Florida

You can find us over at A-1 Sheela Apartment, right across from the Ajanta Cinema on Jakkur Main Road. It’s a busy part of Borivali West, so there’s always noise from the street coming into the shop. Florida isn’t a huge place, just a simple room where I keep the flowers as fresh as I can. Working opposite a cinema means we get a lot of people stopping by after a movie or while they’re waiting for one to start. I’ve gotten used to the crowds and the loud music from the films. The apartment building itself is older, which gives the shop a bit of character, I guess. I spend most of my mornings cutting stems and making sure the buckets are clean. It’s not glamorous at all. My apron is usually soaked by noon, and there’s always a puddle somewhere on the floor that I need to mop up before someone slips. I don't use a lot of fancy words to describe what we do here. We just sell flowers to anyone who needs them. Whether it’s for a birthday or just because, I try to have something ready on the shelves. The Jakkur Main Road traffic can be a real headache, especially during rush hour, but being right here makes it easy for people to spot us. I handle most things myself, from taking the deliveries at dawn to sweeping the front step before I close up. It’s a lot of hours, but I’ve been doing it so long that it's just my life now. It’s simple work.