OLD WAYS

CHAPTER SIX; Old ways

—

"Knock, knock!"

Early in the morning, Althea heard a knock. She was preparing for school and was about to go out when she heard it. She paused for a moment before heading towards the door and opening it.

"Good morning!" Said the delivery man in red, smiling brightly.

The corners of her lips almost twitched. How can this guy smile like that so early in the morning?

"Good morning," she also greeted, but unlike him, she was calm like a pond. "What is it?"

"Here!" He said cheerfully handing over a bouquet of purple flowers. "Flowers for Althea Grahams!"

"..."

She stared at the flowers for a minute. It took a while before she understood him.

'Wait- Pardon- What?'

Althea looked at the flowers again, petrified. The delivery man nudges the bouquet to her again, urging her to take it. His arms are aching already. She hesitated for a moment before taking it.

"Thank, uh, thank you." She was unsure what to say. She wanted to ask what the hell is this and who the hell sent it to her early in the morning.

"You're welcome!" He took a small clipboard from his breast pocket and handed it to her, she accepted it with difficulty. The bouquet was big after all.

Then he patted his side pocket for a pen, she knew he was looking for a pen. She once was a delivery woman. Her mother owned a flower shop and she occasionally helps with deliveries. Every receiver needs to sign a paper that proves that they already received the package.

Althea waited for him, but the delivery man kept on patting all of his pockets for a minute before smiling sheepishly at her. "May I borrow your-"

"Pen," she helped him finish his words. She was right.

The delivery man nodded rapidly. "Yes! May I borrow your pen?"

Althea fished out the pen in her pocket and handed it to him.

"Here."

"Thank you!" He reached for it. After that, he patted his breast pocket.

Althea, realizing what was wrong, internally groaned. 'Why do I have to deal with an idiot this early in the morning?! I need to go to school now! And his stupidity is contagious!'

Why did she even pass the pen to him?!

"Oh!" He finally noticed. He looked at her, his stupid smile was still strongly plastered on his face. "Hehehe."

He he he- he he he your face!

"Here!" He handed the pen to her. Althea was so annoyed that she wanted to kick his groin. Or call the guards to pull him out. But all of these are inappropriate and irrational, so she stopped herself. "Uh, sign that and, uh, Uh, the flowers will finally be yours!"

There is it again, his stupid smile. 

Althea could not bear looking at him, she looked down and signed the paper with difficulty. She didn't want to crush the flowers between her body and arms, but she couldn't help it. It was, after all, stupidly big. She wanted to hand the flowers to him for a while but she decided against it. Who knows what kind of stupidity will enter his mind again?

'How much money did they spend on this?' She can't help but wonder. She doesn't have any idea who in the world gave her these flowers so early in the morning.

But if she was asked who is crazy enough to do so, she could only think of one particular person.

"Then persuade me, Mr. Tyler Barns. Persuade me and I might consider going out with you."

"The game is on, Ms. Althea Grahams. The game is on."

Remembering their conversation the other day, Althea unconsciously smiled.

"Is there something funny, ma'am?" 

The smile vanished in an instant. She looked up and handed back the paper to him. 

 "The pen-"

 Ugh, seriously? "It's mine."

"Of course it's yours! He he he." He scratched his head and put the clipboard again in his breast pocket.

Please go away, now! 

He bowed, then turned away. Althea could not be happier seeing him walk further away from her. She did not walk back inside her apartment until the delivery man in red disappeared completely from her sight.

She put the flowers on the table before heading to get her bag on the sofa. She walked past the table, but just before she reached the doorknob; she stopped.

She groaned internally and walked back. She picked up the flowers and sniffed them. The sweet and fresh smell attacked her nose. Her whole body and mind relaxed. She looked at the bright purple color of the flowers.

'Well,' she thought. ' Not bad.'

Althea is low-key delighted. In her fifteen years of living, she never received this kind of thing until today.

The sender is very knowledgeable about her. They knew that she liked purple and sweet-scented things. 

Looking at the time, she hurriedly looked for a vase to put the flower in, but found none. She wanted to slap her face because her vase was already filled with flowers she bought yesterday and she didn't have any spare vases. The flower she bought is still fresh, and it is a waste of money to just throw it away.

She didn't want to throw these flowers away either because she felt bad for whoever the sender is, since they paid for them.

Althea went to the cupboards and found a purple tumbler. She remembered that it was her mother who put it in her luggage, but she never had the chance to use it, so it was stored away.

She uncapped the tumbler and filled it with water, then placed it on the table just right beside the other vase. She then untied the bouquet and picked the adorable purple flowers and, one by one, she placed them inside the purple tumbler.

One's eyes might hurt if they see this, but she was very pleased. She stood with a smug look on her face after arranging the flowers.

Everyone in their town knows that she loves flowers. She had her garden in their yard and she was the one who personally attended to the flowers. Although they have a bigger one, it was for business. Plus, she wants to attend to her flowers by herself. 

Their neighbors often sigh in awe because of the carefully tended flowers. 

Such delicate flowers are tended by a delicate girl. What a sight.

She also likes arranging them in a variety of shapes and designs. She's careful with her art and it will turn out beautiful. The townsmen often ask for favors from her regarding arranging flowers on any occasion. 

She is also one of the staff arranging the flowers in their shop.

Althea looked at the vases of flowers on top of the table once more before heading out. Halfway through the garage, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She fished it out and slipped inside her car. It was black. Her mother was the one who bought it for her, and her mother disliked the thought of a purple car, so she bought a black.

She did put her bag on the other seat and opened her phone. 

It was a message.

***

T: Hey! Did you get my flowers?

***

Her eyes almost flew out of their pockets.

It was him; it was him! She had an inkling about it, but she didn't dare to assume that fast. But to think It is him!

Althea calmed herself first before replying.

***

: I did, just this morning. 

***

She added a follow-up message.

***

: What's with that, though?

***

It didn't take a while before her phone vibrated again.

***

T: What's wrong with flowers and chocolates? 

T: I like chocolate myself.

T: Hey if you want to serenade me in the future, just forget about that and bring me chocolates.

***

Who said I'll serenade you?! Serenade yourself! 

Althea glared at the three consecutive texts from Tyler. How shameless can he be? Serenade? Chocolate? He's way too off the topic! 

***

: Buy your chocolate!

: So what's with the flower?

***

T: About that,

T: I heard there's an old way of, you know,

T: Courting.

T: I forgot which country it was though.

T: It said I have to serenade the family first.

T: But your family lives far away so-

T: I heard it was a form of sincerity.

T: I am serious about you so,

T: I'll take it slow.

***

Althea almost broke her phone from her grip. Her face was dusted with red, she couldn't even look at the text messages for a minute. 

She was wondering how Tyler tried to persuade him but to think he would do something like this-!!!

She wanted to scream- with mixed feelings; embarrassment and excitement.

In the end, she threw her head back and laughed heartily inside her car. To think he used old ways to persuade her!

She did not reply. 

'I wonder what kind of peculiar surprises he stored for me.'

She slipped her phone back into her pocket and drove off to school.