Valentine's day ... sort of

Valentine's Day has to be the most hyped up, over-rated marketing festival of the year. Where Hallmark, the flower shops, and Kay jewelers prey upon people to 'show their love'. For those who are single it is a miserable occasion of having too much wine, chocolates you sent to yourself and feeling alone, and for couples is it the traumatic event of attempting to create the perfect day, to make up for what you should have been doing all year! There are few perfect days and usually they are unplanned ... or at least by me.

However, I did stumble on one last year - again, unplanned by me, but perfect.

It was February 13 and not a particularly stellar time in my life, recently laid off and job searching all day, still in my pajamas at 6:30 in the evening, when my best friend calls.

Him: Hey, whatchca doing?
Me: Nothing much, job hunts, ugh! Still in my pjs
Him: Well, get dressed, I am getting you out of the house
Me: No, I don't want to
Him: Have you had dinner?
Me: No, of course not, well-maybe, some cheetos, does that count?
Him: No, get dressed, I'm coming over
Me: I don't want to
Him: Do it anyway, I want to try this place I read about
Me: Can't we go another time.
Him: No. You haven't been out of the house for three weeks, get dressed
Me: Why?
Him: Cause I want to try this place and if you don't I am taking you in your pajamas
(I had visions of him throwing me over his shoulder and hauling me out to the car, and he is big enough and I am small enough for him to do it!)
Me: *Big sigh* Alright, but jeans is the best you are getting
Him: Fine with me, be there in 30 min.
Me: (disgruntled) ok

I mull about as long as possible and finally start to get ready, grumpy and a little irritated at being drug out of my house when I was happy being a slug. I pull on some jeans and a reasonably decent shirt and am attempting to do something with my two-days of unkempt hair when he arrives. Jovial and smiles and just way too damn cheerful for my mood at the time (memo to me, I should have known something more was up at this point, but he is usually jovial so I was remarkably un-suspicious) and after a few minutes his attitude is infectious and I lighten up a little.

We settle into the car, he is driving, and the slowest driver in the world (and has the most tickets of anyone I know-is it any wonder why I kid him!), so I know even if we are going a mile away we have plenty of time to talk.

Me: So, where are we going?
Him: Cafe Renaissance
Me: Oh, I have heard of that, driven by it a million times but never been in. Why there?
Him: Well, a guy I know is the sommelier there, so he said I should come in
(an inconsistency from what he told me on the phone, that I did not think about until later)
Me: Isn't it fancy? (now I am a little worried about the jeans, so I look down at what I am wearing)
Little escapes his notice and he quickly says 'No, your are fine.'
I grimace at him, but too late now.

We chat lightly the rest of the way to the restaurant and I tease him, as always, about his driving. :)

When we arrive at the door, we are greeted warmly and then my friend sees the man who invited him. He comes over quickly to say hello and how happy he is we are there, and he has the perfect table ready and will take care of pairing our wines with the meals we choose. I raise an eyebrow to my friend, thinking this all seems a bit over the top, but my friend is pretty well loved by most who know him so not totally unusual. They seat us off in a lovely side room, that is a bit too 'romantic' for my friend and I (soft lights, flowers, and candles) so I giggle at him, but what the hell, I am feeling much better and the idea of an evening of laughing with him and some good food are worth a little awkward with the 'mushy' room factor.

They bring us menus, the wine list, and some warm fresh bread and soft butter. With less than lady-like vigor I dove into the bread, since due to the lay-off I was being pretty stingy with shopping, so I had had little but ramen noodles for a week. He starts pouring over the menu while I have my mouth full, he asks ... "What looks good to you?"

Just then the waiter returns and begins discussing the specials, absolutely everything sounded like heaven, dipped in hollandaise sauce! When the waiter left, my friends eyes were just lite up like a kid at Christmas, he was as impressed as I was. You would have never guessed it from looking at the outside of this place that they would have such cuisine. He subtly interjects into conversation, as we are waiting, that he called ahead to make sure they would not be too busy tonight setting up for Valentine's Day, but that the reservation was easy to get. 'Reservation, (I thought for brief moment) but I thought this was a spur of the moment thing.) I glance at him briefly out of the corner of my eye, he looks relaxed, so I let it go.

Him: So, what would you like?
Me: Oh, no, this was your idea, you order.
Him: For you too?
Me: Yep.
(I love it when guys order, not sure what it is, too many old movies but I think it is just great, so classy. That and aside from calf's liver I will eat anything so ... why not!)
He pauses for a split-second, looks mildly nervous, I beam a cheesy 'Im having a great time' smile at him ... "Okay then" he says.

He orders appetizers and entrees, and the wine is being handled for us, thank god because their wine list was exhausting, and I know so very little about wines - aside from do I like it or not. And we spent the next two hours talking and mooning over the completely intoxicating food (not to mention the wine) that they kept bringing out, every dish was better than the one before.

At one point in the night he looked across the table from me with a soft gentle look and said "You look beautiful, with the light and your smile and the way the scarf is draped around you, you are beautiful." I blushed and looked down at my plate, told him he was being silly. But I don't think there was ever a moment where I loved him more, just the pure - honest sweetness of it. Enchanting. I never told him.

After the dinner plates had been taken away, we sat lingering in conversation and laughter, and perhaps for both of us, not quite ready for the evening to end. The waiter returned to inquire if we wanted dessert.
"Oh, (I laugh) I am delightfully full, I couldn't, but thank you."
My friend gets a sideways grin, "What is the special tonight?"
The waiter describes what they have, which sounds exquisite, but I have had way too much already.
"Sure." says my friend, "we will take that, but just one to share."
I rolled my eyes, he laughed.

And what they brought to the table can only be described as the closest thing to touching the ephemeral that I have ever tasted. It was a slice of iced lemon cake that was sunshine and clouds on a summer day, and dissolved on your tongue in a sweet melting confection of sugar and light like nothing I ever had. We literally sighed when we sampled it. After two more bites, I just looked at him and said, "That is sex on a plate." He agreed whole-heartedly!! And we both wondered laughingly if it was rude to lick the plate in such a place. Had that not been just the most divine dessert as it was, they also brought us two glasses of port to have with our cake. I am not usually a fan of port (I had a bad experience), so I was reluctant at best to try it, but then my friend gets the idea to dip the lemon cake into the wine just a touch and serves it to me across the table. Absolute ecstasy ... I couldn't speak, I just sat there letting all the flavors mingle and evaporate on my tongue - amazing!! A delectable cap to an absolutely charming night.

We got back home and after he walked me up and we said our goodbyes, I gave him a big hug and a kiss, because it had been just the perfect evening. The company, food, wine, atmosphere, just everything was lovely. I had a gigantic smile on my face for the first time in weeks, it was wonderful. After he left, I sat on the couch for a few minutes just soaking up the mood and dreaming of more of the lemon 'sex' cake dipped in port and it dawned on me ...
That sneaky little son of b****!!! (no disrespect to his mother, she is lovely)
He completely bamboozled me and took me out for Valentine's Day (a day early!!) because he knew I would never agree to VDay (link to previous story explains why)!! I sat laughing and cursing him in the same breath. There was no pressure, or tension, or expectation - just pure delightful fun! I wasn't sure whether to be royally pissed or just so damn proud of him!! I settled for both. :) I never had anyone go to such effort for a non-date. I am still impressed to this day. Very well done, I think I like February 13 much better.