SALUBRIOUS

SB5

Dakota Smith

2:44 pm - September 5th 2023

Dakota's eyes were glued to the glass front door of her florist shop, as she watched a million security guards escort somebody out of a large Cadillac truck. Her eyes furrowed in perplexity once she noticed they were heading inside of her store. Softly, she placed her right hand on her hip and watched as the biggest security guard swung open the door and allowed their client to come in. Dakota's confusion subsided once the guarded figure zipped their bathing ape jacket from over their head.

"Wassup, Kota." Moo greeted as he removed his jacket as a whole, showing his black wife beater. He was a frequent customer, Dakota could always almost clock when he'd be back in the store for more flowers. He was a rapper, and no longer resided in Dallas. He would stop by every few months, normally at the beginning of the month. "Hey." Dakota replied with a faint smile.

From what Dakota knew, every time he frequented her shop, he was grabbing flowers for his late mother. Moo was always adamant about incorporating her favorite colors and flowers into her monthly arrangements. He was one of the only clients who would question the significance of each flower. "What scheme you trynna go with today?" Dakota questioned as she reached to the back of her head to redo her claw clip. Slowly, she was realizing that 28" of hair wasn't a good idea for the Texas summer heat. So now, she always kept a claw clip by her side to get the hair off of her back when she grew irritated with it.

"You got Gardenias?" Moo questioned. Dakota looked down at her printed out list and flipped a page. "I do." Dakota answered while nodding her head yes.

"Ight—imma do those, pink roses, and carnations." Moo explained, Dakota looked up at him and smiled. "Was your mom born in January?" She questioned while preparing her tools. The arrangements size he chose was always standard, and that size didn't take Dakota long.

"January 14th." Moo replied with a faint smile on his face, causing Dakota to do the same. She looked over and noticed security was blocking the entrance, which made her smile drop. "Can you tell them to move? I got other customers too." She announced.

Moo lightly chuckled as he rested his elbows on the counter, "They just making sure a nigga straight, that's all." He explained. Now that he was closer, Dakota got a whiff of weed and cologne. His low infrared eyes confirmed the weed smell. "What if somebody try to come in here and do something crazy, just cause I'm in here?" He added.

Dakota shrugged, "You just Moo, ain't nobody trynna do nothing to you." She replied, making them both chuckle. Although he was this big famous rapper to the world, he was just a sweet guy who came to buy his mother flowers to Dakota.

"You drew this on the chalkboard all by yourself?" Moo questioned. Instinctively, Dakota briefly looked up before fixing her attention back on completing the arrangement. "Yeah." She answered.

"That shit tough." He replied as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to snap a picture. After the prattle, the store fell silent as Dakota worked her magic. Her grandmother's tips and tricks always ran through her mind when she made flower arrangements, painting a faint smile on her face in the process. Soon enough, she finished and produced the final product. Moo smiled from ear to ear as he held the arrangement in his hands. "You so raw, Kota—I swear." He announced.

Dakota lightly chuckled, "I try." She replied while cleaning off her work station. The best part about Moo visiting, was him paying in cash and leaving her a hefty tip. After paying, he said his goodbyes once more before him and his entourage left. Dakota dipped off to warm up the soup that she indulged in earlier. While in front of the microwave, she pulled her phone out of her back pocket. Paris called her twice, which urged Dakota to call her back.