An Unfortunate Lovely Evening

I think it is easy to tell that I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day. The whole concept of the holiday just bothers me. If you love someone, you should be able to express those feelings everyday, rather than simply one special day. Yet, this past Valentine's Day brought a new light to my eyes that I will never forget.

This past Valentine's Day was the first spent with my girlfriend. I had succumbed to the laws of the holiday this and made a reservation at a local restaurant for the evening. It was a nice steakhouse with some good gourmet cooking with an atmosphere I thought she would enjoy. My girlfriend was very aware that I did not enjoy Valentine's Day, but I figured she had taken this gesture as a sign that I wanted to make her happy.

Now, at the time, I was living in my fraternity house, which held around 18 other guys that semester. I went to school in Potsdam, NY where the cold winds blow and the snow never melts earlier than April. If one person got sick, it usually meant that the rest of the house would eventually contract some symptoms over the course of the next couple weeks. Yet, this event will be remembered in fraternity folklore for years to come, simply named, "The DK Plague".

Around 5 p.m. I started to feel a little under the weather, but by 6 p.m. I was emptying the contents of my stomach in the most horrific manner imaginable. Both ends were busy and it was a terrible feeling of pain that ripped through my body while it happened. As I trudged back and forth from the couch to the bathroom in my dress clothes, I noticed at least five other guys doing the same exact thing. "The DK Plague" had struck fast and fierce.

My girlfriend showed up around 6:15 to find me on the couch in obvious pain and agony. I felt terrible that I was going to let her down, ruining a night that she had surely looked forward to for a couple weeks. She sat down on the couch with me and covered me with a blanket, refraining from saying too much as I was already falling fast asleep. I awoke sporadically throughout the evening, periodically making another trip to the bathroom. Yet, when I returned, she was always there seeing if I needed anything. She stayed by my side through the night and took care of me through the worst of "The DK Plague". This year I plan to wait on her hand and foot on February 14^th to show her the same love and affection she showed me.