Labels

Saturday, February 19, 2011

One True Valentine



“Mommy what’s so special about Valentine’s Day?”
“Well sweetheart let me tell you a story.”

There was a girl named Aurora Wells. She had long flowing red hair, and the brightest green eyes. Her smile could light up anyone’s day. Each year on Valentine’s Day, her mother would take Aurora from their quaint hometown of Twinbrook (back before the accident), to the big city of Bridgeport. Her mother loved Valentine’s Day. It was probably because her name was Valentine.





Each year, Club Cupid, an exclusive lounge, held an annual singles gala on Valentine’s Day. After Aurora’s father’s tragic meteor accident, her mother’s Lifetime wish was to be a Golddigger. She wanted more than anything to marry a rich man. Mrs. Wells wasn’t famous, but her belated husband’s mother, Minerva Wells was a Super Star actress. She has long passed, but she was once a major sponsor of the Valentine’s event. They used to refer to her as Valentine Wells, when her mother gave her name to the bouncer they would tip their hat and let her in without question. 
Aurora couldn’t stand Valentine’s Day.  She was too young to go inside the club, so she had to stay in the park across the street. It didn’t have a playground or even a swing set; all it had was benches. There was never anyone her own age around. When they got there, she realized she left her book at home. Her mother offered her an old romance books.

 



Aurora walked around the park for a while before settling down on a bench. She just got to the part where the woman was falling in love with the simbot she created, when she heard an excited voice ask “What ’cha reading?” She looked up to see a young boy standing in front of her. He was a rather small boy with saggy blond hair and a face full of freckles.  She smiled and explained she was reading one of her mother’s books. He hopped up on the bench next to her and said “I’ve never seen you around here before.”

She responded “I’m actually from Twinbrook, every Valentine’s Day my mother attends the Valentine’s Gala and I’m stuck at this dumb park.” He insisted it wasn’t so bad, so she asked him what was so special about it.

 “I’m here” he said “Tag you’re it.” Aurora giggled and chased after him.  They spent the whole day playing together and became fast friends. Aurora didn’t even notice when night fell, until she saw her mother crossing the street to the park.

“Aurora, are you ready to go?” called her mother. Aurora couldn’t believe how much time had passed, she felt sad to leave her new found friend. Aurora thanked her friend for the nice day, and followed her mother to the car.  “Did you have a nice time, Sweetheart?” her mother asked.

Aurora said “Yeah Mommy I had a lot of fun with one of the local boys.”

“That’s nice. What was his name?” Aurora couldn’t respond. She spent the entire day playing tag, making silly faces, and having a good time with her new friend, but she never learned his name.

The next year passed by fairly quickly for Aurora. Her mother almost got remarried, but the man broke it off when he discovered she wasn’t seeing him exclusively. Once again, it was Valentine’s Day and they headed out to Bridgeport. Aurora was more optimistic this year; she at least had hope that there would be someone there her age. As her mother headed into Club Cupid, Aurora walked over the bridge to the park’s small island. When she got there; she looked down and saw her named spelled into the dirt.

She turned around surprised to find her mystery friend from last year standing on the bridge.  She was so happy to see him! “How do you know my name? I never learned yours.”

He said “I remembered it from when your mother called you away. It stuck with me because I was so sad to see you go. You said you come here every year, so I knew where I could find you. So, do you want to know my name?” Aurora nodded. “Okay, let’s play a game. Why don’t you try and guess my name? Each time you get it wrong, I’ll give you a clue, but you have to answer a question from me. When you get it right, you can ask me whatever you want. What do you think?”

“Okay that sounds fun! My first guess is Henry” responded Aurora.

“Nope sorry, not Henry. For your first clue, it starts with the same letter as yours. Now as for my question, why did you guess Henry?” He said.

She said, “Henry was the first boy’s name that came to mind, it was the name of my father. Okay so for my next guess, I am thinking Adam.”

“That’s not it either.” He said. “Let’s see… for the next clue, it’s seven letter longs. Tell me one of your favorite things, maybe an animal, flower, or a holiday: something that’s really special to you.”

