A
big red heart decorated the calendar for February 14, Valentine’s Day. The heart was to catch Mike’s eye and remind
him that a special, gift giving day was approaching. Remind him if he ever bothered to look at the
calendar, Marcie thought. She didn’t
care if he gave her only a single flower, she just wanted to feel that Mike
still cared for her romantically. She
didn’t want to be just his housekeeper. She
longed for the days when he couldn’t wait to see her after work, when he called
her his little sweetheart. With a
mortgage and fatherhood, he seemed to hardly notice her at all.
The phone rang jerking her away from
fond memories of their early days together.
“Hi, it’s me. Do you want anything from the store before I get
home?” Mike’s husky voice could still
shiver her timbers and he was considerate to call.
“No, I think we’ve got everything we
need. But thanks for calling, I
appreciate it.”
“OK, see you soon, then.” And he hung up without any special words or
endearments. Oh well, Marcie thought, this
is what happens after 10 years of marriage and two kids.
That night, Mike checked on Ethan’s and
Marta’s baths and tucked them into bed.
He sighed as he plopped down on the family room couch next to Marcie who
had loaded the dishwasher and left the pots to soak.
Mike said, “Hey I see a special day is
coming up soon.”
“Oh really, I hadn’t noticed. What day do you mean?” Marcie played dumb.
“I thought you’d be interested since you
like chocolate so much.”
“Maybe I am, but what day do you mean?”
Was he really going to talk about Valentine's Day? Was he planning something just for her?
“February 9th.” He smiled,
but Marcie’s heart plummeted. “I just
discovered that Hershey’s chocolate company was founded on that day in
1894. And that’s not all,” his eyes
twinkled as he continued. “That day is
also National Toothache day. Do you
think there’s any connection?
“Oh, you!” She hit him with one of the
blue and orange Chicago Bears’ pillows on the couch. “I’ll just leave you to watch your old
football tapes.” Now that Super Bowl was
over there wasn’t any new games, but Mike still liked to watch old ones.
The next few days went by as they
normally did. Kids going to school, Mike
going to work, and Marcie keeping the household running while she also did her
volunteer work. She tried to stop
thinking about Valentine’s Day and romantic dreams. She forced herself to realize those days were
behind them. She actually lost track of
what days were going by.
Early one February morning Mike woke her
up with a big cup of hot chocolate. “Hey
sleepy head. Did you forget what today
is?”
“Whaa..what do you mean? It’s just Saturday. It’s a day when we can sleep a little
later.” She looked at the clock. She had not slept a little later. Why did he wake her up so early on a
Saturday?
“It’s
“Hershey Chocolate Day”! February 9th! Remember I told you about it last week?” He grinned like a mischievous little boy.
“Yeah, I remember.” Marcie said cautiously.
“Well, I know you think I’m not romantic
or thoughtful or anything women want men to be.”
“Oh, no, honey. You’re a great husband. You always take care of the kids when you
can, and help me out….”
“I know, I know, but you want and
deserve something special.”
“Well, this hot chocolate is really
special. It was very, very nice of you
to make this for me.” Marcie reached up
to give him a hug but he sat down on the bed and put his arm around her.
“I’m glad you like it, but it’s just the
beginning. I decided that instead of
celebrating Valentine’s Day which everybody does and restaurants are so
crowded, we’d have our own special day.
And since you like chocolate so much, what better day than Hershey
day.”
She just stared at him realizing he was
not only a great husband but a great lover, too.
Mike continued with his plans, “I made
lunch reservations at the little French restaurant you like on the pond. I thought lunch would be better than dinner so
you could see the ducks in the water.
And then for dinner, we’ll order your favorite pizza—it doesn’t have to
be chocolate does it?” He looked
worried.
“No, no, of course not. I love pizza.” Marcie was dazed.
“I got a great DVD for us to watch tonight. It sounded like something you’d like. It’s called “Chocolate.” And it takes place in France. It must be romantic, right?”
All she could say was, “Oh, Mike, I love
you so much.” But then she thought of a
problem. “What about the kids, are they
going with us on our special lunch?”
“No, no.
That was my master stroke. I
arranged with your parents to pick up the kids this morning and keep them until
after church tomorrow.”
“You are incredible.” She gave him a big kiss.
“Yes, I am,” he agreed. “And I also have a special gift for
you.” He reached under the bed and
pulled out a small, crookedly wrapped box.
“What on earth could this be?” she asked
him. She wondered if it could be more
chocolate? Certainly not lingerie or
jewelry. She ripped off the gift paper
until there it lay, in all its sparkly pink and chocolate, two toned
wonder. A new toothbrush. She stared at Mike.
“Remember I told you, today’s also
National Toothache Day. With all the
sugar floating around you today, I wanted to protect your teeth.” That was Mike, husband, lover, and
protector.
The End
The perfect post for moi, since I just came from the dentist! Thanks! LOL
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