Roses are Red
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
If I wanna be yours, will you be mine too?
Valentine's Day was here! Next to their wedding anniversary, it was Maria's favorite day of the year. Manolo was always known to be so romantic; she eagerly awaited for what he had planned on this day of hearts and kisses.
Although Maria was pretty much a tough girl, she was still a woman and appreciated love, mushy poems, and cute little teddy bears.
San Angel was a very small town, so basically everyone celebrated the holidays.
Oooh! What was Manolo planning? A dinner by candlelight? A moonlight dance? No, wait! A walk across the bridge to the proposal tree!
Only; Manolo didn't seem to care about Valentine's Day. He had been acting very out of character lately, and didn't give Maria any sign of doing anything special for her. Maybe becoming the next Hero of San Angel went to his head.
That morning she woke up to find Manolo wasn't in the bed. Maybe he was preparing something special for her! No; that doesn't sound right. There was no card on her nightstand, no flower petals making a trail to the kitchen; there wasn't even a box of chocolates to be found anywhere.
Some Valentine's Day.
But then she remembered! He had work, today. Maybe he didn't have time to give her something because of the time. After pulling her curls up in a high ponytail like she usually did, she put on her robe and walked into the kitchen. She became even more confused to see that Manolo didn't even wash his dishes behind him like he usually did.
So, there she sat. Eating breakfast alone; while sipping her orange juice, she noticed the empty chair across from her. This just made her seethe; Manolo promised her he wasn't and didn't have to work today!
Oh, well; she could kill him later. But then she remembered not to be like him. If there was one thing she always listened to her dad about, it was 'treat others the way you want to be treated.'
So she decided to put hot coals on his head by visiting his workplace. Around noon, he was taking a break from playing for the people at the La Paloma Restauraunt. It was a high class place for the very wealthy Mexican families.
Once he finished, she met him backstage. Only, he didn't look very happy to see her.
"Hi Honey!"
"What are you doing here, Maria?"
"Uh, Happy Valentine's Day?" She said as she held up the card she'd made with her own two hands.
"O-oh yeah; thanks."
She became internally heated as he took the card very casually and put it in his pocket.
"Aren't you gonna read it?"
"Sure; at break."
"But your on break."
"Okay, well next break."
Maria sadly stared at the ground and traced the floor with her boot.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Don't you have something for me?"
"Oh yeah."
He very blanky walked to her and kissed her on the forehead.
"See you later." He said
And just like she didn't exist, he returned to the stage where he started up his new set of music. He sat on the stool in front of the microphone and suavely spoke to the crowd.
"So nice to see all your pretty faces again; this one goes out to all the Valentine's couples here."
After strumming a few string on his prized guitar, he let his voice fly. Maria continued to watch from behind the curtain and felt her heart sink like the Titanic. Especially when she saw him wink at another cute girl at one of the tables in the front.
That was enough for her take off and find a place to let her heart break in peace.
As she cried near the town fountain and thought about Manolo, her cry was interrupted.
"Are you alright, Maria?
She sniffed and looked up to see Joaquin with a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates.
"Oh, Hi, Joaquin; no, I'm not okay." She said as she wiped her eyes.
He sat down next to her and put his hand on her back.
"What's wrong? You're too pretty to cry; especially on Valentine's Day."
"Tell that to Manolo!"
"Why? What's wrong with Manolo?"
"He's done nothing except ignore me all day. No card, no flowers, no chocolates, not even a single teddy bear! I went to visit him at work, and he didn't read my Valentine, and he winked at this cute girl in the audience. She was even cuter than me."
"Maria, what are you talking about? You're the prettiest girl in town."
"I'm saying Manolo's cheating on me and didn't have enough decency to tell me."
"I'm sorry." He gave her a little hug.
"I'd stay with you, but I promised the Adelita Twins I'd bring them something on Valentine's Day."
"You're dating both?"
"No, I'm just giving them equal treatment, because I haven't decided which one I really like yet."
"I bet Rachelle finds you more attractive with that eye patch of yours."
