Just a few vignettes of Valentine's Stories about Carolyn and the kids. After a two year absence it's good to be writing again. Thanks to Mary and Mara.
1969
She packed their lunches carefully, making sure the sandwiches were cut in the diagonal fashion they both loved. She added a bag of potato chips to each one and then three chocolate-chip cookies for Jonathan and three chocolate-chips with walnuts for Candy.
Filling her son's thermos with chocolate milk, she placed it in first and then laid the food in its place. She smiled at the pictures from Adam-12 on the thermos, giggling at her secret crush on Martin Milner. Surely, she was allowed to have at least one guilty pleasure. Candy's box was next, lying in the thermos filled with apple juice and then her lunch. Almost forgetting, she went to the small icebox and took the carrot sticks, already in bags that Martha had made for them the night before.
It had been a while since she had actually made her children's lunches, and she missed it. Sometimes she let her work take over, and she wanted to make sure that she became more aware of her surroundings; so that she didn't miss anything important.
Candy and Jonathan were growing so fast; eight and six, but not for much longer. They were both getting taller; already Jonathan needed new shoes. Just the other day they had been babies, she was sure of it. Candy, 6lbs 5oz, 21 inches long, bald as a melon and blue eyes that never changed color. Jonathan had been a little smaller, but longer, and had had the best set of lungs she had yet to hear on a baby. Candy had loved to be held, fussing the minute, you put her down. Jonathan had been a snuggler. She could still feel the warmth of his baby skin against hers as they rocked in the chair.
Carefully she picked up the first envelope decorated with butterfly stickers and her daughter's name in red cursive. The card inside was simple; "Would you be my Valentine?" with a picture of a dancing log, wearing a neck tie and glasses. Carolyn knew it would make her laugh.
Jonathan's card was manlier, a pirate ship with a fierce some pirate that said "Argg, you ready to be my Valentine?" His envelope had dog stickers and one of a ball and bat, and she had practiced her calligraphy with his name.
She placed each card on top of each lunch and then closed the latches. Sure, it might be a little embarrassing to find a Valentine from your Mommy inside your lunch box. But she had a feeling they wouldn't mind at all.
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1974
She looked up at the clock, counting the hours until 1:00. There were exactly five hours left before she had to finish her chapter, get dressed, make the trip into town, hope the post office wasn't busy and get her manuscript in the mail before the pick-up at 1:30.
Martha had told her she would make the lunches, but Carolyn really wanted to do it today. She took the fresh homemade bread, all ready cut into slices, putting egg salad on one and baloney and cheese on the other and adding a dollop of mustard. She cut the first sandwich in four squares; placing it carefully in a baggie and then the paper lunch sack. Candy's bag of carrot sticks and a pouch of wheat crackers were already inside. Going over to the cookie jar, she took out two sugar cookies in the shape of hearts and wrapped them in wax paper, adding them to the lunch.
Next she turned to her son's, cutting his sandwich diagonally as he still preferred. Placing both pieces in a baggie she added the barbeque chips beside them, knowing her liked to put them inside the bread. She couldn't see it herself, but to each his own she shrugged smiling. She poured chocolate milk into Jonathan's new Six Million Dollar Man thermos, and carefully turned the top, locking it in place. Retrieving two more of the sugar cookies, she wrapped them in wax paper as well, laying them beside the other things. Almost forgetting the carrot sticks, she put them with the other parts of the lunch, putting it all in the accompanying Six Million Dollar Man lunch box. Sorry, Lee Majors she thought with a grin, but you have nothing on Martin Milner.
Scruffy came bounding in for a pat and the slice of baloney she had saved out for him and she talked to him while fishing in her pocket book for a dollar for Candy's milk. The dog was getting along in years, but had passed his last vet visit with flying colors. Candy was trying to talk her into getting a cat and she was this close to agreeing. She missed her childhood cat and Captain Gregg was actually enamored with the idea. Hopefully they would find a nice gray one, or orange tabby, although the seaman was plugging for a black cat.
Glancing at the clock, it was half past the hour and she really needed to get back upstairs. She could hear her children coming down the stairs, Candy in her patent leathers and Jonathan in his new tennis shoes. She shook her head, hard to believe Candy would be 14 in November and Jonathan 12 just a few days afterward. He was already taller than she was, and was starting to give the Captain a run for his money. Not to mention his legs were hollow and the food bill had doubled in size over the last year.
Quickly, before they came looking, she pulled two envelopes out of the pocket of her bathrobe, placing them in the appropriate lunch. Candy's was a little cat, curled up on a red heart shaped pillow that cheerily stated "You're the cat's meow" and Jonathan's card was a baseball pitcher and across him were the words, "You aimed right for my heart." Cheesy yes, but she knew they would love them. She was sure they wouldn't mind at all.
