Goldenrod and Roses Harry Buschman She removed her glasses and gently rubbed her eyes. Not having a slip of paper to mark her place in the book, she slipped a rose out of the vase on the table before her and laid it on the page she just read. She was half-way through her third romance novel this week and she just couldn't take any more fiction. Yet, she knew when she put it down that she'd pick it up again in a few minutes and continue reading. She was edgy. It was the month of June and the roses were in full bloom. It was also the month for marriage and fat chance of that happening this year. She'd been going with Barney four years. They should be married by now––but something always got in the way. This time Barney was saving for the loan he needed to buy the franchise for Taco Bell. He was right––of course, it was practical to wait––of course. Barney was the practical one. He was no Lochinvar on a white charger ... but he was practical. She had to admit that their love affair was not 'an affair to remember.' Neither of them excited the other, and she also had to admit that was the main reason she was addicted to romance novels––what did Barney do for kicks she wondered? There was a bright side, however. Maybe she wouldn't carry roses for a wedding in June. Maybe she'd have to carry goldenrod come September, but with a little luck she could get a big bouquet of roses for the birth of a baby next June. She put the rose back in the vase and picked up the book again. _________________