Three years ago today, the jangled mass of raw nerve endings that was my middle son made Valentine’s Day dinner for his girlfriend. I was at his side through the ordeal process and between his jitters and my spineless culinary skills we put together a pretty good meal.
I thought of everything he didn’t (ie. rose-scented candles, pink napkins, romance music from some TV station called ‘Romance Music’).
Then his father, brothers and I huddled in the basement (per family rules, unmarried couples spend precious few unchaperoned moments in the house) while he sparkling grape juiced and dined her.
We were allowed to emerge from the basement and clean up the mess while he took her to a snowy park that was one of their favorites, and proposed.
She said yes.
And that is how The Prude took her first step on the wonderful road on mother-in-law hood.
My husband is a wonderful, loving, kind, supportive, humorous man with a terrific work ethic and a sincere faith. All those fabulous, to-die-for qualities leave little room for his romantic facet to blossom.
Or else he just generously passed an extra measure on to his middle child, who put it to work with skill, hope and anxiety and mocha cheesecake three years ago today.
Happy Valentine’s Day/Single Awareness Day/Founder’s Day! (more on that last one tomorrow)