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1979
"Get out of there." Carolyn laughed as she picked the gray and white tabby out of the box sitting on the kitchen table. "I don't think Candy wants you for Valentine's Day." She scratched the cat behind the ears, listening to the throaty purr of the feline. Actually she knew her daughter would have been thrilled to have the cat's company, but pets of all kind were forbidden for freshmen. "Go on," she gave it a playful push, "go find Noah." She wasn't sure if the cat was really that smart or if it was just dumb luck but Tinkerbelle went sliding through the open kitchen door in search of her playmate. "Now, what do I need to do first?" She had made Jonathan's sandwiches last night, two grilled chicken on wheat with mozzarella cheese and a dab of mustard. Now she cut each one diagonally and wrapped each part in a separate piece of cling wrap. Stacking them inside his new lunch bag, a heavy thermal one that kept food cold longer with an ice pack tucked into the side, she put a can of Coca-Cola in beside them, then the carrot sticks, he loved so much, and a small bag of barbeque chips. An apple went in next, and then four chocolate-chip cookies in their own baggie. Next she placed a $1.00 for a drink later if he wanted. It was a lot of food but she knew her almost 17 year old wouldn't let a drop of it go to waste. At 6-foor three, her track running, hockey playing, straight A student was handsome and popular, but most importantly the best son a mother could ever want. He was polite and had infinite patience, something she herself struggled with. And he loved the sea, ships, pirates, the lure of the waves and the tide. Often she would find him down on the beach at night, a fire to keep him company and his camera and notebook beside him.
Next she turned to the now empty-box, trying to decide what to put in first. If she hurried she could take Jonathan up to the high school and then drop the box off at the post office to send to Candy. It would be a few days late, "but better late than never" her daughter often reminded her. She lined the box with a piece of tissue paper, red, for the holiday with a heart glued to the center. In one corner she placed a box of the conversation hearts that Candy loved so much. She didn't see it herself, she thought they tasted like wallpaper paste, but her daughter always asked for them. Beside it went a heart-shaped box of chocolate covered cherries, and a bag of Oreo cookies. An antique silk handkerchief went in next, the cloth a brilliant blue and etched in the finest lace. Inside, to protect it, was a silver locket that contained a tiny picture of Gull Cottage on one side and some grains of sand on the other. Captain Gregg had prepared it for "his girl" especially and Carolyn knew she would love it. A book of poems went in along with Carolyn's latest book on sea-lore and then a first edition of Pride and Prejudice, she had picked up for a song at a yard sale. More of the cookies she had put in Jonathan's lunch went in, wrapped in shiny foil and a loaf of Martha's best banana bread. Finally, a package wrapped in red and sliver paper containing the cardigan Candy had hinted for and a white blouse for underneath it. She placed a $20 bill in the side and folded a check beside that.
She could hear Jonathan thundering down the stairs now and she called out to him asking if he would like a cup of coffee and a ride to school. The boy, now almost a man, said yes to both, coming in to the kitchen to kiss her cheek. Pouring two cups of coffee, he handed her one and started to grab his lunch bag, but she shook her head. "I'll bring it out in a minute."
After making sure he went outside, she reached for the two small envelopes. She laid Candy's on top of her care-package, her name decorated with butterflies and dragonflies, the card inside a whimsical bunny that said "Hop to it, and be my Valentine." She taped the box shut and then moved on to Jonathan's lunch. His card had his name written in bold script; looking elegant she couldn't help but think as she read aloud Jonathan Robert Muir. Inside was a standard greeting of the day, a picture of a train that said in elementary letters "I Choose You to be my Valentine." Yes, they were both corny, but she knew they wouldn't mind at all.
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1984
Carolyn pulled the muffins out of the oven; the smell of blueberries filling the room. Taking one very carefully out of the pan, she pulled back the heart baking paper and took a bite. Thankfully, they tasted wonderful, she thought with relief. In most aspects her cooking and baking had gotten somewhat better, but she had never tried muffins on her own before. The kids would love them. She chuckled at the term "kids," thinking they were anything but, anymore. Candy was finishing up her Master's Degree in Political Science at Boston University and would be graduating in May. Later plans involved her and her fiancé Stephen moving to Washington DC, where he would be working for the EPA, and somewhere in the middle of all that, there was a wedding to plan.
Taking six of the muffins, she put them in red Saran Wrap, placing them in a white basket decorated with pink hearts. After slipping that into a small box, she put the whole package into a bigger box, one that already contained a bag of chocolate truffles, (and no she hadn't eaten any), and two boxes of the conversation hearts. Two pairs of homemade mittens went into the box, Candy asking for them especially, and a cute knit hat she had found at the general store and couldn't resist getting for her daughter. Captain Gregg's contribution was a pair of gold and pearl earrings, he had found hidden deep in a sea chest and was saving for a special occasion. There was also a small card from him. Martha had brought up her famous chocolate-chip and walnut cookies and Carolyn placed a generous portion in the box. There, that should make a nice little care package.
