V-Day

My fridge is currently the proud host to 20 of the best cupcakes I have ever tasted. I made the double chocolate cupcakes with 1/3 cup of orange liquor, which cut the sweetness of the cake and added another dimension of richness and complexity. Then, I frosted them with butter cream frosting, using whipping cream instead of milk. And if that weren't enough, my sister and I decorated them with pink and red candies and red sprinkles. How lucky am I that I get to hang out and do things as simple as decorate cupcakes with my sister? It's lovely, those rare occasions when we are in the same house at the same time.

It has been about 9 years since I had an American boyfriend on Valentine's Day. I was always an anti-V day person. I attended several anti -V day parties in college. The men came in drag and the women in old prom dresses to drink jell-o shots and watch horror movies. I didn't watch horror movies or drink alcohol, so I usually left pretty early on in the evening, satisfied I had sufficiently not celebrated the holiday.

When Y. was in the US for our first Valentine's Day together, I refused to tell him how the day was celebrated. "I hate it. It's a waste of money, and a waste of time. I never do anything. That's how it is celebrated, by doing nothing. You are forbidden to buy me anything." But he did a little leg work all the same. He saw the cuddly stuffed animals in the stores, there were kisses and hugs, and it appeared that it was important to give a card. So, on the morning of Valentine's he popped up and said, "I have something for Valentine's Day!"

"Really?" I was excited in spite of myself. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a stack of paper. They were all pictures of animals hugging or kissing. I still remember the first picture was a polar bear.

"See, it's the bear!" he said. "There are bears everywhere for Valentine's Day. So, here is your Valentine bear." He kept his promise; he didn't technically buy me anything. All the photos were photocopied from books in the library.

*******

It's been 7 years since then. Long enough that I have actually forgotten how Americans normally celebrate Valentine's Day. I have been daydreaming about what to do for Vince since the beginning of January. I finally came up with something and checked with my girlfriends about proper Valentine behavior. They approved of my gift, which sadly, I was unable to buy today because a massive snowstorm led to a three hour commute home and the store was closed. Now I feel like I am cutting it pretty close!

For his part, Vince forbade me to come over to his house today.
"It's Valentine's Eve! I have preparations to make!"
"Valentine's requires preparations?" I asked.
"Of course. Especially our first Valentine's together." I like the confidence in the use of the word first. I like knowing that someone is thinking of me and wants to make me happy.

Life is so much more fun now that I am not constantly taking a stance on things like Valentine's Day. I loved standing in the grocery store with all the parents and kids getting ready to take their Valentines to their classmates tomorrow. I embraced buying the seasonal candies to decorate my cupcakes with this evening. Stances against commercialism be damned! It's a ton of fun. And my sister's classmates and my co-workers are going to love their holiday themed cupcakes.