I spent most of the night of Saturday, February 12, 2000, on the phone making airline reservations for two days later. Roger and I hadn’t been to the Sunshine State together in nearly seven years. We enjoyed visiting his family at different times, and I still joke that that’s the secret of our marriage: separate vacations. His siblings and parents had probably forgotten what we looked like as a couple.
We had never jumped on a plane for a quick getaway. Now we could, since our almost 18-year-old son was old enough to stay home to take care of the cats and the house and get himself to school without us nagging. Our newly discovered independence was exhilarating.
In anticipation of the trip, I focused on my work all day Sunday and Monday morning, making sure I had finished everything for clients before my week’s absence. Roger ran errands while I made phone calls. As I shut down my computer, he startled me.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said.
I turned to see his familiar smile hidden behind this huge, colorful bouquet. The flowers were gorgeous. Their natural perfume permeated the air. I shook my head.
“Why did you do that? We’re going to be on an airplane today!”
He reminded me that it was Valentine’s Day and that he loved me. In that instant, I felt smaller than my five-foot-one-and-a-half inches. I apologized at my outburst and hugged him. I knew in that moment that I was the luckiest and most-loved woman in the world, all because he had remembered it was Valentine’s Day.
Nobody would keep me from embracing these flowers as I walked through the airport and carried them on board, ready to hold them for more than 1,000 miles. A flight attendant smiled and asked who had given me this brightly colored ensemble of Mother Nature’s finest.
“My husband.” I gestured to Roger ahead of me as we wriggled down the narrow aisle. “He remembered to get me flowers for Valentine’s Day even though his mother just died. We’re on our way to her funeral.”
No mistaking the sudden glisten in her eyes.
“He sounds like an incredible man.”
Yes, he definitely is.
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