For as long as I can remember, Valentine's Day has been my favorite holiday. I think it started when I was in 1st grade in Arlington, Virginia. I remember the school lacking Christmas/Hanukkah holiday festivities because there were a lot of orthodox families who didn't acknowledge those holidays... but then Valentine's Day came about, and the school exploded with big red hearts and a feeling of love. Everybody loves somebody, my teacher said. Amen to that!
Fast forward eleven years to 1991, my first Valentine's Day with the Guv. I was smarting from the previous year's Valentine's Day, a lovely evening spent with a boy on whom I had a major crush... only to find out that he was seeking advice from me on how to get back with his ex-girlfriend. But in 1991, something was different: my boyfriend, a Yale freshman, wasn't going to be with me on Valentine's Day, because it was mid-week and my school in Massachusetts might as well have been a million miles away. I vowed not to be bitter; we'd be together that weekend to celebrate.
But there he was.
I came out of the library, where I spent my recesses -- what can I say? I'm cool like that -- and noticed a spectacle. Then, I heard the yelling... "ROXANE! ROXANE! WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE???" I turned and ran back into the building, embarrassed beyond belief.
Not really. I walked over to him, my jaw on the ground. He had skipped school and forked over a lot of cash for a train trip to be with me on this special day. He had a huge bouquet of balloons, and flowers, and a heart-shaped box full of Russel Stover chocolate-covered cherries, which, unfortunately, I loathe. But that didn't matter, because there he was. And he's been there for the subsequent 17, almost 18, Valentine's Days. Although he almost wasn't...
I was certain the Guv would propose marriage to me on Valentine's Day 1996, but he didn't. I spent three days trying to figure out why before he finally popped the question on February 17, when he started driving north from our Boston apartment on the coldest day of the year. I giggled the entire way, even when I said "yes." It was five minutes until 4 pm on a bitterly cold Sunday, yet I've never felt warmer.
Valentine's Day remains my favorite holiday, but it matters a little less now; every day is Valentine's Day when one is surrounded by as much love as I am. I remember every day how lucky I am for that. Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours, and may you, too, find yourself in love's warm embrace, this year and always.
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