Valentine's Day is a Chore

So is Valentine's Day the best day and way to celebrate true love?

I suppose it could be and then again, if you are in a relationship with someone who you are not indeed hearts and flowers in love entangled, it may be a chore.

The story about to quickly unfold here is the latter. The pressure Dale felt as a lover of any woman who would have him was not about Valentine's Day at all. He didn't feel the passionate, cannot live without you forever love of the romance novels he spent hours re-stocking in the main library in downtown Albuquerque.

He was a buff weight lifter, soccer player, and a triathlete, so he was extremely fit and healthy. He was always on the watch for a quiet moment with you if you were within his reach where ever he was. He had scored with women he met in the grocery store, and also with women he had seen sitting alone in a park.

This Valentine's Day he was going to take Judy for the full gambit of romantic activities related to love and romance, starting with candy, flowers, and a card at her door when he picked her up for the evening date they had scheduled two or three months earlier.

He had reservations at a very cozy, classy, upscale steak and cocktails restaurant near Old Town. The booth he reserved was open only to a hallway that leads to the office. The wait staff seldom walked there, and he had always requested it because of its inherent privacy away from the main dining area.

He arrived at her house on time. She had prepared dirty martinis and oven-hot blue cheese mini-pastries in her living room with the lights on low with smooth ballroom dance music in the background. They seated themselves on a love seat in front of her small gas log Horno-like fireplace, using an antique brass box for a cocktail table.

He was pleased to see her in an LBD, as in his experience of 25 years of dating, that usually implied romance and an interest in sex. He acknowledged how terrific she looked, and noticed that she had a sudden blush in reaction to his compliment. The dress was short, fitted to her figure, and a special dress for her to wear, as it looked very expensively made. She was wearing a single strand of pearls, pearl earrings, and a single pearl pin on her left chest above her breast.

She had on black patent leather heels and no hose on her golden tan legs. The dress accented her beauty and drew his eyes to her hips. She had a very balanced figure, and seemed perfectly shaped, which undoubtedly would cause other women to envy.

He was wearing a navy blazer, gray slacks with a white shirt closed with a regimental stripe tie in gold and red. He dressed carefully, and he always seemed to be noticeably neat and pressed.

He raised his glass to her and offered a toast to a lovely lady and a fun evening.

While sipping their drinks, they discussed dinner and the plans for the evening, which was full of romance and closeness. Judy hadn't eaten at this restaurant, so she asked a number of questions which he answered just enough to keep it intriguing to anticipate. His charm showed as much then as it might later in the evening.

Her loveseat was the shortest length loveseat he had ever seen but was the perfect size for her small living room. She was either very nervous, or forward, or just naturally casual which he enjoyed. She was touching him with almost every comment she made. His thigh was tingling where she had her hand, and he had begun to think of the end of the date, and she was apparently happy to have him there with her.

She had the flowers in a vase she had had ready, the candy was at hand in a pottery candy dish, and the martini pitcher was at his right side on a little Navajo Drum table on a serving tray. Her living room was a perfect studied, predate cocktails setting.

He wondered who was going to seduce whom. She had him already way more interested in her than the evening, and she appeared to have anticipated all of his masculine as well as lustful, maybe romantic thoughts and hopes.

She knew he dreaded Valentine's Day expectations and appeared to have neutralized all of them before he arrived. He did not realize that she dreaded Valentine's Day because of the same reasons. She was as experienced at dating as he was, and had been exposed to the expectations of Valentine's Day with as much dread as him.

During the last pre-Christmas shopping days they had had coffee. They talked over coffee for three hours. It was the first day they met while in Trader Joe's. Over their coffee, he told her about being single and the holidays. She had invited him to have dinner for Valentine's Day, so they could both be with someone without all of the expectations. He had readily agreed before she could explain that she too dreaded all of the expectations.

Since he did not know she also dreaded all of the expectations, she was prepared for them when he had arrived. He had covered all of them since he had no clue to her shared dread. They were laughing about it when she remembered the card he brought.

When she got up to retrieve the card from the kitchen where it waited, he watched her walk away and had to catch his breath because she looked so beautiful walking toward the kitchen.

