Tough Guys Soft-Petal Romance

They came all day long in bunches. And they left carrying bunches--of tulips, roses, lilies, daisies and freesias.

For even the toughest, most manly and unsentimental among them, it was the day to give in to the tradition of gentle expressions through sweets and flowers.

At Conroy’s in Canoga Park, on the corner of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Sherman Way, a guard in a blue shirt stood in the parking lot, directing the bumper-to-bumper traffic to help keep such positive thoughts from turning sour.

Inside, sales clerk Gayle Glasband, wearing a button that said “I Boys,” helped a lot of boys, as well as a lot of girls, make tough decisions.

For Dan Schaller it was an education. He needed to look at a receipt in his hand to determine that he had bought tulips and freesias for his girlfriend.

“I was looking for something classy,” he said. “She’s a classy lady.”

At the midpoint of the line that ran the length of the store, Pastor Dale Scott of the Faith Evangelical Church held two red roses. The pastor was in a hurry. He had overlooked one of the six staff members at the church and wanted to get back before she realized it. The second flower was just insurance, he said.

Insurance broker Dave Nelson was late too. At one store he could not find the three pink carnations and satin stuffed heart that he wanted for his fiancee. At a second he could not pay with his credit card. At his third stop the crowd held him up 20 minutes. His fiancee was waiting. He had promised to take her to lunch.

“I think she’s going to be mad,” he said.

Kenny Crandall’s wife was not likely to be mad. Crandall was paying with cash for a $39.95 arrangement.

He bought it for his wife, he said, “ ‘cause I love her.”

For almost the same reason, Bob Brouett, a salty-looking fellow in a black-and-white striped sleeveless shirt and a large eagle tattooed on his bulging biceps, left the store with two potted red tulips cradled in his arms.

He bought them for his mother, he said, “ ‘cause I’m a nice guy.”