An Imperial Affliction

Tulip Mania

In the year of 1637, The Dutch Golden Age, a strange phenomenon occurred. A single tulip buds' price skyrocketed to more than ten times the annual income of a skilled craftsmen. And that's a fact.

The first time I saw the Dutch Tulip Man, I was with my mom. I remember I didn't like his mustache; the way it curled at the corners of his mouth. Don't worry. He will eventually shave it off. He was tall and husky. Too tall. Too husky. He towered over my mother and I like a giant. We were at a flower shop. Not just any flower shop. It was a weird eccentric one my mother was able to find. It smelled of cigarettes, earth, and old books. Leave it to my mother to find a smokey, dirty old, crumbling flower shop in a hole in the wall. I can hear her now.

"But Anna! They specialize in tulips!"

"Mother, you planted them all already."

"And what if they've discovered a new one that I don't know about? Huh?"

"Oh. I'm sure."

Boy, did that one come back to bite me because they did. Or at least The Dutch Tulip Man claimed to. Stay just where you are. You're going to want to hear this.

I pulled my sweater closer around my weak body. It was grey; falling apart at the seams. Just like me.

"You know, I think it takes a real pretty face to pull off short hair like you do."

The burly voice took me by surprise and I spun around, nearly knocking myself off of my feet. It was the shop owner.

I didn't know what to say. "I-uh...I mean I-," I mumbled.

"It's alright. I probably shouldn't have said anything. I just- I thought you should know."

And with that he walked away; his steps slow. Once behind the counter, he gave me a smile. I felt my heart speed up. Who was this guy? I quickly spun around, frantically searching for my mother.

"Mom, can we leave? Please?"

I think she detected the strain in my voice.

"What's the matter honey? Are you okay? What happened?"

"No, mom. It was nothing. I just- I want to rest a little."

She turned her head back to the seeds that she was studying. She must have grabbed one of every kind.

"Alright honey," she said fumbling with the packages in her hands, "Let me just buys these really quick."

I sighed, exhausted. But, as I watched her walk clumsily towards the counter, a look of desperation on her face, I chided myself for rushing her. I'm always a burden. I can't do anything right.

"That'll be $37.60."

"$37.60?" I exclaimed. "Those are some expensive seeds! C'mon mom, you don't need all of those."

"They're good seeds," said the man behind the counter.

"Good seeds? What does that even- Never mind." I turned away from his face, suddenly remembering our encounter earlier.

I looked at my mother. "Mom, you have all of these. Let's just go.You have them all! Please!"

I tried not to look at the man standing behind the counter.

"I don't care! I want them! What's gotten into you Anna?" she replied.

She pulled out her purse, quietly mumbling half to herself as she searched through it.

"Anna, I don't like your attitude...for you...I do it for you, you know!...of all the tulips that I....I just wanted to see if maybe...new...I guess not...Oh Anna I-"

A new voice.

"You can cross breed you know."

My mother's head shot up.

"Excuse me?" We both looked at him, awaiting an explanation. He cleared his throat.

"No I- If you wanted to you could cross breed the tulips. It's a little bit of a process, but if you really wanted to you could. I've been working on it quite a while now. If you can get passed the first stage of-Oh, I'm sorry, now I'm just rambling." He looked down. "Do you still want the seeds?"

My mothers eye was alight with passion and confusion and wonder. She grabbed his hand from across the counter; a gesture that surprised him. He flinched and my mother quickly withdrew her hand.

"I'm sorry I- What you were saying was awfully interesting. You see, I've been searching for new kinds tulips...well it must be about forever now." She smiled and let out an excited laugh. "But, what you were saying...cross breeding was it? I should very much like to know how that works."

He stared for a while, shocked that anyone would be interested at all.

"Well I- I don't where to start," he finally said.

"Show me," my mother replied, her face full of hope.

I guess you could say that it was me who started the relationship between The Dutch Tulip Man and my mother. Now, whether that's good or bad, I don't know.

~~~~~~~~~~

Driving back from our adventure, I let my head press up against the glass of the window. My mother was humming and I watched as the world sped across my screen; everything a blur.

"Good thing I found that shop Anna. Cross breeding! Who woulda' thought?"

I tried to smile for her. "Yeah, mom. Who woulda' thought?"

"That man was so nice too. Wasn't he Anna? Wasn't he nice?"

So fast. So fast. The world goes by so fast. Time flies by so fast. I shut my eyes. "Mmmmm-hmmmm."

"Anyway, Dael is going to come over some time next week to let me in on all of his secrets. Isn't this exciting?"

I was suddenly alert. "Huh? Dael? Who's Dael?"

She looked over to me. "Haven't you heard a word I've said Anna? Dael! The man from the flower shop!"

"What!" I exclaimed. "No! You don't even know him mother! What were you thinking?"

She scolded me with her eyes. "Don't you put on that tone with me young lady. I'm a grown woman. I can make my own decisions. And you were there the whole time. Probably zoning out like you were right now. You've been so distracted lately."

"Just thinking, thats all," I said sleepliy.

"About what?" she asked.

"I dont know. Stuff."

I think she knew that was all I wanted to say. It was quiet for a while. I broke the silence.

"What kind of name is Dael anyway?"

She chuckled.

"He told me. It's Dutch."

"Right," I said.

I turned my attention back to the window and world went on rolling by.