Rose Day made Special with a Memory from Gift a Place
Flowers are said to be the path to the soul. Flowers are the cord connecting people, places, and memories, basically, they let people connect on a personal level. One such special flower is the rose, the humblest and the most loved. Roses have a special significance in the flower kingdom, as it rules everyone’s heart and is the language of love. Who has not heard of or even seen a rose? Everyone has, and everyone connects a unique story with the king of flowers. It is widely known and the most used, but still, it has a special place in the life of people. It is said a rose connects the hearts of people, speaking the language of love, it can even make enemies lower their arms. Rose has a special meaning for lovers, and they confess their love through a red rose. How can a simple and common flower speak the language of love? But it does. And for Raymond, a simple thing, like roses, gave his life a new meaning. Roses and the Hoover Dam became his special place, and he gifted it to Rachel to cherish those memories through Gift a Place.
Raymond has always been an overachiever, be it in school or his medical college. Now he is doing his residency in neurosurgery and is supposed to join the prestigious John Hopkins fellowship program in the next ten days. He is the brightest mind in the batch and all the professor's favorite.
To celebrate his admission into the fellowship program, Brent, his best friend, and a fellow resident booked a weekend trip to Las Vegas. They reached the hotel MGM Grand around Saturday afternoon and decided to hit the casino by the evening. When Raymond was freshening up, Brent sneaked out and went to the bar. By the time Raymond came to look for him, he was drunk and wasted. He took Brent to the room, and as he was putting him down to sleep, there was a knock on the door.
Raymond opened the door at full force, by that time, he was irritated and angry with Brent, and he was prepared to shout at the person at the door. As soon as he opened the door, a big bouquet of colorful roses was shoved at his face. That was the most beautiful bouquet of roses he had ever seen. It had red, yellow, white, and even a black color rose. Holding that amazing bouquet was a girl who was shouting on her phone and saying, “What do you mean you can’t send me the flowers, he died and is still waiting for his daffodils.”
He just kept staring at her, thinking, is she some kind of a gangster or some kind of a psychic who is trying to reanimate a dead person? Now she is staring back at him with a look that says just keep your mouth shut and take your roses.
After a staring competition of around 10 seconds, she says, “Take your roses.” Raymond was still in the same position, and she just shoved the bouquet at his face. Raymond came back to his senses and said, “I didn’t order any roses.” She said, “I have the order to deliver a mixed rose bouquet to John in room 146 at the MGM Grand Hotel. So, here it is.” She shoved the roses at him again.
Raymond told her that he didn’t order any roses and that he was not John. She was furious and dialed a number and started shouting on the phone and just started walking toward the elevator without a single word. Raymond stood there for another 30 seconds thinking about her and those beautiful flowers. He used to spend his weekends at his grandmother’s, and she loved roses. So, every Sunday, Raymond and his grandmother would work in her garden till noon, tending to those flowers. Seeing those colorful roses brought back those good memories.
After looking at Brent passed out on the bed, he was in no mood to spend my night in bed. He got ready and went down to play some poker. After spending an hour on the craps table, he decided to venture outside the hotel. As he was exiting the hotel lobby, he saw that bouquet girl again. He had started moving towards the main entrance, but those roses had a grip over him. He approached her and said, “Hi! Did you find a home for those roses?”
After hearing the question, she just started laughing, and her laugh was contagious, as soon Raymond was also laughing with her. She stretched out her arm and said, “Hi! I am Rachel. So, sorry for the mix-up in your room. I was supposed to deliver these roses yesterday. I mixed up the delivery schedule, and now, why would people rely on my shop Rachel’s Bloom, to get their favorite flowers.” With that, she just started crying.
At that point, Raymond had no idea what to do, and he just stood there. After a while, when she was done crying, he took out his napkin and gave it to her to wipe her tears. Raymond told her everything would be all right, and she said, “Thank you for this. Take these roses as a sign of my thanks to you. Sorry to cry all over you. Are you visiting Las Vegas alone?” He told her his friend was drunk and sleeping in the room and was planning to roam around the streets now.
She said, “You are in my city, and it is my responsibility to take you out. Come, I will show what Las Vegas is. These roses are for you, they suit you more.” With that, he took the roses from her and said, “Will it be fine with you if you could show me around the city? And my name is Raymond.”
She took his hand and called a cab, and pulled him into the cab with her. She said to the taxi driver, “To the Fountain at Bellagio. So, Raymond, what brings you to Las Vegas.” He told her he was shifting to John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, for a neurology fellowship. She congratulated me and said, “So I will take you to all the wonderful places this city has to offer, and that will be my gift to you.”
They got out at the Fountain at Bellagio, and it was so beautiful. They talked and talked, soaking in the beautiful view. Raymond told her about his aspirations and things which he hadn’t told anyone. Then they started walking towards Fremont Street to experience the view. The city was so lively, people of all kinds everywhere, it was a wonderful experience. They couldn’t stop talking, and by that time, they knew about each other's family, the quirky uncles, the over-the-top aunts. He was having a wonderful time, and so was she, Raymond could tell.
By now, it was almost 4 in the morning. She said, “I saved the best place for the last. Come, let's go.” They got into a cab, and she gave the driver the directions. After a while, he got it, they were going to the Hoover Dam. They reached it just in time for the sunrise. It was beautiful, to say the least. The sun's rays were just lightly warm and radiating an orange glow all over. She was just standing there with her hands wide open, welcoming the rays. Just as the rays were hitting her face, he knew she was special.
Raymond said to her, “Rachel, thank you for making me come with you here. This is really magical. There are no words that can convey my feelings. Thank you for the amazing night and the roses.” She looked at him and said, “You don’t need to thank me, as because of you, I was able to visit this place again. I needed this for a long time. I have been too busy with my new shop recently, and I forget to enjoy once-in-a-while. So, I should be thanking you for a fun night.”
They just stood there holding hands and welcoming the morning sun. For the next two days, she took him to the museums, places, the Strip, and many more places. Then it was time to say goodbye. They were sad to let each other go, and she couldn’t come with him, and he couldn’t stay there. So they promised to meet each other soon.
With sadness in his heart, he came back but booked the tickets to Las Vegas for the next couple of days when he was free. He went back and forth to Las Vegas, and she came to visit him multiple times.
It is now four years since that weekend, and he plans to propose to her on a rose day overseeing the Hoover Dam during the sunrise. He took her out there on the morning of the 7th of February and asked the question, all the while presenting her a rose and Hoover Dam Gift a Place certificate. Rachel was jumping up and down and said yes to his marriage proposal. She said this Gift a Place certificate was the best gift she ever got.
These memories are precious to Rachel and Raymond, and they will always cherish them with the Gift a Place certificate. Raymond was fortunate enough to gift the memory to Rachel and strengthen the bond and remember those places which are significant to the establishment of the bond. Rachel says she loves Raymond even more now because he made the Hoover Dam special to her by gifting that memory and that moment to her.
This rose day, Gift a Place to your loved ones. A place as simple as a cafe can be the starting point of your relationship, and that is significant to you. Celebrate your memories and Gift a Place to your loved ones today.