The fisherman watched the young man walk up and down the dock. He was wearing a red jacket with a grey shirt beneath. He was holding a bouquet of flowers and watching the waters.
There was a shimmer beneath the water and a woman surfaced. "Hey," she greeted.
"Stephanie," the man cried happily, getting to his knees. "It's good to see you."
Stephanie blushed. "Are those flowers for me?"
The man nodded.
"Matthew," she complained, taking them. She smelled them, let out a breath, and gave them back, shaking her head. "You know we can't be together."
"So? Doesn't stop me from bringing you flowers."
Steph sighed and delicately fingered the pedals. "Still..." she murmured. "You might be spotted. And if people found out about you and me, then all mermaids would have to go into hiding again. I'm breaking the law as it is!"
"I know," Matthew calmed, stroking her arm, "I know... I just thought it would be nice for my beautiful flower to receive some beautiful flowers."
Stephanie blushed. "I don't recognize these kinds of flowers. They aren't like the ones on the shoreline."
"We went down to the desert recently," he clarified, nodding. "I thought I'd get some of the prettiest flowers in the desert for the prettiest flower in the ocean."
Stephanie bobbed below the water in embarrassment, her tail poking up from beneath for a second. "You're pretty cute yourself." Delicately she reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "I wish you could be down here with me."
"I wish you could be up here with me," he retorted. "There are some beautiful places in world."
"We have a Great Barrier Reef."
"We have Rainbow Hills."
They chuckled a bit and sighed.
"If only..." Steph finally wished quietly
"If only..." agreed Matt.
Stephanie took the flowers. "I'd, uh, better find a place and some water for these, then shouldn't I?"
"Find water? You live in an ocean."
She rolled her eyes. "It's fresh water dummy." With that she flipped in water and swam away, with only a quick flash of her tail above the water as a reminder of why they would be forever separated.
After a sigh and a long wait, Matthew left the dock too.
The fisherman stared at the scene that he'd just witnessed. It was at that moment that he decided to abstain from alcohol forevermore.
Yet, on a whether buoy in the middle of a rainy ocean sat a vase with bouquet of flowers inside.
