Me: "I'd like to send flowers to a friend. She's been having a rough time lately, so I thought I would try to cheer her up a little."
Cranston, RI florist: "What a nice thought. Did you have a price range in mind, does she have a favorite flower? How can I help?"
Me: "Just something cheerful. I don't want it to look like a funeral arrangement. I'm thinking bright colors (she's in high school), maybe a funny card, you know?"
Florist: "I understand. Let's see here... We have several arrangements to choose from. While I'm bringing those up on my screen here, I just had a quick question: is your friend an outspoken atheist?"
Me: "What??? Why on earth would THAT matter?"
Florist: "Well, if an atheist isn't outspoken - you know, if they keep it to themselves, we can help you out. But if your friend exercises her right to speak out on things that really offend her sensibilities, let alone the Constitution, then we can't deliver her flowers. That would be dishonest, you know, because then we'd be making it seem like she DESERVED to be reassured that she's fighting the good fight."
Me: ".......Yes she's outspoken. In fact, recently she was instrumental in having a prayer banner removed from a public school. Now she has people calling her evil and destructive, she's being vilified right left and center, and I'm just trying to do my part from a distance, cheer her up a bit, you know, let her know that she isn't alone and that there are lots of people who respect her courage in doing what she did."
..........dial tone........
An update & poll regarding those florists: http://news.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/2012/01/cranston-floris.html
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