The Fourteenth

    So I suppose this is the part where you guys see a new piece from me and say, “Oh boy! It’s Valentine’s Day and J.T. just released a new story! I wonder if it’ll be about Kayla or that girl from “Aftermath” or Legend from that story, “Blood Moon Lake.”’ And those are all good guesses, but, unfortunately, incorrect ones. Don’t get me wrong, I did think about writing a story involving some of my characters from Seven Days–because we both know that Kayla must love that holiday while J.T. hates it–but, as you can see, I decided against it. Instead, I have chosen to write to you a little bit about this wonderful holiday that’s been around for over a century and what it has to do with both me and you: my readers.

            To start, Valentine’s Day isn’t about that heart shaped card that you plan to gift to your significant other, or that relaxing evening you plan to have with The One on that pale, sandy ocean beach with only the watchful starry sky, the approving crescent moon, and the beating waves that play the same tune as your beating hearts. No. What Valentine Day is, what it means, is Love–that strong emotional tie that goes beyond the cravings of the flesh, beyond the meaningful glances, beyond the smiles and kisses and twinkles in each other’s eyes that, at a moment’s notice, you’d give your very life for and have no regrets–Love between you and that One. That sweet, wonderful, everlasting One.

            I have no doubt that you, those who know of what I speak, have already found that One and are happy and content. Others of you, I know, are still looking–hoping–that you will find him–that you will find her, and that you will have that same strong relationship that those happy few have found, that you lack. And I, I wish you the best in your search and will offer my kind nod and smile to you when you finally discover that One. After searching for so long, you deserve to have found them and they in turn deserve to have found you.

            But then, there are those of you, like me, who read this with a shake of their head, a sigh in their throat, and a needle in their heart and whisper, “Man, I would sure love to be among that group of people, to be able to have finally found someone.” But then, we sigh and put on our sad smiles once again to cover up that ever-present pain underneath that we hope not spread to those who have found their joy and happiness; and we continue to walk around with this mask–this charade–that, “Everything’s alright. We’ll find that One,” when in our sad, lonesome, slow beating hearts, we know the honest-to-God truth:

We won’t find them.

    We won’t find anyone, no matter what the mass preaches to us, no matter what the little dancing hearts on the television set sing to us, no matter what those–who have found their Ones–say to us. But it’s okay. They don’t know anything. They don’t know any better. They can’t understand until some tragedy takes their One away, forever, then they understand. Those are the ones that deserve our help and pity more than ever, because they possessed something we will never know nor understand; only know that it is missing from our lives and will always be covered up with our friendly smiles, our helping hands, and our wishes to those fortunate couples that they have a long, wonderful, meaningful life with each other and that God will smile upon them for the rest of their days.

  That is what Valentine’s Day means to us–what it reminds to us.

  Happy Valentine’s Day guys. I wish you all, and your found Ones, the best.

~ J.T.