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Valentine??™s
Day always brings to mind the year I was Ambushed! I was a Senior in
High School.
Still, during my
childhood Mother was in charge of Valentine merriment. There was always
a sweet card, possibly a small knick-knack of some sort, and always
something mouth-watering from her oven. To this day I have her
heart-shaped cake pans that turned out scrumptious treats of love on
Valentine??™s Day.
Grade School Valentine
parties are always remembered. Hours were spent adorning an old,
dilapidated shoebox hoping it would be unique amongst all others.
Kleenex roses, construction paper, and crepe paper could concoct a
masterpiece of beauty in the eyes of a little girl. With a slot cut in
the top of the boxes, classmates would deposit Valentine cards for one
another throughout the day.
By mid-afternoon Room
Mothers would appear with cupcakes and cookies for a Valentine
celebration. While munching away, we??™d open our embellished mailboxes
to see who did, and who did not care enough to share a card of
friendship. Mother never failed to threaten my life if I didn??™t give a
card to each child, and reminded me how I would feel to open a nearly
empty box. It was a lesson from a wise woman, and it was never
forgotten. I still recall crestfallen, little faces peering into boxes
which held only a few expressions of friendship. I learned early on
that Valentine??™s Day is not just about romantic love.
Class parties faded away
with the coming of Junior High and High School. Nonetheless, I do
recall a few tokens from ???the puppy love of the moment??? during those
teenage years.
And Valentine??™s Day of my
senior year out-shined all others by leaps and bounds.
Mother had prepared Dad??™s
favorite meal for dinner, as well as a fabulous heart-shaped layer
cake. Once she realized he was late getting home, she kept her eyes
fixed on the clock.
???I??™m really getting
worried. You know your dad is never late for dinner!??? Her voice was
anxious. She busied herself keeping dinner warm without burning
anything, as she paced back and forth to the window.
Being a self-absorbed
teenager I continued with my phone conversation until I heard the door
open and Mother scolding, ???Where have you been? I??™ve been worried
sick!???
I rounded the corner at
the same time Mother did, to see Dad standing with his arms full of
flowers and a box of chocolates. He was smiling as he spoke. ???Happy
Valentine??™s Day, honey!??? In an instant Mom had thrown her arms around
him. He looked like a juggler trying not to drop the gifts while
graciously accepting Mom??™s embrace.
Mother??™s new bouquet took
center stage on the table and we sat down for dinner. Next to my plate I
spied a small package! ???What??™s this???? I was filled with excitement and
surprise.
???Just open it!??? Dad??™s
blue eyes were sparkling and mischievous.
I ripped into it and
found a brand new bottle of Ambush cologne! ???Dad, did you buy this all
by yourself? I squealed.
???Well, kind of. It took
some help from the clerk, and I didn??™t think I??™d ever get home for
dinner.???
A Valentine gift from my
dad! I was stunned and gave him a huge hug. ???How did you even know
what kind to buy????
???I??™ve seen your bottles
around here a million times, and figured I could remember the name if I
thought about western movies -- ya know they??™re always ambushing each
other. Everything was fine until the clerk asked me what kind I wanted.
I told her Apache.???
???Apache!??? I giggled.
Dad kind of snorted and
informed me it wasn??™t that funny at all. The clerk insisted there was
no such cologne, while he swore there was. They went round and round
until he decided maybe he had forgotten the name, but made
it clear he would recognize the smell since his daughter seemingly
bathed in it. That??™s when the ???misting marathon??? began.
???I was sneezing and
nearly sick from so many different smells, and then suddenly she hit on
the right one. I??™d know that smell anywhere!???
Never once have I asked
Dad what possessed him to buy me a gift that year. Realizing my days
under his roof were soon drawing to a close has always been my
suspicion.
Again I remembered the
lesson learned as a child ??“ Valentine??™s Day is for expressing love to
all those you care about.
Roses, teddy bears, and
cupids abound each February creating what will one day be fond
remembrances. As for me, warm memories of my Valentine??™s Day Ambush are
revisited! They reside in a special niche of my heart??¦
?©2006Kathleene S. Baker
Lnstrlady @ aol.com
YELLOW ROSE
www.txyellowrose.com |
