the dahlia incident
July 13, 2005I only needed tomato cages, but just outside the entrance at Home Depot, there was a display of dahlia plants in one-gallon pots. Not plate-sized, but saucer-sized, double ones. No price tag. A fellow with a forklift kind of vehicle was loading stuff, so I asked him if he knew how much they were, guessing that he wasn’t a clerk. He was quite helpful, picked up one, and said he would scan it for me. As he walked to the checkout, the dahlia, single-stemmed and very top-heavy, snapped off at the base, and fell to the ground.
There was a moment of silence. Then I said that I probably didn’t want that particular one. He was somewhat embarrassed, but told me the price. The barren pot, with its stub of dahlia stem, sat awkwardly on the counter.
