Love is in the air! Flowers are blooming! You're sneezing your head off, coughing, and your throat is sore!

What other time of the year could it be? Why Spring of course!

Welcome to my Springtime Showcase Submission. :)

Nora Zombie lived a lonely life. She was unlike the rest of her family in that she never found love. She worked at her parents' bed and breakfast as a waitress. It was another Spring gone by without a man.

The morning rush had ended as most of the regular customers had left for work. It typically wasn't very busy this time of day.

Nora didn't know how they did it. Her mother Wanda, and her father, Norman, had been married for 40 years. They were two completely different people with two completely different personalities. Her mother, outgoing and funny, and her father, reserved and dignified.

They had met in Spring, and gotten married the very next spring. Nora and her sister had been conceived and born in Spring. Her parents just had a fettish with spring.

Nora rolled her eyes as her father blew a kiss to her mother. She felt like he was taunting her that he had raised a good family, and she had yet to even have a first date.

Norman was a good man, but very traditional.

"All I ask is that you settle down with a nice zombie man," he would always say. Nora loved her father, but he often got on her nerves.

While Nora was watching her parents, a man cleared his throat to try to get Nora's attention.

"Huh? Oh. Uh... Hi..? Sir, um, no, uh, what can I get for me, um I mean you."

The man was slightly entertained by her troubles with her words.

"Could I please have a coffee?"

"Um... ok."

Nora bit her tongue as she walked into the kitchen, but tried to pull herself together.

"Hi, um... here's your coffee."

The man yelped in pain. Nora had just spilled the coffee over his lap. Could this get any worse?

"Let me help you!" asked Nora.

"No, miss, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I think I'm just going to head off to work now."

Nora sat down after she blew it with a guy. Yet again.

"How was work?" Norman asked his daughter.

"Fine," replied Nora still a little upset.

There was an awkward silence. Nora knew what her father was about to say. Most likely one of his speeches on the importance of marrying and having many children with a zombie man.

Her father opened his mouth to speak when the door slammed.

Nora's sister, Sandra, walked in with her teenage son Ted.

Sandra was much like their mother; she could make friends with anyone, while Nora was like her father; quiet.

"Ah, here you are. Take a seat, take a seat," said Nora's dad.

"There are only four spots here, though," said Nora.

"Well don't you think you should pull one of the stools from over there?" replied Norman.

Nora was about to defend herself, but decided not to. He always did this. Nora knew that Sandra was Norman's favorite. It's been that way for as long as she could remember.

"Now Nora. I'm sure you've realized that you're getting old..."

"Not now, dad. Please," pleaded Nora.

"Why can't you be more like your sister?"

"Dad, she got pregnant when she was 16 and ran away from home."

"Yes, but she gives me grandchildren! And she is with many men! Many zombie men!"

Her father put emphasis on the zombie.

"Listen, what I'm trying to say is that... what man would want to be with you in your current state?"

The words dripped from his mouth like acid. Nora was used to it but finally just burst. She ran. Ran up to her room.

Sandra sighed.

"I'll go talk to her."

"What? What did I say?"

Sandra hugged her sister. They surprisingly got along much better than you would expect.

"Ok," Sandra began. "I think it's finally time we shut dad up."

Nora beamed. She was glad to have somebody by her side.

For the past three years, Sandra had been coming and going from beauty school. She dragged Nora to her make-up station and gave her a whole new look.

Nora was thrilled about what she saw.

"Now about your wardrobe.." began Sandra.

Nora rumaged through her sister's dresser to see what she had. She finally did find something she liked.

"Now at least you don't look like an angry housewife," smiled Sandra.

Without even so much as asking Nora, Sandra demanded that Nora come downtown with her. Just the two of them.

They marched into the taxi, not knowing what was stored for their future.