On February 8, 2004, Roberta Warner sits in a Starbucks in Carpinteria, California.  Warner is a local Carpinteria resident known around town as “The Purple Lady” and “The flower lady.” She said wearing bright make-up, colorful clothing, and surrounding herself with flowers keeps her happy. Warner said Starbucks is a daily hangout for her from early morning until the afternoon. She said she spends evenings from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Rusty’s Pizza where she watches movies. Warner is a writer and a musician. She wants to make a National Purple Day and believes that bright colors and flowers lift spirits. Warner said she moved to the Carpinteria area years ago in search of her husband and 30-year-old-daughter whom she’s had little contact. She has been sleeping on a church floor for the past five years and fears one night the church door will no longer be left open for her. Warner turns 60 in May. What follows is a distilled interview from 2004 that was edited for clarity.

On the color purple

They call me “The Purple Lady” or “The Flower Lady.” I hate it. They don’t even bother to ask my name. Roberta. It means “of great worth” and “shining thing.” I started carrying flowers because it made me feel better. Color makes me happy. But then I noticed it inspired other people too. I want to start a National Day of Purple. The royalty wear purple. Forty years ago, my dad owned a flower shop. I created every arrangement, 30 arrangements a day, five days a week.  I managed the shop [in Lancaster.] I can’t really work anymore. I’m not very well.

On today’s anniversary

Today is a very sad day for me. I would have been married 35 years today. I started writing a poem yesterday called “The Anniversary.” It was strange to try to recollect the wedding. I believe from the moment I met my husband until this day that he’s the one God planned for my life. We’ve been apart almost 25 years. I met a woman that goes to the church I was going to, and she has a friend who waited for her husband for 27 years and they got back together. I moved to Carpinteria five years ago to find him. Right now, I stay at the church, but I’m not really supposed to say. They keep telling me they’ve done enough for me but every night I go back, and the door is unlocked.

On living with regret

I wrote a song about my husband leaving me. To this day I don’t know how it happened. I was playing the piano and whenever I play everyone just loves it. I was playing in this coffee house. A man came up and said, “That could be a theme for a movie called ‘The Sad Dance’.” And he knew nothing of how it originated.  He didn’t know that it came out of my husband leaving me.