Valentines

The valentines I've received over the years has varied from Valentine cards from schoolmates, to boxes of chocolate and flowers from admirers to tokens of affection from husband and my children. In long ago lower grade school days, trading valentine cards with those in class was a ritual we always looked forward to. It was a sort of validation that we were liked by our class mates, and we took satisfaction in comparing the numbers of valentines we received.

I remember one particular valentine card I received when in high school. When I removed it from the envelope, I was surprised to see a fancier card than the type we usually bought at the dime store to give away. This valentine had a bit of paper lace and ribbon. It was signed, George.

Now, there was a boy that I has a secret crush on, whose name was George. He was a year ahead of me in high school, so we didn't share any classes, but he was one of a group that often met at my friend Caroline's house after supper to play games. My secret remained just that. Regardless of the fancy valentine, George never seemed to go out of his way to chat or sit with me during lunch.

Some time later, I discovered the valentine had come from Caroline's younger brother, George. It had never occurred to me that a boy in a lower grade would have sent me such a fancy valentine. Needless to say, we both survived our misplaced affections.