Last night, on my way home from work, I was sitting at a stop light and noticed the driver of the car
next to me. She had long,
blonde curly hair in a baseball cap, and she was struggling with an oversized, heart-shaped balloon. It must have been getting in her line of sight, because she kept trying to pin it down into the footwell of the
passenger side front seat, leaning what looked like an oversized purse against it. There was no way to tell if the balloon was given to her by her
co-workers (assuming she was employed) or her boyfriend/girlfriend. In either case, the gift seemed to fit her. She looked like every other woman I see in my daily comings and goings, and her valentine was likely among dozens tied to a
white plastic grid at the local grocery store or florist. While she might have been upset if she hadn't gotten this
balloon, she also didn't look too thrilled or happy with it, either.
Today is a day of testing. If you have just started seeing someone, as most of us do at the beginning of the year, you have options. You can use the day as a springboard to confess what would otherwise be frivilous or poorly timed sentiments and use it as a litmus paper test to see if the other person will be receptive or appreciative of your efforts. If you've been with someone for a while, it's a day used to reiterate what has already been established, or a day to attempt reunification when things have been going badly for a while. For those who have no one at the time, it merely reinforces that you are alone and that the world seems peopled only by couples because their presence is more visually obvious.
I've been in all three situations, and none of them involved actions that had much effect in improving the situation. I'm getting a little too old to be so bitter and all my exes are so long past that revenge would be more embarrassing than warranted. I can't remember one gift given to me on this day that managed to live past the 24 hour period so that it could be pressed into the infamy of a scrapbook or cigar box. My favorite gift that I gave was a handmade scroll with a poem I had written stenciled on it, tied with a ribbon like a diploma. Hand written letters are my favorite gift to give for Valentine's Day, usually.
This morning, my guy rolled over and faced me, eyes still closed. I wake up for work several hours before he even needs to get out of bed. He stretched and pulled the covers back around him, reaching his arm out to me. Grabbing my hand, he kissed me and said:
Happy Valentine's Day
He said it like most people say Merry Christmas, with that sense of celebration in early morning hours when the light outside is still blue and the bed is still warmer than the bathroom tile. He said it like Happy Birthday, as though we had overcome some hurdle in time. And while all this is still new to both of us, I guess we have.
It was the coolest gift I could have received.