Just a couple of days ago, I told Anne that though I am always a little sad to wrap a season of Ready Room, because I genuinely love my job that much, I was glad to have the time and energy to do stuff together. It’s always so weird how we can live together, sleep in the same bed, see each other every single day, and still miss each other because we’re just so damn busy, and going in opposite directions most of the time. I was so happy that she had the idea to go out together, which is something we just haven’t done in a long time.
Before I continue, you need to know that Anne and I opted out of the Hallmark Holiday Industrial Complex well over a decade ago, around the same time we passed the No Gifts Just Cards, rule, with a late vote breaking my way to adopt my Also No Surprises amendment.
That doesn’t mean we never express affection for each other like corvids dropping shinies on the porch. We give each other silly cards, flowers we picked in the garden, or some cute little thing we saw at the artist’s market that we thought the other would like, all the time. We just don’t need The Man to tell us how and when, you know? We Choo-choo-choose to give you one of THESE, pal!
So. About that. Uh…
Anne came home late in the afternoon on Wednesday, found me playing Donkey Kong out in my game room, and asked if I wanted to go get tacos.
“I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast that wasn’t some form of candy,” she said, “and I am starving.”
“Yeah, I’d love that, just as soon as I finish this game.” I secretly hoped she’d stay and watch, so I could totally impress her with how good I’m getting, but she was on her way back into the house before I finished the level.
I missed 5th place on the top five by 100 points, which honestly feels like I should win both showcase showdowns, if I’m being honest? But only resulted in the end of my game, a few minutes later, and no WIL entry on the board.
I went inside, where Anne produced the sweetest painting from behind her back. “I made you a present!”
She paints in a class every Wednesday, and she’d worked on it last week, and finished it Tuesday. It’s a tree with A+W carved into it in a little heart, and a few little red and pink heart-shaped leaves sprouting around the branches.
I reflexively clutched my heart so the joy bursting inside it did not splatter all over the room and ruin the painting.
“Dude! I love this! I love it so much!”
“It needs to dry for … probably several days,” she said, “but isn’t it cute?”
“It’s just the best. I love it when you paint!”
“Okay, let’s go. I’m starving.”
This is when Marlowe must have noticed we had not observed the Super Good Sit she’d been doing since we came into the room. She whimpered a little bit, and did a Big Stretch.
“Mars,” I began, as I reminded her that I already took her on a long W-A-L-K while Mom was out.
Dramatic, Big Sigh … and now we are doing a Super Good Down, and … the eyebrows are activated.
“Marlowe, I appreciate and respect the effort. But Mom is starving and we’ll be right back.”
One gentle tail thump, as sad as a dog who has never had a walk and will never get a walk again in her life. 10/10 Very Good Girl, no notes.
We hit every light between home and the restaurant, because I was in the car. This is The Way.
We sat at what was our usual table before the pandemic. I don’t think I have to tell you how happy and grateful we are that it still is. We used to go out all the time, and we just … don’t, anymore. We’re not comfortable dining indoors, and more often than not it’s just easier to stay home and order or make one of the five or so simple things we got used to over the last few years.
After the chips and salsa arrived and we had accepted the implied challenge, Anne said, scandalously, “Dude. We are on a date, on Valentine’s Day.”
“No! Nonononono. No we are not! We are out to dinner together on a date, on a day that SOME PEOPLE happen to have dates on because THE MAN tells them to. It is awesome that we are on a date, but the timing is purely coincidence.”
I took a sip of my water.
Very casually: “Also, did you find the card I hid in your purse?”
BAM! SWITCHEROO!
“What?” She picked her purse up off the chair, next to her. “No?” She dug through it, until she found the card I had secretly tucked in there, apparently a little too well, the night before.
It’s a pretty great card. It could be construed as a card for the day which shall not be named, but it just as easily could be given on any other day of the year, to a person you love the way I love Mrs. Wheaton.
“This is correlation, not causation,” I said as she opened it. I’m not going to reveal the specifics; that’s up to her to share if she wants. But she laughed at it exactly the way I knew she would, because when you love someone for nearly 30 years, you just know these things.
“This is perfect. This is, objectively, the best card in the world,” she said, laughing the whole time.
I laughed with her. It felt so good to laugh together. It’s been a really long Winter. It’s been, like, seven years of Winter, and it’s nice to feel just a little bit of warmth in the air, the promise of Spring.
We shared flan, as is traditional, then went home and watched True Detective, before she went to sleep and I went out to my gameroom to play Baldur’s Gate (wild magic is so much fun).
So … yeah. Dinner and a movie, I guess, and the exchange of simple reminders of our love for each other, in this life we’ve built together.
BUT NOT BECAUSE THE MAN SAID WE HAD TO. Fuck that guy. This was for us.
