One more Valentine, one more broken heart...

FEBRUARY - "Be My Valentine!"

 

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Part Five
 
FEBRUARY
"Be My Valentine!"
 
April felt nauseous and tired as she picked up the phone and dialed. She attributed that and the vomiting earlier this morning to her stress over Summer's strange behavior. Ever since their night of passion, Summer had been avoiding her, leaving April to worry that Summer had some regrets after all.

Sex as a woman had been different, but also strangely familiar, making April feel complete in her new role. Summer seemed to be okay with everything on New Year's Day, but after that call after call had been unreturned.

"Hello?"

April recognized the voice of Summer's older sister Ruth. "Hello, may I speak with Summer, uh, Mark please? Tell him it's April."

"Mark doesn't want to talk to you. I thought I made that clear the last time you called."

"Well, it's been over a week since my last call, I thought maybe he would change his mind and at least give me some explanation."

"No. Good day," Ruth said curtly as she hung up the phone.

April just stared at the receiver and burst into tears.
 

 
June got off of the highway at the Mudd Valley turnoff. He was dressed in corduroy slacks, dress shirt, tie, and sport jacket. His fine red hair had been combed across his balding scalp in a feeble attempt at coverage. He consulted his directions and proceeded to his destination for the evening. He soon found the place and went to the door. It opened to his knock and he was invited into a warm home decorated with hearts and flowers in anticipation of Valentine's Day.

He met several new members and a few of the ones he had met back at the New Year's Eve Party, including Sunny. Sunny gleamed when she saw him. He gave her a roguish smile.

As the evening wore, on June realized that May would not be coming to this month's Mudd Valley Social, therefore he turned his attentions toward Sunny even more. They located a quiet corner and began to kiss.
 

 
May had decided against going to the social in order to have a long talk with Emma. So far it had gone well. They had talked about their life together, their son Derek whom they had raised together, their hopes and dreams, their past and also their future. They laughed together about the good times and cried together about the sad ones. Most of all they cried together about the way things had changed, mourning the life they used to have and the fears they faced now that things were so very different. In doing this, they bonded together that evening, and when it was done, they vowed to try and work things out and share their lives again.
 

 
The library was quiet and Derek could hear his heart pounding. The girl studying intently next to him didn't seem to notice, yet Derek felt as if the whole world could hear it.

"Chrissy?" he asked. The slim girl with the long blonde hair looked up at him with her pale blue eyes and he could feel himself melting. He plunged ahead before he lost his nerve. "I was wondering. . . well we've been working on this history project together now for two weeks and, well, I, well we've gotten to know each other pretty good. You like me and I like you, we get along okay. We make a pretty good study team and all, and, well I. . ."

"What?" she asked in a soft voice that oozed honey.

"Do you want, well, that is. . ." He felt his resolve starting to fade as his nervousness increased, so he took a deep breath and just blurted out, "I am asking you to go to the Valentine's Dance with me."

"Me?" she asked incredulously, brushing a lock of long blonde hair away from her delicate features.

"Sure, why not?"

"Well I haven't ever dated any boys before."

"Really? I find that hard to believe, you're so pretty and all."

"Thanks," she replied uncomfortably to the compliment.

There was a long pause.

"Well? What do you say?

"Derek, I really like you a lot. You're a good friend. But I. . ."

"You don't want to go to the dance with me," Derek finished her sentence glumly.

Another pause.

"I'm just not sure of my feelings," she explained. Another long moment passed, then she said, "but I guess I won't know how I really feel until I try it. Yes, I'll go to the dance with you."

"You will!"

She laughed at his surprised look and her chuckle sounded like sweet music to his ears.
 

 
Dinner was very elegant. May and Emma had chosen a four star restaurant where they had come on several anniversaries. Tonight it was packed with couples who had come to celebrate Valentine's Day together in a romantic setting. The restaurant was located high atop one of the city's tallest hotels. The layout of the dining room was round with the choicest tables positioned around the perimeter near the windows. The whole city with all of it's bright lights could be seen below. It was doubtful that a diner could grow tired of the beautiful view, and to insure that, the room was designed to revolve slowly so that in an hour you would have gone the complete circle. The center of the dining area was a dance floor, and a jazz band played slow, romantic music this evening.

May and Emma were both a bit nervous, since they were the only same- sex couple in the place. Emma was the more nervous of the two, but both had agreed that this had been one of their special places when they were a heterosexual couple, and there was no reason that it shouldn't still be one of their special places now that May was female.

They ate an excellent meal over low candlelight while talking, enjoying the view, and enjoying each other's company. They held hands across the table at one point. If they attracted any undue attention from the other patrons, they ignored it.

After dinner, May, partially emboldened from the wine, asked Emma to dance. As they moved out to the dance floor they could feel many eyes watching them. There was a mixed reaction from the other guests. Some faces of disapproval were clearly visible while others did not seem bothered in the least. May was encouraged by this, but Emma, though she said nothing, dwelled on the frowning stares.

Near the end of their dance, May moved in with her lips to Emma's, but Emma pulled away, glancing off nervously. "I don't think we should do that here."

"Do you love me?" May asked her simply.

"Yes."

"We're married and you're my wife. They can't stop us."

And with that May and Emma kissed tenderly.
 

 
Red, white, and pink balloons and streamers festooned the gymnasium. The rock band played a mixture of tunes, including a few slow dances for the Valentine's occasion. Chrissy, even though she hadn't dated before, turned out to be as good a dancer as Derek. When he complimented her on this she explained that she would often put on the stereo in her bedroom and practice moving to the rhythms. She seemed to have a natural instinct for it and Derek could not help thinking that how perfectly paired they were. He was falling for this gorgeous blonde, her long hair in an updo and her pink satin gown like the petals of a rose beneath his fingers when he held her.

Chrissy, on the other hand was at a loss to explain her feelings for him. Derek was a very good friend, but she was more attracted to the person he was rather than his boyish good looks. Most of the girls in her class had talked about Derek as one of the most handsome boys in school. She found it difficult to enter into these girlish chats since she tended to look at boys for their inner qualities. In Derek she saw a number of them. He was polite, a good worker, studious and serious when he needed to be, caring, sensitive, funny, and very loyal.

"Derek," she murmured.

"Yeah."

"You're a very good dancer too."

"Thanks."

There was an awkward moment when neither of them knew what to say next. They both just said nothing and let it pass, dancing in each other's arms.
 

 
That same evening Sunny sat alone in her dim apartment all dressed up with a bottle of wine and a romantic movie playing. As the story progressed she juxtaposed June and herself as the lead couple, and when they kissed at the end, Sunny's tummy did flip-flops. She sighed deeply at her memory of June's kisses upon her lips the week before.
 

 
April pulled up in front of the house and took a deep breath to help relieve her anxiety. She climbed out of the car and nervously made her way to the front door. She rang the doorbell after a brief hesitation.

It opened to reveal a stern looking woman with a face that bore a good family resemblance to Summer. April recognized Ruth from family photographs she had seen the last time she had been here at Summer's house.

"We aren't interested in your Watchtowers. Go away!" Ruth announced and began to close the door.

"I'm April!" The door paused, and then Ruth gave her a more detailed scrutiny.

"You must be Mark's sister Ruth. Can I talk to Mark please? It's important!"

"Oh, I recognize you now. I don't have my glasses on," Ruth explained a bit embarrassed by the mistake, then she went on to say, "but the answer is still the same. Go away! She doesn't want to see you."

And with that the door closed as firmly as a chapter in April's life.
 
 

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End Part 5