The remaining muffins, carefully wrapped, went into a small box she had found on the bargain table. It had caught her eye because of the pirate theme, something her son still loved as much as when he was six. Jonathan preferred chocolate-marshmallow hearts to the truffles, so she added a bag of those and scattered several of the red lollipops in the shape of a heart that had various saying written in white across them. Like the conversation hearts, she didn't see their appeal but he liked them, so in they went. He got his share of cookies, without the walnuts and she placed the others out of harms' reach so she wouldn't add to her breakfast. Captain Gregg's contribution was a penknife, engraved with Jonathan's initials, the knife being one he had found and had taken to get restored and have the monogram placed. She would have liked to put a few more things in his box, but it was going to London, and she wanted everything to go through customs. Still, there was room for a picture of Tinkerbelle, his sister's cat, and Leon, the tuxedo male he had rescued on his last visit home, and a sealed envelope with some cash.
She reached for the packing tape, but not before she took the two envelopes from their hiding place and put one in each box. Candy's card was a pretty girl in lion-tamer's suit, beside a sweet looking lion that said "No lion, I want you for my Valentine." It was getting harder to find cards like this for the holiday, so many were from the latest movies or cartoons anymore. Jonathan's was so cheesy, she was almost ashamed of it, but at the same time she knew he'd love it. A honeybee was going across the top of a heart shaped flower and it said "Would You Please Beee My Valentine?" She knew they had outgrown the silly things long ago, but she dearly sending them and was sure they really wouldn't mind, at least once more.
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2000
Carolyn sipped her coffee, enjoying the fresh taste of the just-ground Brazilian Blend. A snowflake drifted past the window, and she shook her head, wondering at the strange weather they had had of late. Last week, they had experienced temperatures in the 60's, a rarity for Maine in February. Except for Meredith, the spawn of Tinkerbelle, she was alone in the house, something she never minded, but today she was feeling a little lonely. She took another sip and smiled, thinking of past Valentine's Day when she had carefully packed a lunch for each child, with a card tucked inside and later a care package.
She wasn't sure why she had gotten out of the habit of that. Candy and Jonathan had moved over the years, she had become busy with her books and lectures; people had come and gone out of their lives. She looked up from her reverie to glance at the clock, wondering if the Captain and Noah had gone for a walk. Despite the snow and wind, it would be a perfect moment for it. Maybe she should join them.
As she headed upstairs, she heard a knock on the front door. Opening the door, she found Dave Philips, the new postman at the door. "Good morning, he" smiled. "I've got a couple of packages for you."
"For me?" She took each one eagerly, wondering who they could be from.
"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded. 'One came all the way from Quebec, Canada."
She tipped him and took her loot inside, eager to open them. Jonathan and Jessica were on vacation in Quebec she knew, but surely they would have saved any big presents until they returned. She placed their box on the kitchen table, seeing for the first time the other one was from Mrs. Stephen Montgomery in Great Falls, VA. "Candy!"
Not sure which one to look at first, she opened her son's and then her daughter's, the contents of each box greeting her. In Candy's box she found two different kinds of coffee beans, a French Roast, and one that said it had a hint of orange in the mix. Deciding to take turns she found some ginger and lemon tea from Jonathan and a bag of Columbian roast. "Well, I'll be set for coffee for a while." Next from Candy, she found a small tub of homemade biscotti, and from Jonathan a bag of chocolate truffles. Seeing a box of conversation hearts, she picked it up laughing at the post-it-note; her girl had put on the outside. "You're right; they do taste like wall paper paste!' There were cards from grandchildren on both sides, a Cross pen from Candy and Stephen, a leather-bound notebook from Jonathan and Jessica. Pictures from Quebec, Candy and the kids doing the tourist thing in Washington DC, a necklace of the French Fleur-De-Lis, a tee shirt that said "My son went to Montréal, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."
At the bottom of each box was a wrapped present and a large envelope. Opening up the one from Candy first, she found a beautiful Valentine card, signed by the family. In the wrapped package was a first edition of Memoirs of a Sea Captain. She felt tears building up, remembering talking to Candy a while ago about how she had somehow managed not to have kept a copy of her first book for herself. Moving on, she opened the envelope of Jonathan's gift and laughed to see a black and white, signed photograph of Martin Miler from 1969. "Now you can look at him always." Her son had written.
Carolyn shook her head, laughter blending with her tears, "smart-aleck" she whispered. Finally, she picked up the last remaining item, noticing that it was heavy. "Oh my." She breathed, seeing a picture frame of knotted gold and a note on that said from both of us with love, to the best Mommy ever. Inside in a tasteful collage was every Valentine's Day card she had ever given them. Reading over the silly jokes and puns, tears streamed down her cheeks and she let the memories roll over her. Hearing the door open she knew Captain Gregg would soon be in the kitchen finding her with a runny nose and tear stained face. And she didn't care a bit.