Fifty Shades of Red.
As today is a day of love and beauty, I will keep today’s musing short as you can tend to your loved one’s needs and gaze longingly into their eyes until late in the evening. The thing is after last year’s Valentine’s day, I am a little bit disillusioned with the whole deal despite my romantic inclinations.
To be honest, I like the romance element...I am a romantic at heart. But I do hate being pigeonholed into celebrating romance and love on one particular day. Love has no boundaries right? It’s a spontaneous impulsive reaction? So on Valentine’s day, myself and the ‘department of witchcraft and beauty’ tend to have a small interlude at home, a quiet meal...glass of wine. The hassle of going to an overcrowded restaurant with a re-heated, over priced meal and a waitress telling me I have to be out in an hour doesn’t appeal to me.
So in return we will celebrate ‘our undying love and union’ at another time...a good night out, or a night away when it will be more appreciated. Ah to keep the wheels of love turning.
Anyway for some unknown reason, I decided last year to go the whole hog. King of romance...into the swing of things on the day itself. I wanted to get into the Valentines zone...be the Casanova to the department’s weakness.
The evening before, I made handmade chocolates! Settling in the fridge overnight. A deep dark chocolate mixed with a sweetened type of jam. I bought wine, bedecked in red ribbons. I made a card! No you read that right..I didn’t buy it...I made it. And finally the force de resistance.....a rose left on the bed beside her pillow. Dinner would follow later in the day. Could I have done any more?
I leave the house in the morning before everyone else has woken. So I placed the rose on the pillow....left the wine in the hallway with the card... a succession of treats for my love as she awoke from her delightful slumber...to head to the kitchen Sleeping Beautyesque to find the chocolates staring at her lovingly from the fridge.
Oh the smug smile on my face as I drove in the early morning darkness. The perfect lover...renaissance man supreme. A man of mystery and romance, second to none and the want of many women. My swagger as I shut the car door and walked with a certain macho bravado to my desk like the protagonist of many an aftershave ad in days gone by.
As I thought of the flower, I smiled. I gave a little ‘ha ha’ to myself as I pictured the realisation there was wine waiting. I gave a little ‘hm hm’ laugh as I pictured the card being opened. And as for the gasp of joy and hands being slapped on cheeks at the realisation that hand -made chocolates were waiting in the fridge....it was all too much for me and I gave a little “whoop” of triumph and settled into the morning.
Then it came – the text! Oh I decided I could wait a few moments. I wasn’t a man to wallow in his own grandeur. I wasn’t one to gloat at his own perfection. Marvel at his own brilliance over his fellow male. Most importantly....my love was unconditional! My wife nay, my lover!....My soul mate did not have to grovel and placate me with thank yous! No I would read the text with the “oh it was nothing” type of ‘pah pah’ it deserved.
I suppose it did need to be opened however. I did need to acknowledge the gratitude...so I would read the text and put the phone back down to the place I had taken it as if nothing had happened.
I pushed the button, still smiling and there indeed was the text from my beloved. And as I glanced at the phone, I read the message that had been sent from my love only moments before. Probably after she had closed the door on the fridge and taken her first bite from one of the eight hand -made, self rolled chocolates. I pictured her constructing the text as her delicate chocolate smudged fingers tapped gently on the phone Keyboard. Then I read the lines lovingly.
“Did you put the Bin out?"
As today is a day of love and beauty, I will keep today’s musing short as you can tend to your loved one’s needs and gaze longingly into their eyes until late in the evening. The thing is after last year’s Valentine’s day, I am a little bit disillusioned with the whole deal despite my romantic inclinations.
To be honest, I like the romance element...I am a romantic at heart. But I do hate being pigeonholed into celebrating romance and love on one particular day. Love has no boundaries right? It’s a spontaneous impulsive reaction? So on Valentine’s day, myself and the ‘department of witchcraft and beauty’ tend to have a small interlude at home, a quiet meal...glass of wine. The hassle of going to an overcrowded restaurant with a re-heated, over priced meal and a waitress telling me I have to be out in an hour doesn’t appeal to me.
So in return we will celebrate ‘our undying love and union’ at another time...a good night out, or a night away when it will be more appreciated. Ah to keep the wheels of love turning.
Anyway for some unknown reason, I decided last year to go the whole hog. King of romance...into the swing of things on the day itself. I wanted to get into the Valentines zone...be the Casanova to the department’s weakness.
The evening before, I made handmade chocolates! Settling in the fridge overnight. A deep dark chocolate mixed with a sweetened type of jam. I bought wine, bedecked in red ribbons. I made a card! No you read that right..I didn’t buy it...I made it. And finally the force de resistance.....a rose left on the bed beside her pillow. Dinner would follow later in the day. Could I have done any more?
I leave the house in the morning before everyone else has woken. So I placed the rose on the pillow....left the wine in the hallway with the card... a succession of treats for my love as she awoke from her delightful slumber...to head to the kitchen Sleeping Beautyesque to find the chocolates staring at her lovingly from the fridge.
Oh the smug smile on my face as I drove in the early morning darkness. The perfect lover...renaissance man supreme. A man of mystery and romance, second to none and the want of many women. My swagger as I shut the car door and walked with a certain macho bravado to my desk like the protagonist of many an aftershave ad in days gone by.
As I thought of the flower, I smiled. I gave a little ‘ha ha’ to myself as I pictured the realisation there was wine waiting. I gave a little ‘hm hm’ laugh as I pictured the card being opened. And as for the gasp of joy and hands being slapped on cheeks at the realisation that hand -made chocolates were waiting in the fridge....it was all too much for me and I gave a little “whoop” of triumph and settled into the morning.
Then it came – the text! Oh I decided I could wait a few moments. I wasn’t a man to wallow in his own grandeur. I wasn’t one to gloat at his own perfection. Marvel at his own brilliance over his fellow male. Most importantly....my love was unconditional! My wife nay, my lover!....My soul mate did not have to grovel and placate me with thank yous! No I would read the text with the “oh it was nothing” type of ‘pah pah’ it deserved.
I suppose it did need to be opened however. I did need to acknowledge the gratitude...so I would read the text and put the phone back down to the place I had taken it as if nothing had happened.
I pushed the button, still smiling and there indeed was the text from my beloved. And as I glanced at the phone, I read the message that had been sent from my love only moments before. Probably after she had closed the door on the fridge and taken her first bite from one of the eight hand -made, self rolled chocolates. I pictured her constructing the text as her delicate chocolate smudged fingers tapped gently on the phone Keyboard. Then I read the lines lovingly.
“Did you put the Bin out?"