“Roses” she responded instantly, “I love roses. All kinds, especially pink ones! Is your name Anthony?”

“Correct! My name is Anthony, Anthony Hart. Now you get to ask me anything you want.” They talked all day long about their families, their friends, and their ambitions. She learned that Anthony dreamed of becoming a journalist. He learned that Aurora didn’t know what she wanted to do yet, but loved to try new things and enjoyed her education. They learned everything thing about each other. Aurora told him things she’d never told anyone. She was saddened when her mom came out of Club. She gave Anthony a hug goodbye and ran over to her mother. This boy she only met once a year was probably her best friend!

The year passed by, and it felt slower this time. No near marriages for her mother, just many boyfriends and romantic interests. Aurora blossomed into a beautiful young teenager. She didn’t like high school as much as she was hoping. Her classmates didn’t take their work seriously and it made the environment difficult for Aurora. She didn’t really have any good friends in her class. 

Once again, it was Valentine’s Day. Aurora’s mother gave her the option of staying home this year, something only two years ago she would have celebrated over. But, this year she chose to go again. She was secretly hoping to see Anthony, though there were no guarantees. Her mother always wore the same dress on Valentine’s Day, a gorgeous gown that looked like it came out of her grandmother’s closet. This year, Aurora decided to dress up for Valentine’s Day too. She fixed up her hair, put on some makeup, and put on a red dress and heels.


When she got to the park, she looked for Anthony. She walked to the island where she found her name last time, but this time it was only dirt. She looked over the water and became entranced in the fountain. She was thinking about the last two Valentine’s Days. They were two of the happiest days of her life. She turned around to start walking back over the bridge, and she saw him. He had grown from a goofy little boy to a strikingly handsome teenager.

“Hello, Aurora” Anthony smiled. They each complimented the other’s appearance. What a difference a year could make. Anthony held up a basket and said, “I thought it would be nice if I brought along lunch for us to share. We can have a picnic right here on this island.”

“I love that idea,” Aurora responded. They stayed on the picnic blanket talking for hours, even as ants began to attempt to find any leftover crumbs.  They talked about their year and learned even more about each other. Some would say their conversation even got a bit flirty.

As night fell, they knew their time together was growing short. They walked around the park together and without even realizing it, they were holding each other’s hands.  Suddenly, they heard explosions. “Fireworks, come on let’s get a better view from the Island,” announced Anthony as he pulled Aurora towards the bridge.  They watched in awe as the bright colors lit up the city skyline.  As the fireworks came to an end, Anthony was holding a single pink rose. “Aurora I would like you to have this.”

“Oh Anthony, thank you. I love it! You remembered from last year. You are so sweet”

Anthony smiled and looked into Aurora’s eyes and said “Will you be my Valentine?”
Her heart melted; she was barely able to whisper her response, “of course.” She gave him a big hug.  Aurora found him alluring and they began to embrace. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes. They had their first kiss! They were in complete bliss. When they saw Aurora’s mother leaving Club Cupid, Aurora didn’t want to leave. Anthony gave her a big hug and they said goodbye.


On the car ride home, so many things were going through her head. This was her very first kiss, but it wasn’t like they were an official couple or anything! They only saw each other once a year! She watched out the window as they drove out of Bridgeport and smiled. Valentine’s Day went from being the worst day of the year to being the best! As she lay in bed thinking about him that night, she couldn’t wait until next Valentine’s Day.

The year seemed to drag on. Aurora made Honor Roll each semester. Her mother got engaged to a wealthy elder man, who passed away only a week before the wedding. Her mother was devastated as she wandered around muttering “Why couldn’t he just wait a week!”

 




Valentine’s Day rolled around and Aurora couldn’t wait to get to Bridgeport! She woke up early and got all dressed up. She was determined to ask him out officially and exchange phone numbers so they could talk on a day other than Valentine’s Day. When they got there, she walked over to the Island to see if her name was written anywhere, but found nothing. She turned around to see if he was behind her, but he wasn’t there. She sat on a bench and waited. Hours passed and realized he wasn’t coming. She cursed herself for not getting his phone number last time. Night fell and her mother came out of Club Cupid. Her heart sank. She missed her valentine this year.

