Victor Kerlow Dear Diary:
I had an unusual experience recently.
The morning seemed like a run-of-the-mill weekday. I had just dropped off my daughter for school on Flatbush Avenue in Park Slope and was waiting for a friend and fellow mom to emerge from her car to chat when a man came out of DNY Natural Land. He was carrying a bouquet of roses.
Feeling a bit playful, I addressed him. “Oh, for me?†I asked, expecting a smile and a polite brushoff.
But something entirely different occurred: The man looked me full in the eye, grinned, and said, “Yes. For you!†then handed me the roses.
“Ha, ha!†I laughed and handed back the bouquet. Or tried to. He refused to accept them.
“No, no, you can't mean thi s!†I screeched.
“I do,†he insisted, and walked back into the store to buy a second bouquet.
What could have precipitated such a generous act? Had the love of his life just accepted his proposal? Had he snagged a new job or promotion? Or was he simply glad to be alive on this beautiful wintry morning? I'll never know - only that a stranger on the street initiated an unexpected act of kindness. And for that, lovely, anonymous man, thank you.
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