The Right Thing
Even though Greta thought her actions were right, she was aware of the eyes following her every move. It took her a mile to notice the officer. The man had been staring at her from afar all day, so she was certain it was not a coincidence. There was something wrong, but she didn't know what it was.
Despite the man's aggressive approach, Greta was able to realize how bad the situation really was when he confronted her.
The Day Of Love
As Greta got out of bed that morning, she decided to do something new. It was a single rose that she handed to the woman with a smile on her face. Taking a small box from the shelf, she handed it to her without anyone watching. Her little stall at the popular shopping center soon caught the attention of the locals. In no time at all, women began flooding the store.
Her first awareness of the man didn't come until noon. As the Officer stood across the walkway, Greta was staring into her stall straight into his eyes. What was she doing? Did he notice her?
A Difficult Situation
Greta initially ignored the man's stare, but this became more challenging as the afternoon progressed. With a frown tucked between his eyebrows, he watched her with blue eyes that burnt through her. She wondered if he’d noticed the tiny boxes. Would he inspect them?
Hours passed without any end to this. As he approached the store, the man took a closer look at Greta's activities. A few moments later, he approached.
Doing Her Job
Greta was dealing with a customer's payment when she noticed something strange. Her stall was now occupied by the Officer. "Here is your change," she told him and handed him the money. However, the officer stepped up as soon as the man walked out of the room.
In his approach to the register where Greta was standing, he had a stern expression on his face. Her gaze was fixed on him as he folded his arms across his chest. What was his knowledge of it?
Feeling Nervous
“Hello, good morning. What can I do for you?” Greta asked, her voice shaking with nervousness. He raised an eyebrow, indicating an impending confrontation. He introduced himself in a thick, country accent, "Ma'am, I'm Officer Jackson.". "I have noticed some suspicious activity in your stall," he said.
Greta became extremely nervous and uncomfortable as a result. Her behavior all day had caught the Officer's attention, and he was determined to find out what she had been doing.
Asking Questions
“I- I’m sorry?” She questioned, her voice quivering. Is there anything that seems suspicious to you? ” She asked, nervous about what he would say. At first, there was no response from the man. Rather than looking over the buckets of flowers, he scanned around the small room.
“I have been watching ladies come into our store for the last few hours. I couldn’t help but notice that you have been giving them a little something,” He said. Her heart dropped.
Caught Out
The statement was true. Greta gave out roses to every woman who came into her shop, but that wasn't the only thing she did. She also gave the women a small box containing a secret hidden inside along with the single rose. Could the officer have known what was inside?
"Ma'am, I need to know what is inside those little boxes you've been giving out so secretively," he said. When she realized she was in trouble, she knew she had to act quickly.
Hardships
Her entire life was spent in Houston, Texas, where Greta Koln was a florist. Even at the age of 27, she had already experienced hardships. She had already been divorced at 27 years of age. What caused that to happen?
Her relationship with her ex-husband, Will, started when she met him for the first time. When they were in college, she had the biggest crush on him, and he had the biggest crush on her.
Promises
In just two years after they began dating, Greta and Michael got married. Their time together was nothing short of perfection. Despite Greta's past, Will promised her a better future.
A beautiful apartment in New York had always been Will's promise to them. Someday, Greta could be a stay-at-home wife. However, this was not true.
Strange
Before it all fell apart, the couple had been married for just over two years. After catching Will with another woman one day, Greta learned what Will really was. Greta returned home early from work a week after celebrating their two-year anniversary. A stomach virus had struck her that day.
Will did not answer her call when she tried to call him on her way home from work. This seemed rather strange to her. His phone was always nearby since he worked from home.
The Car
But that Tuesday afternoon, when she pulled up to their driveway, she instantly knew that something was up. When she pulled into the driveway, she found her best friend’s car parked beside her husband’s truck. What on earth was she doing at their house in the middle of the week?
When Greta unlocked the front door, her stomach twisted into a knot. Something just didn’t seem right. But then, she heard it.
Her Best Friend’s Voice
As soon as she stepped through their front door, she could hear her best friend’s voice down the hall and toward their bedroom. She took slow, calculated steps down the hall, and then, when she pushed the bedroom door open, she saw it. Her husband had been cheating with her best friend.
That was the day her life fell apart. She called a divorce lawyer as soon as she stormed out of their house. But what followed were months of pain.
Ashamed
Greta found it really hard to move on. At just twenty-seven years old, she was a divorced woman. She felt ashamed of this fact. Although Will tried to fix their marriage, she refused to stay with him. He had betrayed her. But as the months wore on, she realized something.
Following the divorce, she developed a strong hatred toward anything involving romance. She hated romcoms, and she hated Valentine’s Day, which was right around the corner.
Around The Corner
As the days went on, she was becoming more aware that soon, it would be Valentine’s Day. She knew that her store would be packed full of couples on the day. She had always loved being a florist, but at that moment, she hated the thought of selling flowers to young couples who were in love.
But one night, as she lay in bed all by herself, she had a wonderful idea. Surely, there were many single and miserable ladies around town, right?
A Plan
That night, she thought of all the other single women around. She wondered if they dreaded the day as much as she did. But then, she had an idea. What if she could do something nice and thoughtful for the women who were just like her? She had a wonderful idea in mind.
That night, she stayed awake until the early morning hours, working on her plan. But little did she know that it would have terrible consequences.
