A Dozen Flowers Without Petals

Mr. Dillan is a well-known city mayor. His integrity and dedication to public service is what made him won the people's trust.

One night, Sonia and Meredith saw a lady going in the mayor's house. No one saw her go out so they assumed she slept there and he is trying to hide her. (The visitor left just before sunrise.)

Sonia and Meredith began telling their version of the story until it became the city's secret. Come next election and he lost. It was a humiliating lost he never expected. His secretary then told him what was going on around his jurisdiction about him. He was rushed to hospital due to nervous breakdown.

When he was okay, he requested that he talk with Sonia and Meredith. When they came, he immediately explained to them that the lady who came to visit him that night was his mother and was so inferior that she didn't want people to know or even see her.

They said sorry and he accepted it. Now they insist that the mayor ask them of anything just so they can be free from the guilt that they feel. Just so they stop, he gave in.

"Okay then bring me a dozen flowers without petals but..." Just before he could say the next word, they hurriedly left. That bought a dozen flowers and took off its petals on their way back.

When they presented it to him, he asked, "Where are the petals? That's what I need. I wanted to tell you but you left so fast."

"But how are we going to gather all those petals? We took it all off along the way. It must have been scattered everywhere by now."

The mayor replied, " That's what you did to me. How am I going to tell every single person who believed your story that it was not true?"