She tried not to think about it as she drove home. She wondered where he was and what he was doing, or if he was thinking about her. It’s not like there was any guarantee he would be there each year. Who knew what type of events had transpired in his life?

The rest of the year seemed to go by at a pretty normal speed. Aurora was thinking about her future and college. She still didn’t know very many of her classmates. This year, Aurora had to make a decision. Her mother was going to Club Cupid again, but Aurora no longer had to go. Spending the day at the park without Anthony was boring. However, she at least wanted the chance to see him again.

On Valentine’s Day, she got dressed up again. She brought a book along with her this time just in case. When she got there, she sat on the bench on the island and pulled out her book. She grabbed one of her mother’s romance books, “A Wall Between Us”. It was about a young couple destined to be together, but split apart because of a great tragedy. They spent their lives attempting to reach each other. They both died alone and their ghosts were able to find each other in the afterlife. Just as she finished, Aurora saw her mother walking out of Club Cupid. On her way home, her thoughts were once again with Anthony, wondering what he was up to and where he was. 
The next year passed by quickly. Her mother actually got married! Aurora’s life changed as they left behind their old house and moved in with her new step-father.  He lived in a huge house; he even had his own gem vault. Aurora spent most of her time in her new. When Valentine’s Day rolled around this year, her mother was not going to Club Cupid as she was already “happily” married. Aurora thought about going on her own, but it was a long drive and she had only been driving for a few months. Tt probably wasn’t a good idea, plus Anthony hadn’t been there the last two years, so why would he be there now?
A boy from her class, Red Neckerson, asked her out on a Valentine’s date. At first she refused, but he was persistent. She didn’t see the harm in one date. They went out for dinner at Brunton's Boxcar Diner. The meal wasn’t completely unpleasant, but for some reason, Red kept kicking her underneath the table. He was nice and all but she didn’t have any romantic feelings for him. They stepped outside of the dinner and that’s when Red took his chance and tried to kiss her. Aurora was appalled and ran all the way back home. This was the worse Valentine’s Day, even worse than the times she spent alone in the park. That night, her thoughts went back to Anthony. At this point he felt almost like a fantasy.
The years went by and Aurora graduated from High School. She became a young adult and attended a local university. She decided it would be better to live in the dorms, instead of staying at her step-father’s place.  That’s when she met her roommate, Harlow Love. Harlow was beautiful, with long flowing hair and bright pink lips. She was such a party animal; she would even bring men back to the room at all hours of the night. Aurora didn’t drink very much; she had a few glasses of nectar from time to time, and she’d had a few skill gain drinks, but her roommate enjoyed drinking a lot. Harlow always knew where the party was. She may have had some flaws, but she was a genuinely kind person.

The week leading up to Valentine’s Day, Harlow was trying to convince Aurora to go out to the Be Mine dance club, which was opening in Bridgeport. Their grand opening was on Valentine’s Day and they were letting in all ladies free of charge. Harlow pestered Aurora about going for days. On Valentine’s Day, Aurora got a package in the mail from her mother. She brought it up to her room and Harlow asked what was inside. Aurora said, “It’s a package from home, I haven’t opened it yet”


“Well open it up” said Harlow. Aurora opened the package and to her disbelief inside the box was her mother’s beautiful Valentine’s Day Gown. Aurora was shocked. On top of it a note read “I thought you would get more use out of this thing this year, Sweetheart. Love Mom”

“That’s beautiful. Now you have to go with me tonight! You have the perfect dress to wear,” said Harlow.  Aurora begrudgingly agreed. Harlow and Aurora spent the morning getting ready and they hopped in Harlow’s car to head to Bridgeport. Since it was such a long drive, they had a good deal of time to talk to each other. Somehow, Aurora began talking about Anthony. She hadn’t seen him in five years, and she was beginning to think she sounded pathetic talking about this boy she’d only met three times. Harlow, on the other hand, thought it was the most romantic story she had ever heard. She demanded Aurora show her where the park was when they got into Bridgeport.
Harlow pulled over and they both got out of the car. Aurora loved this park, she felt so safe and comfortable there. She walked over the bridge and that’s when she saw something. When she looked at the spot, where she first saw her name, it looked like it had been written again, but it was also kind of blurry. She looked all around, but when she looked down, it was gone. She shrugged it off and headed back to the car with Harlow without saying a word.   

