It was love at first sight.

He strode toward me, his eyes shining with purpose and determination.  Even if I had wanted to resist, I couldn’t have.  I was helpless, frozen in my transparent cloak clinging to me.

He whispered to the cashier, nodding at me.  Her lips curled and she nodded.  Hurrying over, she forced me up, dabbing my petals with tissue.

“He’s the one,” she whispered.   “The one you’ll be happy with.”

Crammed into a vase with a pink ribbon, I peered out of the center of a cluster of roses and daisies.  The breeze grazed the tips of my petals, the warm sunshine bathing my upturned face.

“Honey?”  He crammed the cell phone in his ear, mumbling into it as he strapped me into the front seat, propping up a box of caramels and a loaf of bread around me.  Though I wasn’t sure what security they could provide, I appreciated his concern.

I think.

“I’ll be home in fifteen minutes.”  The door slammed, his voice warbled outside of the glass windows.  ”–yes, I got the bread for dinner.  I know it’s my favorite.  Chicken lasagna.”  The smile in his voice beamed throughout the small car.  ”I love you.”  Turning the key, the car lurched forward.

In no time at all, the car slowed, crawling into a darkened box.  The man unbuckled his seat belt, gathering me in his arms and fishing his keys from the ignition.  Nestled against a crisp cotton shirt, I was swept into a home of simmering marinara sauce and jaunty jazz.  I heard the cry even before I saw her.

“Darling! You shouldn’t have!”  They kissed over me, their lips inches from my blushing petals.  Whisking me away, she placed me in the center of the table, surrounded by plates of steaming lasagna and crisp salad.

“Oh, they’re perfect darling.  They’re just perfect.”  They kissed again, her fingers lingering on his stubbed chin.  ”Kids!  Dinner is ready!”

The table quivered with every step as they thundered down the stairs, the water sloshing in my jar.

“All right, lasagna!”

“Hey, dad! Great flowers!”

“So pretty!”

“Aren’t they?”  The mother beamed as they slid into their chairs, rubbing her husband’s arm.  ”Things couldn’t be better.”

Beaming in the center of the roses, in the circle of smiling faces and heaping plates, I couldn’t help but agree.

It was love at first sight.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  We have a delectable ode tomorrow!

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