1 The little flower shop

Tucked away in the streets of Chicago was a humble flower shop called the Hanakotoba. Inside a little Asian woman fussed over her plants and tended to customers. Printed across the chest of her cream apron was the short name, Bu. Smiling brightly, she bowed to an elderly couple about to leave the store with their new plant. It had only been a few months since the grand opening, but she was proud to admit she already had a few regulars. By now she had a good idea of what type of customers her store attracted and how to help them. Occasionally she would get a few outliers, but they were nothing she couldn't handle with a smile and a cheery attitude. Well, that was until "that man" came along.

Bu's smile fell as she remembered the odd customer who had started to come around about a week ago. He hadn't done anything wrong, per se, only look at the plants through the shops window, but Bu was always put on edge by his terrifying presence. To a small 5 foot woman, any man over 5'10 was intimidating to her. He also wasn't scrawny, from what she could see through the windows he was large in build, definitely someone who worked out. Her sulking was interrupted by the big man's approach, right on time like the other days. He seemed to always come during the lull between customers so she could never say he scared anyone else besides her. It was nice knowing she wasn't losing business because of the scary man but she didn't like being the only one there either.

After he stood by the window for a little while, to Bu's surprise, he looked up from the plants acting startled. To add to her confusion he started to walk away. Leaving earlier than usual. "Did he see the cops or something," she wondered. The door bell ringing pulled her out of her thoughts. The elderly lady from earlier slowly walked into the store, her delicately carved cane tapping on the tile floors.

"Welcome back, Mrs. Evans. Was there something wrong with your plants?", Bu asked, her smile faltering. She adored the Evans couple and would be devastated if she had done something to upset them.

"No dear, it is perfect." Mrs. Evans said, in a voice that still had a youthful tone to it despite her age, "I just forgot to get that pot my granddaughter wanted. She came over last week and saw one of your plant's pots. Absolutely adored it! I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of your shop, so I promised her to get her the pot. Sweet thing, did you know my little Cassey is in college now?..."

Mrs. Evans continued to talk about her granddaughter, giving Bu her whole life story. Having no idea which pot Mrs. Evans wanted to get, Bu had to kindly wait for a chance to ask. Like most grandparents when they get talking, she had to wait a good while until she got the chance. Face sore from holding a smile, Bu massaged her cheeks as soon as Mrs. Evans was out the door. Having a moment of peace she hopped onto the tall stool at the counter. Every time she sat on it she couldn't help but smirk at the memory of the first time she tried to sit on it. Fondly she felt the dent on the side from when she fell trying to get on. Now it was safely bolted to the ground. Soon, she thought, this shop will be full of memories.

Bu was getting frustrated with her long black hair falling into her face as she watered the lower plants and stood up with a huff. Not caring about the dirt on her hands she rangled her hair into a braid. Halfway through braiding, the shop's bell dinged. Excited for another customer, she quickly put a hair tie in before going to greet them. Bu's enthusiasm was extinguished by the hulking figure of the big man that stood before her. Up close she could see his face better. Starting from his left temple going down to his cheek was a jagged scar. His clothes screamed "gangster" with the black leather jacket, red bandana holding his hair back, and black shaded sunglasses. From here she could confidently say he was at least 6 feet tall.

Bu's hands became clammy and face pale; a ghostly color. She struggled to say anything, but was afraid staying quiet might offend him, "Umm..hi...to shop. No umm, my shop flower, no Hanakotoba, ahh..uhh good day!"

Doing the fastest and sharpest bow she could, Bu scurried away. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Next time she was going to check who came in before going up to them! From behind the safety of the counter, Bu watched as the man walked over to the back of the store. Her anxiety spiked every time he got too close to a shelf full of plants. She felt like she finally understood where the phrase "bull in a china shop" came from. Except change the "bull" to a "large man" and "china" to "clay pots". Miraculously there were no sounds of shattering pots in the store. The door dinging announcing the arrival of another customer. This forced Bu's blue and brown eyes to the front of the store. Squishing her worries down she took a deep calming breath before greeting the young lady who entered her store.

After arranging a lovely bouquet of Marigolds she checked out the young woman, smiling as a happy customer walked out of her shop. The silence of the supposedly empty shop was disturbed by the soft tap of something getting put down. Alarmed, Bu turned to look around the shop, her heart almost gave out at the sight of the man. He had been so quiet that she had forgotten he was still there. Her breath got caught in her throat every time he picked up a delicate succulent plant, touching the plump leaves. His large hands dwarfed even the bigger plants for sale. The pots weren't the most delicate things in the world but Bu couldn't help but worry that the slightest squeeze from the giant would shatter them. As if sensing Bu's anxiety he gently put the plant down before carefully navigating back out of the store. Leaving just as he had entered, without a word spoken.

Finally, Bu was able to breathe normally, her heart still pounding. If the pots had been mass-produced, she wouldn't have been so worried...but all her pots were handmade. Most of them by her own hands. However, the succulent pots were made together with her mother before she passed the year prior. It was a hard decision but Bu knew her mother's spirit would haunt her dreams if she did not sell them as they were intended.

A week had passed ushering in the end of summer, which brought in the rain, leaving Bu with nothing to do but clean the windows. With no customers due to the weather and all her orders finished earlier she was left to her thoughts as she cleaned. A comfortable lull had filled her week. The Evan's couple had brought their granddaughter to the shop. The young lady from a week earlier started visiting more often, giving Bu the idea to have a small table placed in a cubby by the window. Even with everything going on she still notices there was something missing. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen the scary man all week. Bu didn't know how to feel about that, he had become a constant visitor over the past month. She started to expect his visits during the lonely hours without customers. Sure she was still scared of him but from a distance, it wasn't too bad. Shaking her head Bu pulled herself out of her thoughts, this dreary rain was starting to get to her. She couldn't possibly miss the man who terrified her! Definitely not, it was just the quiet shop and the feeling of the rain talking.

