In a small and boring town are a small flower shop. It was run by its only employee, a brown-furred, golden-eyed doberman named Lorelei. For her, life in this place is boring, since she inherited her father's flower shop, life was empty and colorless, even though she was surrounded by perfume (ironically).

The dog's father had a natural talent for this job; just by looking at a customer's face, he already knew exactly which flower or bouquet the customer needed. While her father was so empathetic and knew everything about every plant, Lorelei, or Lory, is nowhere near as committed.

Despite being 25 years old, she has never done or had much in her life. She has always had average grades, never wanted to go to university, was never interested in wondering for love, and her circle of friends is very narrow. As a teenager, her justification for this was that she hadn't had her moment to shine. But after she graduated, she decided to stop trying to fool herself and admit that she just doesn't take the initiative for anything.

It was a normal Monday morning, Lory got out of bed, showered, had her breakfast, dressed in a magenta shirt with gray pants and a pair of sandals; she tied her hair in a ponytail and left for work.

Today was less crowded than usual. On the one hand, that was good, because that way she didn't have to feign receptivity all the time, which she feels forced to do, given the type of job she has. The flower shop was much more popular when Lory's father was alive, but because his daughter couldn't convey the same charisma and sense of intimacy, she gradually lost customers.

At around 4pm, the doberman was sitting at the counter with a faraway gaze, wondering if her life could have been different. Suddenly, her daydreams are interrupted by a feminine voice, a new customer.

-Excuse me, miss?- Said the customer with a soft voice.

Lory looked around, then down to see her. She was a white short-tail manx kitty with blue eyes, who wore a light pink bow and a small lilac dress and blue shoes. She doesn't looks like be more then 7 years oold.

-Yes, what can I help you with?- Lory answered the little girl, without the need for false enthusiasm, since children don't easily understand the feelings of the elders.

-You know, I've been saving money to buy flowers for my mother.-Said the cat

-Is it for her birthday?

-It's not that. She works all day, and when she comes home, she goes out again. So if I give my mother a flower, she will want to spend more time with me!- The cub replied with excitement and innocence.

-Okay, so let's see...here, take this.- Take any flower and give it to her.

-Hm, are you sure that mommy will like this flower?- Asked the smaller one with a lot of doubt.

-But of course she will. It's pretty and... fragrant... it's a nice flower.- Lory fails to disguise her ignorance of the subject.

-That's not what I want! I want a flower that my mother likes; and until you decide to give it to me, I'll not get out from here!- Says the cub, dissatisfied with the disdain of the atendent.

-Tsk, so stay, it's not my problem.-Lory replied to the tantrum.

Lorelei wasn't worried at first, as she thought the Kitty would get tired of sitting there in the doorway of the shop. However, when she noticed that the sky was already turning dark, still seeing the cub in the same place, she realized that she had to take it seriously.

-Okay, kid, you won. Stay there while I assemble your order. It's dangerous to be out there overnight.

-So you're going to get a better flower?

-Yes I will. But first you will have to enter.- The labrador answered firmly.

Lory took the little cat to the second floor of the flower shop, which was the canine's house. Leaving her on the couch, Lorelei made a sandwich with what she had in the fridge.

-Eat, you must be hungry after waiting so long.- Said Lorelei, handing the food to the cub.- Your mother must be crazy looking for you at this hour.

-No, she hasn't even left work yet.- The smaller one adjusted to the sofa and started to eat.

-So, little girl...

-Chloe.

-So, Chloe, -grabs her father's old botany book- what do you want your mother to feel with that flower?

-I want mommy to feel that I love her very much, even though I can't stay with her all the time. And I also want her to feel that I want to get closer to her.- Chloe replied.

-Affection, closeness, love...-The dog searched for half a minute before speaking again.-Wait sitting there and I'll be right back, ok?

Lory went down to the flower shop to look for what she needed. She took 3 types of flowers and climbed up again.

-Look if it's good now. - Lorelei hands the plants into Chloe's hands.

-And these, what are they?

-Well, the one with a stronger bluish tone is called Baloon Flower; gifting someone with her means that you will never stop loving that person, also symbolizing a friendship you want to return. This other one is Pink Azalea, which represents family ties. And the one with a more citrus scent is freesia; it carries the meaning of friendship, purity, innocence and trust. -Explained the florist.

