The day Clarence and I drove to Madison and Hammonasett Park for the annual kite fly, on the way back, we stopped off at Perennial Harmony to visit my lovely friend Aretha! I guess I was a bit aprehensive during the trip because I heard Clarence sigh with exasperation. "Will you stop fidgeting!" he growled, poking me in the ribs with his hind foot. "That's the tenth time you've smoothed your whiskers and washed behind your ears!"
"Well, I want to look nice!" I hissed, smacking Clarence on the tail. I admit I was a bit fidgety but after all, I would soon meet the latest love of my life.
When the automobile drove into the parking lot of the plant nursery, my heart was pounding with anticipation! Once more I smoothed my whiskers and washed behind my ears! I bounded through the door of the sales room, my eyes searching for Aretha. She was not there! I ran out to the garden area which was huge with aisles and aisles filled with beautiful shrubs and beautiful flowers. Still I could not see my beautiful Aretha. "Calm down, Henri," meowed Clarence who had run after me. "She is probably watering the flowers or something like that."
I ran down every aisle (my goodness Perennial Harmony is big!) looking for my lovely Aretha. I found her nestled among the shrub roses! "Henri, dear! How good to see you again!" she purred.
I gazed at her beautiful face. I gazed into her beautiful eyes. "Hello, Aretha," I stammered. I felt my whiskers curl, my ears redden. "I stopped by today to pick out some bushes for our garden. I thought you might be able to help me in my selection."
"Hello?" Clarence waved his paw in front of my face. "We stopped by to purchase a bunch of flowers for our gardens," he meowed loudly.
Aretha smiled sweetly. "It was so nice of you toms to stop by today. I have been thinking of you both. As I remember, Henri, you like yellow roses. I have just the bush for you. It is a shrub rose and has delicate yellow flowers." She pointed at a large display of plants in the next aisle. We studied the assortment of rose bushes, but my gaze was on lovely Aretha's lovely face. Clarence nudged my ribs with his paw.
"Look Henri!" he meowed, "Isn't this the rose bush you have always wanted? It has yellow buds and this bush over here, has nice orangey flowers. I think that's a nice one, too."
"I'll take all of them, Aretha dear," I stammered making a wide sweep with my paw to include the entire rose nursery.
Again, Clarence nudged me in the ribs, but this time a little harder than before. "Umm, Henri, do you have enough money to pay for them? If not, I could lend you some cash which I have saved from my allowance...."
"Well, maybe I should just take the two bushes." Carefully, I scrutinized the roses of choice. "I'll take the yellow and orangey bush, Aretha."
Aretha nodded. "Those are a wise choice, Henri. I'm sure you will be very happy with them. And when they bloom this summer, I hope you will think of me," she purred.
I bought the roses. It took me a while to count out all the coins I had saved from my allowance. I was a little short of cash and Clarence went out to the automobile and brought back a small cloth bag tied at the top with string. He emptied the contents onto the counter. There were enough coins to cover the cost of the rose bushes. After I had made my selection, Clarence's person put them in the back of the automobile. I gazed at Aretha, saddened that our visit would be so short. "You will write won't you, Aretha," I begged. And you will send me some more photographs won't you?
"That should keep Aretha in catnip for awhile," meowed Clarence, as we drove away from Perennial Harmony Nursery.
I glared at Clarence. "I could devote my life to giving Aretha all the catnip she should so desire!" I growled. Then much to my horror, he began to sing, his deep baritone meows, hammering my ear drums.
