Wednesday afternoon a little before 3:00, a friend and I were driving back to work westbound on Cirque Drive about 1,000 feet beyond the roundabout at Alameda and Cirque Drive. There stood a well dressed man in business attire on the north side of the street where the public planting of the daffodils is fully in radiant bloom. He was waiting to cross the street back to his late model Volvo parked on the south side of Cirque Drive. We noticed that he was standing there with his right arm behind his back as he was waiting for an opening in traffic to get safely back across the street. As we passed him by, we could see that he was clutching a massive bouquet of daffodils that he had obviously picked and was attempting to conceal behind his back.
We both gasped at the thought that here was a grown man, an adult, a business person stealing daffodils in broad daylight. Not only was his car stopped on the opposite side of the street, but that he risked his life crossing in heavy traffic where there was no crosswalk all in pursuit of a free bunch of daffodils, and there he stood for Round 2, ready to try to get back across traffic — again — and risking his life to do so, all just to steal those daffodils.
We wondered about his purpose: was it to take them home to his wife or a significant other and have her coo her approval and admiration for his loving, romantic gesture to bring her freshly cut flowers (and I do mean FRESHLY cut/picked/stolen) flowers?
All of the area grocery stores have fresh daffodils for $1 a bunch. Yet there was that man on his quest to steal daffodils in the middle of the afternoon.
Having been a florist years ago (and as most people know regardless of their background in floristry) the open blooms will not even last as long as those from the supermarket, because they are already blown open.
Had it not been too risky to do so, I would have made a U-turn right there and gone after him and confronted him, but once there was a break in the traffic, he bolted across the street, jumped into his car and sped away.
Good for you for calling him on it! Too bad you didn’t get his license plate then it could’ve been published as well. Public shaming is often a good behavioral modifier – but most of us learn that, as well as learning about not stealing – in kindergarten.
Shame on you Mr Tight Wad. I do hope that your lady friend, be her spouse or other, really enjoys the daffodils more than the hundreds of commuters who get to see them each day.
For shame. I hope you see these postings and feel wonderful about your act.
Mike Darrah