"Heh. Hopefully. Anyway, if Manolo gives you any trouble, you just call me."
"No, I'll be fine. Go enjoy your date."
He gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek and handed her one of the flowers from the bouquet.
"Thanks."
Feeling like an outcast, she noticed all the couples enjoying the day. She sadly placed the flower in her hair and imagined this day was just a nightmare.
The day went by, and she went about her business by cleaning the house. Guess she was wrong about both of the boys.
All they expected was a maid. Not a wife. Maybe she should get a divorce and move back in with her dad. She was no love, she was a trophy wife. She felt so used.
Evening arrived, and she decided she wasn't gonna be miserable on this day of love. If nobody else loved her, she was going to love herself.
Maria picked out her best outfit. A white dress with matching heels, her diamond earrings and a nice marigold hairclip. Looking and feeling like a million bucks, she catwalked out the house like she was gonna paint the town red.
On her way to a nice restaurant, she bumped into Manolo.
"Maria! Sweetheart! You look incredible!"
"Oh, now you notice me? When I look ripe for the plucking?"
"Huh?"
"I know your secret, Manolo."
"W-what secret?" He nervously asked.
"That your cheating on me."
"Oh, is that what you thought?"
"What do you mean?
"Come with me." He said, holding his hand out to her. She took it and they walked to the bridge.
Her heart melted at the sight. Just like Dia de los Muertos, he had prepared a trail of candles that lead to the proposal tree. Only, something was different. As they walked the lighted path, Manolo explained everything.
"You see, Maria, I wanted to throw you off, so that way you'd be completely surprised. I acted blank because I was thinking about trying to make this moment flawless, and I worked today so I could earn extra money for your gift; oh, and that cute girl in the audience? My third cousin."
"Your cousin?"
"Yeah, she asked me to wink at her as a signal to tell her when the best time was to giver Valentine a gift."
"I didn't see him."
"He had just gone to the restroom."
"Oh. Forgive me, honey. I just, got so angry when you didn't seem to notice me."
"I understand. Maybe next time, I should just tell you I have a surprise."
"Would you, it'd save me a lot of drama."
"Sure."
They hooked their arms and kept walking to the tree; and as they got closer, Maria noticed a light coming from the bough of the tree, and in front of that light source, sat a blanket covering the spot.
"What's this?"
"Close your eyes." He said
She did. And he counted to three; she could hear the blanket fall, and opened her eyes to see a table for two sitting inside the bough of the tree. On the table sat champagne glasses, rose petals, a card, fine china, and a, elegant dinner for them. Out of nowhere, music came playing. She left and turned to see the Mariachi Bros. Playing their instruments for them.
"Shall we dine, My Lady?"
"I'd love to, kind sir. But tell me, what is for dessert?"
"Only your favorite."
"Don't say it!"
"A large,"
"Don't!
"Sweet,"
"Don't!"
"Homemade,"
"You didn't!"
"French Silk Pie."
"Oh, Manolo! You did!"
She took his hand, and they dined in the tree bough. This was their place. Nobody else was allowed to be here except for proposals and weddings, or some type of Valentine's surprise.
After eating, they went for a walk. The time kind of flew, so they soon returned for dessert and then enjoyed a good dance. Manolo had finished with a dip, and their lips soon began to pucker. They got closer and closer, until they heard the brothers in the back.
Manolo nervously laughed.
"Uh, guys, give us a minute?"
"Oh yeah, sorry Manny."
They left the couple alone.
"Happy Valentine's Day, my crafty little Thief." She said.
"Thief?"
"Yeah; you completely stole my heart."
"Hey, it's the man who's supposed to use the lines!" He laughed.
"I'm still awaiting one for me." She said.
"Alright, is it hot in here, or is it just you?"
"Oooh, Classic."
"Happy Valentine's Day Mi Amor." he said.
No more was to be said. Although the Mariachi brothers had returned early and waited for the couple to kiss, Maria once again stopped Manolo, pulled out her fan and covered their faces. They thought that was enough, until they heard the little audience whistle and clap at the silhouette of the couple's lips pressing together.
THE END