-This is perfect! But I don't think I can take all three, I only have 30 dollars.

-Did you save it?

-Um-rum. I skipped lunch all last week for this. So when you gave me that sandwich, I was so happy, miss! -Kitty said.

-So she went hungry just to please her mother? This is so...cute.- _ thought Lory. - No problem, you can stay. The freesia is on the house. Until she suits you.

-Serious?! Thank you so much, miss!- Chloe thanked her with a smile that went from ear to ear.

-No need to thank. And only Lory is fine. - She replied with reciprocity.

The eldest followed the cub to the florist's door. Chloe insisted that she could walk home, but Lory said she would only let her out after calling the white cat an Uber. When the car arrived, they fell apart.

-Come back anytime, Chloe. But next time, remember to eat right at meals, do you hear me?

--Yes, miss, or rather, yes Lory. I really enjoyed staying with you today. It's a lot better than being alone waiting for Mom to come back. Goodbye! -The smaller one closed the door, and the car started to move.

Feeling a flutter in her chest, remembering the afternoon she had, Lorelei replied, as if to herself,

-I liked too.

A few days later...

It was a normal day, Chloe had woken up at 6:50 as usual. She walked slowly to her mother's bedroom door, hoping she was awake this time. Disappointed but unsurprising, she only heard two snores: her mother's, and another from, probably, another friend of hers. Chloe was always impressed that her mother had so many friends, that every night she brought a different one to have a sleepover party, but she never let her daughter participate.

That aside, kitty got dressed and went to breakfast anyway, because if she were to wait for her mom to wake up, she'd miss the bus to school, and when that happens, Chloe's mom gets really angry. The cereal box was just under half full, and the milk had run out. But it wasn't like there was nothing in the fridge; it was full of bottles that her mother forbade her to take because they were all hers. So it was either accept it or go on an empty stomach.

Certainly the worst part of Chloe's routine is when she goes to school. Even though no cub likes being there anyway, white kitty had a particular dislike for this place. No teachers seemed to like her, especially the females; they all looked at her with a frown, and sometimes she could hear them talking about her mother in secret. It wasn't all her age that seemed to want her company either, whenever the feline tried to get close to a small group, some cubs would whisper to each other, and then move away from her.

The school environment is a nightmare for Chloe, which is reflected in her test grades, which she would be too embarrassed to show her mother if she were there to see it. When kitty gets home, it takes a while for her mother to leave work, and when that happens, the female just gets ready to go somewhere else.

Chloe never knew which place her mother went to every day, as the cat left in a hurry, and whenever the younger one waited for her return, she ended up sleeping on the living room floor. Even so, the moment when her mother got ready to go out is the happiest part of the day, because she thought her mother was so beautiful, not to mention that it was the only moment she was able to be close to her. .

As soon as her mother left, Chloe thought about the flowers she had given her the day before yesterday. She saw that the older one had put them as ornaments on her evening suit, but he didn't see them again, maybe she lost them in that place. When she realized it, loneliness had taken her again, so she went to her bedroom.

She was used to all this loneliness, but that doesn't mean she likes the feeling. However, a memory suddenly popped into her mind; that day when she bought the flowers, the company of the attendant was what made her day better. Even though the dobermann was rude to her at first, she did nice things for Chloe. She cared to give her a snack, and really wanted to understand her feelings and went out of her way to please the feline (even arranged transport for her to come home), which had already been a million times more than many adults had done for her.

With sudden excitement, Kitty looked at the time on her old alarm clock and was happy to see that it was still 5:45 pm, maybe there was still time to pay her new (and first) friend a visit.

Recapturing the day, this time from Lory's perspective, she went about her routine as usual, but this time she put the least amount of effort into her service, as she needed to make a little profit. But there was a catch, she had something making her uneasy; she paid more attention to the flower shop entrance whenever the door opened, and she was also feeling tense and evasive. But surely the strangest thing about it is that Lory was thinking, at totally random moments, about Chloe, that cub from two days ago. She didn't know why exactly that little feline popped into her head, but whenever it did, Lorelei thought of something else quickly.

