Our next cupid is Sherry Thomas – author of two upcoming books, Private Arrangements (Bantam mass-market paperback, releasing 25 Mar 08) and Delicious (Bantam mass-market paperback, releasing 29 Jul 08) – shares with us her love affair with a “toilet brush.” Read on if you want to know how THAT came about…
My favorite Valentine memory has to be my first Valentine with the man who would become my husband.
We’d been seeing each other for a few months when Valentine rolled around. So we made a date for a Valentine lunch together. Yep, lunch, not dinner–we were poor students back then, he much poorer than me. When we met at the restaurant, he gave me a cute little coin purse. And then, the most astonishing thing: a flower that he’d made out of red plaid Christmas wrapping paper.
And it ain’t no origami.
Now you must understand that, other than cooking, this darling man does not make things manually. That is so not where his talents lie. He told me that one of his neighbors was aghast when she saw him leaving his apartment, the red plaid flower in hand. She insisted that he could not possible give me something that looked like a toilet brush.
We laughed and laughed about it. I adored the toilet brush flower. It’s easy to buy a flower. It’s much harder to make one. And it’s even more meaningful when 
the man who did it for you is not at all given to such gestures and did it only for you.
Unfortunately, we lost track of our beloved toilet brush flower. But just remembering it still make me want to hook my fingers at my husband and say, “Come here, you.” And that is, hands down, my favorite Valentine memory.
Sherry Thomas
What about you? Have any sappy, soapy, silly, all around wonderful Valentine stories you want to share?
I wish I did! My birthday is this week…so in the exact opposite of Christmas or New Year’s babies, Valentine’s Day gets short shrift. While the world’s celebrating love in all its glories, I’m a year older. Which is cool…I get way better birthday gifts than boxes of chocolate.
And years ago I let my family know I really really had had enough heart-shaped jewelry to last a lifetime. (g)
Happy Valenduckie week, Sybil!
Looking forward to the celebrations…and I like the changes to the template. Much more clear!
Thanks!
Bonnie
That is seriously sweet!
Aw, man, that just melted my heart.
My hubby shows his love by making me tea. I don’t drink coffee, but I DO drink seriously strongly brewed tea– from a beer stein. So I always hated getting up and then waiting at least 20 minutes before I got my first caffeine jolt of the day.
When we built our current home a few years ago, one of my top priorities was installing an insta-hot water dispenser so I at least didn’t have to wait for water to boil before I could get to the steeping of the tea.
Well, ever since then, because my husband gets up a half hour before me, he starts my tea for me so it’s just right when I get up.
We don’t fuss with cards and gifts for Valentine’s Day. But making my tea for me every morning? That right there is love to the nth degree.
Here’s what I would love for a man to do for me – the one thing that would mean serious romance and that I would even give regular blowjobs for:
Deal with all the financial day-to-day.
I’m happy to make the money, if someone else would just deal with all the bill paying, financial planning, retirement rigamarole. This presupposes, of course, that he has some talent in that area – that goes without saying.
I cannot stand dealing with all that crap. Makes my palms sweat. I’d much rather just bring the paycheck home and let someone else deal with it. Payment in kind would be regular blowjobs – not that that is such a hardship for me.
I love hearing other people’s Valentine stories, but my guy is a romantic all year round, and we don’t generally indulge in the one big date deal.
I was very tired and had a husband who traveled a lot when the kids were young. He sent me to my room on Valentine’s Day so that I could read. Eldest child arrived carrying a glass of white wine (holding with two hands and walking very carefully). After successful delivery, said child kissed me, bowed and left room. Second child then arrived with a small bowl of nuts and a sweet or two. I was again kissed and bowed to then left to enjoy reading. My hubby was putting together a surprise in the meantime. He prepared elegant platters of food he kept in the kitchen and laid the table complete with candles. The dinner was baguette, cold sliced meats, cornichon, olives, a selection of cheeses, crudite, fresh and dried fruit and chocolates. The kids had eaten early, served the different courses and topped up water glasses (hubby did the wine)and acted as dj’s. They then went to bed early to let us linger over the meal. It has become a tradition, but now the kids pull the meal together, too.
What a sweet story!!
My favorite Valentine’s Day story happened 13 years ago. My hubby asked me to marry him! He and a friend made dinner for me and his friend’s fiancee and he asked me after dinner~we have pictures of him asking because his friend knew he was going to ask and he made sure to take pictures!!
Lovely story 🙂 Happy Valentine’s everyone and let’s celebrate (the spirit of) it every day of the year with everyone!
What a sweet thing to do.
The first Valentine’s with my ex-fiance (though we’re still friends), he had worked some extra side jobs to buy me a gold and amethyst bracelet, and went to the jeweler and designed it himself (with the jeweler’s help, did a great job, and he took the time to find an extra special card with just the sentiments he wanted it to say. He splurged more at an excellent restaurant, with a serenade set up, too.
Bonnie, Happy Birthday!
Thanks for sharing your Valentine’s story. Very romantic. One year on Valentine’s Day, when I was dating a guy in college, he drove me to a romantic spot overlooking our college town and gave me a hand made card that had glow in the dark writing that said, “My love for your is brighter than all the stars in the sky.” Yes, it was corny but it was the thought and the work he had put into the card that touched my heart.
Aww…what a sweet story. Mine feeds the kids. I think I hate that job because with three of them, they all want something different for dinner. Then you have issues with one kid touching the other kid’s food. Yeah..fun. But at least he does it once in a blue moon. AND, when he does, they acutally sit quiet as church mice. You’d swear they were pod people.
I love all the sweet valentine and every day stories.
I don’t think it’s necessary for an author to be in a stable relationship to write HEA stories, but I definitely think it helps.
This is seriously cute! May I say so, Sherry, your husband sounds adorably nerd-ish.
Sweet story, Sherry! Thanks everyone for sharing your stories.
Hope you had a great birthday, Bonnie!
That was a sweet story 🙂
Hi Sherry,
I know I’m extremely late – but I’m so glad I read that. That is the cutest story ever!