My Only Valentine

As much as I imagine that there must have been more, I can only think of one Valentine’s Day.

I remember walking down the busy hallway to my locker, excitement brimming, love clouding our minds. I arrived at my locker and was overwhelmed by the scent of roses. I craned my neck to see who had received them, and reached no conclusions. I resumed spinning the dial on my combination lock. When I opened the door, the loveliness of a dozen red roses saturated my unsuspecting heart. My high school sweetheart had memorized my combination from all the times he stood by my side, and then snuck in early that morning to deliver my gift.

The attention. The forethought. The simplicity. The grandeur. Love can be so complex and so simple all at the same time. But most of all, his was sweet. So, so sweet.

“Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.” ~Shakespeare (Who else?!)