A friend mentioned that she was surprised to see daffodils springing up in her yard. Last time she checked she had none. But here they were, pushing their frilly yellow heads up through the black earth.
She asked her husband about it. He could barely contain his pleasure.
"Remember that
weekend you were gone last fall? I planted 150 bulbs while you were away."
"My favorite flower!! Thank you!" I have not walked over to her house to see them, but they are beautiful even in my mind's eye, popping up for the first of many years. It is delightful to think of his sneakiness, kissing her goodbye, then hoofing it to the garden store for trowels and packages of ugly brown balls. Maybe he only intended to get a bag of twenty, but the anticipation of his wife's
joy made him grab a few more. He is crazy about her. Then before she came home he brushed away all traces of upheaval, and hid the trowels beneath the hoses.
"What did you do while I was gone, honey?"
"Oh, you know, took the kids on a walk, called my mom. Usual stuff."
How many times was he tempted to tell her in the frozen months between October and April? How many March mornings did his eyes lean toward the
perimeter of the yard, eager for green promises? Did he ever doubt they would survive the relentless cold we endured this February?
There is
scientific research to back up what feels true. When you go out of your way to be extra kind to your spouse, you like them more. This is in addition to the intended outcome,
which is to make the person you love happy.
I don't know what a bunch of flowers retails for, but I bet he got his money's worth.
