A Valentine’s Day Retrospective

It's been ten years. Let's see how I've fared with this abominable day:

2005

My first girlfriend and I started dating in October of 2004, my Freshman year in college. We dated for most of the Fall, and over the Winter break we did separate internships. I went to live in a Zen Buddhist monastery. It was there, via email, on February 14, that I was informed after having a ‘discussion with Jesus’ she could no longer pursue a physical relationship with me. My first girlfriend dumped me on my first Valentine’s Day.

2006

I was single.

2007

Living in Leeds, England, I skyped with my girlfriend in the States, who had received my Valentine’s Day gift, and thanked me for it. I thanked her for the copy of The Film Snob’s Dictionary, which I secretly was offended by.  She proceeded to break up with me a week later. I learned a few months down the line that, as of that Valentine’s Day she had already begun cheating on me.

2008

I was single.

2009

This was the Valentine’s Day I spent in New York’s Port Authority. I’d not caught my flight out of Albany, and so was taking Greyhound to South Carolina, instead. (They *literally* said the next available flight wasn’t until Tuesday.) As I got into the infamous Manhattan station, of which I was already well-familiarized, I called my girlfriend, who was in NY at the time for an internship. She was wonderful enough to meet me down there, and wait in line with me at, like, 2 in the morning, and it was by far the best Valentine’s Day yet.

2010

I was single in Reno.

2011

I was single in Singapore.

2012

I was single somewhere.

2013

My girlfriend of the time lived across the state, near Hartford. I was in Madison, on the Connecticut shoreline. My work friends and I all went to Ashley’s place, and had a nice dinner. I had worked all that day, and was going to work all the next day, and couldn’t make it up to Hartford to see the girlfriend. I stole into the family den for a private phone call for us to say how much we wished we were with each other. A week later a box of See’s Candies arrived in the mail. This is my second-best Valentine’s Day.

2014

I was single.

2015

Well, I’ve got five days, folks…