The afternoon was drawing to a close, and as the Dobermann began to stretch, a noise disconcerted her.

-Hello, Miss Lory!- It was Chloe, with her childlike sweetness.

Just that simple gesture was enough to nearly knock the canine to the ground.

-C-Chloe! What a fright you gave me! Did you come to buy your mother another flower today?- Lory regained her composure.

-No, I only came here because I wanted to.

-What? But how so?!

-I was alone at home, so I came to stay with you today.- The answer was accompanied by a sincere smile.

-Kid, have you lost your mind?!- Euphoria and anger were present in the dobermann's face.

-But why?- In turn, Kitty was confused.

-You can't walk from your house to here alone always without thinking! What if you get into an accident or get kidnapped, huh?!

-It's just...I thought you'd be happy to see me...- Chloe looked down. it could see tears streaming down her little face.

Seeing the cat's reaction, Lorelei took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. She remembered that Chloe was just a kid, after all.

• It's okay, Chloe. In fact, I'm really happy to see you here again.- Talking in a softer tone and rubbing the top of the cub's head, the dobermann manages to calm her down.

-Snif... are you really?

-But of course! Listen, I'm going to close the store for now, so we can have fun together, all right?

-Yes!- With a huge smile on his face, all the sadness of the feline fpi left.

With a small giggle, Lory did as he was told. After the store closed, they played with various things, including an old board game the hound had in her closet. When the clock struck 06:50 pm, the older one called a driver to take Chloe home, but first she had to run an errand.

-Hey, cub, listen to me.- She gets Chloe's attention.- If you want, you can come back tomorrow, but I have one condition!

-Hm?

-You have to promise me that you will come here with your mother. Did you hear me?

-But she...- Chloe couldn't finish.

-If you don't show up here with her, I won't even open the door for you, am I clear?- With a serious tone, Lory imposes her ultimatum.

-Yes, I'll try. Bye, Miss Lory!- Chloe said goodbye at the same time the car started to run.

Lorelei really enjoyed the nearly two hours she spent with Chloe. The last time she remembers having this much fun was with her father during her childhood. Still, she couldn't help but worry about her going out alone on the street, so she insisted that her mother be present for her next visit.

In the next day, Lory seemed to be totally focused on time. The female practically timed every second of the day, waiting for the moment when the cub would come with her mother. Until, finally, she hears the feline's sweet cry of joy, and only then has her first vision of her mother.

Lory imagined Chloe's mother as someone in office clothes, carrying a heavy suitcase, stuffed with papers and full of stress. But fate had a bad sense of humor, and he presented to her eyes a female wearing a top, a very short skirt, stiletto heels and a face covered in makeup. The shock was so big that it left Lory speechless for a second.

-A-ah, so y-you must be her... mother?- The dobermann couldn't understand the situation.

-Correct. I was leaving for my appointments, but then she wouldn't leave me asking me to go with her to the flower shop. All she needed to do was call out the whole neighborhood as she threw a tantrum!- The female with probably midlife crisis was visibly impatient.

-Yes, I was the one who asked her to bring you here. Chloe, why don't you go upstairs and get the board we played yesterday?-The florist wanted to throw her off her feet so she could talk alone with her mom.

-Sure.- Kitty goes upstairs.

• Madam, this is the situation, your daughter has already come here twice, and in all of them she was unaccompanied.

-I have very important commitments, and I can't just stop with them just to keep bringing her here.

-So you think it's right to leave her alone at home?- She was controlling herself not to strangle the feline.

-Then do the following, go take care of her at home while I go out.- She speaks naturally, as if she was just talking about a plant, or any other object, not her own daughter.

-What?! Do you want me to be her nanny?!- Lory was incredulous with this neglect.

-I can only offer 50 dollars a week, if you are not satisfied, just refuse.

Lorelei couldn't believe the purest cub she'd ever known could be the daughter of someone so despicable, and still love her. The doberman was about to take out her hate on the cat, but then...

-Here, Miss Lory, I got the board, can we play now?- The little one returned.

Having a short time to think, and seeing that it was no use talking to that woman, Lorelei decided.

-Want to know, you can keep it. We can play at your house.