It was January 23
rd
. Twinkle lights, pine trees and gift wrapping had been replaced by red, white, and pink hearts. Cupids hung overhead in seemingly every store.
Mary thought it was a little much. She didn't actually mind Valentine's Day so much as she minded how quickly and abruptly the season of yuletide decorations seemed to pass. Year after year as the shelves were lined with chocolates, chalky hearts, licensed valentine kits and red heart printed party supplies, she wondered what the big deal was.
Her marriage to John was happy enough after 9 years, and they both always managed to find some way to make their Valentine's Day together special. Dinner reservations, small weekend getaways, gifts of flowers, chocolates, and of course cards with sincere inscriptions.
Sometimes Mary would purchase new lingerie, which inevitably landed on the floor within minutes of being put on. Even after all this time, John still gave a low growl every time he saw her body; the attraction hadn't waned at all.
She walked down the aisle of cards looking for one that stood out. Mary prided herself on her ability to find the perfect card for any occasion, but especially those that she gave to her husband. She favored cards that were both romantically sentimental and just a touch naughty. Her eyes scanned until they came upon a crimson card with silver foil swirls in the shape of hearts.
On the inside it read:
Keep the roses and candy hearts
I know you love me from the way
Your handprint on my ass smarts
I love being your good little Valentine
Mary smirked to herself as she read it. It was just the right amount of cheek, considering John did on occasion bring spanking into their boudoir activities. She picked out the white envelope from the slot behind the cards and continued on with her shopping. She still had time to figure out what gift to give him along with it.
He's probably not even going to think about Valentine's Day for another 2 weeks
. She mused to herself.
Still plenty of time to find something to surprise him
.
While Mary shopped, John was out running a few special errands of his own. He had a plan for this Valentine's Day to really give his wife a surprise. The hard part would be putting everything together. First, he visited the craft store. While he was no stranger to the aisles, he could never help but feel a little self-conscious in this store, probably because he was one of the very few men in it who was not accompanied by a woman. Luckily, he found exactly what he needed: a beautiful box about 18 inches long and 6 inches wide. Next, he picked out small labels and white cardboard dividers.
Supplies from the craft store purchased, he then made his way over to the specialty chocolatier.
He ordered a dozen different chocolate truffles, to be picked up just before Valentine's Day. Perfect. Now came the really hard part...hiding everything from Mary. There really wasn't a place in the house that wouldn't eventually have its secrets discovered through some need of something in it or a need of having that place cleaned.
Even the trunk of John's car was not immune to the eyes of his wife. This was why Mary always did all the Christmas shopping. Suddenly, John got an idea. There was
one
place she wouldn't look that would have enough spaceโthe toolbox and workbench in the garage. Being February, he wouldn't have to worry about anything melting, either. He smiled to himself as he began to drive home. This was going to be a Valentine's Day to remember.
At last, it was Valentine's Day. Mary woke feeling a small sense of disappointment. She'd not found so much as a card from John hidden in the house. Had he not gotten her anything? He'd made reservations at her favorite Italian bistro, and he always had roses freshly delivered. But Mary had usually managed to find, through either an active search or serendipity, a cleverly, or so he thought, hidden gift.
This year, there was just...nothing.
Maybe he actually figured out a hiding place I just haven't found yet
. She shrugged to herself as she made her way down to the kitchen, following the aroma of coffee. John always ensured that the coffee maker was programmed to have hot coffee waiting for her upon waking, even if he decided to sleep in himself.
This particular morning, John had woken before her. As she entered the kitchen, she was greeted to the comical sight of her husband in both a grey bathrobe and blue apron. He was in the process of creating breakfast sandwiches of sausage patties and eggs with cheddar cheese on English muffins. They couldn't be called McMuffins because there was something about the way he cooked the eggs, melted the cheese, and perfectly fried the sausage, that set the mouth watering. They let loose a flood of warm tastes on the tongue that instantly inspired happiness. His cooking was one of the reasons she'd married him.
"Good morning honey." He said to her without turning around.
"How did you know I was up?" She asked, having been very quiet in entering the kitchen.
"This house is almost 140 years old; you can't sit up in bed without the floor creaking. Besides that, I know everything!" He turned around and grinned at her.
"Then what did I get you for Valentine's Day, Mr. Know-It-All?"
"A ring."
"Why would I get you a ring? You're already wearing one."
"Not for my
finger
." He turned his head and winked at her naughtily.
"You are ridiculous...and I love you, but no, I did not get you a cock ring for Valentine's Day."
"Well, okay maybe there are
some
things I don't know, but wait until you see what I got you."
"You mean the roses?"
"No, I mean my gift."