Roses have been an old stand-by for husbands for years. They are the quintessential sign of love and romance. I had fallen back on this tried and true romantic overture for many anniversaries, Valentines’ Days, and birthdays. It was easy. Automatic. And Diana always seemed to appreciate the sentiment.
But then I had to come and mess it all up.
It was June 2005 and I was enjoying an extended 5 month “vacation” in the deserts of Southwest Asia courtesy the U.S. Air Force and taxpayer. Taking a break from my military and medical duties, I set about surprising Diana with roses for our 20th anniversary. I had already sent her an anniversary card a week prior (a birthday card edited for anniversary purposes with a black Sharpie—local resources were limited). This whole routine of me being gone for the important days was all too familiar. It seemed I had missed a good portion of our anniversaries over the prior 10 years. I felt bad about it and I wanted to make it somewhat right. So I set out to order a dozen roses from ProFlowers.com. Searching the web page of the various arrangements, I set eyes on an arrangement at the bottom of the page. The arrangement of red roses was beautiful. Moreover, there were twenty roses, one of each year of our marriage. And importantly and inexplicably, it was 15 dollars cheaper than any other comparable arrangement. Bam! Done deal! Sold.
On our 20th anniversary, I called Diana.
It was great to hear Diana’s voice. “Oh honey, thank you so much for the flowers! They’re beautiful!”
“So, you liked the roses?” (fishing for more accolades)
Silence.
“Diana? Are you there? Hello?”
Diana stammers awkwardly. “You didn’t send roses.”
“Of course I did! Twenty red roses!”
“ Honey, the florist must’ve made a mistake. They’re red tulips.”
Thinking almost out loud . . . “Ahhh, that explains the discounted price.” Checking the email receipt while talking to Diana, it was there—an arrangement of 20 red tulips. I silently chided myself — “What a dummy.”
“I’m so sorry Diana. I meant to send a 20 red roses, one for each year of our marriage.”
“Oh honey!! I love them. They’re so pretty. Thank you so much! I believe I like them more than roses!” As usual, Diana was gracious.
And so a marital tradition was born–crafted out of romantic motives corrupted by cheapskate tendencies. I guess it turned out pretty good.
Diana still loves red tulips.
It is now “our” flower.
The cost savings over the years has been considerable.
Dash Stories 