When they pulled up to Be Mine, Aurora giggled. The dance club was shaped like a giant pink heart; it was like nothing she had ever seen before. Harlow told her it used to be a beautiful home, but it was recently bought out and converted it into a nightclub. They really only changed the deck to add a profession bar and a dance floor, even leaving all the original furniture inside.

Harlow bought a round of drinks for the entire place! Harlow dragged her on to the dance floor. Aurora felt out of place; she had never really been to a place like this before. After a few minutes she went to step away. That’s when she saw him.  “Aurora, is that you? Do you remember me?” he said.

“Anthony,” she barely whispered it.

He gave her a warm hug. “It’s so good to see you again. I thought I would never get the chance to look into those beautiful eyes again.” Aurora was a little stunned. She couldn’t believe after all these years Anthony was in front of her again, and he was being so romantic with her.  “Every Valentine’s Day since we last meant I’ve thought about you” he explained, “A few months after we saw each other last, my family moved to Barnacle Bay. I wanted to get back to Bridgeport for Valentine’s Day, but it just wasn’t possible. The trip takes three days by sea one way and I would have missed a week of school. My parents forbid it. As soon as I became a young adult, I moved out and back to Bridgeport. I went to the park this morning. I knew it was unlikely that you’d be there, but last year on Valentine’s Day, I saw a shooting star, and the only thing I could think to wish for was you. It’s just so nice to see you again.”

“Anthony?” Aurora asked, smiling as he finished his story.

“Yes?” said Anthony.

“Will you be my Valentine?”

“Of course” said Anthony as he hugged her tight. “Hey, there’s going to be fireworks again tonight,” he looked at his watch and said, “they should be starting soon; why don’t we go up to the roof and watch them?”


Aurora followed Anthony up the stairs. She was thinking about the time they watched the fireworks together, that was the night of her first and only real kiss. She grinned to herself as she secretly was hoping for a repeat. They found a cozy spot and embraced while they waited for the fireworks to start. They heard a loud boom and looked up into the city skyline to watch the show. The fireworks felt like they lasted forever to Aurora, but as soon as the finale finished, she looked around and realized they were alone of the roof. She took her chance and leaned in to kiss him. It felt just as romantic as the first time.

Anthony looked at her and smiled. “Aurora, I know this might be forward of me to ask, but I can’t stand the idea of never seeing you again. Would you maybe want to go steady with me?”

Aurora couldn’t believe it! She quickly accepted and embraced him tightly. She found him extremely irresistible. They spent some time up on the roof catching up. Aurora learned that Anthony had gotten a job as a Tabloid Writer in Bridgeport. Although he couldn’t stand all the celebrity gossip, this was a stepping stone on his dream of becoming a real Investigative Reporter.

They spent the whole night together into the early hours of the morning. When the club closed, Harlow was ready to head back. Aurora introduced her to Anthony and Harlow’s jaw dropped. “You mean THE Anthony, the one you told me about on the way here?” Aurora nodded. “It’s a Valentine’s miracle!” exclaimed Harlow, “You two have to go back to that park you took me to. I’ve got my camera and I want to get a picture of you both at that park.” Since it meant they would get to spend some more time together, they both agreed. In the light of dawn, Harlow snapped the photograph of the two of them on the island where they first met, all those years ago. “It looks like I only had on roll of film left in this camera. I guess you are just going to have to share this picture,” she said as she tore the picture in half. She gave the picture of Anthony to Aurora and the picture of Aurora to Anthony. “See? Now you’ll be able to keep each other close, even when you’re far apart.”
They exchanged phone numbers and promised to keep in touch. It was hard for both of them to be away from each other all the time. They talked on the phone or chatted online every night. As the year passed Anthony came up to visit Aurora a few times, and she even went to Bridgeport once or twice. The long distance thing was getting harder and harder the more she was falling for him. She cherished the photo Harlow took, and held it close with her at all times.
 