Patting her cheeks Bu turned her attention outside of the window. A few cars here and there drove by but the sidewalk was empty. It seemed like everyone had taken shelter as soon as the rain started. Well, apparently not everyone. Through the rain blurred window, Bu could make out a figure hunched over in the rain, crossing the street. The closer they got the easier it was for Bu to see them clearer. To her surprise it was the scary man, holding something in his jacket. A little orange head poked out, shaking and wet. Her mind jumping to the worst conclusion Bu jumped out of the seat and rushed to the door. Running on pure adrenaline she neglected to grab her umbrella before running out of the safety of the shop.

"Wait!" She yelled through the pounding of the rain.

The man heard her and stopped, turning to look for who had called out to him. With his sunglasses gone, Bu's eyes met with his brown ones, his turned-down features giving off an angry look. Having not thought ahead Bu froze, forgetting why she approached him but the yowl of the cat brought her back to reality. The cat was injured.

Bowing with her hands outstretched, she let her wet hair block her vision as she talked: "Can...can I please have the kitten?"

Her voice was soft and meek, she was worried he hadn't heard her through the rain. Before she got the chance to repeat herself, something wet and fuzzy was placed in her hands. Looking up she saw that the kitten was actually a young cat, and it was in her arms. Holding the shivering creature close, Bu stood up and nodded at him. She glimpsed at him briefly through her hair, a little surprised to see his hand covering a portion of his face. Too relieved to question his actions, Bu hurried back to her shop, forgetting to thank him. She didn't notice him standing there watching her until she made it back into the flower shop. Once in the safety of her store, she finally noticed her situation. Both she and the cat were soaked. She had nothing to care for a cat with and no car to drive to the store. Mentally berating herself for her hasty action Bu got to work on solving her first problem. Getting them both dry before they got sick.

Bu decided to adopt the cat. She didn't have too many customers opposed to him roaming the shop. In fact, her regulars adored him, three legs and all. Of course, there were a few people who had a problem with him but she didn't mind losing a few ill-tempered customers for him. Content, Bu was smiling as she organized some orders she had received. She didn't even notice the bell ring in the front. So lost in thought, she let time slip by her until a presence in front of her pulled her out. Shocked and embarrassed at getting lost in thought, Bu babbled an apology as she looked up at the customer.

"Oh! Umm, hi," she stammered, seeing that it was the "scary man" towering over her.

Looking past her he pointed silently. Bu flinched when his hand came over her head.

"I'm sorry, I uhh...I don't know-" She trailed off as she turned to see what he was pointing at.

Most of her sale items were displayed inside a glass counter or on shelves around the store. All she had behind her were some of her own plants and decor...and the cat! He had tried to get up on the shelf multiple times almost knocking over her plants until she finally gave in and put his bed up there.

"What's its name?" The man spoke softy but it was very deep, reverberating in Bu's chest when he spoke.

"Oh! Little Sweet?" Bu was shocked that he was curious about the cat, that was not what she expected to hear from him, "His full name is Sweet William."

Unexpectedly he smiled, lighting up his whole face with the softness, "That fits, like the flower. How is he?"

Still stuck on the fact the supposedly scary man smiled Bu stared up at him dumbly, not hearing the question.

"Miss? Is he not okay?"

"What?! Oh, no! Little sweet is perfectly happy, even after the vet needed to remove his leg." Bu turned to look at the little orange tabby cat who was basking in the sun, "I dare say he is more mobile without it."

"Good." He was quiet after that, looking down nervously, Bu was worried he might ask for Little Sweet back. Instead, he held up a small violet queen echeveria succulent, "Can I please buy this?"

He asked so timidly that Bu thought a ghost of a child had possessed this grown man's body.

"Uhh, yeah sure let me just…" She gently took the plant from him to check the price, still doubting what she heard was real.

Within minutes he was all checked out and the small plant was packaged away safely in a custom box with the shop's logo, the Japanese characters for Hanakotoba inside of a pale purple lotus flower. Hanging from a colorful string was a little card with instructions on how to care for the plant. Something Bu started doing after she has gotten a few complaint calls about her plants dying.

"Thank you, I will be careful with-" As the man began to walk backward to leave the store, a hanging plant whapped him in the back of the head "Sorry about that, hah."

He ducked his head politely in an awkward half-bow, as he opened the door. Bu couldn't suppress the soft smirk that appeared on her face at his departure. He was endearingly clumsy and shy when you talked with him. Reflecting on her attitude towards him the past month Bu felt ashamed. Her mother always warned her that things aren't always as they appeared but she had always thought that applied to people who had ulterior motives. She guessed her mother had named her correctly because like the translation of her Japanese name, Naibu, she was clearly, still very naive.

Steeling herself Bu rushed to the door and opened it, looking around for the man. She started to feel dejected when she couldn't find him but soon noticed his broad back in the crowd.

"Sir! Sir!" When he didn't turn around Bu tried something else, "Violet queen plant guy!"

That seemed to do the trick, (and also confused some people around her!)

Bowing she yelled: "Thank you so much! Please...come again soon!"

As she waited for a reply, she saw that soft smile on his face as he nodded. Cheeks flushed in embarrassment and joy she watched as his back turned and he disappeared into the crowd.