The Worst Valentine's Day Ever: From the Worst to the Best

Being happy, upbeat and optimistic was my nature, but that was not necessarily easy all of the time, especially when confronted with the possibility of having the worst Valentine's Day ever.

It seemed to me that everyone in our grade ten, homeroom class had someone special to celebrate Valentine's Day with, at least the girls. For me, Valentine's Day hung on the horizon, suspended by a thin cord of anxiety and dread that could fray at any time. It looked like the day was going to turn out to be a total disaster.

Getting out of bed that morning took a concerted effort, but all of the younger children were excited because they knew that Valentine's Day was special. Their excitement was contagious, so I shared their enthusiasm.

Even the students on the high school bus demonstrated an aura of excitement, as they chatted about their Valentine's Day plans with their friends, but I was alone again on Valentine's Day.

In those days, it was not proper for girls to approach boys. In fact, most of the time, we rarely spoke to them. For girls, it was more like a waiting game, but if the boys were not interested in us, we were simply out of luck. I could not help but be a bit envious of the more outgoing girls who repeatedly broke traditional rules of etiquette and flirted with the boys. They knew exactly how to attract their attention.

"Why isn't Cupid helping me out?" I wondered. I wasn't that unattractive, or even over weight, but I was self conscious of the fact that I had to wear glasses. I did not like them at all, and so I took them off and hid them in my purse. 

Much to my dismay, I went through most of that day without getting any special Valentine's Day attention from any of the boys. We went from one class to another all day and several of the girls spoke to me, but none of the boys. When we got to a classroom, I simply buried my head deep in my books.

"Isn't anybody interested in me?" I wondered. "What is wrong with me"

What I did not realize was that there had been a tall, thin, rather good-looking boy, who was seriously interested in me. Just before the school bus arrived, he came up to me.

"I sure wish you would wear your glasses," he said to me, wistfully. "I have been trying to get your attention all day, but you didn't even see me and just walked right by."

"I am so sorry," I said apologetically. "I had no idea."

He hesitated for a moment. I waited.

"Would you like to go to a movie with me tomorrow night? I can pick you up, if you give me directions."

I was stunned and elated. Suddenly, what was the worst Valentine's Day became the best one ever.

I never did spot Cupid that day, but knew he must have been at work with his bow and arrow. From then on, I wore my glasses all of the time.