High School V-Day

Written my senior year for the school paper. Some things don't really change.

     Last Valentine's day Mucia got flowers, Cindy got a teddy bear, and Ray got chocolates. As for me, I got nothing. When I looked around and saw how everybody was carrying red roses, "I love you" balloons, teddy bears, and heart-shapes chocolate boxes, I felt left out. I felt like a loser. I didn't get anything but something did visit me: loneliness. Yeah, loneliness has always held my hand through all kinds of holidays. Of course, Valentine's Day is the worst because it brings home the fact that I have no one. Yet I decided to look on the brighter side of being alone: I don't have anything to carry.
     My friends kept complaining because they didn't want to carry balloons. The balloons would get in their way and some even popped. It was funny because they would start off with six balloons and by the end of the day, there would only be one left. That was the highlight of my day. It wasn't as if I was wishing for something like that to happen. It just did. A smile would appear after the explosion of another balloon.
     Mucia also had a hard time with the flowers. She was carrying around a whole bouquet of roses and water kept spilling on her clothing. People would also pick the petals off the roses. By the time she went home, she had five beautiful blood-red roses and seven bald stems. I felt bad for her, but what could I do? These things were bound to happen. I had nothing to do with the picking of the petals.

     I thought Ray wouldn't have a problem with the chocolates. I was wrong. As soon as he opened the box, a swarm of people gathered around him and by the time they dispersed, there wasn't any candy left. Poor Ray, he carried an empty heart-shaped box home. I wasn't included in the swarm but I did happen to see it. Once again, that little episode was out of my hands. At least I didn't have to deal with the sharing situation. I can share, but when someone special gives me chocolates, I think I'd save them for the rest of the year. I'm just sentimental that way.
  Another thing that was funny to me was the fact that on Valentine's Day, some girls got stuffed animals that were twice the size of their bodies. Cindy and those other girls went around carrying huge Tweety birds, Eeyores, Daffy Ducks, Dopeys, and other characters. They kept hitting other people and bumping into walls because they couldn't see. Stuffed animals are cute but why didn't they tell the boyfriends to leave the gifts at their houses? It would've save the girls from causing bodily harm to themselves and others.
     Thinking about all these chaotic situations that have happened makes me wonder whether I'm blessed at not receiving anything on Valentine's Day. Maybe someone out there is thinking about my safety and chooses not to send me anything. I must admit, I am a clumsy person. I could get hurt with anything. Oh well, I guess it's just an excuse as to why I don't receive anything but it's a valid one to me. Besides, I might not receive material gifts on V-day but throughout the year I'm collecting the greatest gifts of all: family, friends, and love. I think that beats any kind of roses, candy, balloons, and even those deadly stuffed animals.