Katy would like her husband to remember Valentine's Day, but she's not holding her breath.
Well that is what Katy told herself, knowing just what Ian’s memory was like. They had been married for 20 years now, and had 2 teenage children. It was a standing joke that Katy got her birthday card in the evening of that day, presumably after a reminder from Maria to her dad. Their anniversary was even worse. The children didn’t always remember it, and so her card came a day late, after Ian had received hers first, and they usually went out to celebrate a day or two later. But she had known all that when she married him because Ian was a heart specialist, and his work came first.
Katy didn’t mind that. She was proud of all the lives her husband had saved, life was more important than anything, and thanks to him, there were people around now that wouldn’t have been without the skill and care that he had shown towards them. He had saved her own mother’s life 5 years ago, and she was still here to tell the tale.
She felt a bit fed up today
Today for some reason she felt peeved. Maria was 17, and had so many Valentine cards, it was hard to know who they were all from. She thought back to when she was 17, and it had been exciting, trying to guess who might have a crush on her. She didn’t hold her breath when the post came, there were about 6 cards for Maria, so she picked them up and put them on the side for when she came home from college later.
As she thumbed through the rest of the post, there at the bottom was a card for her. Well she knew for sure it wasn’t Ian, he would be too wrapped up in his job, it was probably Jack playing a trick on her. She smiled at the thought of her mischievous son, now 15, and a born joker.
When she opened it, the wording was brief. ” Be My Valentine” printed in bold red letters inside a heart, but nothing written, just a question mark. She decided that was because Jack couldn’t disguise the scrawl of his writing, and smiled again as she put it on the mantel piece .
Suddenly the house seemed very quiet without the familiar sounds of her family, and momentarily she felt lonely. She shook herself back to reality, knowing they would all descend on her later, like a horde of elephants, tired and hungry, and this was her time, to enjoy.
She decided to take a bath
It was while she was soaking in the bath she heard the front door open, and she was relieved to hear Ian shout. ” It’s only me.”
She wondered what had brought him home, it could be he was ill, but Ian was rarely ill. Then his face came round the bathroom door, wreathed in smiles, and he announced. ” I’m taking you out for lunch today, so put on that lovely blue dress.”
” You’re not at work?” she said in wonder.
” It’s Valentine’s day, and I knew you wouldn’t want to leave our horrors tonight, so I thought we could spend the day together, just the two of us.”
Katy stared at him in wonderment, after 20 years, she had thought she knew Ian inside out, but she didn’t. Maybe he had sent that Valentine card after all. She wasted no time in getting ready, as surprisingly Ian had a table booked for lunch, and a matinee booked at the theatre for them.
This was the result
Katy had the most wonderful day, and then she realised as she was going to sleep that night, she hadn’t sent Ian a Valentine this year. She usually left it in the study propped up by his computer, after all he knew who it was from anyway. but she had forgotten. Well there wasn’t much she could do about it now, the day was past, but what a lovely day it had been.
Ian laying beside her was also thinking. It was a shock to him when his best friend Michael, who was as much a workaholic as Ian was, had come in and said his wife had left him for another man because he was too wrapped up in his job. That had made him think.
Then for the first time in 20 years, no Valentine card from Katy, and to cap it all, he had come home to find someone had sent her a Valentine card. That had shaken him into action. He totally trusted Katy, but she was still very lovely, and he had no intention of losing her. What a lovely time they had enjoyed together. He wanted many more of them, as without Katy, his driving force, even his job didn’t seem that important. He turned over and put his arms round her, whispering. ” Please be My Valentine for ever”
Katy’s response was to snuggle sleepily into him, echoing, ” For ever!”
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