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I love this for you guys. Just because it HAPPENED to be on Wednesday is coinkidink, right?
I’m happy you are regularly writing on your blog again.
I love this story and it makes me happy that you two are so happy together. Let me share my own recent nerdy love scene: My husband and I were watching NOVA about whale evolution, and they introduced a scientist as Egypt’s “first female vertebrate paleontologist.” We looked each other in the eye and burst out laughing so hard we had to pause the show. I gasped out “were the previous ones invertebrates?” which caused increased hilarity. It is priceless to have someone at your side who is on your wavelength.
That was a great episode of NOVA!
It really was! So cool to see the ocean map during that period.
I was so afraid that you were going to come home, and that very good girl would’ve damaged that beautiful painting. Shame on me I should’ve known Marlowe would never do a thing like that. Did you bring her home a treat?
I was thinking the same thing!
Awwww.
Even if you don’t celebrate “Hallmark Day,” starting the 15th, all sorts of treats that happen to be in red or pink boxes, or “heart” shaped, are now deeply discounted, and that’s worth celebrating!
Thank you for sharing this Wil. It brings joy to my heart. Also this is totally me and my wife Jennifer. I told her when we started dating that I don’t do Valentine’s Day. I’m randomly romantic throughout the year and don’t need to be told to be romantic on a specific date. Saying this she love chocolate so I always get her some of her favorites and surprise her a couple day before and by the time it’s past she needs more so I go get some at the chocolate sales on 2/15.
Much love to you and Anne and especially the bestest girl Marlowe.
I love this so much, Wil. Had to laugh because it’s kind of like me and hubby. We’re GenX nerds who have been married 29 years this month. We don’t do V day really and Christmas is pretty low key because honestly, we’re tired. Occasionally we’ll surprise each other with something special. But I am going all out this anniversary and getting him a Godzilla toy from his childhood off of Ebay. Wow, nostalgia is expensive, haha.
I love the way you two express your love for each other. It is absolutely beautiful.
Relationship goals as always.
I love it when you talk about your marvelous love with Anne. It makes me tear up. Mine and I have been together for 20 years this September. You guys make me so happy.
Yaaaaaaaaassssss!!!
I loathe being strong-armed into gift-buying by a f***ing CALENDAR!!!
If I see something that makes me think, “Oh, So-and-So would LOVE that!”… I buy it and give it to them at my earliest opportunity.
At my age, I can’t be nearly as spontaneous as I would like to be. I take the wee victories as I can find them.
As always, much love to you and your bride.
Yep, no special Feb. 14th stuff for us either (together 28 years), though I did leave a post-it with “I [heart] U” on the mirror for him to find.
We have been together for 44 years, married for 38. We gave up on Hallmark holidays many years ago. Instead, we celebrate Arizona Statehood Day (since we’ve lived in Phoenix metro our entire lives). On February 14, we hang the Arizona flag in front of our house, remember and share state trivia, and be thankful that we don’t have to shovel snow.
Romance is celebrated whenever WE want. Glad it’s the same for the Wheatons.
I love your writing style. Thank you for sharing this very nice moment, and pats to the Goodest Dog
I love teasing about you and Anne, mostly because a bit under 7 years ago, the universe gifted me and my special person to each other. I walked up to her on Wednesday and said ” knowing as wraith don’t celebrate this hallmark holiday (which here in finland is called friendship day, which I love, who isn’t having their partner as their best friend) and asked if I coukd take her out to dabber. I said not wanting to out the emotional load on yiu, but what kind of food would you like. The only specification was no pizza and no Chinese, I duly scurried off and found a place we’d never tried before, the food was amazing, the company the best and we had a truly great evening.
Thank you for sharing your life with us, and for being an amazing person.
This was lovely!
Also, TIL there’s wild magic in Baldur’s Gate! Dammit, now I’ve to turn someone into a sorceror on my next playthrough!
Awwww. What a nice day. Thanks for sharing.
We aren’t official day celebrators either, but we are playing Baldur’s Gate together – he keyboards and we discuss what we are doing next.
While I’m not a fan of this Hallmark holiday, I do participate in it because my wife gets a kick out of sentimental cards and chocolate roses. In recent years we’ve added a visit to CPK in the days before the 14th to enjoy a silly heart shaped pizza.
Ten years ago, she had a brain aneurysm rupture. She was in the ICU for three weeks, recovering from three surgeries to save her life. I sat by her bedside every visiting hour, holding her hand, and playing her favorite music. Two months of recuperation therapy followed where I saw her return to herself and then to me.
However we choose to celebrate our love for another person, we should always do so, even during the difficult times. So if it continues to put a smile on her face to share a heart shaped pizza and enjoy chocolate roses, then that’s just one of the many things I’ll continue to do to express my love.