Cupid is Alive and Well
written by: Doug Bartlett
Medical diagnosis: Patient has dementia.
Henry was looking forward to Valentine’s Day. It brought him great joy as it brought back many pleasant memories. He only dated one girl in high school, and she would end up becoming his wife.
His grandmother said that the relationship wouldn’t last very long, but it did.
Yes, Henry and Jennifer had a very long and happy marriage. However, almost a year ago, Henry had to be placed in an assisted-living facility. His driving privileges were taken away, but he had his car parked at the facility’s parking lot. He would amble down there occasionally just to look at it and have his mind flooded with memories of all the dates and trips he and Jennifer experienced with it.
It was a 1956 Chevrolet with a beautiful, well-worn patina for a paint job. He kept the key to it in the right front pocket of his well-worn-out jeans. It served as his “security blanket.” Whenever he would get anxious about anything, he would reach down into his pocket and rub that key a few times, and that anxiety would drift away.
That key had a brilliant lustre to its reflection, caused not just by the light in the room but also by the amount of rubbing Henry had done while trying to eliminate his anxiety.
Tomorrow would be Valentine’s Day, and Henry had a mission to accomplish. One he had planned for several weeks. He had never missed being with his wife on Valentine’s Day, and he sure wasn’t going to start now.
He woke up early and got prepared for what he knew would be a special day. He showered, brushed his teeth, and lathered his face in order to shave it with a straight razor. He wanted his face to be as smooth as a baby’s bottom for this occasion, and no electric razor would touch his face this day.
He got out his nicest shirt and best pair of jeans he had. He had spent some time last night ironing that shirt just to impress her.
He couldn’t remember when he had last looked this good.
He had left his living quarters and was halfway down the hall when he reached into his right front pocket to get his key, when his face fell from a smile to a frown. No key! Then he remembered it was in the pocket of his other pants. He headed back to his room and retrieved his car key. While he was there, he remembered to splash on some cologne as he had forgotten to do that earlier.
He knew he shouldn’t be driving, but this was a very special occasion. He took a moment looking over his car and saw a small dent in the back left fender. The dent was not recent, as his wife accomplished that feat many years ago when she went for groceries and backed into a shopping cart in the store’s parking lot.
He then opened the driver’s door and slid behind the steering wheel. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out as he quickly sent up a short prayer consisting of just four words: “Please, let it start.” He then calmly placed the key into the ignition and slowly turned it clockwise. The starter engaged, the engine turned over, and it began purring like a kitten. It was music to his ears.
He carefully put his foot on the brake pedal. He gently put it in gear and slowly eased out of the parking stall. He was driving extra cautiously as he exited the parking lot and blended into the traffic. He was finally on his way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with his beloved wife. His adrenaline was pumping, and his heart was pounding. He could hardly wait to get there, but he knew he had to make a stop. A stop at the local flower shop. He had skipped meals for the last few months to make sure he would have plenty of money to purchase these flowers, and he would buy the largest, most beautiful bouquet of flowers he could afford.
When he went inside the shop, he was the only customer there, so he went directly to the counter. He took out his wallet, removed all the money, and laid it on the counter. He told the florist what he wanted. Henry didn’t know it, but despite his sacrifices for the last few months, he was still short of cash, but somehow, mysteriously, when the florist rang it up on the cash register, it came to exactly what Henry had placed on the counter.
When he left the flower shop, he was overcome with the desire to speed as he wanted to be with Jennifer as soon as possible. He was able to resist that temptation as he realized if he were caught speeding, there would be dire consequences that would have to be paid.
Upon arriving at Jennifer’s place, with one hand he grabbed the vase that held the bouquet of flowers and with the other hand he opened the car door. As he walked across the lush, green grass, he could tell it was wet with dew, causing his shoes to become damp. He didn’t think she would mind, as she would probably be as happy to see him as he was to see her.
Henry approached her and began telling her how much he loved her as he got down on one knee and gingerly placed that wonderful bouquet of flowers directly in front of her headstone.
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