The year seemed to fly by; she couldn’t believe it when Valentine’s Day came again. This was a big day for them. It was technically their one year anniversary and this day meant a lot to both of them. This would be there first Valentine’s Day together outside of Bridgeport. She spent all morning getting ready, after trying on over a dozen outfits she finally decided to wear her mother’s dress again. It just felt like Valentine’s Day to her. She just finished her hair when she heard him knock. She rushed to the door to see him. When she opened it, she was greeted by him holding a dozen pink roses. “Happy Anniversary” he said.
“Oh Anthony, they’re perfect! Thank you so much. Happy Anniversary” She said as she held him in a tight embrace.

“Let’s go for a walk” he said. They walked around the town center of Twinbrook and then they headed over the bridge towards the neighborhood where her mother and step-father lived. But they weren’t going to visit them. They stopped at the first lot, which was beautifully decorated for Valentine’s Day. Anthony looked deeply into Aurora’s eyes and said “Aurora I think I’m in love with you”

Aurora didn’t know how to respond at first, she was so shocked to hear those words come from Anthony. She finally managed to say “I think I love you too.” They went into a gazebo at the back of the lot. Aurora really liked the fountain and all the potted roses. They spent some time flirting and holding each other close. Aurora noticed Anthony started to look a little nervous. And she asked him “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, everything just feels so right.” He paused for a moment and said “Aurora, I want to ask you something.” Anthony got down on one knee and pulled out a ring box. He presented it to Aurora and asked “Aurora will you marry me?”  Aurora was in shock! But almost instinctually she immediately said yes and began to jump up and down with excitement. She hugged him so tight, she was afraid she would crush him! She just couldn’t believe that the one young boy from the park so long ago had just proposed and they were going to spend the rest of her lives together.
“I have one last surprise for you” Anthony said

“I don’t think I can handle any more surprises today!” responded Aurora still smiling from ear to ear.

“This is the last one I promise.” Anthony lead Aurora back to the other part of town. “I want to show you something,” he said as the neared his destination. “What do you think of this little house?”

“That’s so adorable” she said as she laid her eyes on the adorable little starter home in the shape of a rose.

“I’ve been saving up and with that plus the money I got from my new promotion, I was able to put a down payment on this house. It’s ours,” said Anthony.

Aurora was beyond shocked at this point. This had been the best day of her life, her boyfriend told her he loved her and then he proposed and now her fiancé brought her to the house where they would spend the rest of their lives together. She was ecstatic and completely speechless. She finally came to her senses and the first thing that came to her mind was “What promotion?”

Anthony smiled and said “I’m glad you asked, I just took a job as a Newspaper Reporter here in Twinbrook.”

They went inside on Aurora fell in love with it. It was a great place to start out their lives together. She hopped into the bed they now shared and reached her arms out towards Anthony as if asking him to come join her and cuddle. They lay in each other’s arms for a while and there were many of romantic interactions. They decided to consummate their relationship for the first time.

Everything was going perfectly. They planned to have their wedding next year on Valentine’s Day. They even picked out the hall where Anthony had proposed. A month passed by and everything was just perfect, until one morning, Aurora woke up in a terrible panic. She realized it was all just a dream, and tried to calm herself down, but woke Anthony up to talk about it. Aurora had a hard time remembering the exact details of her dream. She felt as if she had lost Anthony forever. In her dream, there was some type of large explosion. Even explaining it, she was in tears. Anthony tried her best to comfort her; he believed she was just worried about him leaving on his trip that day. Aurora begged him not to go. Anthony was supposed to investigate a large company a few miles outside of Twinbrook. They were believed to be doing something to contaminate the local water supply and Anthony had to find out what was going on. This was one of his first real assignments and Anthony didn’t want to turn it down.

