“Flowers, Ma’am?” the girl asked with her big round eyes and puffy cheeks. She looked the same age as Audrey, and the clothes she wore were old but still clean, even though there were some random smudges on her face.
I noticed it and quickly took out some tissue, wanting to help her clean it. However, as soon as I reached out, the girl backed away.
She tried to take a huge step back, but kids do not make much distance with those short legs of theirs.
“Don’t be scared,” I told her, trying my best to smile and make myself more approachable. I waved the tissue in my hand to indicate that I meant no harm. “You have something on your nose. Let me wipe that off for you, my dear. Okay?”
The girl was still naive, so she let down her guard in no time and got closer, quietly letting me clean her face without even making a sound.
Seeing what was going on, Emery pulled out a budded flower from the girl’s basket and fiddled it. “It’s a hot day, little girl. Why are you here doing business instead of staying at home? Are you that materialistic?”
‘What are you saying?” Emery always had a sharp tongue when it came to strangers.
But the girl did not understand what she meant and merely blinked at Emery innocently.
I was a little amazed by her reaction, so I asked, “Aren’t you afraid of her?”
“I’m not. She’s a pretty lady.” The girl did not even blink as she said that right at Emery’s face.
“Ahem…” Emery blushed instantly, but she kept up her act. “That won’t work, kid. I’m not going to cough up my money just because you gave me some compliments. I’m a businesswoman too. I don’t do deals that aren’t beneficial to me, understand?”
“I understand.” The girl nodded. “So, that one you have will only cost you two bucks. I won’t be making any profit from you.”
“Not making any profit? If that’s the case, why don’t you give it to me for free?” Emery teased. “You cheeky girl. I bet the supply cost is at most half of that. You’re just trying to trick me from another angle, aren’t you?”
Hearing what Emery said, the girl shook her head violently. “That’s not true. My flowers are the best and freshest flowers. They usually cost two fifty each, but I figured you won’t have fifty cents, so I gave you a discount.”
All of a sudden, it looked like Emery got serious as she turned her whole body around toward the little girl. “Let me educate you on what for free means. It means presenting an item to someone without subjecting it to payment, little girl. So, you give this to me for free, and I don’t have to pay for it, understand?”
The girl might not be able to understand all the technical terms, but she understood that she was not going to get the flower’s cost. So, her eyes turned red in an instant as she dropped her basket to the floor.
“Alright now, don’t worry. The lady here is just joking with you. We’ll definitely pay for it.” I comforted the child and pulled Emery in for an apology. “What is wrong with you today? Why are you bullying a little girl? Quick, she’s about to cry…”
Emery did not seem thrilled about it. “You’re being too innocent here. In this day and age, little con artists like her are everywhere! They exploit the sympathy of mothers like you and hike up the price of each flower. They make hundreds in one day! It’s way better than those labor work. I’m not the only one that’s heartless. Everyone else is doing the same thing! Look, you see anyone showing their concern for what’s happening here?”
With that, the little girl’s eyes got watery, and tears welled up, looking like they would burst in any second.
Nevertheless, I could not refute Emery’s claim. People only took care of themselves even during the olden days, let alone now.
“She’s not lying.” Summer’s voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned around and saw that she was picking up something from the little girl’s basket on the floor.
Soon enough, she passed me a piece of paper. “That’s the receipt for the flowers. She’s not lying.”
I took a look, and it was indeed, as the little girl said, two fifty each. She had a total of thirty flowers in her basket.