Getting Everything Ready
The following day, it was time for Greta to get everything ready. Valentine’s Day was just two days away, and she wanted everything to be perfect by then. She shorted the red roses individually and folded the tiny cardboard boxes, placing a mysterious item inside. She just hoped everything would go according to plan.
By the time the big day rolled around, Greta was prepared. Now, all she had to do was give the little gifts to single women.
A Customer
Her first customer of the day was a middle-aged woman who had come to purchase a bouquet of tulips. “Are these for your husband?” Greta asked politely. But she was surprised when the woman laughed at her question. “Oh, no. These are for my mother. If I had a husband, I wouldn’t be the one buying flowers,” She said.
Greta couldn’t help but grin at that. She reached for a single rose and one of the tiny boxes, placing them before the woman. “For the single ladies. Let all of your girlfriends know.”
A Single Woman
The woman was astonished by Greta’s kind gesture. “I haven’t received a flower in years! Thank you!” She said, bringing the rose to her nose. “Oh my. I am going to tell all of my single girlfriends about you,” The woman promised, and she wasn’t lying.
That day, Greta was astonished by the number of single women who came to pay her a visit, all leaving with a rose and a small cardboard box.
The Man
Greta was having a wonderful time serving customers and giving out free roses. But around noon, she noticed someone. The Officer was standing across the walkway, staring straight at Greta in her stall. Had he noticed what she was doing?
Although she thought it was weird, she decided not to pay too much attention to the staring man. She simply continued with what she was doing.
He Was Staring
At first, Greta tried to ignore the man’s stare, but this was proving to be more difficult as the afternoon wore on. His blue eyes were burning through her as he watched with a frown tucked between his eyebrows. She wondered if he’d noticed the tiny boxes. Would he inspect them?
This continued for hours on end. The man slowly crept closer to the store, trying to see exactly what Greta was busy with. Then he approached.
He Came In
Greta was busy with a customer when the Officer walked in. It was a man who had come to buy a bouquet of flowers for his wife. Greta glanced over his shoulder at the Officer. As soon as he handed him his change and he left, the Officer stepped up to the register.
He had a stern look on his face as he approached the register where Greta stood. He folded his arms across his chest and looked down on her. Did he know what she was doing?
Greeting Him
“Good morning. How can I help you? Her voice trembled as she asked, clearly nervous. But the man continued to stare down at her intensely. An impending confrontation was evident to her. In a country accent, he introduced himself as Officer Jackson. "I noticed some suspicious activity in your stall," he said.
Having to deal with this made Greta extremely anxious and uncomfortable. Having noticed what she had been doing all day, the officer was determined to find out what was happening.
Suspicious
“I- I’m sorry?" Her voice trembled as she asked. “What have you noticed that seems suspicious to you?” She asked, nervous about what he would say. Initially, the man did not speak. The man looked around the small room, closely staring at the buckets of flowers around him.
“I have been watching ladies come into our store for the last few hours. I couldn’t help but notice that you have been giving them a little something." Greta's heart dropped.
She Didn’t Stop There
That was true. As Greta had been handing out roses to every woman who entered her store, she didn't stop there. The single rose was accompanied by a tiny box containing a secret. Could the officer have known what was inside?
“Ma’am, I am going to have to ask you to tell me what’s inside those little boxes you’ve been handing out secretly," He said. That was when she knew she was in trouble.
Trouble
Greta didn’t want any trouble, so she decided to tell the Officer the truth without revealing too much. “I can explain, Officer,” She said. “I have been handing out these roses and a small present to each of the single women that have entered my store. It’s just a small gift for Valentine’s Day,” She said.
But the Officer wasn’t buying it. He was under the impression that Greta had been hiding something she shouldn’t have in those boxes.
A Demand
“Ma’am, hand me one of those boxes,” The Officer demanded, which made Greta’s heart sink. She couldn’t let him destroy her plan. But the last thing Greta wanted was to go against the Officer’s orders. She reached for the top box and handed it to the Officer.
He took the box from her hands and stared at her through his eyelashes. She just hoped he would open the box and let this go.
He Didn’t Believe It4
Greta winced as the man tore the box to shreds before reaching for what she had neatly placed inside. He was baffled. He pulled out a heart-shaped chocolate and stared down at the strange object. But he still didn’t buy it. He was certain that it was all a cover-up.
“How do I know that this one is the same as the rest? Hand me a few more,” He demanded. Greta felt sick with worry.
Her Fear
She had always had a fear of the police. For all her life, she feared getting into trouble with the law. She quickly handed him two more boxes. He opened them, and just like the first box, there were chocolates inside. “I just prepared a little treat for single women. It’s nothing bad, I promise,” She said.
The man stared at her for a second, looking into her eyes in an attempt to see if he could trust her. That’s when he realized his mistake.
He Felt Bad
Officer Jackson felt terrible for what he had done. Greta was noticeably nervous, and it was all because of him. He felt terrible for accusing her of doing something she shouldn’t have. She was just a woman who wanted to make everyone else feel better.
He handed Greta the torn boxes and mumbled an apology, ashamed for insulting a woman who was doing something nice for the community.
A Change Of Heart
For the rest of that day, Greta handed out more than one hundred roses and boxes of chocolates. She felt good about all the smiles she received. Although she had initially felt terrible about Valentine’s Day, she’d now had a change of heart. She could still make it a wonderful day for herself.
She still had a lot to work through, but her small act of kindness made all the difference in how awful she felt. She knew she would be okay.