Valentine's Day Isn't Always Full of Love

It's the one day of year that has a love/hate relationship with the entire human race. People that can't stand Valentine's Day usually are single and just don't want to deal with seeing everyone else so happy with their loved one while they sit alone and watch television. Those that love the holiday are happy in love and can't wait to spend a night our focused on one another when proclaiming your feelings is expected and encouraged. There are those in relationships though that could care less about Cupid's holiday and therefore don't choose to celebrate. Well, sometimes even those of us that wish to celebrate it and look forward to it, end up wishing it never existed.

The story I'm about share with you is one that happened to me a long time ago. Names will be changed to avoid any types of problems except there are really two people involved. One you know and that's me, but I'll leave her name out of this since it's just easier that way. We're no longer together and we haven't spoken in years but I'm not going to be petty about all of this. Looking back now, this situation is kind of amusing. But it really hurt back then and made me a tad confused honestly. It was one of those moments when you just stand there in an awkward stance as if to say, "Did that really all just happen?"

Valentine's Day has arrived and it is the day that my ex- will be arriving back home after spending the past week visiting her family some six states away. It had been a long week since she had been gone and work was kicking my butt. I was really looking forward to her arrival and spending the entire Valentine's night with her. Little did I know just what was in store for me.

We weren't living together at the time as of yet, but we had keys to each other's place allowing us to come and go as we pleased. My plans for the evening were to get off of work at 3:00 P.M., go pick up the flowers I ordered, grab some candy, pick up food from her favorite restaurant, and have it all ready nicely when she got home around 6:15. Her gifts were already in my car and would be laid out on the table next to the big bouquet of flowers in the center. This could not have been planned better honestly and I was quite proud of myself for how it was all coming together.

Work finally ended and it was time to put my well-laid plan into operation. Time was thankfully on my side this day considering my office was a good thirty miles from where we lived and there was still a lot to do. As I pulled out of the parking lot at work, traffic hit me right in the face. I'm not just talking about "a line at the stoplight" traffic. This was "someone is obviously dead on the highway" traffic. It was just weird because Valentine's Day fell in the middle of the week this year and there were never hold-ups like this on any other day after work. Needless to say, but there I sat.

At 3:50, I arrived at the florist and picked up a huge floral arrangement that included different types of flowers and ribbons and all the hoopla that stands out and screams "Look at me!" Not in a gaudy way, but in a tasteful and beautiful way. So now that stood in my back seat all gigantic and floral smelling. Pulled out of the parking lot of the flower shop and right back into traffic. Let me advise you that I'm still a good twenty-five or so miles from home because the florist was near my office and I still had to grab candy and dinner. Frustration was beginning to set in.

45 minutes later I pulled off the interstate and just found the closest place possible to grab some candy. A place had been in my mind for weeks to get the candy actually, but my tension level was rising because it was getting later in the day and the fifty million other cars on the road weren't going anywhere. Some searching revealed a store that carried Valentine's Day candy even though it was your generic heart-shaped box of chocolates that ended up being my purchase. It would simply have to do because there was less than two hours now to go another fifteen miles, grab dinner, get home, and set everything up. Confidence is what I had; a stress reliever is what I needed.

Upon leaving the candy store and getting back on the interstate, I called ahead and ordered dinner for us. Considering just how long it took me to get to this point, it seemed like a good idea in hoping dinner would now be ready and waiting by the time I drove the ten miles to the restaurant. Smart thinking eh? Well, the traffic had finally subsided as my car veered off the exit for the restaurant and it was now 5:05 as my tires came to a screeching halt in a parking space outside. In I went to pay the bill, grab the food, and get home so things could be all laid out perfectly and prepared. Finally things were going in a much better direction and this Valentine's Day perfect surprise would be pulled off without a hitch.

At 6:00...my car arrived home. Yes, it took me 45 minutes to get the food and drive home five miles. Oh no, there was no traffic at all, but the restaurant hadn't even put my order through by the time I walked into the door. Trust me that the phrase "when it rains, it pours" is so incredibly true and horribly accurate. My nerves were now on the edge of insanity, but I had to hold it together because there were maybe 15 minutes at the most to set up everything and have it waiting when she arrived home. Things were turning frantic now as the flowers were set up in the middle of the table and the three nicely wrapped presents were lined up around it. Food was set up on plates on the counter and it was still steaming hot. The box of candy was cheesy looking, but it sat next to the gifts and added a nice touch. Looking at the clock, it said 6:12 P.M. and there was a big feeling of accomplishment that I had pulled it off.

About ten minutes later she walked through the door and there I stood smiling and exclaimed the words, "Happy Valentine's Day." She looked around the room and saw everything laid out perfectly. Upon first thought, it appeared as if she was speechless and didn't quite know how to react. My mind was thrilled with how things were going and my plan appeared to go off without a hitch. That is until she said this.

"Hey, I'm going to go to bed."

She then walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her. I stood there absolutely stunned with a smile still on my face. My brain hadn't actually had enough time to yet comprehend what just happened. Did she really just do that? Was that all she said? Could I look anymore stupid?

I walked up to the bedroom door, opened it a small bit, and saw her laying in bed watching television. "There's food out here," I said. She looked over and told me thanks before going back to flipping through the channels. My hand pulled the door closed and I backed away staring for a second. Then I grabbed my keys off the counter and walked out the front door, closing it behind me and locking it. My feet wouldn't move again for a second and then they led me to my car and home I went.

Never before in my life had I felt so incredibly lame or stupid or awkward. It was just weird because the very next day, she acted as if nothing was wrong. There was also no thank you or apology or any explanation either. Not because of this particular event but a series that had happened before and after, our relationship was over a mere four months later. Valentine's Day should be one of those holidays that is a celebration of love and romance and adoration for the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. It's the type of holiday that those that love it can understand the hatred of those that despise it. Those that hate it fully understand why some people love it and look forward to it.

But that particular Valentine's Day, I was one of the possibly very few that loved it and couldn't stand it all in one twenty-four hour period.