Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Proposal - Part 1

Power Flowers is a florist located in downtown Toronto that designs flower arrangements and bouquets for different events and occasions.  The Power Flowers web site (http://www.power-flowers.com/) presents different attractive designs for you to select and order.  In addition to focusing on flower arrangement design and quality, Power Flowers also places great emphasis on flower delivery within the Greater Toronto area.  Since the beginning of operations over five years ago, Power Flowers has delivered many flower arrangements and bouquets to different locations.  While most of these deliveries have been completed normally, a few of them are more notable for one reason or another.  Over the next few posts, we will describe a number of actual deliveries demonstrating that flower delivery is not always simply the case of pressing a door bell and handing off the flower arrangement or bouquet to the person that answers the door.


In addition to presenting an engagement ring at a fancy restaurant, some men also chooses to present a bouquet when proposing to their loved one.  Shortly after starting operations, Power Flowers was asked to present a bouquet of a dozen red rose to a potential mate outside the door of a restaurant in downtown Toronto.  His plan was to propose after dinner and have me present the bouquet as they exited the restaurant.  After being told of my responsibilities that were to play out the following evening, I was a little bit nervous about this particular delivery.  I had just started delivering flowers to homes and offices in the Greater Toronto area, and I was still getting use to wandering around town in public places with a flower arrangement or bouquet in my hands.  Standing outside a restaurant near a busy intersection in downtown Toronto on a summer evening would certainly be a interesting experience.

I managed to find a parking spot on the street a few shops away from where the restaurant was located.  I made sure to arrive at least a half hour before the agreed time as driving times in a busy area like downtown Toronto can be affected by construction, road closures, and other unforeseen circumstances.  About ten minutes before the scheduled time, I picked up the bouquet from the back seat of my car and made the short walk outside the door of the restaurant. Each minute waiting outside the door felt like an hour and needless to say, many of those walking by the restaurant door where I was standing could not resist a quick look at me holding a bouquet of a dozen red roses.  The low, mellow lighting inside the restaurant to create a desirable ambiance prevented me from seeing clearly through the window to see if the couple was about to leave the restaurant.  The previous day, we gave the gentleman that was proposing my cell phone number so that he could contact me if there was a change of plan.  After standing outside the restaurant looking at the restaurant door for about ten minutes, I get a text message indicating that he was behind schedule by about ten to fifteen minutes.  I sent a text reply indicating that I would wait until they came out.  Shortly afterward, a small gaggle of high school students strolled by the restaurant.  One of them asked if my heart was broken.  She must have thought that I was making a last ditch attempt to win back the heart of a lady.  I nervously replied that I was delivering flowers on behalf of a florist and waiting for someone inside the restaurant that was in the process of proposing.  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the couple came into sight near the restaurant window - they were leaving.  As they left, the gentleman gave me a nod indicating that this was the time to hand over the bouquet to the lady.  "This is for you" I said as she stepped out.  "Oh, thanks" she nonchalantly said as they headed left down the street.  Merely from facial expressions and body language, I got the impression that it did not go well for him, but I was hoping I read it incorrectly.  I hope it worked out well for both of them in the end.