Everything is Simple

Valentine’s Day

So, the girl I’m hastily falling head-over-heels for has been having a tough time adjusting to the area. She tells me she’s having a tough time making friends, that her professors are very negative about her work, and that she generally feels like this might not be the place for her.

She was having a really bad day, following a critique, etc. on Tuesday — Valentine’s Day.

We were set to watch a movie that evening. She had sent me a text message, earlier that day, telling me that she hadn’t realized it was Valentine’s and that if I had other plans, like a date or something, that she would understand, but that she was still free and would like to hang out.

This message could be deciphered as: “I just want to let you know that this isn’t a date, but I still really want to hang out with you.”

And, that’s fine with me. It’s a complicated situation, as you should be able to tell from the poem I wrote about her.

Anyway, I picked her up, went by McDonald’s and Schlotzsky’s before going back to my apartment. I did my best to encourage her, give her positive feedback, and help rationalize the criticisms she’s been getting.

When we talk, I feel like I really pour my heart into the conversation. Not in a mushy, romantic way, but in that I try my best to empathize with her. I want her to know that I care. I really care. Maybe more than I’ve ever cared about anything. (My best friend told me that she’s never seen me so crazy about someone before — and she’s known me for a very long time.)

Before we got back to my apartment, she looked at me, thanked me for being a good listener and a great person and said,

“You give me hope for this place.”

I did all I could to maintain my composure, but that statement is, by far, the greatest thing anyone has ever said to me. The sincerity in her voice, the intensity of the eye contact, and the slight smile moved me like only gods can move mountains.

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“Ahh, I might as well get this out of the way. Look. I know that you didn’t realize it was Valentine’s Day, but I did. So, I made you something.”
“You made me something? Really?”
“Yes. Now, close your eyes.”

I had her close her eyes and face the wall. I placed the Hi-C Orange Lavaburst bouquet on the table next to her, and presented her with a single juice box. She opened her eyes, let out a cheer, and thanked me profusely. Then, as I walked back across the room, her eyes met the bouquet and she let out an “OH MY GOD!!!”

“This is the greatest Valentine’s Day anything I’ve ever gotten.”

Later that night, as I was driving her home, she thanked me for a great night and told me that she felt she’d made an emotional 180, from the time I picked her up to then.

I told her, “That’s what I’m here for.”