Never Mind, Valentine

I really like Valentines Day. Hearts, chocolate, red. What's not to love?

Emma and Mark and I just spent time toiling over Valentines at the kitchen table. Mark's favorite part of school is penmanship so he happily signed his name to the copious list of cousins I'd compiled for him. Emma made a very ambitious list and started out with a very ambitious confection complete with an original poem, doily and big heart with an arrow through it. She's set her sights lower now that I've told her to wrap it up...she's slapping her name on hearts to beat the band.

Valentines Day. Good times.

Where the snafus occur is with my own beloved Valentine.

On our first Valentines Day as a married couple, I promised him a fancy dinner cooked by me.

Then I had a horrific third-graders-excited-beyond-all-reason day at the school where I taught.

Then I drove through Provo, dodging earnest looking boys and men carrying balloons and flowers.

Then I talked to my sister whose husband was taking her out to dinner.

Then I talked to a friend whose boyfriend was taking her out to dinner.

Why wasn't I being taken out to dinner? (Oh yeah, because I'd told Adam I'd make him dinner.)

Where were my balloons and flowers?

I came home to find my sweet husband studying and I was hopping mad.

Thus started our sad Valentine career.

I'm sorry Adam.

Another year, Adam surprised me with tulips. I was thrilled! Tulips! So much better than cliche roses. I love tulips!

The next year I told Adam, "I hope you give me the same flowers as last year."

He got a look of panic on his face. He couldn't remember what flowers he'd bought me.

He thought maybe it was carnations so I got carnations.

Carnations.

Carnations are not equal to tulips on the flower food chain. The tulips probably don't even associate with the carnations. And I don't blame them.

I'm sorry Adam.

So Adam is a shell shocked Valentine.

This year he said, "Do you want to go out for Valentines day?"

I countered with, "Do you want to go out?"

He said, "I'm asking you aren't I?"

I said, "Are you asking me because you want to or are you asking me because you think I'll pout if you don't?"

Adam said forget it.

I said, "No no ask me again."

I'm sorry Adam.

I recognize that I'm maybe a little unhinged when it comes to Valentines day. I recognize that I usually make Adam's life difficult.

And I really love Adam and want to show him that I really love him.

And am sorry about what a pain I am.

So this year in one of the darling shops in La Conner, I bought him a Valentine.



It was wrapped in cellophane so I didn't read the inside but it looked like the ideal Valentine for my knight in shining armor, my Valentine.

Then tonight I opened it so I could write something clever inside.


It's meant to be from a man to his love.

Forget it. I think I'll go back to being bratty at Valentine's day. I might as well stick with what I know.

I'm sorry Adam.