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Valentine’s Day dawned as the coldest, snowiest day of the year so far. Jon, my husband, and I were cuddled up in the dark, drowsing, and waking slowly, when the third time he hit snooze on the alarm, I remembered that it was our day to take our daughter, Trinity to school. Suddenly, our leisurely morning was thrown into scrambling for clothes, and getting ready to face the day. We made it with enough time for Trinity to discuss the unfairness of not having a snow day on Valentine’s Day. “Not many kids will be at school,” she said.
“You’re going,” I said.
She said, “I know life isn’t fair, but I’d still like to have a snow day.”
“It’s Valentine’s day don’t you want to see your boyfriend?”
“He probably won’t be there.”
“Text him and see.”
She did, but didn’t expect a reply, because he’d be sleeping in, because he wasn’t having to go to school in the snow. It turned out he was already at school, early, so she was in better spirits about going to school in the snow. Meanwhile my sister, Chica, is in the kitchen in pajamas and a robe with our little dogs bouncing around her feet. Okay, Keiko, our recent puppy mill rescue, a 3-year-old Japanese Chin bounced and fluttered, and danced. Sasquatch, our 11-year-old pug just sat there staring up waiting for food. He loves my sister, we joke that he’s her boyfriend, but he’s a pug so he loves food, too.
Trinity has already opened her cards that we left out for her last night. Chica has given me my sister card. I’ve given her all her cards – one from all of us, one a piece from the dogs, and one funny sister card from me. (I like cards a lot.) I’d already given Jon one card and a small stuffed animal days ago for Valentine’s Day. I’ll be giving Jon his big present after he gets back from the school run.
Chica is getting ready to feed the dogs, and the chickens putting out the different kinds of food. Jon bends down to help get Keiko’s food bowl, and then stands up abruptly and says, “Crap, my pants split!”
He goes running past for the stairs to change so he can take Trinity to school. The three of us, Trin, Chica, and me, are left trying not to giggle. Then we realize there’s no time, we have to take Trinity now or she’ll be late. Crap!
Jon was going to drive Chica’s four wheel monster jeep, but . . . “Do you know how to drive my Jeep?” Chica asks.
“I guess so, what’s different about it?”
“It’s four wheel drive.”
“I’ve never driven four wheel drive.”
“Crap,” she says, and starts putting coat and snow boots on over pajamas.
I put my coat on, grab purse.
She can’t find keys because Jon took them upstairs with him, but she finds the spare set, then . . . “Grab the dogs, they haven’t gone out yet.”
“They’ll mess in your car.”
“No they won’t. They love riding in the car.” I’m not sure it’s good logic, but I tuck Keiko under one arm, Sasquatch follows at our heels and we scramble for the door with Trinity trailing.
Jon comes bounding down the stairs in fresh jeans, sunglasses in place, keys in hand. “Let’s go!” He moves past gathering Trinity in his wake, and Chica and I are left gaping at each other at the door.
Into the silence I say, “No woman could have done that.”
We agree that no woman we know could have possibly stripped and changed that fast. We stand there for a moment longer in our winter gear, Keiko dangling from my arm, looking at us, as if to say, “What’s going on?”
Sasquatch barks from other side of a door further in the house, he’d missed a turn somewhere and gotten left on the wrong side of a door. Curse that lack of opposable thumb.
And that was our start to Valentine’s Day. It was a good start, because love, real love, isn’t about the flowers and chocolates you get, or the stuffed toys and cards you buy, or the romantic dinners planned, or even the hot, monkey sex – love is getting the kid to school, being able to pitch in when things go wrong, and just having each other’s back. We did all that this morning, and we got Valentine Day cards, too. When Jon got back from taking Trinity to school, I gave him more cards (Did I mention that I really like cards.) and his present. Chica went to work. Suddenly the house is empty and ours. The rush of the morning recedes leaving us with our happy, but chaotic day. I hope your Valentine’s Day is full of real love from your family, your pets, your spouse, partner, lover, friends, and all the many people that we have in our life that love us and supports us. Because love, real love, is about living for each other every day, not just on the holidays.