The Case of the Missing Flowers

I’m not the type of girl who expects expensive or extravagant gifts from her boyfriend. Any guy can drop a fistful of cash on a fancy present, but it takes creativity to impress me. I prefer more intimate gestures, such as notes posted on my bathroom vanity or refrigerator door. It’s these moments that catch me off guard as I’m reaching for toothpaste or a gallon of milk that put the biggest smile on my face.

Of course, there’s always room in a girl’s life for a bouquet of flowers. To look up from her cubicle and spot the delivery guy walking in her direction, carrying a vase of fresh flowers. Every girl deserves such attention.

Fortunately Nick recognizes the need for these occasional thrills and tried his hardest to make it happen not once … but twice in the past two months. Unfortunately FedEx was consistently careless with its cargo.

The first attempt came on Valentine’s Day. It was almost 4 p.m. when I got the Gmail chat message from Nick. I can imagine him in his lab coat anxiously awaiting my “thank you and I love you” phone call that didn’t come and didn’t come. What choice did he have but to ask “did you receive anything today?” I responded “no.” We both waited until 5:30 before calling it a day, admitting that nothing would be delivered to my office in time for the holiday.

The next morning came and went and still no flowers. Nick checked FedEx tracking (unreliable!) before moving onto ProFlowers directly. Turns out the driver was a day behind due to snowy roads the previous day. Finally at 3:30 on 2/15 the FedEx guy apologetically handed me a green box containing one dozen fresh roses.

ProFlowers’ selling point is that it overnights the freshest flowers (even if from the opposite side of the country). The catch is that they need to be hydrated as soon as possible. Because my beautiful pink and red roses spent a chilly night on the back of the FedEx truck, they were weeping and wilting by the time I pulled them out of the box. Needless to say, Nick was not thrilled with the picture text I sent to him. But I was still grinning from ear to ear! The flowers may have come a day late and they may have been a bit droopy, but I was still the only gal in the office with a full vase on my desk.

ProFlowers’ responsive customer service team offered Nick his money back as well as a replacement bouquet. He was pleased … and so was I … I had more flowers to look forward to!

Two months later and four days before our one year anniversary, I received a message from Nick: “Do you work with somebody by the name ‘Warren?'” I figured someone in his lab knew someone in my office. “I don’t think so,” I replied. “How about someone in the mail room?” he insisted. I think you know where this is going … my wonderful and thoughtful boyfriend had sent another bouquet … which had been signed for at 10:30 a.m. (again, according to unreliable FedEx tracking!) … but it was nearly 3:30, and I had not received anything.

I anxiously ran downstairs to meet “Warren,” who turned out to be a sweet old lady with a bob cut and glasses. Unfortunately she knew nothing about my package. I suggested that the package may contain flowers, but she didn’t remember signing for flowers. She led me through five other offices on the first floor and consequently involved five other women in the hunt for my missing flowers. Each “awwwed” over my story, but offered no information.

I returned to my desk nearly 1/2 hour later, defeated. Nick was tied up with experiments for the rest of the day, so I volunteered to call ProFlowers. I ended up on a three-way call with reps from both ProFlowers and FedEx. Neither could figure out what happened to my package. I remained composed, but insistent. I was told that I could receive a replacement from a local florist, but I felt like that was a decision for Nick to make.

The next morning, I received a cheerful arrangement of orange tulips, germinis, and lilies with green button poms. The bouquet brought a touch of spring to a rainy April day. It was well worth the wait!

Nobody ever uncovered the case of the missing flowers. Did the FedEx guy’s wife receive a lovely surprise that night? Or did they end up with the wrong person at the wrong desk? Regardless, I hope they put a smile on some girl’s face. And Nick promises to deliver the next bouquet in person.