The Most Special Gift

In my first year working with the growing population of Hispanic English language learners, I frequently saw bouquets like these. Boyfriends would give them to girlfriends, adorned with balloons and candies on top. Girlfriends would present them to boyfriends in sporty colors like red and black, embellished with matchbox cars or Marvel superhero emblems. I was puzzled. These bouquets are HUGE! Physically large, grand, cumbersome, and inconvenient?

Students at my high school don't use lockers, so anyone receiving this grand gesture had to carry it around all day. But that's the point: everyone else would see them and realize how cherished the recipient was by the giver. Adolescent courtship is fascinating.

Fast forward to me, a forty-something married mom of two, shaking my head with a chuckle at these grand expressions of love.

To my surprise, on the final day of school, I received such a gift. I must admit, I cried. The student who presented it to me holds a special place in my heart as a teacher. She had previously texted me to ask about my favorite color (which is teal, by the way), and I thought nothing of it, assuming she was making a card or something similar. Little did I know, I was about to be welcomed into the wonderful silk bouquet club.

Flowers from a student on the last day of school (2024).