Valentine

Recently my wife sorted through our old photos and found some letters I wrote to her. She enjoyed reading them. I enjoyed hearing her read them aloud. So on this Valentine’s Day, I want to give her another love letter.

She was the Lasik eye surgery coordinator, and I was her patient. Lasik is an expensive operation so patients are treated well. She spent a lot of time with me, including sitting with me in the waiting area. I was unaccustomed to this and asked if she was going to follow me everywhere. She thought I was a smart ass but she remained professional. The day of the surgery she sat with me waiting for the Valium to take effect and we talked about wanting to see The Lord of the Rings.

We emailed a few times following the surgery and I finally convinced her to go see the movie with me, just after Christmas. Afterward we had coffee and talked some more. It was a great date and I was smitten. She must have been too because she invited me to her niece’s New Years party. I met her there and we had a good time and then decided to go to another friend’s party. When we got there we just sat in my truck talking for an hour before the people finally got us to come in. When midnight came I took a chance and kissed her. She still says it was a surprise, and I’m glad I had gotten the nerve to do it.

We started dating steadily after New Years. She lived about an hour away, so most days we would meet after work at a park just to sit and talk for a while. Then we would stay on the phone all night until one of us fell asleep.

I don’t remember the exact day but one afternoon when we were riding in my truck I told her she looked at home sitting in the passenger seat. Soon after that she and her youngest son, Mitchell, moved in with me and I decided this is the woman I wanted to marry.

The ring was burning a hole in my pocket. Kay, Mitchell and I went to a movie, then to Steak and Shake. When we left Mitchell followed the plan and asked to see the park where she and I would sit in our car to talk. When we arrived Mitchell said he saw a cat and took off. We stood there and held hands, she started to wrap her other hand around me to hug and felt my heart pounding in my chest. “Thomas, are you okay?” she asked and I reached into my pocket and got down on one knee to give her the ring. She was jumping for joy. We have been together since that day.

Last week she went to Atlanta for a night. That night I had the TV all to myself and watched a movie she had no interest in. She was late getting home the next night and I noticed the only conversation I had was with the cat. I was missing her and wondered how I spent all those years alone, without her.