The day Benny Campbell saved my life was the same day that Benny Campbell hand-delivered flowers
to my house. It was sometime near
Christmas last year, and I had run home from work for a quick lunch. About the time I plunked a spoonful of dill
pickle relish into my egg salad, I heard a knock at the
door. As I walked through the dining
room, I could see what appeared to be the fronds of some gorgeous holiday
floral arrangement and…oh, my God…the face of Benny Campbell through the diamond
shaped window of the door (I’m certain that there was someone else with him on
the porch, but the radiance of Benny Campbell’s visage totally eclipsed this
other person).
My breath caught in my throat as my legs almost failed me from
the sheer excitement of being the recipient of one of Benny Campbell’s
legendary floral arrangements. I forced
my feet to keep moving, and as I did so, I carefully chose words of gracious
thanks that I would speak to him…”Why, Mr. Campbell, you do such fine arrangin!’ I’ve been admiring your floral design skills since I
moved back to Gadsden five years ago and saw your commercial for Attalla
Florist…hands of a master, indeed!”
But when I opened the door, the handsome and talented Benny
Campbell asked, “Is Ms. Mildred or Ms. Brannon home?” Again, my breath caught in my throat as my
legs almost failed me from my hopes and dreams of EVER receiving some gorgeous
holiday floral arrangement, or any arrangement for that matter, created AND hand-delivered
by BENNY CAMPBELL were dashed upon the narrow oak planks of the living room
floor. I pulled myself up as tall as I
could, smiled like the beauty pageant contestant I never was, and never will be,
and said, “Oh, no! Ms. Mildred sold the house to me a year ago when she moved
in with her daughter over on Turrentine!
I’m so sorry about that! But I
have their address in my Daytimer! Let
me get that for you!” And I turned away
before Benny Campbell could see the tears in my eyes.
When I returned, with address in hand and smile back on my
face, Benny Campbell said (and I wish that I had this on tape, because I would
probably play it every morning as my devotional), “I’ve always thought this
house was cute and had lots of potential.
I REALLY like what you’ve done with it.”
Now, I don’t know if Benny Campbell was just being nice to me because he has the impeccable manners of a true Southern man, or that he was aware that I was
about to have to be put on 24-hour suicide watch because of the unfortunate near-delivery of two of his floral arrangements that were not mine, but when he said those
two sentences to me, he saved my life.
To read more about Benny Campbell (and you should), read this Gadsden Times article from October 2012:
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