There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved
— George Sand
Friday morning I sent my husband a warning text: Just to be clear I do not want to do Valentine’s Day this year.
He replied: Honey, with you it’s Valentine’s Day every day.
He’s full of it, obviously. But somehow by barricading the holiday, it seems I upset Cupid himself, which resulted in a series of events that made for a tumultuous weekend.
There are times like these in a marriage. One day you’re both hungry for Chinese food at the exact same time. (That’s a really big deal, by the way). You want to tackle the same household chores and life goals. You finish each other’s sentences. You want to watch the same TV show (also huge). You’re just completely connecting and it’s awesome.
Other times, you want to kill him. Such was the case on Friday, when I rolled out of bed clinging onto the remnants of a cold. I am not a morning person, so if there’s a feud to be had, it’s likely to occur because you look or speak to me before 8 a.m.
The hubby and I argued about who would pick up our son from school. It was a back-and-forth. I will! No, I’ll just do it! No, I will! By the end of it, in my mind anyway, my hubby was going to pick up the kid.
At 3:05 p.m. that day I got that gut feeling that moms get — something isn’t right. I called my husband and no answer. I called the middle child who was with him — “Did you guys pick him up?” “No ...”
Rage — pure rage. I quickly called the school to locate him and after a time it was determined he was on the bus. I ended up picking him up at the high school and delivered him home. My husband still claims I was supposed to pick him up.
Then there was the fish fry miscommunication. My husband volunteers at the Sacred Heart Church event, and he’d been talking about it all week. I assumed (never assume) I would be meeting him at the fish fry after work, dining with the kids and then taking them home while he wrapped up his duties.
When I showed up, stood in line and finally approached my hubby, he revealed that the kids weren’t there. No kids? Who am I eating with then? What are they eating for dinner? With another flash of rage I exited the McCann Center, stopped at the store for cheese and veggie pizzas and returned home to feed the kids.
The next communication flaw came early Saturday morning. Long story short, kids’ schedules can get busy sometimes, and we were being pulled in many different directions. When we parted ways somewhat angrily at a basketball game, I returned home and got the mail.
To my surprise there was a letter from the jewelry store where he bought my wedding ring. I had a twinge of guilt and excitement. He’d bought me something for Valentine’s Day and here’s the receipt or thank you from the store! I really underestimate him sometimes — ugh, I’m such a jerk.
Like a kid at Christmas I ripped open the envelope hoping for a clue, or perhaps the exact details of my new, shiny gift. Instead, it was a note explaining our salesman is transferring to a different jewelry store.
Point taken, Cupid. Next year, we’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com