Gemotions

The doorbell rang. Maya found a huge arrangement of mixed blooms on her doorstep. No note, just colour. Her first thought was her mother, who was recovering from surgery. But the flowers were too wild, too exuberant.

Later that day, she saw a homeless man huddled on the street corner near her apartment. He had a dog, skinny and shivering. She imagined how he felt, alone and cold.

Returning to her apartment, she clipped the stems short and carefully separated the flowers, creating smaller, cheerful bunches. She walked to the street corner, gave the man two bunches of the flowers, and said, "These are for you. I hope they bring some cheer." The man's eyes, usually dull, widened with something akin to joy.