He looked at the tiny vase near the window. Nowadays he woke up every morning admiring the vase. Something was different today, though. It sat there empty....the maid had probably removed the wilted flowers. His living room was full of bouquets that he had received the previous night on his birthday. Tearing open the plastic wrapping of a diverse looking bouquet, he took it to the vase. He put a couple of roses in the vase and went into his room to get his towel. As he walked out into the living room again to go to the bathroom, his eyes fell on the vase. No, it did not seem right.

He tried replacing the roses with carnations....but it did not go well with the vase either. Irritated at this imperection, he tore open some more bouquets and tried to fill the vase with flowers that he didn't even know the names of. He spent half a neurotic hour without any satisfactory result.

The clock showed that he was late for work. With an exasperated cluck of his tongue he rushed to the shower, and got ready.

All the way to work, he wore a scowl on his face. Finally his mind hit on the answer. It was so simple.....why did he spend so much time trying to beautify the vase with different flowers?

He reached for his mobile phone and dialled the number of a florist he knew.

"Please deliver a bunch of Frangipani to my my place", he said and gave his address.

The next morning he woke up and saw the vase. Yes, it was beautiful now....and he ehaded into the shower.