Gorgeous Summary and Analysis

Susan calls Laroche the next day to tell him all about the gala and he invites her to an orchid show in Fort Lauderdale. Laroche tries to get into the show for free based on Susan's "press" credentials, but it doesn't work. Susan ends up paying for both tickets.

They walk around looking at all of the many varieties of orchids. Even Laroche must mention how beautiful the orchids are, but points out that many of them are mutated chromosomes. Susan watches as the orchid collectors travel from booth to booth, looking at the flowers. She sees some orchids named for their appearance, while others are named after people. Laroche knows them all and recites information about all of the flowers as they pass them. Some orchids are known for their unusual characteristics, such as smelling like chocolate or Kool Aid...