I had been silently and secretly planning it for sometime. I knew she loved flowers, I mean absototapositively adore them. And then one day, reading the newspaper, I saw a new report on lesser known places of note in and around the city. And guess what, they had started off with a 'Flower Market'! Yay! My heart almost did a jiggle inside as I had been on a lookout for something like this for some time. So that was it. Mission Flower Market Surprise was on.
Now came the planning part. I googled for some days about the whereabouts and reviews about the place. I thought of asking some local people, but then thought better and just stuck to google. I got into a habit of asking questions and seeking answers about the plan. I got the where, the when and the hows. I noted the bus routes to follow, the start times of the buses etc. The memories are a bit hazy now, but I think we had to change somewhere in between. Everything was going smooth until one fine day I bumped into a small article on some non-descript website. Uh Oh! Houston, we got a problem. The best and probably the only time to enjoy the place was early morning, when traders brought in and sorted their goods. They would then start selling them and then onwards, it would be all downhill. Okay so that does'nt sound as bad, does it? But add to it the fact that the place was on the other, and I really mean other, side of town and would be at least a couple of hours' bus trip one-way. Yes I think you can see what I was getting into. Well, ideating on it for a few days did'nt help. In hindsight, I could have explored some other transportation options, but well, at that moment, I tried my best.
Okay, so I was all set with the homework. And now came the long wait for the correct opportunity, the right moment. Sigh! I waited and waited... and waited some more. Whenever at home, or in office, I used to get some time, I used to google and revise the bus routes and the location names of the places to make sure, I don't forget anything till I actually can execute the plan. That went on for sometime and then BAM! One day, we had to spend really, really late night hours in office...errr...or somewhere, am not sure now. But I do remember her suggesting us going to the office library to wait out a few hours before daybreak and then catching the first bus home. The little me inside me was smirking as she was setting up the stage for my entree. I lay down the floor about a surprise place worth the efforts visiting, which can be done only right now. I guess she had her inhibitions, but relented under my insistance. Okay Rocky, The show's on! Then came the waiting for the right buses, travel, change, again travel, ....yada yada yada...and we finally reached the spot along with the first rays of daylight. It was just like any other non-descript street in the city, sleepily waking up from the night that had been. I had started to get cold feet on the way, and the place did'nt look a bit like what I had imagined it to be. Well, whats done was done and there was no turning back now. So I started asking around and after a few false hits, finally nailed down the right alley. With anxiously beating heart, I lead her into the ever-narrowing place, listening to her expecting breaths with every step.
Voila! There were shops on the left and the right, small and big, shoveling....yes, you read right.... shoveling HUGE heaps of flowers. There were lots and lots of roses along with a lot of other flowers I don't even remember the names of... pretty orange ones, nice-smelling white ones, huge ones, pink, yellow, anything you can expect in such a place, just name it. She was there holding on to my arm, and jumping...yes literally jumping with joy, face beaming with the biggest and the brightest of smiles and mouth agape, giving out small expletives about how wonderful it all was. I wish I had a camera with me handy that day, for those moments, simply made me feel like my life was worthwhile. That suddenly it had got all the meaning in the world. That if I had to, I could live and relive in that moment for probably the rest of my life. Oh! How I wish to be able to do something like that every once in a while. Oh! How I wish it...
Well! thats at least the version I remember. But knowing me better, am sure I would have spilled the beans about the so-called 'surprise' plan somewhere in between all that. Nevertheless, the feelings, and the moments, were all worth it and would always be something good in me, something that no-one else can take away, something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
