—Your Secret Admirer—
Happy Valentines Day from the Great Smoky Mountains.
Many years ago, in Elementary School, on Valentine’s Day, each student would bring Valentine’s Day Cards in for every other student in the classroom.
So, if there were twenty students in the classroom, including you, then you’d get nineteen cards—one from each other student.
So, the night before, mom took me to K-Mart, and we bought a box of cards.
Every card said the same thing, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” and it came with a red sucker attached to the card.
We were to sign each card with our name.
There was a girl named “Bridget” in my class that I liked (Some names may have changed for this post), and I decided to sign my card to Bridget as “Your Secret Admirer.”
My brothers told me that she would go around the room asking all the guys if they were her “Secret Admirer,” and I could either man up and tell her “Yes” or chicken out and say, “No.”
I figured I’d worry about that when it happened. The first thing was to make sure that particular card arrived on Bridget’s desk.
At school, it was time for us students to swap our Valentine’s Cards with one another in the classroom.
The teacher had everyone stand up simultaneously and walk around handing out our cards.
And, since Bridget was standing up, walking around handing out her cards, it was the perfect time for me to put my card to her right on her desk.
And, I did it. Mission Accomplished.
I then walked around and handed out the rest of my cards.
I sat and watched Bridget sit at her desk and go through her cards. I sat and waited.
Then, I saw her read my card.
“Happy Valentine’s Day! From: Your Secret Admirer.”
She looked around the classroom. I looked down at the floor. If she saw me staring at her while she looked around, she’d know it was me. And I wanted it to be a secret. For the time being, at least.
Then, she did just as my brothers said she would.
She got up and started going around to all the guys, asking if they were her secret admirer.
I thought, “What am I gonna say when she gets to me?”
And, I began to worry. Badly.
But then, I noticed that she wasn’t going around to all the guys and asking—just the guys she liked.
She never even came over to my desk…
As a matter of fact, she walked right past my desk to go to Johnny’s desk and ask Johnny if he was her secret admirer.
And, I learned that even as a “Secret Admirer,” you can still get rejected.
I never tried that stunt again.
That’s also about the time that I began doubting the intellect of my older brothers.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love you,
–Lynn
