Valentine's Day
This year Valentine's Day landed on a Saturday and Alan was taking me somewhere only it was a surprise. I had no idea what it was going to be but I was so excited. So when 1 o'clock rolled by (the time we agreed to meet up) I was filled with so much excitement I thought I was going to explode. I saw him pull up in his cousin's car and I grabbed my purse and his present and ran out to meet him. I jumped into his arms and kissed him, wished him a happy Valentine's Day and then we were off. We exchanged gifts in the car he loved his watch. He got me the most beautiful 3-stone pink necklace.
After we had been driving for an hour I was getting impatient.
"Where are we going?"
"Not telling!" Alan smiled at me
"You like it just be patient…"
"Can't you just tell me? Please?"
"No that would ruin the surprise!"
No matter how many times I asked him or how much I begged he would not tell me where we were going. Finally after an hour of driving he pulled onto a small dirt road that went between trees and bushes that were mostly dead from the cold winter. We got out of the car and Alan took my hand and took a basket with us, and led me up a path that went though the trees and up a big hill. I wondered what was in the basket. It was two thirty now and I was getting hungry for lunch, but I didn't want to wait any longer for the surprise so I kept walking finally we were half way up the hill and Alan told me to follow him. He went around a large rock and when we turn the corner a large waterfall was exposed. There was no trail, but there was an easy path down behind the waterfall. I followed him down.
"How is there a waterfall in the middle of February?" I asked him in pure amazement.
"There is a hot underground spring that runs though the ground and then comes up through the earth and then runs over this big rock. That is why all the ground around here is warm. That is why the trees are green. They are still warm because of the warm water. That is why there are so many animals around here. They spend time around the water to keep warm."
"Wow! This is amazing!"
"This isn't even the surprise…" Alan walked around one of the sides of the waterfall and came back with a blanket. "I thought we could have lunch here. As you can see it is really wide here." He was right it was over three yards wide, there was plenty of room to sit down it was mostly flat so you wouldn't fall off.
"We're having a picnic behind a waterfall? That's so cool! I have never done anything like this before!" Alan set down the basket and laid out the blanket and walked over to me. And wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
"There is no one I would rather be with right now; I thought you should know that. I also think you should know that I have never been happier." He kissed me on the cheek and sat down on the blanket and started taking out food.
"This is so thoughtful; no one has ever done something like this for me before. You have no idea what this means to me!" I sat down next to him and began to eat a ham sandwich. I was a much slower eater than Alan so once he was done I was only about half done so he just scooted closer to me put his arm around me and let me finish. One we were finished it was about 6 o'clock. It had taken a long time to eat because Alan had packed a lot of food. So then when we were finished we packed up the wrappers and the blanket and put it all in the basket, then put it back on the path and said we could get it on our way back. I looked at him with curiosity; I guess he could tell what I was thinking.
"We are going one more place before we head home."
He took my hand again and led me up the path. The trees were getting thicker and taller. I had no idea where we were going it was hard to tell once the sun started to set. But we emerged from the brush to see the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. It was like the sky was being painted with the most amazing colors, each one bled into the other and they formed a beautiful master piece that stretched from one end of the sky to the other. We walked over to the edge of the land we were standing on. About 100 feet down I could see the waterfall where we ate lunch. Alan once again pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear…
"Happy Valentine's Day Raquel." Chills were sent up and down my spine, I had goose bumps all over my body even though it was rather warm because of the warm water running underneath our feet.
"Happy Valentine's Day Alan." Our lips met in a single kiss for a moment, then we sat down arms wrapped around each other and we sat there for what seemed like forever watching the beautiful display of color slowly fade into a deep dark blue-black, but once it was over it seemed like it had only been a few moments long. Alan looked at me and smiled
"Do you remember our first date?"
"Yes! That was one of the best dates I have ever been on!" Alan looked amazed.
"What made it so good?"
"I don't know it was just everything you did. It was perfect!"
"So there is nothing I could do to make any date better?"
"I don't know your doing a fine job right now."
"Hmm… there must be something I can do to make this the best date ever…" Suddenly a huge grin stretched over Alan's face and he stood up and held out his hand.
"Raquel would like to dance with me?" I looked at him like he was crazy. I have known Alan for a long time and he has never been one to do something as random as this.
"Now? There is now music."
"That doesn't matter." I got up and took his hand and he walked me to the middle of the large rocky ground we were standing on and started humming and took my hand into his and we started to dance under the moonlight. We spun and twirled, I thought we were floating on a cloud but every time I looked down we were still on the ground. We danced under the stars until we looked up at the stars and they looked like little diamonds scattered over black silk.
The day was perfect, the place was perfect, and the boy was perfect. I looked into those chocolate eyes that you could get lost in and smiled.
"I love you." What just came out of my mouth? I have never said that to anyone but a family member before. I always thought that saying those three small words were setting you up for pain. But for some reason I could not keep it in and those three words came pouring from my soul and out of my mouth. I knew I cared for him but I never came to see how much I loved him. Alan looked like I had just told him something really shocking, but yet really exciting. His eyes got real big and his mouth opened a little bit. Was he going to say he loved me too? Or was he going to say he didn't love me?
"I love you too."
The two stood there wrapped in each other's arms looking into the eyes of the one they loved. They both have never felt like this before, and they knew that they could not live without the other but neither one had realized that they were in love.
It took a few moments for what just happened to sink in. But once it did there was an explosion of excitement, joy, and trust. They shared one more kiss and then returned home.
Once they were at Raquel's house they were so mesmerized by the other that they knew they didn't want the night to be over.
"Do you want to come in?" Raquel asked in a slightly with out taking her eyes off Alan.
"Sure, will your mom mind?"
"No, she went into St. Louis to visit her best friend she is getting married. She is going to be gone for a week…"
They walked into the house, but did not get far before their emotions got the best of them. They started kissing and caressing. Then clothes started coming off. Raquel wrapped her legs around Alan and he picked her up and carried her upstairs. Neither one could keep their lips off the other. Once they reached the uppermost level of Raquel's home Alan set Raquel gently down on her bed. They both knew what they were doing, but knew that there was no one they would rather be here with and they had no regrets.
