Preface: My brother's name is Keith, but for the majority of his life he has been known as "Bud".
When I was in high school and my brother was in middle/elementary school my parents had the bright idea of opening a nursery. A flower nursery to be exact. All in all it was a good plan, it was only going to be open during the planting months and it would provide the local citizens with all of their planting needs. We had it all: flowers, hanging baskets, perennials, annuals, garden decor, mulch, potting soil...the list goes on. There was only one thing lacking, a catchy name. My parents came up with a name, that now I can describe as one step below absolutely embarrassing. In an effort to include me and my brother in the "family business" they decided that naming the new operation "Chelle's Buds" would show the world how creative they were and how much they loved my brother and I.
Isn't that just a lovely name...Chelle's Buds. Some might would even say it was clever. A little play on words, with Bud meaning either my brother or a new flower about to bloom. In my later years I am inclined to agree about the degree of cleverness my parent's had, but at the time it was less than desirable.
Not only was the nursery named after me, but there was a sign. A big sign for all to see. To make matters worse I had to work there. The working there part wasn't so bad. I got paid and I actually grew to learn a lot about flowers, much of the information I have retained to this day. It was the fact that, I, Chelle, had to work at a place cleverly named after me. At the time my brother couldn't fully appreciate the level of embarrassment that came along with Chelle's Buds, he was too young. I on the other hand was. Now I give my parents credit for their ever persistent entrepreneurial spirit, but I still blush a little every time someone reminds me of "Chelle's Buds."
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