Valentine’s Reverie
written by: Phyllis Souza
Lost in a Valentine’s Reverie, Lena travels back to her fourth-grade classroom in 1950. The morning sun gently kisses a bank of windows, filling the room with a warm glow.
She can still see a garland of red paper hearts strung along the top edge of the blackboard and vividly recalls the wave of emotion she felt long ago. At that time, life was innocent, and the world was a playground of hopscotch, jump ropes, and merry-go-rounds.
Miss Love, her teacher, stands in front of the room next to her large wooden desk. “Settle down, class,” she calls.
Shoes shuffle across the classroom floor, followed by a pregnant silence.
Lena sits in the center of the third row, wearing a white blouse with puffed sleeves and a red pleated skirt. Her brown hair is parted down the middle and styled into pigtails, each secured with a red satin bow.
Jimmy, a freckle-faced boy sitting behind her, playfully tugs at one of her braids.
Lena turns around and says, “Stop it!”
“Don’t resist it. It’s bigger than both of us,” Jimmy replies.
“That’s stupid,” she retorts.
“Oh, yeah,” he responds with a grin.
“Yeah,” Lena narrows her brows.
Miss Love interrupts, “Quiet,” gazing over her wire-rimmed glasses.
Laughter in the classroom floats up like helium balloons.
“Class, please settle down,” Miss Love claps her hands to get their attention.
The Valentine’s Exchange, a highly anticipated event, is quickly approaching. In the corner of the room, a cardboard box wrapped in shiny red paper and adorned with glitter rests on a table. Inside the box are Valentines: some are handmade and colored with crayons, while others are store-bought. The significance of this event is certainly not lost on Lena.
She can still feel her heart filled with anxiety at the thought of being left out—without a Valentine.
But then, to her surprise, she sees Miss Love holding out a card and hears her high-pitched voice calling, “Lena.”
Lena struts to the front of the classroom to receive the card. She returns to her desk, rolling her eyes at Jimmy, and sits down to open the valentine.
Inside is a beautifully hand-drawn angel with pigtails, signed by Jimmy.
Jimmy leans forward and whispers to Lena, “Don’t fight it; it’s bigger than both of us.”
Epilogue:
Jimmy is now an artist who creates holiday cards, while Lena is an older teacher who gives them to her students. Miss Love happily resides in a retirement home in Florida, where, on February 14th, rain or shine, she distributes beautiful Valentine’s cards to her many friends.
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