By Marni Spencer-Devlin
Below is an all too familiar tale for many. It comes out of a writing session done at the Library Coffeehouse Writers Group in Long Beach, Ca., by writer, author, and Friend Marni Spencer-Devlin.
She hated the day; hated it with a passion. It was the day that every TV commercial and newspaper ad, every flower shop, heck, even the grocery stores and the car dealerships banded together to thump their collective noses at her: “ You’re alone! You’re weird! You’re not good enough. You’re not pretty enough! You’re single - because nobody wants you!”
All the other days of the year she could brush over the facts. She actually had a lot of friends; a lot of guy friends, even. In many ways she was very popular. Well-liked, in that she-has-great-personality kind of way. Her guy friends always included her in everything but that was because nobody considered her, in even the remotest sense, girlfriend material
Usually she was fine with it but today was that one truly dreaded day. None of her friends were available to hang out because they were all off on romantic dates. She had no such obligation and today it just got to her. The walls of her apartment were closing in on her. She could not bear to spend one more moment behind those lonely barriers. But she could not go out anywhere either. Every restaurant was running Valentine’s specials; every café chockfull of lovers. So she just went outside and sat on her stop and cried. Which made her feel even more lonely and pathetic. Which made her cry even harder.
She felt someone standing in front of her. Oh no! She didn’t want to lift her head. She didn’t want to move her hands from her face. She knew she was a pathetic, snotty mess. She didn’t even have a handkerchief.
“Melanie?”
Oh no! The Someone knew her name!!? Now she would have to respond!
“Melanie, are you crying?”
Well duh! Clearly A Rhoades Scholar!
She didn’t recognize the voice. And she didn’t want to look up.
“Melanie, it’s Frank from the Bodega across the street? Melanie, I’m here to give you these…”
She eyed through her fingers and spied the most beautiful, huge bouquet of pink Peonies she had ever seen!
“Melanie, I have admired you from afar for so many years. I was always too shy to say something. But today I thought….well…here goes….
“Melanie…will you be my Valentine?”