Anthony made Aurora breakfast. She calmed down and realized it was irrational to be so upset over nothing. She wasn’t going to hold Anthony back from his dream. She helped him pack and gave him a big hug and kiss goodbye. This was the first time they would be apart since their engagement. He was only going to be gone for a night. Aurora thought it would feel strange to be in bed without him.

“I love you” Aurora called out after him.

Anthony turned back around and said “I love you too; you are my one true Valentine” His words made her blush. She went back inside and got ready for school. She still had a year left at the university before she could get into the education career. She spent a summer working as Playground Monitor, and had already been a Substitute Teacher for a few classes.

 


That day as she was walking back from class, tragedy struck. Suddenly, the ground started shaking. Aurora looked up over the hills just in time to see the blast. At that moment, the whole town was in a frenzy. Alarm bells were ringing and emergency vehicles were speeding down the street. Everyone started running. Aurora didn’t understand what was going on. She followed a crowd into the Fire Station. She wished Anthony was with her so she didn’t feel so alone.

When night fell, the Fire Chief walked into the station to make an announcement. “There has been an accident at the Doo Peas Llama Corporate Headquarters, which was a few miles outside of town. We now know for certain that they had been experimenting with nuclear reactors. Somehow, the pressurized water reactor was turned off and one of the largest units overheated. We should be thankful the wind was facing away from Twinbrook today, because the area surrounding the building is contaminated for miles. Unfortunately, there were no survivors For now, no one is to leave Twinbrook for any reason. You must wear the air masks we will provide, and do not drink any of the groundwater. We will do our best to try and get this situation under control.”

Aurora could barely breathe, “That’s where Anthony was” she thought. How could this be? Aurora fell to her knees and started crying. She was heart-broken; her one true love was dead.

The next few years passed by in a daze for Aurora. Twinbrook was completely cut off from the rest of the world. No one could enter or leave until the cleanup efforts had been completed. The explosion destroyed all the communication towers in the area, leaving no connection to the outside world. Aurora became a teacher at the local elementary school. Nothing really felt whole in her life after the accident. Even though years had gone by, she would still mourn over the death of her fiancé. She cherished the photograph she still had of him in the park. She wished she had the other half, but didn’t want to think about what happened to it.

Her old classmate, Red Neckerson, started to pursue her again. They went on a few dates. Fifteen years after the accident and in a moment of weakness, Aurora agreed to marry Red. They had a small private wedding and she moved in with him. She hadn’t been to the Rose house since the accident. She had moved in with her mother. Her step-father somehow passed away from starvation, even though he was one of the wealthiest men in the town, and the house now belonged to her mother. Aurora and Red had a baby daughter. Aurora was very emotionally detached from Red, but she loved her baby girl with all her heart. Things never really worked out with Red. When she was a child, Aurora filed for divorce and moved back in with her mother. Her mother made up a room that made her feel like a little princess. Every year on Valentine’s Day, Aurora would take out the photo of Anthony and cry. He was always her one true Valentine.
“Mommy you told the story wrong!” said the small girl.
“What do you mean sweetheart?”
“They were supposed to live happily ever after.”
“Okay then do you want to hear a story that ends happily ever after”
The small child nodded.

 


A young woman was visiting Les Champs Sims. She hadn’t done any traveling at all. You see, she was from Twinbrook. After the accident, they kept the town completely on lock down for almost 40 years. Finally, they announced that all the inhabitants could leave, but if they did they had to leave everything behind and they could never return. The young women felt that Twinbrook no longer had anything to offer her, so she boarded a plane to France. She hadn’t decided which neighborhood she was going to settle down in once she returned, but for now at least, she would enjoy her vacation.  She went to all the tourist attractions; she especially loved visiting the nectary and learning to make nectar, which was a rare commodity in Twinbrook. She had only tasted it once at her grandmother’s wedding.

