance of calm. It was a portrait of grief; a tableau of ironic everyday coincidence. In other words, it was life in all its ugliness. Father Mac, usually a pillar of strength wiped at his eyes. “I’ll go check on her.” Even he needed to escape.

  But Lily stayed and watched. Her voyeuristic spirit made her stay as if she experienced it she would become immune to it, to the tragedy. She watched as Danny’s wife ran from the church. Two other women sped after her, as fast as their high heels would allow. The bride reached over to hug her groom, comforting him in this awful time.

  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” Lily said out loud. Peter couldn’t possibly know how hurtful his song was to those below the choir loft.

  “But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying.

  If I am dead, as dead I well may be,

  You’ll come and find the place where I am lying,

  And kneel and say an Ave there for me.

  And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,

  And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,

  For you will bend and tell me that you love me,

  And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!”

  Lily bowed her head and said an amen. It was time to go home and leave a message for Dev. It would be a short one telling him she loved him. She was learning day by day that attempts at controlling life or fate was futile. There wasn’t a list long enough to prepare for everything. She’d noticed she wasn’t using as many post-it notes. Today you celebrated; tomorrow you grieved. It was life and one little wedding florist couldn’t stop the future, no matter how good or bad, from happening. Yes, it was time to go home. Soon, very soon, that home might not be here.

  Chapter Four

  It was only two in the afternoon on a Saturday, yet Lily felt like it was closer to midnight. She was done. She was done in by today’s wedding, well today’s death. She was parked in her own driveway, her head resting on the steering wheel. She was exhausted by depression. She’d already texted Dev that she loved him. He didn’t need to hear that she missed him. He was off doing whatever he did. Besides, he knew she missed him.<
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  “What was that all about today, Lord?” she asked out loud in the privacy of the car. Her eyes were shut to concentrate on a divine answer. “Just give me an answer.”

  “What did you say?”

  Lily’s head shot up. Was it the voice of God? At her driver’s side window, Gretchen Malloy stood. It was not a divine being. However, it was not of this world. Really, Lord? Now?

  “Get out of the car, Lily.”

  What if she just stayed there, started the car and backed out like a bat out of hell, speeding away, away from Gretchen? Lily made a sound like a defeated, broken horse and opened the door to depart the vehicle.

  “What are you doing here, Gretchen?”

  “I’m here to visit my bestie.”

  Lily headed quickly up the sidewalk and opened her front door. She could hear Gretchen’s heels clicking away on the concrete. Did the woman own a pair of sneakers, any flats?

  Lily groaned as she entered her home, the unwanted visitor passing by her in a flash. Gretchen made her way to the sofa, sat and spread her arms over the top of the piece of furniture, draping the object like a naked model posing for an art class.

  “How many times do I have to tell you we are not besties? I dislike that word immensely.” Lily dropped her bags on the desk and kicked her shoes off. She turned to face Gretchen. “Why are you here?”

  “I heard about your bad day.” The woman really DID know everything that happened in Kansas City.

  Placing her hands on her hips, Lily was defiant. “It just happened. You can’t know. How do you know?”

  “The photographer texted me and I texted my reporter friend at the newspaper.”

  “Gretchen, that is just awful. The man died right before the wedding.”

  Gretchen began to look over the magazines on the coffee table. “It was news, dearie. People love to read about other people’s misfortune. It makes them feel better about themselves and their lives.”