Chapter 273: Carla

Isn't that a wonderful beginning?

~Grandfather in The Princess Bride

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Start of June, 2020

"Oh, what a beautiful morning," Carla Grahame sang from one of her favorite Roger & Hammerstein movies, Oklahoma, as she threw together a quick rose bouquet. Perfect for those times when a guy really shoved his boot into his mouth. "Oh, what a beautiful day."

It was her Monday – Tuesday to the rest of the world – and although she hadn't had much of a weekend, what with Mr. Ziebarth's funeral and all, she was still happy to be at work. Who wouldn't be happy, surrounded by beauty all day long like she was?

A thorn sliced through the hard callous on her thumb and with a moan of pain, Carla popped her thumb into her mouth, automatically turning to pull out her ever-present box of bandaids. She really should just wear gloves while she worked like every other florist out there with two brain cells to rub together, but she never seemed to remember to put them on -