She poured herself a glass of Cherries Grallaina Fran Grapes Nectar and sat down at the fireplace with a good book. Her vacation thus far had been rather relaxing. She put the book down on the table next to her and started to stare off into space, wondering where she was going to live. An attractive gentlemen was standing in front of her with a drink. “Hello. I hope I’m not bothering you, but I just had to share this with somebody. It’s called Moodlet Madness.”

She accepted the offer and took the drink “Wow that is amazing” she said, that didn’t even begin to describe it, she felt completely rejuvenated. 

“My name’s Henry”, he offered “What brings you to Les Champs Sims?”

She smiled “I’m Hailey, I’m just on vacation; this is actually my first time traveling.”

“I myself have been here a few times. You know tomorrow is one of the most Romantic day’s here. They do a lot of special things for Valentine’s Day.  Did you bring your sweetie along?”

Hailey almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself. She was hoping he didn’t notice “No it’s just me. I don’t have a sweetie at the moment.”

“Well this might be a bit presumptuous of me, but I have these reservations at the local Requiesence Resort. They came with the Rose Suite upstairs and I don’t have anyone to bring with me. Would you be interested in a day of pampering and relaxation?”

Hailey contemplated it for a moment. She had nothing better to do and maybe it would be a good way to clear her head, plus she found herself quite attracted to this young gentlemen. “Sure, why not?”

“Alright I’ll pick you up at quarter of” He smiled as he started to walk upstairs

She smiled to herself and finished her wine. Then, she headed back to the base camp to get ready. She had only brought one dress with her and that was her mother’s dress. She always used to wear it on Valentine’s Day. She packed it and a bathing suit into a day bag and gussied herself up a bit.
She went downstairs to wait for him. He pulled up on a Kenspa, and asked Hailey to hop on.

When they got there, they decided to start out with a refreshing dip in the pool. They had a great time splashing each other and even had a “who could hold their breath longer” contest. Hailey proudly won. After the swim, they headed over to the gazebo to dry off a bit. “So where are you from anyway?” asked Henry

“I’m actually from Twinbrook, I just left. It’s the only place I’ve ever been besides here” responded Hailey.

“Wow! Really? I’ve never met anyone from Twinbrook. My old man was obsessed with that place, always trying to find a way in.”

“I don’t know why anyone would want to get in” responded Hailey. “How about you? Where are you from?”

“I’m from Bridgeport. I like to come here to get away from the big city life.  So what are you going to do now? You can’t go back,” Henry said.

“I know, I guess I haven’t figured it out yet. There was nothing left for me there. My mother passed away this time last year, not long after they started letting people out. She really wanted to leave, but she was just too old to start over in a whole new place, so we stayed back. After she passed away, I took the year to get my affairs in order and sell some of my family’s properties. There are not too many people looking to buy in Twinbrook, so it took a while.”

“My father passed away about a year ago, too. I  felt bad for him. He always seemed to be looking for something. My father was fundamentally a good man. When my mother died from a fire in our home, he took me in. I don’t remember much about my mother, and I don’t think my father does either. They weren’t married or living together or anything. My father was the Don Juan of Bridgeport. He could charm a five star celebrity off her feet. But every Valentine’s Day, he would wander to a small park in town and sit on a bench all day long, no matter how many women wanted to go out with him that night.”

“You know, my mother used to act rather strangely around Valentine’s Day, too. She would always lock herself up in her room for the whole day, even when she should have been at work,” Hailey said. Before too long, they had to get ready for dinner.

Henry was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to walk Hailey to dinner, when he saw her. “Wow,” He said “You look stunning in that dress” he also felt a Déjà vu for a minute, but just shrugged it off.


“Thank you,” said Haliey “Shall we head to dinner?” They had Shrimp Cocktails and an order of the Famous French Frog legs. They talked about their past romantic endeavors. They both seemed to have a series of failed relationships, but nothing ever got too serious. After dinner, they decided to cozy up in the hot tub and things started getting hot and heavy. When it was time to leave the resort, Henry asked Hailey “Would you like to come back to the Rose Suite with me, it’s a lot nicer and quieter than the base camp.