As she walked to the kitchen, she could feel his eyes appraising her and felt a flutter in her stomach that she hadn't felt in years, and years. She was smiling when she returned, and he said to her that her smile was the brightest thing in the room.

She blushed again and seemed to be short of breath as she sat back down next to him. She looked at him and seemed to feel herself expand and melt all at once. His look was innocent and filled with desire in a way she had never seen in all of the men she had dated.

His breath had been taken away. His head seemed not to be able to think straight. He had lost his ability to match words enough to say anything.

Except he heard himself say, "Judy, you are beautiful."

She was also caught off guard, and replied, "I am so glad you think so."

Each of them picked up their martini glass, and he again lost his control and said, "Here is to a great date, it is already the most memorable for me," as he raised his glass in a toast.

She merely raised her glass, touched the rims together and sipped a hefty amount out of the glass.

There was a long silence as they were both struggling to get their wits back. He reached for the pitcher and refilled both glasses.

She was opening the card. He had forgotten what he had written inside since he had written the card almost a month ago.

Judy looked up at him and said, "I would be happy, too."

He, of course, did not know what she meant, and he went into a mental panic to attempt to discover what she meant when she leaned over and kissed him fully on the lips.

He started to confess that he could not recall what he had written when she had stopped him with the kiss. He found himself reaching behind her and drawing her close in a hug. She seemed to melt and made a little mewing noise as she renewed the kiss.

They kissed richly for a minute and then both withdrew for air.

He told her that he didn't recall what was in the card, and she read it to him.

'With all of my affection, I hope our futures are long and pleasant.'

Judy asked him if he was sure they could not just stay at her house and order in so they could visit as they had over coffee. Explaining that she wanted to tell him something so he would understand how she felt about Valentine's Day, and further that she would not feel cheated or less appreciated if he agreed.

He at first resisted. Then as she began to tell him, he stopped her and said I agree to order in, as long as we have something to celebrate, as Valentine's Day is today. She went to get the menus she had stashed for ordering from home. She also assured him that she had what it took to celebrate, and did not clarify her meaning. She did hear the double entendre and decided that was okay because she meant them both. She didn't want to leave and was pleased that he was okay to spend the evening talking.

He began the conversation with a comment about how anticipating the future was fraught with surprises because things seldom turned out as you expect. As his example, the restaurant was booked solid, and he felt like he needed to call and cancel the reservation right away.

She agreed, and while he did that, she excused herself and disappeared down a hallway. He heard a door open and was on his phone through speed dialing he had the restaurant on the line as the door opening sound struck his ears. The restaurant assured him that they had time and a waiting list to fill his cancellation and that they looked forward to seeing him again soon. As he disconnected, he heard the door close again.

Judy came back into the room dressed in a beautiful cowgirl shirt, jeans, and cowgirl boot slides. He again was stunned speechless or maybe stunned to stupid as he said, "Damn woman you are putting on a show here, you are quite beautiful in that outfit."

Dale heard himself and realized that he had just made a classless remark and as he started to apologize, she reached out and loosened his tie, replying, "You, sir know how to make me feel like a very young girl again. Thank you, that's the most wonderful remark you could have made right now. I was afraid you would think I was dismissing you. I want you to know how excited I am to have met you and to have this date with you."

She looked again into his eyes and held his hand while studying the depth of their blue color. She caught herself, and asked him what shall we order?

He wanted to reply that he had everything he needed, but caught himself and squeezed her hand and shrugged his shoulders in reply.

She said, "Are you having trouble thinking straight like I am?"

He replied, "I think that is a fair comment. I have never had my brain stolen like this. What is going on?"

"I promise I didn't put any ecstasy in the martini, but from what women who tell me what they felt when they have taken ecstasy, I think I am having those same thoughts and feelings."

As he absorbed her words, he said, "I have not used or been around ecstasy, but I am having what I have heard described as those same thoughts and emotions."

They chuckled, grew silent and then when they looked at each other, they both got wide-eyed grins and knew, at the same instant that Cupid had finally struck them with his arrow of Valentine's Day.

If you like this story, I would appreciate your comments, if it isn't for you, I thank you for visiting my tale, and be well.

Vote if you will, comments are answered if I can identify the author.