MON CHERIE VALENTIN

A Holiday-Themed ACO Short Story

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Valentine's Day came up on rather short notice for me yesterday, so my short little fanfiction piece is a little late, but hey, better late than never, I always say. So anyway, this is a little belated V-day drabble featuring the young Alex DeLarge & his love Angela. I hope you enjoy, & feel free to leave feedback.

Alex DeLarge looked down at the rectangular object, the pink piece of construction paper that lay neatly-folded in half on his temporary work-space. The left flap on the inside had been decorated with a colorful picture of himself & his valentine sharing a sweet kiss & a hug in a sunlit field, with flowers bursting into bloom around them, as cute baby bunnies with twitching pink noses & fuzzy white fur watched them tenderly from the ground, sitting beside the heart-shaped box of chocolates, two cards, & bouquet of flowers that lay at their feet.

On the front cover, Alex had drawn the shape of a big red heart, which he colored in with the scribbling strokes of a crimson crayon, & pasted variously-shaped bits of macaroni in different places. Above the image of the heart, Alex had used a black marker to write (in carefully-done script) a short salutation that read, "A mon cher valentin..." The right flap on the inside of the card was also adorned with the same scripted letters, but this time, in the form of a short verse. Alex carefully took the card into his small hands & opened it up wide enough so that he could clearly see the poem he was attempting to recite under his breath...

"Today is a day for heartfelt joy,
The joy of love for girls & boys
Smitten & struck by Cupid's arrow!
May the special bond between us
Last forever, my fair Venus!
Let our bond not disappear tomorrow!

Not long ago, when I first met you,
I vowed I would ne'er forget you,
So I made a vow to show you
Just how much you mean to me, love,
And this card is living proof of
What a blessing it is that I came to know you!"

Alex suddenly halted his words when his ears perked up to the sound of the bedroom door swinging open with a gentle creak, followed by the noise of someone sneezing & sniffling. Alex turned around to see that his dear valentine, Angela, was standing in the doorway with his mother Sheila, holding her favorite stuffed bunny by the paw with one hand as she dabbed at her reddened, runny nose & droopy, watering eyes with a tissue in the other hand (that is, when she wasn't using said tissue to suppress a sneeze or a cough). The waterfall of long golden hair that fell from her head was frizzy & unkempt, & she had not changed out of her nightgown since she'd woken up that morning. That could only mean one thing: poor Angela was sick with a cold.

"Now, now, Angela, don't fret," Sheila told Angela kindly as she escorted her over to the bed she shared with Alex & helped her up onto the mattress. "Just lie down & get some rest, & you should be feeling better this time tomorrow."

Angela lay down under the covers & cuddled her stuffed bunny against her, sniffling a bit as she said in a nasal voice, "Merci...Mrs. DeLarge..." She let out a sneeze, & Sheila took a minute to wipe her nose with another tissue.

"Poor lamb," Sheila cooed sympathetically as she gently smoothed her hand over Angela's hair in a comforting gesture. "Would you like me to make you a cup of tea & some soup?"

"That would be nice," Angela said, trying to make herself comfortable.

Alex took the card he had made, picking it up from his makeshift work-desk, & started to go over to Angela, but Sheila held him back. "Don't go near Angela right now, love," she warned him. "She's very sick with a cold, & we don't want you to catch it."

"Non, it's OK, Mrs. DeLarge," Angela said. "Let Alex come over if he wants to."

"Well...all right," Sheila said as she exited the room & began walking down the hallway towards the family kitchen. "But just be careful, Alex."

When his mother was gone, Alex sat down by Angela on the bedside & turned to face her. Angela smiled a bit when she saw Alex gracing her with his presence, which was a welcome thing during her time of illness.

"Bonjour, Alex," Angela greeted her friend sweetly, as her tiny pink lips formed a small smile. "Happy Valentine's Day..." She sneezed again, but made sure to put her delicate hands over her mouth as she did so.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Angela," Alex said, returning the smile. "I have something for you."

"What is it?" Angela asked, her eyes twinkling in merry anticipation as she clasped her hands together over her chest & her smile widened a bit.

Alex reached behind his back & brought out the card he had made for Angela. "Ta-da!" he said in a cheerful sing-song voice, before handing the card to Angela & telling her to open it. Angela looked at the front of the card, reading the French salutation inscribed upon it, then opened it up & fawned in absolute delight & adoration when she saw the colored-in picture & the poem Alex had made. "Ohhhhh," she gushed, "Alex, it's so wonderful! I love the card you made for me! Thank you!" She threw her arms around him to give him a hug, but then frowned a little bit in disappointment when she realized something: "But alas, mon cherie...I have nothing to give to you for Valentine's Day."

What Alex said next to Angela soon dispelled such thoughts out of her mind: "You've already given me something for Valentine's Day, Angela...& that's the love & friendship you've shared with me in all the months we've spent together."

Angela was positively flattered by Alex's heartfelt words--& quite touched, really. With a face that shone with a healthy new glow reflecting her inner happiness, she tightened her embrace around him & leaned in forward to kiss him...but suddenly, she stopped, just as their mouths were about to make contact with one another. "I don't think I should kiss you on the lips, Alex," Angela said, "or you'll get my cold."

"That's OK, Angela," Alex said with a tender expression as he turned his head a bit. "I know one other place you can give me a kiss..."

Angela quickly understood what Alex was talking about. She was more than happy to gently press her lips upon his cheek as she gave him another great, big hug. When Angela finally broke away from the kiss, her smile widened just a bit more, stretching from ear to ear as she told her sweet Alex, "Happy Valentine's Day, mon cherie."

"Et je vous souhaite une la Saint-Valentin heureuse aussi, mon amour," Alex whispered into Angela's ear, gingerly squeezing her hands in his as he felt a warm feeling spreading through him...the feeling of giving & receiving affection from the girl he admired most.

FINI

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day to all!