Trackrecord Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day. All Hearts' Day. I can't say I'm a big fan, but nevertheless I have a couple of memorable Valentine's Day incidents.

The perfect present. When I was twentyfour or so I got a drill from my then fiancé. I don't even think I was upset about the complete lack of romance the drill represented. May be a repression that turned into an embellishment, but the memory stuck in my mind is filled with laughing, warmth and mutual agreement that this was the perfect present.

The most beautiful roses. I was probably twentynine, I don't think I had turned thirty. Working from home in my pretty little flat in Kensington the doorbell went. Very unusual on a weekday when nobody would expect me to be at home. A courier with the most beautiful red roses I've ever seen. And a message: 'This is just one of the many tools in my toolbox.' A guy I was seeing on friendly terms that I all of a sudden realised thought we were more than friends. Hasty retreat from my side followed by my being blacklisted forever in his books.

The crash. Thirtyfive and stuck in my views and opinions. My lack of respect for what Valentine's represented to my then boyfriend, followed by a desperate feeling of unwillingness to understand each other's viewpoints. It was more important to prove a point. A hopeless argument where we pointed fingers and turned and twisted words ("You said, I heard, I said, That is not what I meant, How could it not mean..."). We lost all prospects of ever having any romance associated with Valentine's...

My track record for Valentine's Day seems to leave some room for improvement.