[Chapter 155: Flower Girl]
Daniel had been to New York City once before and had even gone shopping with Scarlett; honestly, it wasn't much to see. But in 2004, New York remained the most prosperous metropolis in the world.
Especially Manhattan, where he was currently staying.
In terms of economy, architecture, and cultural influence, other cities and countries still had a long way to go before catching up. Of course, in another dozen years or so, the situation would be completely different.
Manhattan is actually an island, accessible only by bridges and boats. Yet it was home to the world-famous Wall Street, which drained wealth from all over the globe, as well as Broadway -- the heart of American theater.
After checking into the Hilton and finishing dinner at the hotel restaurant, Daniel hailed a taxi bound for Broadway. He planned to catch a show.
Once there, he checked the performance schedule. Most were classic, long-running productions like The Sound of Music, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and The Lion King.
But Daniel was surprised to see Mean Girls -- a youth-oriented movie adapted into a Broadway play. It was said to be very popular.
Thinking of Amanda, Daniel bought a ticket to Mean Girls and waited for the show to begin.
...
After the performance, it was already past 9 p.m. Daniel exited the theater and hailed a taxi at the curb.
"Sir, would you like to buy some flowers?"
A youthful voice caught Daniel's attention. He looked over and saw a girl about twelve or thirteen, holding a basket of roses and trying to sell them to theatergoers. She wore a bright red hat that stood out against her simple clothes, reminiscent of an oversized Little Red Riding Hood -- and quite pretty.
"No thanks, go away," a man waved her off impatiently.
The little girl was undeterred and moved on to the next person. "Sir, would you like to buy some flowers?"
"No, thank you," the next man replied politely.
Sensing his politeness, the girl added, "Sir, your wife is very beautiful. Buy her a flower, and she'll be very happy."
"I said, no thanks," the polite man's tone sharpened.
"I'm sorry to bother you," the girl quickly apologized and moved on.
Hard work pays off. Not everyone was so heartless.
Some couples, unwilling to lose face, bought flowers to please their dates after the girl's gentle promptings.
After some sales pitches, seven or eight men had each paid for multiple flowers. Daniel noticed the price -- three dollars apiece. In just a short while, the girl had earned nearly a hundred dollars.
Her eye for customers was sharp: she only targeted men accompanied by partners, never wasting time on those alone.
Daniel smiled. She was a very smart little girl.
Suddenly, the girl turned and walked toward Daniel.
"Sir, buy a flower!"
Daniel chuckled, amused. "Don't you only sell to couples? Didn't you see I'm alone?"
The girl smiled brightly. "But you've been watching me for a long time. You must want to buy some flowers."
Daniel laughed. "I didn't expect you to be such a good observer. You actually noticed I was watching."
Her smile grew even wider. "So, sir, do you want to buy some flowers?"
"Alright. I'll take three."
Daniel pulled out ten dollars and handed it to her. "Keep the change."
"Thank you, sir." The girl happily selected three vibrant roses from the basket and handed them to Daniel.
He reached out to take them, and the girl turned back to sell to others.
After a while, Daniel hailed a taxi.
Just as he was about to get in, the girl waved at him. "Goodbye, sir."
"Goodbye!"
Daniel waved back.
...
Back at the hotel, Daniel asked a waiter for a vase and placed the flowers inside.
The next morning, he found the flowers still in full bloom with a faint, lingering fragrance filling the room.
That evening, Daniel returned to Broadway. He'd found Mean Girls entertaining enough, but tonight he planned to see the classic Phantom of the Opera.
After the performance, Daniel spotted the flower-selling girl again.
She recognized him immediately.
"Sir, would you like to buy some flowers?"
She skipped over to him.
"Sure," Daniel replied gladly, buying three more.
This time, the girl added an extra rose. "This one's for you. Thank you for buying my flowers two days in a row."
Daniel accepted it. "Thank you."
"Goodbye, sir."
The girl's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled and skipped off to sell to others.
"Goodbye!"
Daniel climbed into a taxi and left.
...
The next evening, Daniel appeared on Broadway again to watch The Sound of Music.
But when he came out, the flower girl was nowhere to be seen.
Daniel felt a tinge of regret. After seeing her for two straight days, he'd hoped to buy more flowers tonight.
...
The following day, Daniel contacted Scarlett's brother, Hunter.
Hunter was thrilled to hear Daniel had arrived in NY and insisted on taking him to dinner.
Daniel told him he was preparing to wake Amy and Hunter was stunned.
"Mr. Cross, you found a way to wake Amy already?"
Daniel nodded. "That's right. Come with me to Amy's house."
"No need. I'll call Amy's parents and have them pick us up."
"That works too."
...
Daniel hadn't expected Amy's parents to show up in person.
"Mr. Cross, Hunter said you found a way to wake Amy. Is it true?" Amy's mother asked as soon as she saw Daniel, her voice full of anxious hope.
Daniel carefully hedged, "I can say there's a high chance, and I'm ready to try."
He avoided absolute promises -- nothing was 100% in this life.
Amy's parents smiled with expectation.
"Please, get in," Amy's mother invited.
Daniel climbed into the car and noticed Hunter was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Hunter?" Daniel asked.
"We're picking him up now," Amy's mother said.
Daniel felt a pang of sympathy for Hunter. With hope for their daughter's recovery, the status of her boyfriend instantly took a back seat.
Fortunately, Hunter was waiting at NYU's Manhattan campus, not far from Daniel's location.
In less than twenty minutes, they picked up Hunter and headed toward Amy's house.
"Mr. Cross, can you really wake Amy?" Hunter asked with undeniable excitement.
It was clear his love for Amy was genuine.
"We'll see," Daniel said cautiously.
...
Inside Amy's home, Daniel approached her nursing bed.
Amy lay connected to a heart rate monitor and feeding tube.
When she was possessed, she could still eat normally, though not always healthily. Now, she depended entirely on the feeding tube.
It made her look fragile and pitiful.
"Mr. Cross, how can we help?" Amy's father asked calmly, hope shining in his eyes.
Daniel replied, "Have one million dollars ready. If I wake Amy, that's the price."
"No problem," Amy's father agreed immediately.
Though a hefty sum, their family could afford it. It wouldn't hurt their foundation.
"Let's get started," Daniel said, stepping toward Amy.
*****
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