‘Twas the day of love and all through the nation, all the flowers were sold out, even those lousy carnations. While most people are full of joy and excitement, following this is a tale of someone who got slighted.
Valentine’s day. For some it is a day to look forward to and remember. For others, it stands as a symbol of something they have yet to find; that special someone to be happy with. For those who are lucky enough to have found that someone, the weeks leading up to V-day are filled with preparation. From setting reservations to buying surprise gifts, there is no shortage of love struck individuals in the stores of the world. While all of this preparation tends to lead to some pretty kickass days for most, some find their efforts wasted, and come away from the holiday feeling jilted.
One such schmuck was yours truly. I had planned the best day ever: We were going to go to an outdoor market, go out to eat at a nice restaurant, spend some time at the zoo, go see the movie she really wanted to see, and end the day by eating at a really nice sushi place (I had never had it before this point, but she loved sushi, so why not?). Those who have had experience laying out the most meticulous of plans will be quick to agree with me when I say that I should have known everything was not going to go as I had planned it.
To start it all off, it had rained the night before, and the morning of Valentine’s day, so when we went to the outdoor market, it was deserted. The only thing that saved it was the fact that there was a little indoor tea shop. We went in, found some tea she liked, bought it, and tried to find more silver linings in the gloomy market. Failing to find any, we left to go get lunch.
Lunch was supposed to be at a nice little brunch place by the name of Sugar and Spice. Unfortunately, I had no idea it was one of the most popular places to get brunch in the tristate area. After hearing that the wait was going to be over 2 hours, feeling defeated, I took my lady to Steak and Shake. This turned out alright in the end. We had some good burgers, some good shakes, and shared some good laughs.
While we were eating, the worst thing that could possibly happen to a couple who hates cold weather happened; it started to snow. Almost instantaneously, we both said “Maybe the zoo isn’t the best idea.” After it was decided we’d skip the zoo, I immediately started to look for earlier show times to the movie she wanted see. It was a picture by the name of Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies. Not gonna lie, it was a helluva lot better than I thought it was going to be. Remember though, that it had started snowing by this point, and it is important to add that the only theatre that had a show time we could make was 30 minutes away in a little mall that had definitely seen better days.
After sitting through 2 and a half hours of not half bad part zombie horror movie part chick flick, we were both ready for some sushi. There was one little problem though. Apparently, a blizzard decided to bury all of the cars in the parking lot, including the rental I had taken out for the day. A rental that had no ice scraper. So, while my partner was in the car, I was using my very thin jacket as a barrier between my arm and the snow as I dig the car free. It is also important to note that neither one of us are from areas where it snows often, or at all really.
Once the car was free, I with my zero experience driving in snow started the long trek back to campus. Unfortunately, the highway we needed had not been plowed yet. Did that stop me? It sure didn’t. Perilously, I drove us back avoiding snow banks, cars that had made complete 180’s, and cars that thought they could still go 50mph in the snow. By the time we got back, I was done. Mentally, I was fried. Physically, I was frozen. Despite all of the things that I thought had gone wrong however, she seemed to have enjoyed the day in the end. I counted it as a win.
After spending a month planning for the day, then watching it all go down the drain, while still spending roughly $200, I felt pretty proud of myself that I had managed to pull off a pretty kickass day. So, imagine my surprise when 24 hours later my efforts were rewarded with the joys of single life. That’s right, after all of that, she had broken up with me barely a day later.
I don’t want anyone to read my tale and be afraid to give your partner the best day you possibly can. I wrote this as a reminder that even if your plans don’t play out like you planned them, you can still turn it into a fantastic memory.