 
Hailey thought about it for a minute and decided to go with him. Once they got back it didn’t take them long to get into bed together. Hailey quickly fell asleep, but Henry was bothered by something. He couldn’t quit put his finger out it, though he came up with a crazy plan. He slept a little, but woke up early and went over to the base camp, He got together all Hailey’s stuff, which wasn’t much considering there were very strict restrictions on what you could and couldn’t bring with you. He took everything back to his room and packed all his stuff up, too. Very early in the morning, he gently woke up Hailey.

“Happy Valentine’s Day” He said “I have a surprise for you”

Hailey blinked a few times and looked around and noticed all of the luggage. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked

“No, we are” He said “As long as you’d like to join me”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise, do you trust me?”

“Trust you? I just met you, yesterday.”

“Come on, take the chance.”

“Well okay, I guess. I don’t really have anything better to do, I’ll go with you.”

“Alright get ready. We’ve got a flight to catch in a few minutes.” And he walked about of the room. Hailey wondered to herself if she was making the right decision but put her fears aside and got ready. She walked downstairs to meet him and they were on a flight heading to Bridgeport. Hailey was getting excited. Her mother and grandmother used to tell her stories about the mysterious Bridgeport with celebrities and night clubs.  When they landed, Hailey was completely in awe, she had never seen such tall buildings! There was even a truck that drove around selling food.

“Are we going to your place?” she asked.

“Sure we can, but that’s not where we are going right now,” he said.

That’s when she saw the park. A look of confusion came on her face. “I know this is going to seem crazy, but I’ve seen this place before.”

Hailey went rummaging through her stuff and pulled out an old picture of her mother’s. It was torn in half with a mystery man and what looked like this park in the background.” She held up the photo to Henry.
“I knew it! I knew I recognized that dress!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Please wait here, I’ll only be gone a few minutes. I’ll be right back,” he called as he ran off.

Hailey was so confused. First, the picture. Now, the guy she was with suddenly ran off yelling something about a dress. Oh well. She tried not to think too much into it, hopefully he would return. Hailey walked across the bridge and onto the little island at the park. She took a closer look at the picture and recognized the fountain in the background. She realized her mother was probably standing in this exact spot before. It made her feel so close to her mother, she was mesmerized by the fountain, she tried to remember the story her mom told her about this island. She didn’t even realize Henry had returned until she heard him call her name. She turned around to see him running towards her with something in his hand.

“Hailey look at this” He brought another photo also torn in half, this time with a woman in it.
“That’s my mother!” Haliey said, almost in shock

“I had a feeling. When I saw your picture, I knew I had to show you. The picture you’re holding is of my father. He was in love with this woman from Twinbrook and they were set to be married, but one day he went off on an assignment. He was supposed to be at the Doo Peas Llama Corporate Headquarters when the explosion happened, but he decided to drive a little further to the next town to pick up some roses for his fiancé. He was paying for them when he saw the explosion. He got in his car and started driving towards the explosion. He was stopped by road blocks and told he couldn’t go any further. That was the last day he saw the love of his life.”

Hailey was in shock. She had never known the whole story, her grandmother used to whisper about a man other than her father, but she never really know anything about him. Hailey suddenly felt a deep connection to Henry and out of nowhere blurted out, “I love you.”

Henry was a bit shocked, but couldn’t help but responding “I love you too. I feel like I have a deep connection to you”



 “Maybe fate brought us together. Henry, will you be my Valentine?” With those words, Henry found her to be extremely irresistible, he couldn’t help himself! He proposed! And she said yes! Everything was happening so fast. “Henry, let’s get married right here, right now. We saw what happened when our parents waited.”

“I agree. I feel like you are my one true Valentine.” o they got married right there on the spot. It was a little crazy and a little reckless, but everything worked out. They started their lives together as Henry and Hailey Hart. Exactly one year later, they had their first child, a baby girl which they decided to name Valentine! And they all lived happily ever after. 

Valentine was already asleep when the story ended. Henry walked into the room and embraced Hailey, I love you my one true Valentine!  

No comments:

Post a Comment